No matter how many skincare products you have and how meticulous you are with using them daily, you still won’t look great if you’re missing the important nutrients you need to keep your skin healthy and glowing.
This is because you need to nourish your skin from the inside to keep it healthy and great-looking.
Everything that you eat and drink can affect your skin in different ways. A balanced diet promotes healthy and youthful skin, while an unbalanced one can lead to dry and older-looking skin.
Taking the best hair, skin, and nails gummies daily can also help you maintain healthy and glowing skin regardless of your age.
With these in mind, you simply can’t rely on your skincare products and routine to look and feel great. You need to have a balanced diet to ensure you get the right nutrients to have healthy, amazing skin all the time.
Vitamins, Minerals, and Other Nutrients You Need to Have Great Skin
Knowing which nutrients you need to nourish your skin can help you choose the right foods to include in your diet.
Below are the top eight nutrients you need to maintain healthy and glowing skin:
1. B Vitamins
B vitamins, which include vitamins B1, B2, B3, B5, B12, and biotin, are some of the vital nutrients that make up the building blocks of healthy skin.
These nutrients help with cell renewal and keep your skin moisturized.
Biotin, in particular, is an essential vitamin that keeps your skin, nails, and hair healthy.
When you don’t get enough B vitamins, you are at higher risk for various health issues, including skin-related ones, such as skin rashes, dermatitis, and cracks around the mouth.
You can increase your intake of different types of vitamin B by adding more lean meats, seafood, eggs, nuts, and seeds to your diet. You can also get these nutrients from supplements, including gummy ones.
2. Vitamin C
Vitamin C is another important nutrient that helps keep your skin healthy and beautiful. It is found in high levels in your epidermis and dermis.
This nutrient aids collagen production, giving your skin its youthful and moisturized look.
Additionally, it has antioxidant properties which protect your skin from photodamage caused by UV rays. This, in turn, helps your skin and body fight cancer.
Citrus fruits, berries, peppers, and cruciferous and green leafy vegetables are the best sources of vitamin C. You can also boost your intake of this nutrient with supplements.
3. Vitamin D
This specific vitamin aids your body in creating new skin cells, thus helping your skin repair itself. Because of this, it plays a key role in keeping your skin healthy and attractive.
Vitamin D is a popular ingredient in different skincare products and topical ointments used for treating skin problems.
Examples of skin issues that can be treated with medications with vitamin D include skin rashes, atopic dermatitis, psoriasis, and rosacea.
Boosting your vitamin D intake can help you avoid skin inflammation, which causes acne and dryness of the skin. It can even improve your skin tone.
To increase your vitamin D intake, try to get at least 10 minutes of sunlight every day.
Also, eat more foods that contain vitamin D like cod, salmon, and tuna, and vitamin D-fortified ones, such as breakfast cereals and orange juice.
4. Vitamin E
This nutrient is known for its moisturizing effects, making it a popular ingredient in various skincare products.
However, the benefits of vitamin E go beyond this, which means you would do well to increase your intake of this nutrient.
Vitamin E aids the skin stay hydrated by sealing moisture in and improving its absorption ability. It also has anti-inflammatory properties that help soothe irritated skin.
Taking supplements with high levels of vitamin E can maximize the benefits you get from using skincare products with this ingredient.
Additionally, eat more nuts, seeds, avocado, mangoes, and spinach to get more vitamin E naturally.
5. Protein
During the process of catabolism, your body transforms proteins into amino acids and reuses them to make other substances, including collagen and keratin, the building blocks of your skin.
Amino acids hasten the body’s ability to slough off old and dead skin. They also work as antioxidants that protect the skin from UV rays and free radicals.
Additionally, a study suggests that people who have a protein-rich diet usually have less severe skin problems.
Lean cuts of pork, beef, and chicken are the best natural sources of protein. You can also get this nutrient from dairy and soy products, eggs, legumes, peas, and pumpkin seeds.
6. Selenium
Selenium is a trace mineral that works as a powerful antioxidant that helps fight oxidative damage on your skin caused by free radicals.
As a result, this nutrient slows down the signs of aging.
Selenium also supports your thyroid function, which facilitates better metabolism. This, in turn, aids your body in metabolizing all the nutrients that keep your skin healthy and looking great.
You can increase your intake of selenium by adding pork, beef, ham, turkey, tuna, cottage cheese, and Brazil nuts to your diet.
There are also plenty of supplements with the recommended daily allowance (RDA) of selenium you can take daily.
7. Zinc
Zinc is a mineral found in copious amounts on your epidermis. It has anti-inflammatory properties, thus playing a crucial role in helping your skin heal after you get cut or injured.
This mineral also helps prevent the onset of and treat dermatological issues, such as warts, melasma, and rosacea.
Additionally, zinc has antioxidant properties and works with the other nutrients in your body to protect your skin from UV damage.
These benefits help you have and maintain clear, youthful-looking skin.
Meat, shellfish, eggs, whole grains, nuts, seeds, legumes, and dairy products are the best natural sources of zinc.
8. Essential Fatty Acids (EFAs)
EFAs are nutrients that give the skin various health benefits.
If you constantly deal with skin dryness, whiteheads, blackheads, and inflammation, you may lack EFAs.
This is because EFAs, including omega-3 and omega-6, aid in creating a natural oil barrier that protects your skin from bacteria and other harmful microbes. This barricade also helps the skin maintain moisture.
When your body lacks EFAs, your skin produces an unhealthy, irritating type of oil called sebum, which can cause various skin issues.
Oily fish, such as salmon, mackerel, sardines, avocados, nuts, and flaxseeds, contain sufficient amounts of EFAs. As such, add these to your daily diet.
These nutrients can do wonders for your skin and overall wellness, including your eye health.
Because of these, modify your diet to get more of these nutrients to keep your skin and body healthy.
Collins Nwokolo is a human physiologist, writer and health enthusiast. He loves writing helpful articles on health and fitness, which he enjoys sharing with everyone.
