Best foods for healthy skin and hair

True beauty comes from health.

Best food for healthy skin and hair

1. Salmon and trout
2. Broccoli and spinach
3. Nuts and seeds
4. Berries
5. Spinach and other leafy greens

Beauty starts on the inside.

The food that we eat and the drinks that we drink determine how healthy we are. Hippocrates, known as the father of medicine, famously said “Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food.”

Every aspect of our physical health is impacted by what we put into our bodies. Cells need certain nutrients to exist, generate new cells and perform their functions.

Without the right nutrients, our bodies start to deteriorate on a cellular level. Let’s jump straight into the best foods that will help you to look after the health of your hair and skin.

Which foods are good for healthy skin, hair and nails?

1) Foods high in Omega 3 

Omega 3 deficiencies are known to cause skin issues like rough, dry, oily or scaly skin. It can even cause hair loss.

Omega 3 is a fatty acid. Unfortunately, most of us don’t eat enough foods that are high in Omega 3, but eat too many foods that contain Omega 6 and Omega 9 (which come from plant oils).

Our bodies need Omega 3 to function properly. Omega 3 deficiencies can lead to hormonal imbalances, cardiovascular and circulatory problems, diabetes, depression and even dry or oily skin. 

Hormonal problems directly affect the skin – too much or too little of certain hormones like testosterone, estrogen and the human growth hormone (HGH) will directly impact how well the skin can keep itself moisturized.

Too much of one of these hormones can either flood your skin with too much oil or dry it out completely.

Hormonal imbalances explain why teens often struggle with pimples and acne when they hit puberty.

Foods that are high in Omega 3 will help the body to balance out hormonal functions. Without the right hormonal balance, your hair can also become too dry or too oily.

Good sources of Omega 3:

1. Oily fish like mackerel, herring, sea bass, salmon, sardines and trout
2. Seafood like oysters, shrimp, seaweed (spirulina is a form of seaweed) and krill
3. Seeds like chia seeds, flax seeds and hemp seeds
4. Nuts like Walnuts and almonds
5. Beans like soybeans, edamame and kidney beans

Give your body what it needs.

2) Foods that contain fiber

Fiber is the part of plant foods that we can’t digest. It is eliminated through bowel movements.

Although our bodies can’t break down fiber, it is very important because it adds bulk to the excretion process. Without enough bulk, our bodies don’t have enough matter to eliminate toxins and impurities.

These impurities, if left to build up, can accumulate in the body and wreak havoc on the skin - and block up hair pores.

Foods that are high in fiber will help your body to eliminate these impurities and let your skin glow with perfection. Cleaner pores lead to better hair growth.

Foods that are high in fiber include

1. Fruits like apples, peaches, oranges, lemons, bananas, pears, berries, and melons
2. Vegetables like pumpkin, broccoli, carrots and tomatoes
3. Leafy greens like spinach, lettuce, cabbage and bok choy

Use fiber to stay clean.

3) Foods high in anti-oxidants

Anti-oxidants keep the body fresh by reducing the negative effects of free radicals. Think of free radical damage as the general wear and tear that our bodies go through as we age.

Normal functions like physical movement lead to free radical damage on a cellular level - and unhealthy things like pollution, unhealthy food, smoking, alcohol, illnesses and unbalanced diets increase the damage caused by free radicals.

Free radical damage leads to premature aging and wrinkles. Antioxidants reduce free radical damage. Eating a diet high in antioxidants can reduce the appearance of wrinkles and other age-related beauty problems - like hair loss.

The best way to get a healthy dose of anti-oxidants is from raw plant sources, just like the ones listed above. Tea or coffee is another great source of antioxidants.

Find healthy things that you enjoy

4) Vitamin C

Most people know about Vitamin C’s ability to support immune function, but it does a lot more than that. Vitamin C is also responsible for helping the body to heal itself from wounds.

Vitamin C is a powerful anti-oxidant. It is also needed for the creation of collagen, which is what makes skin supple and flexible. Skin starts to sag as we age because less collagen gets produced.

A healthy diet with lots of Vitamin C will help to slow down the reduction in collagen production.

Good sources of Vitamin C include:

1. Peppers
2. Fruits like oranges, lemons, mandarins, tangerines and grapefruit
3. Leafy greens like spinach and lettuce
4. Vegetables like carrots, tomatoes and broccoli

Get enough Vitamin C

5) Vitamin E

Vitamin E is the most well-known vitamin for skin, hair and nail health. For this reason, many skin creams and hair shampoos contain this Vitamin.

Vitamin E is an anti-oxidant that helps to repair damage caused by outside factors like pollution, the sun, stress and harmful chemicals.

When Vitamin E is ingested though food sources, it will help to boost skin and hair health from the inside out. It is also really good at softening skin. Vitamins play a huge role in overall skin, hair and nail health.

Good sources of vitamin E are:

1. Seeds like sunflower seeds and pumpkin seeds
2. Nuts like almonds, hazelnuts, pine nuts, peanuts, Brazil nuts, pecans and cashews
3. Fish like salmon and trout
4. Fruits like avocado, mango, kiwifruit and apricots
5. Berries like blackcurrants, cranberries and raspberries
6. Vegetables like broccoli, asparagus, spinach, butternut and turnips

Choose healthy food.

Top foods for hair and skin health 

After reading through this article, you might have noticed that there are some foods that will benefit your skin and hair in more than one way.

Salmon, for example, is a rich source of Omega 3 as well as Vitamin E. By combining the different ways that our bodies need different nutrients to look after our skin, we can see which foods benefit our skin in more than one way. 

This is the list of my favorite foods for skin and hair health:

1. Salmon and trout (Omega 3 and Vitamin E)
2. Broccoli and spinach (Fiber, Antioxidants and Vitamin C)
3. Nuts and seeds (Omega 3, Antioxidants, Fiber and Vitamin E)
4. Berries (Anti-oxidants, Fiber, Vitamin C and Vitamin E)
5. Spinach and other leafy greens (Fiber, Antioxidants, Vitamin C and Vitamin E)

External features like the skin and hair reflect internal health and well-being. By looking after your health, you are helping your body to look after itself. 

Drinking plenty of water and getting enough exercise, for example, are other fantastic ways to let your hair and skin shine with ageless beauty. Stay Strong!