Foods that Make You Look Younger

Free radicals destroy collagen and elastin, the fibers that support skin structure, and can cause wrinkles and other signs of premature aging. So, if you want to look younger and healthier, you need to eat foods that contain antioxidants particularly vitamin A, C and E.

These vitamins are important nutrients needed for healthy skin because they help prevent free radicals from damaging your skin tissues and cells.

- Vitamin A promotes proper repair and maintenance of your skin. Not getting enough vitamin A can result in a dry, flaky complexion, which will then make you look older than your age.

Most fruits and vegetables contain vitamin A, but putting more greens like Swiss chard, collard greens, kale, mustard greens, spinach and turnip greens in your diet can best satisfy, if not provide more than your daily needs.

- Vitamin C protects you against free radical attacks when you expose your skin to UV radiation of the sun and pollutants in the air. Eat guava, bell pepper, orange, strawberries, broccoli, kale, mustard greens and turnip greens to boost your vitamin C intake.

- Vitamin E reduces the effects of sun exposure on your skin. It works especially effective with vitamin A and C to keep your skin healthy, smooth and wrinkle-free. You can get more vitamin E from food such as almonds, sunflower seeds, sunflower oil, avocado, and wheat germ oil (just one tbsp can satisfy your need for the day).

Are these foods all you need to benefit your skin and look years younger?

Actually, there is one more essential food which you should add to your diet if you want your skin to have even younger and more beautiful appearance.

That's virgin coconut oil. It's essentially an antioxidant by itself. And by eating virgin coconut oil, you can stop even more free-radical activities and keep your skin young and smooth. That explains why it is one of the best foods for skin health.

Besides taking food rich in antioxidants, you also need omega-3 fatty acids to cancel out the inflammatory effects resulted from commonly high omega-6 intake. For best skin health, you should go with the ratio of 1:1 (omega-6 to omega-3).

Good omega-3 food sources include chia seeds, flaxseeds, flax oil, canola oil, olive oil, hempseeds and walnuts. But among them, chia seeds, flaxseeds and flax oil are the best because they hold more omega-3 than omega-6 (see below), which allow you to gain better control over the omega ratio.

Chia seeds / 100g

Omega-3 = 17.3g

Omega-6 = 5.6g

Omega-6 to Omega-3 = 0.32 to 1

Omega-3 to Omega-6 = 3.09 to 1

Flaxseeds / 100g

Omega-3 = 22.6g

Omega-6 = 6.0g

Omega-6 to Omega-3 = 0.27 to 1

Omega-3 to Omega-6 = 3.77 to 1

Other than eating these food to improve your skin texture and make you look younger, you should also avoid smoking (or inhaling secondhand smoke) and alcohol, which promote free radical activities. Additionally, drink sufficient water, sleep well and take a balanced wholefood diet.