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Great Skin – From the Inside Out!
Nourish Your Skin with the Right Foods
By Karen Ansel, M.S., R.D.
Try our Summer Fruit Salad!
While fat has gotten a bad rap, certain fats are crucial for maintaining a glowing complexion. One of those fats is the omega-3 fatty acid, a type of fat most of us don't get enough of. That can have a big impact on skin's appearance, because omega-3s contain the essential fatty acid alpha linolenic acid (ALA), which helps keep skin smooth and pliable. Flaxseed is the best source of plant omega-3 fats around with a whopping 58 percent of its fat content coming from ALA.
Not only are tomatoes rich in collagen-building vitamin C, they also contain the plant chemical lycopene, which may help reduce damage from the sun's rays. In a study in the Journal of Nutrition, researchers found that daily supplementation of about 3 tablespoons of tomato paste mixed with olive oil decreased sun-related harm to skin in volunteers by 40 percent compared to those who ingested olive oil alone.
Lead investigator Dr. Wilhelm Stahl of the Heinrich-Heine University in Düsseldorf, Germany, attributes this to the presence of lycopene, the pigment that gives tomatoes, watermelon and pink grapefruits their ruby red color. "Lycopene is a very active antioxidant, and light-induced formation of free radicals is thought to play a role in the pathogenesis of sunburn," says Dr. Stahl, who says that lycopene exerts its action by neutralizing free radicals.
Try our Roasted Tomatoes!
When it comes to fat, there are two kinds that we need, but can't ake – linoleic and linolenic acids. Leave these out of your diet, and your skin will show it, becoming dry and flaky. While most of us eat plenty of linoleic acid, it is a lot harder to get enough linolenic acid.