The skin is the body’s largest organ and one of our most important elimination organs along with the liver, kidneys, and colon.
We get many questions about skin problems. To tackle skin issues, it is important first to identify the underlying cause. It is not enough to just relieve symptoms.
Often the underlying problems show up as symptoms like acne, eczema, rosacea, redness, inflammation, dry skin, brittle nails, or premature aging. These symptoms often point to an imbalance that you can adjust.
Beauty comes from within
In nutritional medicine, the skin is often related to the liver as well as digestive health. When you have an imbalance in these internal organs, it can show through the skin. The key to healthy and radiant skin literally goes through the stomach.
Most of us need to review our dietary choices and take the right nutritional supplements to keep our skin happy and radiant. We may also need to do regular detox cures to support the body’s cleansing systems and reduce the burden on the skin.
Besides dietary choices, it is also important to:
– Avoid harmful substances from conventional skincare products (by using natural and organic skincare).
– Balance stress in your life.
– Exercise and sweat regularly to help your skin feel its best.
What can you eat for healthy skin?
Food for radiant skin
It is just as important what you choose to avoid as what you choose to put into your body. Foods that disturb your liver and intestines are ultimately also harmful to the skin. Therefore, avoid or minimize**:**
Avoid:
- Sugar
- Wheat flour
- Cheap fats like peanut oil, soybean oil, margarine, etc.
- Very fatty, fried, or sautéed foods in large amounts
- Artificial flavorings and preservatives.
Eat more of:
- Vegetables rich in beta-carotene, chlorophyll, and antioxidants support the skin by helping the body fight free radicals and protect against external effects from sun, weather, and wind. Especially good are broccoli, tomatoes, green leaves, cucumber, bell pepper, carrots, sprouts, pumpkin, zucchini, celery, sweet potato, cauliflower, cabbage, beets.
- You can also choose green powder blends if you prefer to get as much green as possible in a simple and concentrated form. For example: E3live, Green Magic, Wheatgrass juice, and Spirulina.
- Fruits and berries rich in life-giving water, antioxidants, and vitamins help transport nutrients to the skin while clearing away waste products. Examples: avocado, papaya, goji berries, schisandra, apples, banana, lemon, lime, kiwi, pomegranate, pineapple, watermelon, pear.
- Healthy oils, the skin needs a certain amount of high-quality fatty acids to feel its best. These are good both to eat and to apply to the skin:
- Olive oil
- Algae omega-3
- Hemp oil
- Hemp seeds
- Evening primrose oil
- Borage oil
- Coconut oil
- Black cumin oil
Herbs and spices are like concentrated injections of antioxidants and phytonutrients that help the body protect the skin’s cells from external influences. Here are some tips:
- Ginger
- Chaga
- Moringa
- Neem
- Aloe vera
- Dandelion
- Nettle
- Field horsetail
- Turmeric
- Cinnamon
- Red clover
Supplements that support skin health
Some nutrients are especially important for skin health. In many cases, these overlap with what supports the liver, digestion, as well as hair and nails, since they all affect and interact with each other.
The big stars for skin health are: Silica, Collagen, Zinc, Vitamin C, Biotin, Hyaluronic Acid, MSM (sulfur), Omega 3, and friendly gut bacteria. Vitamins E, D, and B-complex also have important functions for the skin.
The best supplements specifically for the skin are combination supplements that combine nutrients and herbs in the right proportions to provide optimal support from within the body. Here are some favorites:
Contains key ingredients for healthy skin such as silica from bamboo extract, vegetarian hyaluronic acid, soluble keratin, and several important vitamins and minerals.
Sunwarrior Beauty Greens: with coconut water, biotin, and hyaluronic acid that help hydrate and strengthen the skin from within, while stimulating the body's collagen production, coconut water providing electrolytes, silica from bamboo, vitamin C, wheatgrass juice, kale, moringa, spirulina, and a vegetable blend as well as lactic acid bacteria for digestion.
Terranova Beauty Complex contains a unique blend to support skin and hair health as well as nails. Contains MSM, horsetail, nettles, cocoa powder, pumpkin seeds, Gotu Kola, burdock, vitamin C, and zinc.
Other supplements for the skin
In addition to combination supplements for skin health, the following individual supplements can play an important role for skin health. Here are the most important:
Lactic acid bacteria: health starts in the stomach and friendly gut bacteria support the entire body: Friendly lactic acid bacteria are one of the most important products you can choose.
The balance between omega-3 and omega-6 in the body plays a crucial role for the skin and the whole body.
B-complex supplements are effective for the skin and hair. Especially vitamin B3 plays an important role in circulation to the body's outermost parts.
Zinc: required for collagen production, a connective tissue necessary for skin repair and regeneration. Zinc is a powerful mineral in preventing wrinkles, sun damage, inflammation (acne, rosacea), and pigmentation disorders (melasma). Eczema and acne can be caused by a deficiency of zinc and B vitamins in the body.
Sulfur gives the skin radiance and glow. Where can you find sulfur? In lovely greens like arugula, kale, watercress, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, kohlrabi, and in maca. Or you can take MSM supplements.
Silica is another essential mineral that keeps the skin happy. Silica-rich foods include green beans, nettles, oats, millet, artichoke, asparagus, beets, romaine lettuce, baby spinach, and herbs like horsetail.
You can also drink organic green tea or Spring Dragon tea, 1-2 cups a day. Green tea protects the skin from sun damage and studies have shown it reduces redness – but it is important to choose a high-quality organic green tea without sugar.
