The Healthy Skin Diet

We all want to have healthy skin. Whether you make an effort to go to the tanning salon on a regular basis to get a nice glow to your appearance or you are always making sure to moisturize daily to keep dry skin at bay, having a soft, smooth appearance just makes you look so much better.
The foods we choose to eat can also have a large effect on how our skin looks so it is important to become more aware of your diet if this is a goal for you. You've likely heard of the tale that chocolate causes pimples. The great news is this is completely false. In all reality, if a small piece of chocolate helps to reduce your stress levels that could actually prevent pimples since stress is a major factor in acne developing. I wouldn't recommend eating a full chocolate bar a day as that will add to your waistline but if you are a chocoholic and can control your portion size, go for it!
Here are a few dietary adjustments you should consider that do in fact influence how your skin looks.
Water
Not only do you need to make sure you are well hydrated so that your brain can function optimally (as it's affected by even slight dehydration), but you also need more water to flush your body out and help prevent skin dryness. Water helps to deliver nutrients and oxygen to the cells and carry away the waste products.
When the body senses you are dehydrated, it will draw upon the water balance from the skin in order to meet its needs. That is what causes dry skin. Solve this problem by ensuring you are getting at least 8 glasses per day, more if you workout, and then there will be no need to rob your skin of moisture. Keep in mind too that by increasing your servings of fruits and vegetables in your diet you will also be increasing water intake.
Iron
Iron is a much talked about nutrient, particularly among women. One of the primary reasons many people will experience fatigue is due to low iron stores, otherwise known as anemia. Vegetarians and those who aren't eating any red meat are particularly susceptible to this condition if they are not making a conscious effort to get other iron-rich sources in their diets. Additionally, most of the vegetarian sources of iron are not absorbed quite as readily by the body as the meat sources are.
The purpose of iron in the body is to deliver oxygen to the cells. When this is not occurring the skin will take on a dull appearance and is a sure sign you are not getting enough. You want to aim to get at least 18 mg of iron a day, preferably from sources such as lean ground beef, chicken breast, fortified cereal, legumes and lima beans. Make note that taking Vitamin C in along with your iron rich foods will help to increase the absorption so eat an orange or some red peppers along with your food.
Magnesium Rich Foods
Lastly, try and include more foods that are rich in magnesium into your diet. Magnesium and vitamin D will work together to try and preserve the underlying bone structure of your face that serves to keep skin tight against the bone. When the skin starts to become loose you will notice a sagging appearance and wrinkles may begin forming.
To get more magnesium in your diet, try eating more foods such as nuts, whole grains, spinach, pumpkin, squash, halibut and black beans.
So if getting better skin is something that interests you, be sure to eat the foods mentioned above daily or as often as you can. It can take a little time to notice significant improvements in your skins appearance but rest assured that by using the suggestions provided you will help your skin retain a more youthful appearance in the future.