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Topical creams and skincare serums are always a treat. And if you choose those designed with effective ingredients you may find they can make a huge difference in the texture of your skin. But when it comes to losing laxity as a result of decreased collagen, paying attention to your diet and the nutrients that you are getting is equally important as any treatment or procedure you spend money on. “Diet has an impact on areas of our health that we often overlook or take for granted, aging and skin health included,” says Lisa Richards, a nutritionist and author of The Candida Diet. “Damage from toxins can result in aging of the skin and overall health.” If you want tighter skin, health experts say this is the one diet plan you should be following.
Vitamin C Is Crucial
The first nutrient you should consider adding to your diet plan pronto in order to boost your skin’s health is vitamin C.
“Vitamin C is a crucial component of the synthesis of collagen,” says Ann Ramark, a nutritionist specialized in skin health and founder of the anti aging blog A Younger Skin. “And you need to eat plenty of fruits and vegetables to get enough of it to promote optimal collagen production.”
Richards also cites vitamin C as incredibly important for skin health.
“The antioxidant properties of Vitamin C makes it an efficient and effective nutrient to protect the skin from damage,” Richards says. “A diet void of fruit and vegetables that provide plant compounds can not only lead to poor health overall, but may speed up the aging process. This is because these compounds work as antioxidants in the body and antioxidants work to reduce the presence and damage of free radicals. Free radicals are similar to toxins and cause cellular damage both inside the body and out. This can lead to increased aging in many areas of health."
What about some of the other foods you should incorporate into your diet? According to Ramark, there are three more nutrients that she recommends for optimal skin health and tighter skin:
Carotenoids
“Certain carotenoids (color pigments) are proven to increase collagen production in the skin, protect from UV damage, and increase your own production of hyaluronic acid,” Ramark says. These are beta carotene, lycopene, zeaxanthin, lutein, and astaxanthin. You find them in colorful fruits and vegetables such as tomatoes, carrots, sweet potatoes, melons, zucchini, corn, spinach, kale, and broccoli. And for best result you should eat a lot from many of these sources. Astaxanthin is a bit different since it is found in algae and even some sea food. Or as a supplement.”
Protein
Perhaps this is no surprise, but protein-rich foods are important in order to give your skin enough building blocks (amino acids) for collagen and elastin, Ramark says. “You do not need to take a collagen supplement,” Ramark says. “But you do need to provide your body with the amino acids that are part of collagen production, as well as some other amino acids that help boost the production.”
Essential Fatty Acids
Even more reason to stop at the fish store today — fatty acids are important for health skin. “Make sure to eat nuts, avocados, olives (or olive oil), and either fatty fish or alga supplements,” Ramark says.
