Beauty starts on the inside, and the foods you eat can really affect your health and wellbeing. The body’s largest organ is the skin, and its health is heavily dependent on what you eat. Here we share the best superfoods for glowing skin and a clearer complexion. Pack your diet with these delicious foods to improve your skin health, helping you feel good on both the inside and out. 

1. Oily fish

Your skin really, really needs omega-3 fatty acids. These are most readily found by eating oily fish like salmon, sardines, herring and mackerel. Dry skin, particularly during chilly winter months, can be alleviated by increasing your dietary intake of omega-3.

Despite any worries you may have that fat from oily fish may worsen outbreaks, oily fish is actually one of the best superfoods for clear skin. The natural fish oil is known to reduce inflammation, helping it to soothe and heal acne-prone skin.

In addition, oily fish is a rich source of vitamin E. As you’ll see, our list of superfoods which are good for skin includes lots of foods rich in vitamin E. This is because vitamin E is a fabulous skin-wellness vitamin, reducing inflammation and helping protect your skin from damage caused by free radicals.

2. Walnuts

Many nuts qualify as superfoods for skin because they are naturally rich in vitamin E. Walnuts are a particularly good nut when it comes to skin health because they aren’t just rich in vitamin E, they are also rich in omega-3 fatty acids. This makes them an ideal source of these nutrients for vegans who can’t eat oily fish.

Walnuts also contain lots of zinc. Your skin uses zinc not only for healing, but as a barrier to damage.

3. Avocados

Nibble on them as a snack or whip up a filling salad, avocados are brilliant superfoods for glowing skin. Why? They too are densely packed with healthy fats and vitamin E.

The fat in avocados helps to ensure your skin isn’t just radiant, but is moisturised from the inside, aiding supple skin that is less prone to wrinkles.

Evidence is also starting to reveal that avocados can help prevent sun damage on the skin, which is a top cause of lines and wrinkles.

4. Ginger

Ginger has been shown to be a valuable natural antioxidant and anti-inflammatory, making it a skin-friendly food. It will help alleviate the redness of breakouts whilst bringing a vibrant glow from its natural spice. It’s a soothing ingredient and makes other skin-friendly foods taste fabulous too.

5. Tomatoes

Tomatoes are magnificent ingredients for versatile use in all sorts of recipes. But they are also known as an excellent superfood for skin. In part this is because they are rich in vitamin C and beta carotene.

In addition, they contain another major carotenoid called lycopene. Lycopene has been shown to have numerous benefits for the skin, but mostly protection from sun damage and also helping to prevent the formation of wrinkles. 

For a particularly wonderful skin boosting meal, include tomatoes alongside fatty foods, like oily fish, avocado or olive oil. The fat will help your body to absorb the carotenoids. 

6. Sunflower seeds

Again, like nuts, seeds are often excellent superfoods for your skin, once more because they are usually jam-packed with vitamin E. Sunflower seeds are a great source of vitamin E, but they also deliver zinc, selenium and protein, which are all skin wellness wonders. Another popular choice is chia seeds.

7. Red and yellow peppers

Red and yellow peppers are an excellent source of beta carotene which your body converts into vitamin A. Other good sources of beta carotene are oranges, sweet potatoes and carrots.

Beta carotene acts as an antioxidant and a natural sunblock. This helps your skin to withstand the daily pressures of UV light and pollution. 

Red, orange and yellow peppers are also a fantastic source of vitamin C. Vitamin C is essential for collagen production, helping your skin remain firm and supple. 

8. Egg whites

Egg whites provide you with a healthy protein which naturally contains collagen, along with other skin-friendly amino acids. It’s thought that this natural source of collagen can help your body’s own production of collagen, which is the secret ingredient behind fighting fine lines and wrinkles.

Vegans can opt for peanuts as an alternative option.

9. Broccoli

Broccoli is another vegetable that’s well-known as a superfood and its powers extend to skin wellness too. Like many of the foods above, it’s rich in vitamin C and A, as well as zinc. It contains a carotenoid called lutein which is a good antioxidant.

But specifically, broccoli contains something called sulforaphane. Sulforaphane has been shown to bring positive protection against some cancers, including some skin cancers. It also helps to protect your skin from sun damage too, reducing the number of cells that get damaged when exposed to UV light.

10. Oats

Oats are low on the glycaemic index (GI); a scale which measures how quickly foods increase blood sugar levels. Low GI foods are believed to be good foods for the skin in preference to higher GI foods, because they don’t cause a sugar spike which is associated with acne outbreaks. 

Don’t forget dark chocolate!

Unfortunately, we can’t advocate that you snaffle lots of milk chocolate in the name of skincare. The sugar and fat content won’t do your skin any favours! However, dark chocolate (over 70% cocoa solids), in limited amounts, can be really beneficial to your skin because of the cocoa content. 

Remarkably, multiple studies have shown the enormous benefits of dark chocolate and cocoa for the skin. It can increase blood flow, making it one of the best superfoods for glowing skin. It can even protect your skin against UV damage (but never use any food as a replacement for adequate sun protection). Other studies have shown that it reduces the appearance of wrinkles.

In addition to eating a skin-friendly diet packed with superfoods for skin, we also recommend treating yourself to regular facials at home for the ultimate glow.