Are there certain fresh foods that help with youthful and clearer skin?
August 11, 2021 12:37 PM Subscribe
I am trying to incorporate more healthy whole foods in my diet and I am wondering if there has been any fruits, nuts, or veggies that have helped with having more youthful healthy skin? Would having more kale and spinach smoothies help with clearer and anti-ageing skin? I have been having tahini every day which is loaded with vitamin E, which is good for the skin. I also do use facial moisturizer but I wonder if diet can also help with anti-ageing/youthful skin.
I hope this isn't off-topic as an answer. Here in my late 40s, I think the right answer for me is what I learned from my mom (daily moisturizer) plus sunscreen. As I look around at my same-age peers, I can see that sun exposure has made a big difference in the long run. Hats and avoiding the sun are great, but a habit of applying sunscreen each morning--in the form of a daily moisturizer with SPF--along with more sunscreen if I can't avoid longer sun exposure seems to have made a difference. Maybe I'd look the same without having done this for years, but I have spent a fair amount of time outside (I used to work in outdoor recreation, and I lived near the equator for a few years), and my skin doesn't show a lot of the effects you sometimes see around my age.
I used to use SPF 15, but now I'm using SPF 30 in the summer, and I do this year-round, even in the winter in Oregon, though I might use SPF 15 in winter. But this is part of my daily morning routine, regardless of how much I expect to be outside.
I think consuming a variety of fruits and vegetables, especially dark and bright vegetables, is good for all sorts of reasons, but here's one study that found a positive correlation between certain nutrition and less wrinkled, less dry skin.
posted by bluedaisy at 1:16 PM on August 11, 2021 [9 favorites]
I used to use SPF 15, but now I'm using SPF 30 in the summer, and I do this year-round, even in the winter in Oregon, though I might use SPF 15 in winter. But this is part of my daily morning routine, regardless of how much I expect to be outside.
I think consuming a variety of fruits and vegetables, especially dark and bright vegetables, is good for all sorts of reasons, but here's one study that found a positive correlation between certain nutrition and less wrinkled, less dry skin.
posted by bluedaisy at 1:16 PM on August 11, 2021 [9 favorites]
I find pineapple always makes my skin look better (and helps with digestion due to the fiber content). The internet seems to agree.
posted by jabes at 1:29 PM on August 11, 2021 [1 favorite]
posted by jabes at 1:29 PM on August 11, 2021 [1 favorite]
Yes, absolutely sunscreen. I use SPF 50 every day, even in winter.
I've always found pineapple to be good for my skin, and it seems science might agree. In addition to eating it, a piece of fresh pineapple rubbed over my face, left to dry for about 20 minutes and rinsed off leaves my skin feeling incredibly soft. It contains bromelins, which is also found in papaya.
The worst thing you can do for your skin is smoke. Think about how smoke changes a fresh fish into something with a dried, wrinkled skin, and that's what happens with every cigarette.
posted by essexjan at 1:32 PM on August 11, 2021 [2 favorites]
I've always found pineapple to be good for my skin, and it seems science might agree. In addition to eating it, a piece of fresh pineapple rubbed over my face, left to dry for about 20 minutes and rinsed off leaves my skin feeling incredibly soft. It contains bromelins, which is also found in papaya.
The worst thing you can do for your skin is smoke. Think about how smoke changes a fresh fish into something with a dried, wrinkled skin, and that's what happens with every cigarette.
posted by essexjan at 1:32 PM on August 11, 2021 [2 favorites]
Not really. Consuming collagen doesnt actually help as it's broken down in the gut into its amino acids, and theres no way to force those into reforming into the collagen protein. (Sorry nathaole!) Hydration is, of course, very beneficial, as is avoiding excess alcohol and caffeine. But aside from those, you need to understand what your personal inflammatory or breakout triggers are and not eat them. More veggies is always better than less veggies.
Honestly, most of it is due to genetics, though topicals like retinol and hyaluronic acid can minimize fine lines. Sunscreen and daily moisturizer are also super important.
I'm in my 40s and people always compliment my skin. My secret is preventative Botox, vampire facials (ugh, but worth it), decent daily skincare routines, and pure genetic luck.
posted by ananci at 1:35 PM on August 11, 2021 [1 favorite]
Honestly, most of it is due to genetics, though topicals like retinol and hyaluronic acid can minimize fine lines. Sunscreen and daily moisturizer are also super important.
