superfoods for beautiful skin

If you want beautiful skin, you need to maintain your lipid and hydric levels. If your skin isn't getting enough nutrients, it soon dries out and becomes fragile.



B Vitamins
All the B Vitamins aid metabolic reactions to repair and build collagen and elastin fibre. Feed your skin: Whole grains and cereals (bread, pasta, rice, wheat and bulgur wheat), animal protein (meat, fish and eggs) and brewer's yeast (live yeast).

Essential fatty acids
Omega 3 and Omega 6 limit water loss in skin cells. Feed your skin: Oil (olive oil, walnut oil, soya oil, rapeseed oil and peanut oil), oily fish (anchovies, sardines, herring and tuna), nuts (almonds and hazelnuts), avocado and olives.

Water
Water is essential to healthy skin, for deep-down hydration. It also gets rid of waste, which causes dull skin. Feed your skin: Aside from drinking water, get your fill from tea, soup, herbal tea, fruit and veg (they're 90% water on average!).

For a glowing complexion

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© Mary Cohr Shining morning faces need their daily dose of antioxidants. Vitamin C Aside from being essential to collagen production, Vitamin C protects your skin from UV damage and helps scars heal. Feed your skin: Fresh fruit and veg, especially citrus fruit (lemon, orange and grapefruit), kiwi, cabbage vegetables and parsley. Vitamin A Vitamin A is the most important skin vitamin for supple, radiant skin and also protects against UV damage. Feed your skin: Liver, eggs, butter and butter for Vitamin A, and brightly-coloured fruit and veg (mango, melon, pepper, carrot etc) for Provitamin A, which the body converts into Vitamin A. Vitamin E Vitamin E is a powerful antioxidant with an unrivalled ability to repair sun damage - sun-worshippers take note! It traps ageing free radicals and acts alongside Vitamin A and Vitamin C to protect cell membranes, which are the main target of those nasty free radicals. Feed your skin: Nuts (walnuts, hazelnuts and almonds), whole grains, cereals and vegetable/plant oils. Selenium The trace element selenium is the best weapon there is against free radicals, and in recent years it has been recognised as a major player in anti-ageing. It's particularly effective at fighting the effects of UV rays, and also aids the elimination of toxins such as tobacco and alcohol through urine. Feed your skin: Meat, fish, seafood and eggs.

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For clear skin

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For perfect nails

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Like our hair, our nails reflect the state of our health. If your nails break easily, are weak or have white marks on them, they're trying to tell you something: you have nutritional deficiencies! Keep an eye on your nails and adjust your diet accordingly if you're missing out on these nutrients:

Calcium
Calcium strengthens nails and makes them grow. Feed your nails: Dairy produce, fruit and vegetables and some types of mineral water.

Iron
Iron is a fortifying trace element that enriches red blood cells and increases oxygenisation of tissue, especially in nails that break easily. Feed your nails: Red meat, shellfish and pulses.

Sulphur
Sulphur is a misunderstood mineral that's vital for strong nails (it strengthens the nail structure). Feed your nails: Seafood, asparagus, onion, garlic and cabbage.

A day's beauty food

Fancy a day of beauty food to get you into good habits? Here's a menu to try!

Breakfast
A hot drink
A glass of fresh fruit juice or a piece of fresh fruit
A fermented milk yoghurt or soya yoghurt
2 slices of wholemeal bread with Omega-3 rich butter (butter made with vegetable oil is better than animal fat butter)

Snack
A piece of fresh fruit

Lunch
A plate of raw veg or mixed salad (containing shallots, chives, parsley and other herbs with lemon juice and a drizzle of rapeseed oil)
Around 150g oily fish
Steamed vegetables and whole grains/cereals with a drizzle of olive oil
A piece of fresh fruit

Snack
Green tea (left to infuse for less than 2min)
A yoghurt or a piece of fresh fruit

Dinner
Mixed vegetable soup
100-150g steamed fish and steamed vegetables
A yoghurt or fresh fruit salad