Food & Recipes

Top 5 Anti-Aging Foods for Healthy, Glowing Skin

Beauty really does come from within.  What you EAT affects the look and quality of your skin, while stress, poor diet, UV and environmental toxins can cause free-radical damage resulting in premature aging. Here are 5 foods to protect your skin, from the inside out, ensuring  a youthful, clear and glowing complexion!

1. Olives

Fats, in particular olive oil, also provide hydration and inside out moisture. Olives are a rich source of vitamins A and E, both of which protect the oils on the surface of your skin from free-radical damage. Olives also help strengthen connective tissues, improving skin tone and protecting against UV radiation. The rich phenol content protects skin against oxidization. It helps repair cells, protects against damage and soothes the skin, helping it renew and regenerate. Olives are also naturally rich in squalane, which is a key ingredient in many store-bought skincare products. Squalane absorbs easily into the skin, keeping skin moist as well as restoring lost moisture.

2. Sweet Potatoes

Sweet potatoes are rich in Beta Carotene, which coverts to Vitamin A in the body – a powerful anti-oxidant which has strong anti-aging benefits and protects against oxidative stress and UV damage. It revitalizes the skin by increasing cell turnover and envouraging new skin cell growth. Vitamin A also helps to normalize oil production in the skin and helps fight off acne-causing bacteria. Vitamin A and, another of sweet potatoes’ abundant nutrients, Vitamin C, work hard both to prevent acne and to heal it should it strike.

3. Strawberries

Strawberries are among the highest sources of vitamin C (way more than oranges!) – Vitamin C firms and tones up the skin. It prevents free-radical damage, protects your skin cells and slows down the appearance of aging by preventing wrinkles. It’s required for collagen production, as well as for the protection of collagen fibres that keep skin firm. Plus they contain antioxidants (in particular anthocyanins) that help prevent oxidative damage to skin, which causes wrinkles.

4. Cucumber

Nothing screams aged skin like dehydrated skin. Hydration is key to a flawless, glow-y, youthful complexion. Proper hydration reduces the appearance of wrinkles, eliminates dryness and helps with elasticity. While water is the first thing to come to mind, the juice from watery veggies, such as cucumber, provided the same benefit. Plus the added value of vitamins, mineral and nutrients cleanse the skin and reduce inflammation and puffiness. Be sure to keep the skin of the cucumber on, as it’s rich in silica – an important mineral that strengthens collagen and improves skin elasticity.

5. Savi Seeds

Savi Seeds (also known as sacha inchi seeds) are one of the highest sources of plant-based Omega 3 fatty acids AND protein – which moisturize and tone skin. Omega-3 fatty acids are essential for restoring moisture to dry skin, reduce inflammation, promote elasticity and slow down the aging process.