Nutrition Tips for Healthy, Radiant Skin
Your skin plays a vital role in your overall health and wellness. It protects what’s inside you by keeping water and nutrients in, while keeping harmful bacteria and viruses out. Your skin helps you maintain your body temperature and makes vitamin D when exposed to the sun. It’s also full of nerve endings to help you sense the outside world and avoid damage from things that are too hot, cold, or sharp.
Skin care isn’t only something we need to do on the outside. What we eat and drink affects all of our vital organs—including our skin. Here are some of the essential nutrients you need to keep your skin nourished so it can play its many fundamental roles and look its very best.
7 important nutrients for healthy skin
Water
You may not always think about water as an essential nutrient, but it is. Water plays many important roles in your body. It’s the main component in your cells and fluids. It allows you to maintain your body temperature and it provides shock absorption for your joints. It’s no wonder that adults are 60% water.
When it comes to our skin, water is of paramount importance. Your skin has three layers. The outermost layer—the one you see and feel—is called the epidermis. The middle layer is the dermis and underneath that is your hypodermis. When your epidermis doesn’t have enough water, your skin feels rough and loses elasticity. The water your epidermis needs comes from the inside. One clinical study found that when participants who didn’t drink a lot of water increased their intake, their skin became more hydrated and their skin’s “extensibility” improved within 2 weeks. Drinking more water can help skin hydration and may be particularly beneficial if you have dry skin.
How much water do you need every day? According to the Mayo Clinic, women should aim for 11.5 cups of fluids per day, while men should aim for 15.5 cups per day. Note that these fluids can come from drinking water or other beverages, and can even come from water-rich foods like soups, fruits, and vegetables. Your personal water needs may be higher if you sweat a lot (from physical activity or living in a hot, humid environment), if you are pregnant or breastfeeding, or if you are prone to urinary or digestive tract conditions (kidney stones, vomiting, diarrhea).
Protein
Protein is an essential macronutrient which means you need quite a bit of it every day (more than with micronutrients like vitamins and minerals where you need much smaller amounts every day). Protein makes up parts of your cells, immune system antibodies, and the enzymes needed for thousands of reactions (including digestion). Your body’s main structure is also made from proteins. This includes your bones, muscles, organs . . . and skin!
Your skin is made up of several different proteins. For example, collagen and elastin are very plentiful and build up the structure of your skin. Over time, and with exposure to the elements, your body’s ability to produce collagen decreases. Keratin is another important protein in your skin. Keratin makes up the outer epidermis layer giving it rigidity and enhancing its barrier protection.
Protein needs vary depending on many factors including age, body weight, lean body mass, health status, kidney function, etc. As a general guideline for healthy skin, include protein-rich foods at each meal.
Protein is found in animal foods like fish, poultry, eggs, meat, and dairy.
Plant-based sources of protein include soy, lentils, beans, nuts, seeds, whole grains, and even vegetables like broccoli, and asparagus.
There are also many protein supplements including whey, soy, pea, rice, collagen, and other ingredients.
Essential fatty acids: omega-6 and omega-3
There are two types of fatty acids that are essential nutrients for our health and our skin. They are linoleic acid (omega-6) and linolenic acid (omega-3). Omega-3 fatty acids in particular are anti-inflammatory and have been linked to many health benefits including improvements in rheumatoid arthritis, ulcerative colitis, diabetes, heart disease, and psoriasis, to name a few.
A higher intake of linoleic acid is associated with lower levels of skin dryness and thinning as skin ages. On the other hand, a lack of fatty acids is linked to increased water loss from the skin, drying it out and causing weakness in the protective outer barrier.
You can get these essential fatty acids from:
Fish (salmon, sardines)
Shellfish
Nuts (walnuts)
Seeds (flax, chia, pumpkin, hemp, sunflower, sesame)
Oils (avocado, walnut, flaxseed), leafy vegetables, and avocados
Essential fatty acids are also available in fish oil and algae supplements
If you suffer from eczema, psoriasis, dermatitis, or acne, a blood test to assess for essential fatty acid deficiency may be helpful.
Vitamin A
Vitamin A is a fat-soluble vitamin that has many important functions, including keeping your skin cells healthy. It exists in two forms, retinoids from animal foods and carotenoids from plant sources. Carotenoids including beta-carotene, astaxanthin, lutein, and lycopene have antioxidant and photoprotective properties. Vitamin A has been shown to be of benefit in a number of skin conditions including acne, psoriasis, wound healing, and photoaging.
