7 Health Tips that Greatly Improve the Look of Your Skin

While the conventional wisdom for healthy-looking skin – using sunscreen, avoiding tanning, and so forth are always worth bearing in mind, healthy skin is still very much dependent on what’s going on inside your body – even more so than what you put on it. Check out these seven tips for improving and maintaining healthy-looking and glowing skin.

Drink Water

A good many Americans go about in a state of constant dehydration – up to three fourths of the total populace does not drink enough water. Water is a key ingredient to healthy skin – it aids in the production of collagen, key to youthful-looking skin, helps to remove impurities and toxins from the body, and keeps sweat and oil glands in good working order. It can also assist in the relief of dry skin, particularly during the winter months. Grab a reusable water bottle and sip throughout the day.

Eat Fiber

Fiber isn’t just good for your digestive tract – fiber also helps your body to maximize absorption of nutrients that aid your skin and assist in collagen production, like vitamins C and E. Fiber also assists your liver in removing toxins from the body, which can in turn lend your skin a healthy glow and reduce breakouts. Eating lots of fiber can also assist in hormonal balance within the body, which can reduce skin oiliness and acne.

Make Sure You’re Getting Enough C

Vitamin C is a key ingredient in collagen production. Vitamin C is a strong immune system booster, but a strong immune system response is also absolutely essential to killing off germs in and on the skin to prevent acne breakouts. What’s more, vitamin C may actually help to control and even reverse skin damage caused by ultraviolet sun rays – the chief culprit of aging.

Eat Fish

Fish and many other kinds of seafood are rich in omega-3s and other healthy and necessary fats, which are essential and healthy fatty acids that carry out a variety of functions in the body. Salmon, rainbow trout, herring, and mackerel are all excellent sources, and their nutrients assist in reducing skin damage from the sun, protect the skin against toxins, and assist cells in receiving water and nutrients more efficiently. Skip the fried stuff, as fried foods can cause you to break out, and try it baked or poached.

Exercise

Exercising boosts metabolism, improves blood flow, and contributes to cardiovascular health. Exercise also causes the body to sweat, and sweating helps remove impurities, toxins, and dirt from the skin – which is one of the reasons you feel extra clean when you shower right after a workout, according to Vitacell, LLC. Improved circulation as the result of exercise improves your cells’ ability to receive nutrients more efficiently, and exercise in tandem with a healthy diet will produce healthier-looking skin.

Avoid Processed Sugars

Why is sugar bad for your skin? This is where it gets a little technical. When you eat sugar, sugar you digest attaches to the collagen in your skin. This process, called glycation, worsens skin problems like acne and rosacea – and as it interferes with collagen production and maintenance, it also accelerates the aging process, making it tough to reverse. Avoid processed sugars like cane sugar and high fructose corn syrup, and focus on eating a low-sugar diet. Swap pasta for brown rice, and potatoes for beans and non-starchy vegetables. If you’re prone to sugar cravings, try eating more fruit, especially “nature’s candy” like grapes, oranges, and plums – which are also rich in vitamin C.

Don’t Overdo the Dairy

If you’re a cheese addict or love your daily latte, this is a tough one. But the biggest problem associated with consuming dairy is a problem a lot of people are trying to fix – hormones. Many farm cows are expecting mothers – and hormones present in the milk cause skin problems in humans who consume milk, contributing to inflammatory conditions like acne and interfering with hormonal balance and production to boot. If cutting out dairy is totally unthinkable to you, at minimum try to reduce the amount of cream you put in your coffee, the amount of cheese and yogurt you eat, and that after-workout glass. You might also try swapping dairy for dairy substitutes, like almond milk and cream, soy cheese, and coconut milk yogurt.

Each of these practices will not only help improve your overall health, but will help you achieve clear and glowing skin. Introducing one change at a time – and adding another at regular increments – will improve your skin dramatically, and help you maintain healthy-looking skin for years to come.