Is good skin care routine enough for clear, healthy skin?

We have all suffered the woes of pimples, acne scars, giant zits that comes from nowhere. Hands up if you can relate.

Many girls, especially, are constantly hunting for products that promises to keep their skin from aging, keep it wrinkle-free, free of pimples and trying to clear the stubborn acne scars. The list is endless.

Even I am trapped in this never-ending cycle of purchasing too many products like:
– Moisturizer
– Toner
– Cleanser
– Face mask
– Pimple cream

And unsurprisingly, does very little to my skin despite a rigid care routine. There are days where painful pimples will pop up, scars that refused to heal, unsightly bumps. Until I realized, the most important and constant product starts within with a good diet.

Our skin are made up of cells and constantly go through a process of shedding and replacing with new ones. For that process to occur, your body needs nutrients and a sufficient amount of it. Eating a balance of foods that are rich in anti-oxidants will
feed your skin the nutrients it needs to be blemish free and soft.

5 Food / Drinks to Avoid:

• 1. Deep fried food
• This goes without saying, but I cannot stress this enough – deep fried food may taste good but doesn’t do any good for your skin. The oil you eat leads to excess oil production on your face and causes blemishes
  

• 2. Coffee
• Caffeine dries out your skin, and without proper hydration, your skin lacks moisture, causing your skin to age faster.

• 3. Juice
• Oh this one is surprising to some but yes, juices. Stay away from juices solely because most of the time, it is loaded with added sugar and the nutrients present in the skin of the fruits are stripped away along with the fiber. All that’s left is sugar which does not help your skin or your weight.

• 4. Pizza
• Pizza may be life, but not for your skin. Essentially, this greasy pie can cause your skin to be oily, contributing to acne. And acne takes the longest for your skin to recover, hence better to avoid pizza.
  

• 5. Carbonated Drinks
• Carbonated drinks are of course, full of added sugar that are made from unnatural sources. Sugar increases your body’s production of wrinkles, which may contribute to the overall aging skin. So, every time you feel like reaching out for a bottle of fizzy drink, think again.

5 Food / Drinks to Consume:

• 1. Broccoli
• The best veggie to consume for healthy skin is broccoli. Full of vitamins and minerals like zinc, vitamin A and C. Unlike every other greens out there, broccoli contains a special thing called sulforaphane which protects the skin against damage from the Sun.

• 2. Soy
• Soy products contain isoflavones that can imitate or block estrogen levels in the body. It improves wrinkles and maintain skin elasticity, which makes one looks young and supple.

• 3. Dark Chocolate
  
• Cacao is an excellent skin booster because of the high amount of anti-oxidants present in the beans. Be mindful that we suggest eating dark chocolate and not your regular chocolate as the regular milk chocolates contain too much sugar and dairy that might cause a trigger to one’s skin. We encourage people to eat at least 70% cacao in order to maximize the health benefits to your skin.

• 4. Quinoa
• As an alternative to white rice, quinoa is a great carbs alternative with low GI. Because white rice is refined and has a high GI, it is encouraged for people to switch to quinoa as it is high in fiber and protein – a nutritional benefit to the body.
  

• 5. Green Tea
• Ah, and when we say Green Tea, we mean the natural ones that are brewed like commonly done in China. Catechins present in green tea improves the health of the skin because of its extra boost of antioxidants. Plus it helps with moisture and hydrates the skin very well.

As you already know, it is heavily advertised that buying certain products and applying it to your face will keep the nasty away. However, the truth is good skin comes from within and the only way to do that is to eat right and maintain a balanced diet.

Everything else is secondary and play only a small role in making you look young and good.