Enrich’s Guide to…Eating for Glowing Skin

With the warm weather and summer holidays starting, we all want to feel comfortable and confident in our skin. In the pursuit of glowing skin, skincare products often take centre stage. Concerns such as blemishes, wrinkles, dry patches, and breakouts are usually addressed from the outside with washes, creams, and ointments. However, nutrition can play a crucial role in achieving and maintaining healthy, glowing skin. A balanced, nutritious diet can help to nourish our skin’s health and appearance from within, and address some of the concerns we may have. This month at Enrich, we are diving into all things skin health, from antioxidants to healthy fats and collagen.

Let’s start with some basics about skin health.

The skin is the body’s largest organ, and a lot of its health comes from inside. Focusing on improving our overall wellbeing tends to have a trickle-down effect on our skin’s health and appearance. However, as we exist in a world where we're constantly surrounded by filtered pictures, it can be hard not to have unrealistically high expectations for our skin. Our skin naturally changes over time, meaning things like acne, scarring, wrinkling, and pigmentation are completely normal. Internal factors such as aging, hormones, and genetics all have an influence, which is not within our control.

However, there are some external factors which we can address. These include limiting exposure to UV rays, getting enough sleep, managing stress levels, using appropriate skincare products, and eating a balanced and nutritious diet.

It is important to remember that no single food, supplement, or drink exists that will transform skin overnight. Positive changes will only be seen with time and consistency, and everyone’s skin is unique.

So how does diet affect skin health?

A diet rich in fruits and vegetables provides many important nutrients and molecules for skin health, in particular antioxidants. Antioxidants, such as vitamins A, C and E, are naturally found in plant foods and can help to prevent or slow down damage to our cells. They do this by neutralising free radicals – damaging molecules that are produced in the body after exposure to things like UV rays, pollution, or stress.

-       Vitamin A (found in carrots, sweet potatoes, spinach and kale) promotes cell turnover, stimulates collagen production (more on that later!) and aids in skin repair.

-       Vitamin E (found in nuts, seeds, vegetable oil sand leafy greens) is a potent antioxidant and can help protect against inflammation.

-       Vitamin C (found in citrus fruits, bell pepper sand leafy green) plays a role in collagen formation, as well as having antioxidant properties and aiding in skin healing.

An area of emerging interest when it comes to skin is gut health. Imbalances in our gut microbiome (meaning too many of the ‘bad’ bacteria and not enough of the health-promoting kind) have been associated with inflammatory skin conditions such as psoriasis and eczema. Eating fibre-rich foods and including fermented foods such as sauerkraut or yoghurt in your diet can help to support gut health.

When it comes to skin health, slow-release carbohydrates from wholegrains are key. Foods with a high glycaemic index score (i.e. they convert quickly to sugar in the bloodstream) can cause a spike in hormones like insulin, which in turn can exacerbate skin conditions such as acne. Frequent consumption of foods high in sugar can also increase inflammation in the body or accelerate collagen breakdown, both of which worsen skin health.

Including enough healthy fats in our diet is also associated with skin benefits. Omega 3fatty acids, found in oily fish, nuts and olive oil, can help to improve our skin barrier, aiding in holding on to water and improving skin hydration. These fats also have anti-inflammatory properties, which can be important for conditions such as dermatitis and psoriasis.

Should I be taking collagen supplements?

There is a lot of buzz around collagen supplements and their potential to help with skin, hair, and nail health. Collagen is the main structural protein that supports skin elasticity and volume, giving it a firm smooth appearance. Production naturally decreases as we age, and collagen also gets broken down. Damage can come from sun exposure, pollution, or excessive free radicals in the body. However, there is no evidence that consuming collagen makes any difference to our skin health, as our body breaks down the collagen in the same way as any protein – meaning the collagen can end up in muscles, bones, tendons, or cartilage, rather than skin.

To support our natural collagen levels, try to eat enough protein-rich foods to help our body in producing collagen. Vitamin C and E can help in repairing collagen, and zinc is used for skin repair and healing.

What other things can I do to support my skin health?

Prioritising good quality sleep has many benefits for our overall wellbeing, including the health and vibrancy of our skin. During sleep, our body is able to repair damage caused by exposure to environmental factors like UV rays or stress, as well as produce collagen. Inadequate rest can affect the appearance of our skin with dark circles and puffiness, and increase moisture loss.

On a similar note, staying well hydrated also helps with retaining moisture in our skin. Water is best, but we can also get fluid from other beverages as well as hydrating foods such as cucumber.