Top 5 Things to Eat and Drink for Youthful, Glowing Skin

Your skin is a window into what is going on inside your body.

If your body is suffering, it is likely that your skin is showing the effects of that. Dryness, puffiness, flaking, dark spots, red spots, wrinkles, acne, excess oil…the possibilities are endless.

You may find yourself scoping out cosmetics aisles trying to find the answers that you need. However, in many cases, the answer lies within you.

Your body is one unit. When you take care of what is going on inside — taming the chaos, supporting a healthy gut, balancing out your immune system, etc. — your skin will follow suit.

As I have gotten older, I have had to become more and more conscious of the things that go into my body and the way they affect my skin in particular. As you enter perimenopause or menopause, your hormones change, which means your skin needs will change too (not to mention the effects of age on its own).

But before you dive into an endless cycle of trial-and-error (that can often literally be toxic to your body), what if you took some time to address the root cause and healed your skin from the inside out?

Here are 5 of my favorite ways you can work to heal your body from the inside out to support your overall health and beauty:

#1 – Stay Hydrated

We all know we should drink more water. Your body thrives with proper hydration, and your skin is no exception to that. Staying hydrated will help to flush out the toxins that could be building up and causing breakouts, irritations, and even wrinkles. Drinking plenty of water can help keep your skin looking youthful, supple, and hydrated! (1)

If you are finding it difficult to get inadequate water, try adding some zing with essential oils. Lemon, Lime, Peppermint or Wild Orange (or a combination of these) are great ones to add some flavor and make your water more exciting. (Just make sure you are using oils that are labeled for internal usage.) As a double benefit, these oils will also help your body stay balanced and support your digestion and detoxing to heal your body from the inside out!

#2 – Drink Green Tea

I love some matcha green tea! Not only is it delicious, but it is full of valuable nutrients to help your body heal itself. It is full of antioxidants and anti-inflammatory components that can keep your skin soothed and happy. (2) Research also shows that it can do wonders for improving oily skin and treating acne! (3)

If you’re anything like me, maybe you’re looking for ways to slow aging and stay looking young and fresh. Fine lines and wrinkles start creeping in on us because as we hit our 30s, our skin begins to lose elasticity. Green tea can help improve your skin’s ability to keep its collagen and slow its breakdown. (4) You can sign me up for more of that!

Research shows that ingesting green tea and using it topically are both ways to harness its power. There are many cosmetic products on the market now that tout green tea as one of their ingredients. Just watch out that you don’t get sucked in by false advertising! You want to be sure that you can recognize every ingredient on the label, not just the ones they are highlighting.

#3 – Eat the Rainbow

The more colorful your plate, the better! Colorful vegetables and berries are full of essential vitamins and antioxidants to keep your skin healthy and glowing. Basically, the darker and richer the color, the more vitamins and nutrients are packed in!

Bell peppers, avocados, broccoli, sweet potatoes, blueberries, and leafy greens are all rich in some of the vitamins that can help keep your skin youthful. The antioxidants in these foods are also super important to help your cells get rid of the junk that accumulates and causes them to suffer.

One of my favorite ways to pack in the vegetables (especially greens) is through smoothies. They make a delicious, nutritious breakfast that will keep you full and set you up for success in your day! If you start your day with a green smoothie, you will already have more vegetables than a vast majority of people eat all day. It’s an easy way to get those vitamins into your body! (See below for some of my favorite recipes)

#4 – Try Some Bone Broth

Bone broth is such an amazingly-delicious healing food. It contains numerous important amino acids and minerals that can help keep your skin looking fresh and youthful. The collagen in bone broth will keep your gut happy and reduce inflammation there. As that inflammation decreases, you will probably notice your skin improving as well! That same collagen is also helpful in your body’s process of replacing your own collagen in your skin. This can help prevent wrinkles, fine lines, and age spots to keep you looking as young as you feel!

Another important component of bone broth is glycine. Glycine is an important chemical to support your liver and allow your body to detox. (5) If you’re not getting enough of it, your cells can stay stressed and break down faster. It also supports your body’s ability to produce collagen to keep your complexion youthful!

#5 – Avoid Sugar and Other Inflammatory Foods

Sugar is literally the enemy of skin health.

What you may not realize is that foods that raise your blood sugar levels also cause wrinkles. Dermatologists have coined this the “sugar sag.” Just saying it makes me cringe!

Constantly elevated blood sugar levels can make your skin lose its elasticity much faster. The process is called glycation. Here’s how it works: basically, the sugar that you eat binds with your skin’s proteins that protect its shape and fullness (elastin and collagen). The sugar molecules break down and deform the proteins, accelerating the effects of aging on your skin. (6)

Sounds lovely, right? Maybe that will help you say NO! to that sugary craving. Sugar is truly addictive, and I know it can be hard to give it up.

If you need some help breaking up with sugar, I’ve been there, and I’ve got you!

While sugar is the main culprit, other inflammatory foods could be affecting your complexion as well. Gluten, dairy, and processed foods are the heavy-hitters here. Everybody is different so these foods don’t affect everyone the same way, so it’s important for you to be in tune with YOUR body to know what it is rejecting.

Since your skin is a window into the rest of your body, skin problems could be pointing to a larger issue like gut inflammation or food sensitivity. Do some experimenting and see what foods are truly serving your body and which ones you should probably avoid.

Giving up these foods is hard. For most of us, they are comforting and enjoyable. If you want to rebalance your body and heal yourself from the inside out, diet changes are probably going to be your first step. I’m not going to lie — it’s hard. Cravings will strike at the most inopportune times, so it’s important to be prepared.

One of the best ways to ensure success is to have my Crave Reset supplement on hand when you are starting to make the changes. This blend of nutrients is designed to reset the brain chemicals that drive you to sugar, salt, carbs, caffeine, or whatever food it is for you that signals comfort. It helps prevent cravings before they start so you can stick to your goals more easily! Get Crave Reset here >>

So What Can You Do Today?

I know how hard it can feel to try to create massive change in your life and body. One of the simplest ways you can jumpstart your health today is with hormone-loving green smoothies.

These can pack in nutrients, antioxidants, and everything you need to maintain a youthful glow in one convenient package! I created this guide to help you get started quickly and easily and to take the guesswork out of your biggest smoothie-making questions.

Download my Detox Smoothie Guide here today! >>

Free Download: Dr. Mariza’s Quick & Healthy Detox Smoothie Recipe Guide

Get the easiest and yummiest ways to upgrade your health to look and feel your best and fast. Find my top tips to help you create the ideal meal-on-the-go.

Reference:
1. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4529263/
2. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0378874117309893?via%3Dihub
3. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5384166/
4. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16029678
5. https://www.mindbodygreen.com/0-17412/the-secret-antiaging-properties-of-bone-broth.html
6. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5643203/