Last week I was watching some morning show that was promoting Catherine Zeta-Jones’ new movie “No Reservations.” In it she plays a high-powered chef in a busy Manhattan restaurant. Only in real life, Zeta-Jones told the interviewer that she rarely cooks for her family. Interesting (though not surprising, after all, how many millionaires do you know that don’t have a private chef), but that wasn’t the part of the interview that threw me. When Zeta-Jones’ was asked how she maintains such a flawless complexion given her work schedule (apparently many of the restaurant scenes were shot after midnight) she answered: food. At first I thought she was just saying that in order to segue back in to promoting her restaurant movie, but it didn’t take longer to deduce that she was serious. (And here you thought the answer to great skin was in your bathroom. It’s in the kitchen? Who knew?)
Zeta-Jones didn’t go into details (I had to do so digging on my own), but alluded to the fact that she follows a well-balanced diet and drinks lots of water. Her remarks made me wonder what types of foods help your skin glow.
Here’s what I discovered:
First, go for the greens. According to doctors, leafy greens (such as spinach and kale) are filled with zinc, which is very good at repairing the skin, helping cuts heal, and aiding in hair and nail growth.
Next, load up on antioxidants. Foods like broccoli, walnuts, almonds and berries (doctors say the darker the better… like blueberries) are the best sources of antioxidants, which scavenge free radicals. Free radicals can damage DNA and lead to skin cancers and tumors.
Save some room for tomatoes. They contain lycopene, which doctors say can help improve collagen in the skin, and help fight skin damage caused by the sun.
Then there are the whole grains and omega-3 fatty acids in salmon. They are well known as heart-healthy foods, but did you know they can also soothe your skin? Both the whole grains and the omega-3 fatty acids have anti-inflammatory properties, which help decrease skin redness and irritation.
Sounds easy, right? Well, not so fast. Simply eating a bowl of blueberries isn’t going to turn you into Catherine Zeta-Jones overnight. Eating the foods now won’t yield immediate results, but modifying your diet to include some of the items in the long term will improve your skin over time. And it’s not just what you eat. Doctors say drinking water is a great way to revive dull skin. They recommend you drink at least eight to ten glasses a day.
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