What to Eat and Drink for Younger Looking Skin

Introduction Everyone hits a stage in life where they start to wish there was a rewind button on aging. Unfortunately, that’s not...

Introduction

Everyone hits a stage in life where they start to wish there was a rewind button on aging. Unfortunately, that’s not a possibility. However, there are foods and drinks that can help you look younger, feel better, and help slow the appearance of aging.

Youthful skin has been a desirable attribute for generations. The history books show many examples of how people went about achieving younger appearances from Ancient Greece to the Ming Dynasty. While they may not have understood how these things helped their skin and bodies, they knew it was something that worked.

So, what should you eat and drink for younger looking skin? Check out the list below for ideas!

Fish

Fish are loaded with all sorts of vitamins and nutrients that our bodies need - but did you know that there is a skin benefit to eating fish too? It turns out that some types of fish are high in levels of nutrients that help keep skin looking young and healthy when the fish is consumed on a regular basis.

“Salmon, Mackerel, and Herring are wonderful fatty fishes to consume if you’re looking to improve your overall skin health,” says Rachel Blank, Founder and CEO of Allara. “These fish are super high in Omega 3 fatty acids which are necessary for keeping your skin moisturized and supple - two key components in younger looking skin.”

Avocados

This food gained a ton of popularity a while back when it became a trendy millennial staple and it seems to be here to stay. This superfood is high in vitamins A, D, and E which are known to help your skin look and feel great.

“Avocados are a popular food that can be incorporated into many dishes to add a bit of texture, flavor, and improve your skin,” says Rachel Roff, Founder and CEO of Urban Skin Rx. “The vitamins and minerals in avocados pair with the healthy fats it also provides to create a wonderful food to make your skin look younger. The combination of these components encourage your body to produce more collagen and increase metabolism. Both of these things can help improve the quality of your skin while providing other health benefits as well.”

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Extra virgin olive oil has been an anti-aging product for centuries. Remember those historical examples we mentioned in the introduction? This is one of them! The ancient Greeks were known for using olive oil as a staple in their diet and as a skincare product. This isn’t ancient folklore either - scientists have proven that extra virgin olive oil actually can improve your skin’s appearance and make you look younger.

“Extra virgin olive oil is loaded with beneficial components that can make your skin look and feel younger,” says Miles Beckett, CEO and Co-founder of Flossy. “There is a misconception that oils are bad because they contain fats - but those fats and other components are the good kind. They act as anti-inflammatories and antioxidants to help your body retain moisture, repair itself, and protect against further damage.”

Green Tea

Green tea is another anti-aging consumable that has been used for thousands of years. The origins of green tea as a health benefit has been traced back to the Ming Dynasty. This tea has anti-inflammatories that have been shown to help reduce the appearance of aging on the skin.

“Green tea is a wonderful way to incorporate some antioxidants and anti-inflammatories into your diet to help your skin look younger,” says Yooseok Gong, Global Business Lead at Ohora. “Green tea is high in vitamins B2, C, and E which work together to help your skin maintain a healthy appearance and produce collagen. Green tea is also a caffeinated product so you can drink it hot or iced for a jumpstart in the morning or an afternoon pick-me-up.”

Dark Chocolate

Can chocolate help you look younger? Surprisingly, it can! However, you can’t just grab your favorite candy bar and assume you’re going to wake up the next day looking young again. Dark chocolate is different from milk or white chocolate because dark chocolate is high in antioxidants and low in sugar unlike its lighter, sugar filled counterparts.

“This shouldn’t be too difficult to convince yourself to try to incorporate into your diet for younger looking skin, “ says Jae Pak, Founder of Jae Pak MD Medical. “Dark chocolate is actually much lower in sugar than most people realize and it provides a great source of oleic acid, stearic acid, and palmitic acid. These are all fatty acids that aid in producing younger looking skin.”

Garden Veggies

If you have a green thumb, the answer to “what to eat for younger looking skin” may be in your backyard! Many of the vegetables that are grown in gardens (or available at the grocery store) are wonderful sources of vitamins that can help your skin look and feel younger.

“Look for vegetables that are high in vitamin C,” says Lauren Kleinman, Co-founder of The Quality Edit. “These include your leafy greens- such as lettuce, spinach, kale and cabbage. Other veggies that have a lot of vitamin C to help your skin look younger include tomatoes, bell peppers, broccoli, carrots and pumpkin - just to name a few. These are also great additions to any diet because they’re going to provide you with a ton of vitamins that help your body look and feel great while also making your skin look younger.

Conclusion

Younger looking skin has been sought after for thousands of years - some of these foods and drinks suggested in the list above have been around as an anti-aging skin product for just as long. Things such as green tea and extra virgin olive oil are some of the earliest edible skin products that were used.

Some others that you might want to try include fish, avocados, dark chocolate, and garden vegetables. These are all great foods that not only can improve the look of your skin, but your overall health as well.

One bonus tip for something to drink for younger looking skin: water

Water keeps you hydrated and helps your skin retain its moisture and elasticity.

What are you waiting for? When you’re grocery shopping this week, grab some of these foods and drinks for younger looking skin!