Who wants healthy looking skin? Of course, almost everybody wants healthy looking skin. Do you know where it all starts? Having healthy skin starts from within. You nourish and rejuvenate your skin from the inside. We’re giving you a two part article (that's how valuable your skin is) on how to take good care of your largest organ, your skin. Follow these secrets and have beautiful healthy skin!1. You've had enough processed foods for a lifetime. It's time to go for unprocessed ones. It is sad, but true. Westerners are at the top of the world when it comes to eating packaged and processed foods. What's wrong with processed foods? Well, we certainly don’t have enough space in this article to enumerate all of the issues surrounding processed foods.
Besides various chemicals being added into them, they're devoid of nutrients. These nutrients are needed by your skin to maintain its luster and healthy glow. Avoid these big words when eating processed foods: trans fats, refined grains, refined sugar, and high fructose corn syrup. In fact it is best to read the ingredients of everything you buy and if it contains ingredients which you don’t recognise then look for a better alternative. You can also read our article on reading food labels ‘What’s Hiding In Your Food? 
2. Skin supplements. Does your skin need supplements too? Yes, it does, especially when you have a very busy schedule. A deficiency of nutrients can lead to skin diseases. Some nutrients also act as antioxidants which slow down the aging process. Make sure you get enough of them with a good vitamin and mineral complex because getting these just from your food is very difficult even if you follow a perfect diet. For your skin you particularly need a lot of vitamins A, C, E and the mineral selenium. How about fats? Yes, the right kind of fats (omega-3 essential fatty acids and other healthy fats) are also very important. They keep your skin plump and hydrated. To read more about good and bad fats read our two part series Vegetable Oils - Good Vs Bad (Coming Soon! ). Other healthy fats include undamaged, unrefined animal fats such as butter and cream.
3. Be sweet to your skin by avoiding sugar. Sugar deserves special mention especially among diabetics. Diabetics have a hard time treating skin infections. The abundance of sugar in their bodies provides an ample supply of food for bad bacteria. This enables them to multiply and take over. Even if you're not a diabetic, indulging in sweets can ruin skin health by increasing inflammation. Inflammation in and on your skin can speed up aging. You know what that means, more wrinkles. Your skin actually loses elasticity because your sugar levels are high. The sugar attaches itself to collagen (a protein which maintains elasticity) in your skin leading to stiffness. There are many alternatives to sugar, we have our list on that too, checkout this link. Though keep in mind that the ones which affect your blood glucose the least are the best.
4. Lessen stress. Don't get me wrong, stress is good for you, to a certain degree. When it gets overwhelming, your skin is one of the organs which could suffer. Your skin will sag, and wrinkles will appear. You will look older. When you're under stress, your stress hormone levels increase (cortisol). This is bad because it will herald inflammation. Learn to relax once in a while. Engage in activities which relax your mind and body like deep breathing, relaxation exercises, Tai Chi and stretching.
A special kind of stress called oxidative stress, can cause several skin diseases. Environmental pollutants, radiation, and excess sunlight exposure, not to mention chronic stress can produce reactive oxygen species (agents responsible for oxidative stress) on your delicate skin. These reactive oxygen species disrupt the normal balance of things on your skin and contribute to the formation of skin diseases and premature aging.
5. Your skin needs sleep too. What happens to your skin when you sleep? Well, it's not something that you can readily see with the naked eye. If you look closely, your skin actually goes into repair mode. Your tired skin renews itself when you slip under the sheets. Dead skin cells are replaced by new ones. Your metabolism and hormones are also at work during your sleep. They help take care of your skin. What happens when your oversleep, you ask? It's like getting too little sleep. It's also detrimental to your skin. Too much sleep can actually make your skin break down. Ahem, stop sleeping until noon silly (unless you work night shifts). Aim for 7 to 8 hours of sleep.Is your skin hungry for more healthy tips? Here's Part 2
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