13 Foods to Hydrate the Skin From the Inside
Creams and masks aren’t enough to hydrate the skin from inside and obtain lasting results. Thus, you must choose foods that provide water and nutrients and incorporate them into our regular diet if you want nourished, toned, and luminous skin.
Not only that, a well-balanced diet also helps your skin protect itself. Thanks to this it can keep germs from entering the body or losing too much moisture.
Continue reading if you’re interested in learning about the types of foods that can boost the health of your skin and keep it firm by hydrating it from inside.
Diet and skin health
Diet is crucial to keep your skin hydrated but water is the most important ingredient as about 60 percent of the human body is made up of it. Water is necessary for the skin to be a proper barrier that can guard your body. We already know that dehydration is associated with certain dermatological dysfunctions.
A balanced diet promotes hydration and you can obtain all the nutrients your skin needs to look firm and glowing from it. Some of the best are vitamins A, C, E, B complex, zinc, and selenium.
Diet promotes the health of your heart, brain, bones, and kidneys and the skin is no exception. It’s essential for preventing dryness, flaccidity, irritations, and premature aging.
Foods to hydrate the skin
There are many natural wholesome foods that contain nutrients that promote the health of your skin. The vitamins, minerals and fatty acids they contain allow you to nourish and hydrate the skin from inside.
1. Water
Water should be part of our daily diet as it’s the main source of skin hydration. Not only because it’s one of its main components and must be replenished, but also because it participates in the absorption of other nutrients.
The needs depend on each person but are usually between six and eight glasses of water a day. You can also drink flavored beverages (with lemon, mint or some spice), broths and infusions.
2. Avocados
Avocado is a superfood that stands out for it’s healthy fat content. Providing sufficient amounts of these fats is essential for supple hydrated skin. Avocado is also a high source of vitamin E, which protects against oxidation and radiation.
You can easily integrate this fruit into your diet, it blends well with sweet and savory dishes. It provides extra creaminess to shakes, creams and sweets.
Not only that but it’s also great for topical application. You can use it as a nourishing facial mask once a week.
3. Flaxseed Oil
Flaxseed oil is high in omega-3 fatty acids. Omega 3’s provide beneficial fats, helping feed your skin and make it radiant.
Use a tablespoon daily on salads and other dishes. Preferably, don’t heat it for cooking as it burn at low temperatures. Always keep flaxseed oil in a dark, cool place, inside a sealed container so it won’t oxidize and lose its properties.
4. Brewer’s Yeast
Brewer’s yeast is sold as a supplement in the form of flakes you can add to many dishes: salads, stir-fries, soups, and yogurts.
It’s quite valuable due to its high content of B-complex vitamins, minerals like phosphorus, calcium, silicon, and zinc, and proteins.
5. Watermelon is the perfect fruit to hydrate the skin
Watermelon is made up mostly of water—90% to be exact. That’s why eating this fruit is an ideal way to hydrate your body from the inside out. It also provides vitamins A, B, and C, as well as minerals like manganese and potassium that improve your skin’s appearance.
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6. Cucumber
Cucumber helps hydrate the skin since it’s mainly composed of water. In addition, the presence of vitamin C and potassium protect against premature aging and deterioration and help reduce inflammation and eliminate excess oil.
In addition, as with avocado, it has external applications for the skin. The juice of the fresh fruit helps moisturize, nourish, soothe irritations, as well as relieve swelling and sunburn.
7. Apples
Apples are one of the best fruits for getting healthy, radiant skin. This is thanks to the fact that they contain malic and tartaric acid. These two components encourage the elimination of dead skin cells.
8. Pears
Pears are very rich in water. They also stand out because of their silicon content. This mineral is very beneficial for skin and cartilage regeneration.
You might like: How to Quickly Regenerate Damaged Cartilage
9. Cocoa powder helps hydrate the skin
Cocoa powder or even authentic dark chocolate are also ideal foods to hydrate your skin nd to improve its overall appearance. It must be real pure cocoa or chocolate made with a minimum of 70 percent of it.
The existing studies in this regard are few but the results are positive. It seems the flavonoids in cocoa increase blood flow to the subcutaneous tissues. As a result, the skin appears denser, more hydrated, and there’s less flaking and roughness after a few weeks.
10. Papaya
Papaya is a delicious tropical fruit that is very beneficial for your digestive system. However, it’s also very good for your skin too. It’s rich in antioxidants, like beta-carotene, vitamin C, flavonoids, B-complex vitamins, and minerals like magnesium and potassium.
It also has the enzyme papain, which is great for helping to keep your skin clean, healthy and radiant.
11. Sweet potato
This tuber provides a large amount of beta-carotene. It converts into vitamin A after you eat it and this promotes collagen production and cell renewal.
In addition, beta-carotene is an excellent antioxidant. An excess of free radicals also affects the skin, causing it to lose elasticity and firmness. So including antioxidant foods in your diet is a good preventive measure against aging.
12. Brazil nuts can hydrate the skin
Certain micronutrients have interesting skin properties. Among their many activities is to keep the protective barrier function that prevents excessive water loss intact. No doubt this is also a way to keep the skin well hydrated.
Selenium is one such mineral that can help and Brazil nuts have it in large quantities. As little as one unit covers your recommended daily amounts, so adding one or two a day is a good way to boost your skin health.
13. Oily fish
This kind of fish is one of the best sources of omega-3 fatty acids, no doubt. These are well known for their role in the health of your brain and cardiovascular system. They also have positive effects on your skin and its protection.
In this respect, their most outstanding functions are to help maintain skin thickness, flexibility, and hydration. Furthermore, some data reveals that its deficiency is directly linked to dry skin .
In order to safely take advantage of this property, choose smaller varieties of oily fish as these accumulate less heavy metals. Eat sardines, salmon, mackerel or herring twice a week.
What else to do to hydrate the skin
Hydrating the skin hydrated and keeping it in good shape is a basic principle of health. This is why it’s important to take steps to prevent excessive water loss.
Apart from drinking water and including the right foods in your diet, the following can help improve your hydration:
- Use moisturizers daily, even on your hands, and sun protection if possible
- Limit showers or baths and use lukewarm water, rinse and dry with gentle touches as opposed to rubbing
- Use mild, allergen-free facial cleansers
- When the weather is cold or windy, cover your skin to avoid the harmful effects of inclement weather
Keep in mind that dehydration sometimes results in dry skin and can cause further problems. Thus, consult a dermatologist if your skin is still dry after you incorporate this advice into your diet.
Also seek their help in the case of intense itching, swelling, sores or wounds that may bleed when scratched. Or if the pain or discomfort keep you from carrying out your normal daily activities.
Include these foods in your diet to hydrate the skin
Can you see why food is very important to your health? The phrase “you are what you eat” makes sense, right? Incorporate these fruits, vegetables, fish, and nuts into your daily diet and benefit from all their skin properties.
All cited sources were thoroughly reviewed by our team to ensure their quality, reliability, currency, and validity. The bibliography of this article was considered reliable and of academic or scientific accuracy.
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