Did you know that what you put on your plate is as important as what you put on your face when it comes to having glowing skin? The best way to build truly beautiful skin with a healthy, youthful glow is from the inside out.

Start with a generally healthy diet, and then add these seven particular foods to get the skin you’re dreaming of:

Salmon: Salmon and other foods high in omega-3 fatty acids can help keep your skin smooth from the inside out. If your skin is typically dry, or if you want to fight wrinkles with what you eat, omega-3 fatty acids are the way to go. These healthy fats can also reduce inflammation that can cause redness. Other foods that include omega-3 fatty acids are walnuts and flax seeds. Add some to your morning oatmeal for a skin healthy boost.

Berries and Plums: Blackberries, strawberries, blueberries and plums have an especially high antioxidant count. Antioxidants can destroy the free radicals in your body that can cause premature aging and that may even lead to cancer. One easy way to get a big dose of these antioxidant-rich fruits into your daily diet is to make a daily berry smoothie.

Green Tea: Green tea is great for tamping down inflammation in the body, which is why you’re seeing it in advertised as an ingredient in more and more skin care products. However, taking it on the inside is a great way to keep your skin from getting red and inflamed without having to slather on the products. If you aren’t much of a tea drinker, try adding a bit of honey to your green tea to sweeten the deal, or look for flavored green teas that are very popular right now.

Carrots: Carrots are high in beta carotene, which turns into vitamin A on the inside. It’s best to get your vitamin A through food sources, since too much artificial vitamin A from a supplement can have harmful side effects. Vitamin A is used to fight severe acne, and it can keep skin soft. Another food high in beta carotene is sweet potatoes.

Oranges: Oranges, kiwis, and other fruits that are high in vitamin C are great for your skin. You’ve probably seen lots of skin care products with vitamin C advertised as an ingredient. The reason for this is that vitamin C stimulates your skin to produce more collagen, which eases out wrinkles from the inside out. Vitamin C can also help keep your skin from drying out, so it’s especially important in the winter months.

Dairy Products: Low fat dairy products are another place where you can get vitamin A. Also, dairy products with live cultures – such as kefir and yogurt – can keep your intestines healthy. While that doesn’t sound like it would be related to your skin, it actually is. When your intestines are healthy your body can more easily dispose of toxins and absorb nutrients. This means your skin gets the nutrition it needs, and it also means that your body doesn’t have to dump its excess toxins out through your skin, causing acne and inflammation.

Chocolate: Dark chocolate is packed with flavonoids, plant compounds that can help soften and hydrate your skin. Small portions of dark chocolate each day can help you have more glowing skin. Just keep your portion sizes in check, and go for quality over quantity when it comes to your chocolate!

Putting it All Together

Your skin is your body’s biggest organ, so it would make since that keeping it healthy and glowing would start by keeping your body in general healthy and in good working order. Shopping for the fresh, whole foods you need for this can be a little expensive, but you can fit healthy foods into your budget in several different ways. You can shop with a list, which helps you stick to just the things you need, and you can also use a cash back credit card for groceries to get a little bit of what you spend back every time.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Daniela Baker is a blogger at CreditDonkey.

She is also a beauty conscious mom and says using a credit card responsibly can be a good way to get rewards while shopping at the grocery store as you’re stocking up on supplies to make your skin healthier from the inside out.

VISIT HER WEBSITE AT CREDIT DONKEY.