Beauty Is So Much More Than Skin Deep

Published by Ginger Hultin, MS RDN CSO

(Food for Beauty is the focus for the third part in our series on the nine benefits at the core of FoodTrients® and all of our recipes. What you eat matters when it comes to beautiful skin and hair. Each month we’ll explore one of these incredible anti-aging benefits and show you how they help fight the diseases of aging.)

When talking about beauty and diet, radiant skin, full hair, and a certain youthful quality may come to mind. But beauty is so much more than that and there are strategies for looking (and feeling!) good at any age. Diet certainly plays a part in aging and beauty since many macro- and micronutrients are vital to skin and hair health and in preventing premature aging. Let’s dive into specific nutrients, where you can find them, and how they can help keep a youthful glow going to support your beauty now and far into the future with a focus on FoodTrients® beauty.

Eating a healthy diet can play a role in long-term beauty in the following ways:

● Skin elasticity and color
● Hair and skin quality and growth
● Providing the energy to be active and maintain good muscle mass
● Supporting general energy and vitality

Macronutrients that support beauty are:

Carbohydrates

Carbohydrates are the main source of energy for all the cells in the body. They help keep body systems operating at their most efficient. The key here is to get the majority of carbs from whole grains, fruits, and vegetables so that you get the energy for vitality, but you don’t get a big spike of blood sugar to throw the body out of balance. This also will help ensure you are getting enough fiber which is vital to keep the body’s detox systems functioning well for long-term beauty inside and out.

Fat

Lipids (another name for fats) are vital to youthful skin by keeping cells healthy, preventing moisture loss, and keeping skin moisturized and supple. The best types of fats for healthy skin are PUFAs (polyunsaturated fatty acids) which include fats from fatty fish, walnuts, flaxseeds, chia seeds, and seaweed, and MUFAs (monounsaturated fatty acids) which include olives (including olive oil), avocados, and nuts. These healthy fats are also associated with brain health, keeping the brain healthy during aging. Many nutrients cannot be absorbed well without a source of fat so this is an important beauty strategy.

Protein

This vital macronutrient is important to the structure and function of all parts of the body including the skin, hair and nails. Protein also helps protect the immune system. A protein related to beauty that you should know about is collagen. This is a form of protein that is abundant in skin and connective tissues but it also can be consumed – often added to beverages like coffee or smoothies for a little boost. Collagen production requires vitamin C and adequate protein intake. Collagen in the body decreases as you age and with UV sun exposure, which can lead to decreased volume in skin and can lead to changes in texture and increased fine lines and wrinkles.

Beauty boosting superfoods:

Choose these food categories to get access to the complex carbohydrates, protein, and healthy fat as well as vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants that can support your beauty.

● Vitamin A foods: carrots, tomatoes, red peppers, melon, fish, eggs
● Vitamin C foods: sweet potatoes, red peppers, citrus fruits, strawberries, tomatoes
● Vitamin E foods: almonds, peanut butter, pumpkin, wheat germ oil, sunflower seeds
● Biotin foods: nuts, egg yolks, oats
● Selenium foods: Brazil nuts, seafood, broccoli, soybeans

Beauty supplements:

Supplements tend to have high levels of certain nutrients, which can be easily studied and often sound appealing. Taking a pill or capsule that supports beauty may sound too good to be true. And often it is. Many of the benefits that are gained from eating foods rich in nutrients are lost when getting them from supplements in concentrated form. Nutrients in foods are often more well absorbed and used by the body and provide additional benefits such as fiber and polyphenols (plant chemicals that are beneficial to health) which are important to all aspects of health. Choose FoodTrients® foods for a food-first (and delicious) approach to your beauty.

Beauty nutrients are found in all kinds of whole foods so keep adding these beneficial foods as part of meals and snacks to keep looking youthful and healthy long-term.

Which of these foods sound the best to sprinkle on a salad or on top of oatmeal?

See all of our Beauty recipes: https://foodtrients.com/recipes/beauty/

Immunity Booster

How To Support Your Immune System Naturally

References
Park K. Role of micronutrients in skin health and function. Biomol Ther (Seoul). 2015;23(3):207-217.Piccardi N, Manissier P. Nutrition and nutritional supplementation: Impact on skin health and beauty. Dermato-endocrinology. 2009 Sep 1;1(5):271-4.

Liu T, Li N, Yan YQ, Liu Y, Xiong K, Liu Y, Xia QM, Zhang H, Liu ZD. Recent advances in the anti‐aging effects of phytoestrogens on collagen, water content, and oxidative stress. Phytotherapy research. 2020 Mar;34(3):435-47.

Ginger Hultin, MS RDN CSO

Ginger Hultin MS RDN CSO is a Seattle-based Registered Dietitian Nutritionist and long time contributor to nutrition content on Foodtrients®. She is the owner of the concierge, virtual nutrition practice Ginger Hultin Nutrition where she helps clients with complex health conditions through an integrative approach. She specializes in anti-inflammatory diets for integrative oncology nutrition, people with gastrointestinal disease, and autoimmune issues. Her 10-year partnership with Foodtrients® has focused on evidence-based anti-aging nutrition, healthy recipes, and "top foods" lists in many categories from blood sugar control to healing your gut. Ginger serves as adjunct clinical faculty at the Bastyr Center for Natural Health in Seattle. She is the director of communications at the Washington State Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, a past Spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, and past-chair of the Vegetarian Nutrition Dietetic Practice Group. She has authored two nutrition books: Anti-Inflammatory Diet Meal Prep and the How to Eat to Beat Disease Cookbook. Ginger is a graduate of the University of Washington and Bastyr University and is currently pursuing her doctorate of clinical nutrition at the University of North Florida.

Eating a healthy diet can play a role in long-term beauty in the following ways:

Macronutrients that support beauty are:

Carbohydrates

Fat

Protein

Beauty boosting superfoods:

Beauty supplements:

Anti-Inflammatory

Antioxidants

Beauty

Detox

Disease Prevention

Gut health

Immunity Booster

How To Support Your Immune System Naturally

References Park K. Role of micronutrients in skin health and function. Biomol Ther (Seoul). 2015;23(3):207-217.Piccardi N, Manissier P. Nutrition and nutritional supplementation: Impact on skin health and beauty. Dermato-endocrinology. 2009 Sep 1;1(5):271-4.

Liu T, Li N, Yan YQ, Liu Y, Xiong K, Liu Y, Xia QM, Zhang H, Liu ZD. Recent advances in the anti‐aging effects of phytoestrogens on collagen, water content, and oxidative stress. Phytotherapy research. 2020 Mar;34(3):435-47.

Ginger Hultin, MS RDN CSO

References
Park K. Role of micronutrients in skin health and function. Biomol Ther (Seoul). 2015;23(3):207-217.Piccardi N, Manissier P. Nutrition and nutritional supplementation: Impact on skin health and beauty. Dermato-endocrinology. 2009 Sep 1;1(5):271-4.