Animal sources of Vitamin A (retinyl palmitate):
Eggs (yolk)
Liver and fish liver oils
Whole milk dairy products (yogurt, cottage cheese, milk, butter)
Plant sources of Beta-carotene, which converts to Vitamin A in the body:
Carrots
Pumpkin
Sweet potato
Mango
Papaya
Dark green leafy vegetables (arugula, kale, spinach, etc.)
Vitamin C
Vitamin C is a water-soluble antioxidant vitamin that plays many roles in your body, including in skin health. A deficiency of Vitamin C results in skin lesions, as well as skin that is easily bruised and slow to heal. This is, in part, because of Vitamin C’s role in stabilizing the protein collagen. Another sign of Vitamin C deficiency in the skin affects hair follicles and can cause “corkscrew hairs.”
Fruits and vegetables are rich sources of Vitamin C, in particular:
Bell peppers
Citrus fruits (oranges, grapefruits)
Broccoli
Cauliflower
Strawberries
Kiwis
Blackcurrants
Potatoes
Rose hip, and parsley
Vitamin E
Vitamin E is a group of essential vitamins called tocopherols. They are fat-soluble antioxidants that work synergistically with Vitamin C. When given together, vitamins C and E (and zinc) can speed up wound healing. The deficiency of Vitamin E is linked to red, dry skin.
Vitamin E is often applied directly (topically) on the skin to reduce redness and some of the effects of sun damage. Ingesting Vitamin E helps the skin from the inside by protecting collagen and fats from breaking down. One clinical study successfully improved symptoms of dermatitis (skin inflammation) in participants who took Vitamin E supplements over the course of several months.
The recommended daily allowance for Vitamin E (alpha-tocopherol) is 15 mg.
Good sources of Vitamin E include:
Vegetables (spinach, broccoli, corn)
Oils (wheat germ oil, olive oil)
Nuts (almonds, hazelnuts)
Seeds (sunflower, pumpkin)
Kiwis
Soy
Vitamin D
The “sunshine” vitamin is widely known for its role in bone health. It also plays key roles in just about every tissue in the body including our heart, brain, muscles, immune system, and skin. A deficiency of vitamin D has consequences on skin health and has been implicated in many dermatological diseases.
Our best source of vitamin D is exposure to incidental sunlight (ultraviolet-B-radiation, UVB) as our skin is the vehicle for manufacturing vitamin D in our bodies.
Food sources of vitamin D include:
Fish (salmon, mackerel, sardines)
Fish liver oils
Egg yolk
Foods fortified with vitamin D (dairy and non-dairy beverages, orange juice, etc.)
Mushrooms exposed to sunlight or ultraviolet light
Genetics is an important factor that influences our ability to maintain optimal vitamin D status. It is important to get your vitamin D level checked at least once per year. Aim to maintain a vitamin D level of at least 30 ng/mL (75 nmol/L), which may require Vitamin D supplementation.
The bottom line
The nutrients you consume feed your whole body—including your skin. As a dynamic organ with many critical roles, your skin needs a variety of different nutrients every single day. Water, protein, essential fatty acids, antioxidant vitamins A, C, and E along with the sunshine vitamin D are vital nourishment for healthy skin.
In addition to nutrition, caring for the outside of your skin is also important. Using gentle cleansers, warm water, and moisturizers, and avoiding irritants and allergens will help.
Is your skin suffering from a lack of nutrition? Need help identifying what foods your skin needs? Interested in nutritional testing for skin health? Wondering what supplements are right for your skin? Book a consultation for personalized nutrition recommendations.
References
Cleveland Clinic. (2016, March 17). Skin. Retrieved from https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/articles/10978-skin
Harvard Health. (2018, May). Getting rid of the itch of eczema. Retrieved from https://www.health.harvard.edu/diseases-and-conditions/getting-rid-of-the-itch-of-eczema
Harvard Health. (2018, November). Can a gluten-free diet help my skin? Retrieved from https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/can-a-gluten-free-diet-help-my-skin
Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health (n.d.). Protein. Retrieved from https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/what-should-you-eat/protein/
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