I'm in my 40s and people always compliment my skin. My secret is preventative Botox, vampire facials (ugh, but worth it), decent daily skincare routines, and pure genetic luck.
posted by ananci at 1:35 PM on August 11, 2021 [1 favorite]
A whole foods mostly-vegan diet.
posted by aniola at 1:47 PM on August 11, 2021 [2 favorites]
posted by aniola at 1:47 PM on August 11, 2021 [2 favorites]
Oh, and water. Water is a macronutrient (along with fat, carbohydrates, and protein). Both orally and topically.
posted by aniola at 1:48 PM on August 11, 2021
posted by aniola at 1:48 PM on August 11, 2021
Eliminate all refined sugar, where refined sugar is defined as anything with the fiber removed.
Examples of refined sugar include (but are not limited to) maple syrup (unless you're chewing on the trunk), honey (refined by bees, but feel free to eat flowers), cane sugar (unless you're gnawing on the cane), alcohol (but feel free to eat fermented fruits and grains), dairy (grass refined by cows), etc.
posted by aniola at 1:51 PM on August 11, 2021 [3 favorites]
Examples of refined sugar include (but are not limited to) maple syrup (unless you're chewing on the trunk), honey (refined by bees, but feel free to eat flowers), cane sugar (unless you're gnawing on the cane), alcohol (but feel free to eat fermented fruits and grains), dairy (grass refined by cows), etc.
posted by aniola at 1:51 PM on August 11, 2021 [3 favorites]
YMMV, but Nothing in my diet has ever made a damn lick of difference to my skin. I have lived on raw veggies with hummus, gone months without pastas or meats, been full vegetarian and vegan, smoked like a chimney, drank like a fish, eaten my weight in donuts and cakes, hydrated with nothing but coffee for weeks...no difference. Cannot speak to the pineapple, though, because I'm allergic.
What really makes my skin glowy, youthful, and unlined is:
-a retinol cream (prescription, but a fairly low concentration) applied every other night
-spironolactone (prescription)
-regular sweaty cardio
-heckin buckets of sunscreen (via a moisturizer with SPF)
Eating lots of vegetables and drinking lots of water will make you feel better and sleep better. Which, in turn, will give you more energy for exercising and less stress to add to breakouts. But it's not like a single magic food, it's just a whole lifestyle.
posted by We put our faith in Blast Hardcheese at 2:04 PM on August 11, 2021 [13 favorites]
What really makes my skin glowy, youthful, and unlined is:
-a retinol cream (prescription, but a fairly low concentration) applied every other night
-spironolactone (prescription)
-regular sweaty cardio
-heckin buckets of sunscreen (via a moisturizer with SPF)
Eating lots of vegetables and drinking lots of water will make you feel better and sleep better. Which, in turn, will give you more energy for exercising and less stress to add to breakouts. But it's not like a single magic food, it's just a whole lifestyle.
posted by We put our faith in Blast Hardcheese at 2:04 PM on August 11, 2021 [13 favorites]
Avoid fried foods.
Anything high in fiber will help. Especially eat carotenoid-rich yellow, orange, red, and green fruits and vegetables.
posted by aniola at 2:05 PM on August 11, 2021
Anything high in fiber will help. Especially eat carotenoid-rich yellow, orange, red, and green fruits and vegetables.
posted by aniola at 2:05 PM on August 11, 2021
Don't smoke. You probably don't.
Be protected/ Stay out of the sun.
Drink water.
Exercise to the level of sweating; this is the one of the few ways you can 'detox'. Then shower.
Don't be constipated; this is another 'detox', but not abusing laxatives. Eat soluble and insoluble fiber, drink water, exercise.
Wash your hands and keep your hands off your face. Hands are great at transferring bacteria, bacteria causes acne.
I learned way too late that most of my acne is caused by ingrown hairs, no matter how tiny; exfoliation helps.
posted by theora55 at 2:06 PM on August 11, 2021 [4 favorites]
Be protected/ Stay out of the sun.
Drink water.
Exercise to the level of sweating; this is the one of the few ways you can 'detox'. Then shower.
Don't be constipated; this is another 'detox', but not abusing laxatives. Eat soluble and insoluble fiber, drink water, exercise.
Wash your hands and keep your hands off your face. Hands are great at transferring bacteria, bacteria causes acne.
