I get it, students and young adults work with a tight budget, so maybe that RM300 serum isn’t a big priority compared to a week’s worth of lunch. But then you look in the mirror and spot a large pimple, and you wish you had the extra cash to get yourself some salicylic acid to eliminate just one problem in your life. Fret not! Here’s how you can eat your way to flawless skin. Guys, let me introduce you to.. the superfoods.
Chia Seeds
These babies are the perfect kind of food for those who are slightly daunted by healthy food (me). I’ve always been the “er..no veggie please!” person at restaurants, so shifting my diet completely will be a slightly impossible task. But chia seeds are practically tasteless, you barely feel it’s even there — but it does so much good to you and your system. High in omega-3 fatty acids, that greatly aid in collagen production to keep your skin as youthful and wrinkle-free as possible. Often sprinkled in your smoothies or dashed into your morning breakfast, this is the go-to superfood for anyone on-the-go.
Salmon
Another one with a very high level of omega-3’s, salmon is a great dish for your overall health, lowering your chance at heart-related diseases and high blood pressure. It’s good if you’re planning on cutting some pounds, too! But salmon does wonders to your skin, containing fatty acids (fat that you need, don’t worry) & omega-3 in them. Plus, they taste amazing, so what’s there to lose!
Berries
Packed with antioxidants, berries are the warriors of your body. They help with free radicals (read about them here if you haven’t), & they’re filled with Vitamin A that aids in normalising oil production, thus helps with sebum accumulation (read: acne). Berries are also great with pushing back those years with its anti-aging features provided by the abundance of Vitamin C in it. So swap out your salty chips for some bags of blueberries, keep them in your bag when you’re out,put them in your smoothies, it’s such an easy ingredient and snack to incorporate in your diet to ensure that your skin is getting as much nutrient as it should.
Lemons
Although I can never go crazy enough to have a whole, I’ve slowly accustomed by body to accept lemon-infused water every morning. They’re great agents of detox, as it cleanses every part of your body from toxins. Similar to how it flushes out toxins from your system, it does the same with your skin. In addition to containing a lot of vitamin C in them, lemons are incredibly alkalising to your body. I know, right? Weird. They taste really acidic. But once lemons are metabolised through your body’s minerals, it turns into great alkalising agents. Our bodies are severely acidic due to over consumption of coffee, alcohol and even processed food (guilty), so balancing out the pH of your body is crucial because an unbalanced one will lead to unstable skin (sensitivity, acne-prone, etc).
Sweet Potatoes
My oily, acne-prone family out there, here’s a good one for you. The incredibly huge amount of vitamin A in sweet potatoes are good for balancing out the oil production in your skin, allowing the acne production factories to slow down. Besides being great diet buddies (due to its high dietary fibre but low calorie count), the beta-carotene in them helps regenerate new skin cells, giving you a new & healthy canvas that have strong resistants towards skin damages.
Avocado
I’ve gotta admit, avocados took me a longer time than I expected to get used to. For my first time, it was like having veggie butter – which you should know by now, veggies are my biggest enemies. But have it on toast, sprinkle some chia seeds, add some smoked salmon and dash of lemon zest (that’s four superfoods in a meal) and you’ve now found yourself the best diet, skin-loving dish ever. Try it, it’ll change your life.
Of course, there’s a whole long list of more superfoods you can try to help transform your skin, but these are just some that have personally helped me with my journey towards better skin. I am a huge advocate for “You are what you eat“, so eat well.
For more information on these food or more ingredients & dishes that create wonders to your skin and body, here are some links to relevant articles:
Allure, Goop, Prevention, Health X-Change, Fitness Magazine, Self, Vogue.
The Beautip 