7 most important nutrients for healthy skin: The Definitive Guide

If you want healthy and radiant skin you do not need to follow any tough skincare routine, it's all about how you nourish your skin. And for that, you need to take care of your skin from the inside out. The food we consume every day plays an essential role in our skin nourishment. Hence it's needed to be mindful of the food choices you make in your daily life.

When you eat unhealthy and oily food it affects your skin health adversely. Maintaining a healthy diet with proper nutrition helps you to keep your skin wrinkle-free, firm and smooth.

Hence to achieve healthy and radiant skin let's explore the seven essential nutrients that can give your skin an awesome natural glow.

Table of Contents

Skin Care

Omega-3 Fatty Acids: Hydration and Elasticity 

Omega-3 is essential for your bodily function. There are 2 types of fatty acids: one is saturated and another one is unsaturated. It helps you to hydrate your body and it balances oil production in your body effectively.

It is awesome for your skin, helps you right acne and eczema-like skin conditions and reduces signs of ageing. For better skin care of yours, you need to include it in your dietary routine. 

The better sources to consume omega-3 are Fatty fish, chia seeds, walnuts, seaweeds, and plant oils (soybean, groundnut, and canola) are a few examples of omega-3-rich foods.

Vitamin C: Collagen Booster

Vitamin C has several important benefits. Being a water-soluble vitamin, it can easily be absorbed by your body's tissues. But your body cannot store it well. That's why most experts recommend getting your vitamin C from your diet rather than supplements.

Wound healing and prevention from infection are two major functions of vitamin C. It is also a powerful antioxidant that neutralizes harmful radicals. It also boosts collagen production.

It can give you flawless, healthy skin by protecting your skin from oxidative stress which is caused by free radicals.

Vitamin C produces collagen, which gives elasticity and firmness to the skin. It also promotes a smoother complexion and prevents wrinkles and fine lines.

Bell pepper, tomatoes, broccoli, strawberry and all citrus fruits are rich sources of vitamin C.

Vitamin E: Defender against Free Radicals

Vitamin E is a fat-soluble antioxidant, which plays an important role in maintaining our overall health. There are many forms of Vitamin E, but the human body can use only alpha-tocopherol.

Vitamin E contributes a lot of essential benefits to your skin health. It promotes the elasticity of your skin and reduces inflammation. Vitamin E is used in many skin care products because of its moisturizing and protecting properties. It also helps in reducing skin damage caused by environmental stress.

Vitamin E  can also be taken in the form of supplements, which can only be prescribed by healthcare experts according to the individual’s health condition.

Vitamin E-rich foods are sunflower seeds, almonds, peanuts, beet greens, bell peppers etc.

Zinc: Healing and Oil Regulation 

Zinc is actually a mineral that is important for many body functions, such as the immune system, blood clotting, wound healing, and sense of taste and smell.

Many studies also show that zinc has anti-inflammatory properties that help manage some skin conditions, like acne. Foods like pumpkin seeds and lentils are rich sources of zinc which helps in preventing acne and maintaining skin health.

It supports the proper functioning of your oil glands by increasing sebum production, and hence it helps you get acne-free, clear skin.

Along with protecting your skin from sun damage, it also prevents premature ageing. Health experts also recommend zinc for many skin disorders, like eczema and psoriasis.

Zinc-rich foods are oysters, red meat, poultry, seafood, whole grains, nuts, etc.

It is suggested that adults consume 11 mg of zinc in males and 8 mg in women. Consuming excessive amounts of zinc can be harmful to your health; therefore, consult your healthcare professional before adding these supplements to your routine.

Vitamin A: Cell Regeneration

Vitamin A is a fat-soluble micronutrient; its use in limited quantities is necessary for good hair growth and healthy skin. It repairs the skin naturally by regenerating cells, due to which your wounds can heal quickly.

There are two forms of vitamin A: retinoids, which can be found in animal products, and carotenoids, which are found in plant-based foods. Both have important roles in immune function, vision, and skin health.

If you include vitamin A-rich foods in your diet, your skin becomes healthy and thick, due to which your wrinkles start reducing. And the blood flow on the surface of your skin increases, due to which your skin starts glowing.

Vitamin A-rich foods are leafy green vegetables (spinach, broccoli, and kale), carrots, pumpkin, tomatoes, red bell peppers, fish oils, sweet potatoes, and all citrus fruits.

Its excessive intake is not good for health. That's why you must consult a healthcare professional before adding it to your diet.

Selenium: Sun Damage Protection

Selenium is also a mineral that helps to make your skin firm as well as protects it from damage. The selenium in our food comes from the soil in which our food grows.

As you might know, to keep the skin healthy, antioxidants are needed which are found in selenium.

Selenium forms a shield against environmental stressors like UV radiation and pollution on your skin and promotes healthy skin.

Selenium helps with the production of glutathione peroxidase in your body, which detoxifies your body and protects it from oxidative stress. 

Brazil nuts, seafood, and sunflower seeds are good sources of selenium. 

Collagen: Structural Support

Even though collagen is not a nutrient, it is equally important to maintain the elasticity of the skin. Collagen contains amino acids, which prevent signs of ageing. It keeps your skin youthful by keeping it hydrated, due to its water retention property.

As we age, our body reduces the production of natural collagen, due to which the skin becomes saggy and loses its firmness. That is why adding collagen to your diet after a certain age you can keep your skin healthy and firm.

Not only this, there are many other reasons why collagen production is reduced, like smoking, UV exposure, and poor nutrition.

Some collagen-rich foods are beef bone broth, chicken, berries, citrus fruits and egg whites.

7 most important nutrients for healthy skin

In the bottom line:

A positive approach is required to add these 7 nutrients into your diet along with your skincare routine this all together will contribute to you achieving awesome glowing, and radiant skin. 

Add these nutrients to your diet and observe the difference. It includes foods that are rich in Omega 3, Vitamins C, A, E,  Zinc, Selenium, and Collagen in your diet, which will significantly promote your skin health.

With a nutrient-rich diet and proper hydration, you can easily get glowing and radiant skin.

One thing you should always keep in mind is that everyone's dietary needs are different, so always consult your healthcare professional or any registered dietitian for personal advice if you are dealing with any health condition or prefer personal advice.

F. A. Qs

What nutrients are needed for healthy skin?

Along with a good beauty regimen, it is also important to nourish your skin from within. For better skin nourishment you need to add some nutrients to your daily diet such as Vitamin C, Vitamin E, Zinc, Selenium, Vitamin A, healthy fats like omega 3, and some collagen protein to get healthy skin.

Which vitamin helps for glowing skin?

If you want glowing skin, then you should add vitamin C to your daily diet. Vitamin C contains antioxidants that help to remove toxins from your skin, make it healthy and soft, and also protect your skin from sun damage.