I learned way too late that most of my acne is caused by ingrown hairs, no matter how tiny; exfoliation helps.
posted by theora55 at 2:06 PM on August 11, 2021 [4 favorites]
Oh. And if this whole whole foods diet is new, you may break out for a while while your body flushes out some crud.
And wear a mask and sun hat when you're outside. Sun ages skin. (But make sure you're getting enough vitamin D!)
posted by aniola at 2:08 PM on August 11, 2021 [2 favorites]
And wear a mask and sun hat when you're outside. Sun ages skin. (But make sure you're getting enough vitamin D!)
posted by aniola at 2:08 PM on August 11, 2021 [2 favorites]
One last thing. Smile wrinkles are amazing. I would take a billion smile wrinkles over youthful skin any day of the week.
posted by aniola at 2:10 PM on August 11, 2021 [10 favorites]
posted by aniola at 2:10 PM on August 11, 2021 [10 favorites]
This isn't related to your skin, but you should know that people can actually develop health problems from eating too much greens juicing and in smoothies.
Don't overdo it with the greens smoothies. One or two sticks of kale is all you need to get your vitamin K for the day.
posted by aniola at 2:29 PM on August 11, 2021 [1 favorite]
Don't overdo it with the greens smoothies. One or two sticks of kale is all you need to get your vitamin K for the day.
posted by aniola at 2:29 PM on August 11, 2021 [1 favorite]
I sweat a lot, and drink a ton of water, and eat ok (and get lots of fiber) most of the time. I also exercise quite a bit. None of it helps my skin at all. I do believe suncreen (or 1000X better, staying out of the sun) helps, so being a bookworm or working out in a gym is better then going outdoors when the sun is out. Everyone I know with really good skin stays away from the sun more than average.
posted by The_Vegetables at 2:31 PM on August 11, 2021
posted by The_Vegetables at 2:31 PM on August 11, 2021
Sunscreen, sunscreen, and more sunscreen. Always. Even if you're just running a quick errand. My husband is literally allergic to the sun and even though I use sunscreen religiously, he regularly gets guessed younger than me, and I am generally guessed to be in my 30s (I'm 50).
posted by cooker girl at 3:00 PM on August 11, 2021 [1 favorite]
posted by cooker girl at 3:00 PM on August 11, 2021 [1 favorite]
I have a former coworker who adores the sun, and has devoted herself to spending every weekend at the Jersey Shore in the summer since childhood (we're both in our 60's). I, on the other hand, have avoided the sun all my life, as I'm a very fair redhead and had a couple of terrible burns as a child. My friend also smokes. I left the job where we connected about 6 years ago and recently reconnected. I was floored by how much her skin has wrinkled and sagged, particularly her neck and decollete, and think that skin damage is all about prevention.
At this point I don't know how she could make a real difference in her skin's appearance. I quit smoking more than 30 years ago, though I smoked for more than a decade; she still smokes. Even being sun-averse, I got a squamous skin cancer on my collarbone, where I rarely applied sunscreen. So use sunscreen on exposed skin religiously! My dermatologist told me that the most common place women get melanoma is on their ankle, an area rarely routinely covered with sunscreen. So skin cancers are another issue.
I'm not a dietitian but I am a nurse. Following a sane and healthy diet like the Mediterranean diet which includes lean proteins, a wide variety of vegetables, whole grain for the B vitamins, vitamin E and fiber, and good oils like olive oil seems like a sensible approach. Obviously, avoid smoking. As far as I am aware vitamins and vitamin creams applied to the skin are only minimally absorbed, so it may be more effective to consume them than applying them.
posted by citygirl at 3:34 PM on August 11, 2021 [5 favorites]
At this point I don't know how she could make a real difference in her skin's appearance. I quit smoking more than 30 years ago, though I smoked for more than a decade; she still smokes. Even being sun-averse, I got a squamous skin cancer on my collarbone, where I rarely applied sunscreen. So use sunscreen on exposed skin religiously! My dermatologist told me that the most common place women get melanoma is on their ankle, an area rarely routinely covered with sunscreen. So skin cancers are another issue.
