You are what you eat! So true; but the axiom is not just about the ‘shape’ your body is in. It also refers to your skin, which reflects what you eat as well.
While much of the focus on healthy eating is on body benefits, we can’t forget that our skin needs to be fed healthy too. Indeed, the emphasis on wellness through plant-based nutrition, for example, is especially advantageous for our skin.
In fact, earlier this month, World Vegan Day was celebrated globally, raising the awareness of the benefits of a plant-based diet. And those benefits to healthy skin are substantial.
In just one week – yes, just one – of eating a vegan diet you will experience, better digestion, better blood sugar, clearer skin, more energy, and less inflammation.
So why does this matter?
Plant-based foods are very nutrient dense, rich in vitamins A, C, and E, antioxidants, water, and chlorophyll. Your skin can look incredible after just one week on a plant-based diet.
Another great benefit? Eating plant-based foods can reverse signs of aging.
A vegan diet is a great way to prevent the aging caused by gradual dehydration. Our bodies need a lot of water, and vegan food options are relatively water-rich. Since most of the water we consume comes from what we eat, these differences add up to much more hydration and smoother, healthier, and younger-looking skin.
Another major contributor to the aging process is a lack of certain key vitamins and minerals, caused in large part by an unhealthy diet.
Vitamin C is one such nutrient. It fights the unhealthy effects of substances called “free radicals,” unstable molecules that damage your body in many ways. This damage is a major factor in aging. Vitamin C neutralizes the free radicals and prevents them from harming you.
Another vitamin – E – plays an important role in the body’s war against free radicals, trapping them so that Vitamin C can neutralize them.
Vegan diets are rich in Vitamins C and E, as well as other anti-aging nutrients. Many people today pay extra money to take supplements that provide them with these nutrients, because the typical modern diet doesn't include enough fruits, vegetables and nuts.
A person on a vegan diet can much more easily reach the ideal intake level of these important anti-aging substances. A vegan diet, therefore, can more efficiently fight off the dangerous free radicals that make us look and feel older.
Some examples of clear skin foods include apples, oranges, berries, greens, broccoli, carrots, sweet potatoes, avocados, lemons, beets, squash, and tomatoes.
And while you are feeding your skin from the inside, we at Changes Spa & Aesthetics can nourish it from the outside! Book online, or call for an appointment (973-588-3668) for an authentic skincare experience to improve your skin…. as well as your body and soul.
Cora Ciaramello
L.E., C.P.E., LMT Aesthetician