5 Foods That Will Make Your Skin Glow

If you’re looking for a little outer beauty it’s time to put down the creams, serums, and purported miracle products that claim to reverse time. Instead, it’s time to start thinking from the inside out.

Your skin is not only the largest organ in the human body, but it’s also the first place you’re likely to see the results of a poor diet. And that makes it all the more important to eat foods that are not only healthy for you but ones that can also make your skin glow too.

“It’s definitely true that diet can play an important role in all skin conditions — not just helping combat wrinkles and lines, but other skin problems as well, including acne, eczema, psoriasis — even dry flaking or very oily skin,” biochemist Elaine Linker, PhD, co-founder of DDF skincare, told WebMD.Here are five scientifically-backed food and beverage items that will make you look refreshed and make you feel even better than you look.

Fatty Fish

Among the most recommended foods for great skin is fatty fish like salmon and tuna. This food item, WebMD noted, comes high in omega-3 fatty acids to aid in achieving the perfect glow.

“These fatty acids are responsible for the health of the cell membrane, which is not only what acts as the barrier to things that are harmful, but also the passageway for nutrients to cross in and out and for waste products to get in and out of the cell,” Ann Yelmokas McDermott, PhD, a nutritionist at the Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging, told WebMD.

Papaya

Looking great isn’t hard, especially when it means eating plenty of tasty foods like papaya. As HuffPost reported, a 2007 study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that higher dietary intake of Vitamin C could help reduce wrinkles. And papaya happens to come with plenty of vitamin C. One large papaya can come with a whopping 235 milligrams of the beauty vitamin.

Green Tea

Start drinking green tea if you want to reduce wrinkles. “It’s packed with antioxidants and nutrients, which have powerful benefits for your overall health and beauty,” Kimberly Snyder, Los Angeles clinical nutritionist and author of The Beauty Detox Solution, told Marie Claire. Beyond giving your skin an antioxidant boost, it can also help protect “skin and hair from environmental stressors like pollution, UV rays, and cigarette smoke,” New York dermatologist Dr Whitney Bowe added.

Avocados

Avocados are a true gift from nature. Not only are they creamy and delicious, but they are also an excellent source of a number of vitamins and minerals. “A clinical study found that the concentration of carotenoids in the skin is directly related to the level of fruit and vegetable intake,” one study noted. “Avocado’s highly bioavailable lutein and zeaxanthin may help to protect the skin from damage from both UV and visible radiation.”

Walnuts

Not a big fish eater? That’s OK, you can pick up a handful of walnuts for all those Omega-3s instead.

“Walnuts offer up healthy Omega-3 fats that strengthen the membranes of your skin cells, locking in moisture and nutrients that keep it plump and glowing and keeping out toxins that can damage skin cells,” Stephanie Clarke and Willow Jarosh, Registered Dieticians and co-owners of C&J Nutrition in Manhattan, told self. “These healthy fats may also reduce skin inflammation (read: fewer breakouts!) and play a role in protecting the skin against harmful UV rays.”

The best part? You can always pair a few of these foods together for an extra healthy skin boost. Your wrinkle-free future face will thank you.