I'm not a dietitian but I am a nurse. Following a sane and healthy diet like the Mediterranean diet which includes lean proteins, a wide variety of vegetables, whole grain for the B vitamins, vitamin E and fiber, and good oils like olive oil seems like a sensible approach. Obviously, avoid smoking. As far as I am aware vitamins and vitamin creams applied to the skin are only minimally absorbed, so it may be more effective to consume them than applying them.
posted by citygirl at 3:34 PM on August 11, 2021 [5 favorites]
I haven't tried it, but my sister's skin looked amazing when she was taking shots of apple cider vinegar (I think this isn't necessarily recommended because of the acidity on your teeth/throat, but you could eat acv gummies or something like that). I think a low glycemic index diet helps. My skin glowed when I took biotin supplements.
posted by pinochiette at 4:00 PM on August 11, 2021
posted by pinochiette at 4:00 PM on August 11, 2021
When I look at my late-forties/early fifties friend group, I see people who could pass for mid thirties, and others who have been offered the seniors' discount for well over a decade already. The things that seem to have aged the second group are prolonged stress, too much sun, smoking, severe calorie restriction/excessive dieting, lack of even moderate exercise, and heavy alcohol and junk food consumption.
You can probably get away with one or two items from that list, but any more than that and you're going to notice a difference by your mid-forties.
In the very short term, I know I can perk up my looks in a few days doubling my water consumption and eating lots of blueberries, leafy green vegetables, and salmon.
A few years ago, I asked this question, which generated quite a few tips.
posted by rpfields at 4:45 PM on August 11, 2021 [1 favorite]
You can probably get away with one or two items from that list, but any more than that and you're going to notice a difference by your mid-forties.
In the very short term, I know I can perk up my looks in a few days doubling my water consumption and eating lots of blueberries, leafy green vegetables, and salmon.
A few years ago, I asked this question, which generated quite a few tips.
posted by rpfields at 4:45 PM on August 11, 2021 [1 favorite]
I wash my face with extra virgin olive oil and I've been using a high SPF facial sunscreen since I was a kid. I'm only 32 but I swear by these things plus obviously drinking tons of water. I guess we'll see how my skin dates but as of now nobody believes I'm my age, most people think I'm like 24 (since they've told me that, not that I have asked).
posted by erattacorrige at 4:46 PM on August 11, 2021 [1 favorite]
posted by erattacorrige at 4:46 PM on August 11, 2021 [1 favorite]
There was a study done on college students (sorry, I can't find it now), where they ate a few more servings of fruit and vegetables each week. In just a few weeks, their skin had noticeably more colour.
Oh wait, here is the study.
And here is a mainstream media story on the study with before/after photographs. I think if you hunt around, there are more photographs out there of different participants.
Anyhow, when I did a 3-month plant-based diet, I had to buy a darker makeup foundation. I have to think this diet has to also be anti-aging.
posted by nanook at 5:24 PM on August 11, 2021 [2 favorites]
Oh wait, here is the study.
And here is a mainstream media story on the study with before/after photographs. I think if you hunt around, there are more photographs out there of different participants.
Anyhow, when I did a 3-month plant-based diet, I had to buy a darker makeup foundation. I have to think this diet has to also be anti-aging.
posted by nanook at 5:24 PM on August 11, 2021 [2 favorites]
Better sleep has made a huge difference in my 4-decades-old skin. Food choices might play a role in this - e.g., not eating chocolate in the evening if you're sensitive to caffeine, dinners heavier on fats/proteins than carbs if carbs tend to keep you awake (or the opposite), etc.
posted by rrrrrrrrrt at 6:13 PM on August 11, 2021 [1 favorite]
posted by rrrrrrrrrt at 6:13 PM on August 11, 2021 [1 favorite]
I recommend MSM crystals which taste like shit (drink with juice or in smoothies). It needs to be taken with vitamin C to see the benefits. It makes your skin and hair very soft. I have very thick, dry, frizzy hair and it felt so much more manageable. It also prevents hair shedding. It evened out my skin tone - it actually lightened my skin, which I absolutely did not want and that's the main reason why I no longer take it. It also kept me lean. I have exercised both with and without it. I've taken it during periods of no exercise at all. It makes my body appear different. Lastly, it had a very positive effect on my sinuses and allergies, which I wasn't expecting either. I don't know how it works (something about sulfur and collagen...) but it absolutely works (for me). I'm tempted to return to it but I don't want lighter skin.
posted by ihaveyourfoot at 11:19 PM on August 11, 2021
posted by ihaveyourfoot at 11:19 PM on August 11, 2021
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by Juniper Toast at 12:43 PM on August 11, 2021 [5 favorites]