How to Defend Your Skin from the Inside - Out!

Can there really be a connection between the mind and the body?

YES ... I believe so!

And not only that but I believe that what’s on the inside will show on the outside.

It’s incredible the limits you can push with your mind and your body, and how both affect each other. You can influence your mental health, with your physical activity and vice versa. It’s an intertwined relationship that is extremely important. 

The same principle can be applied to your skin.

It’s not just what you do on the outside that matters. It’s a fusion of the attention you give your body on the outside AND on the inside. If you treat it well on the inside, it will show on the outside as well. 

You should approach skincare from multiple directions and not just one. While great skincare is crucial, it doesn’t stop there. Let’s start of with nutrition. 

Build the Armory

Because your skin faces all kinds of attacks from the outside, you should be arming yourself with the right ingredients on the inside. This will give your skin its personal armory, full of allies to defend itself from everything that attacks it. 

If you don’t give your skin the best possible nutrients, eventually the defence barrier breaks down, as it has nowhere to draw from. This means your skin can’t rebuild and replenish and refresh, and it becomes susceptible to inflammation. 

Add Anti-inflammatory Foods

If you eat a lot of sugar, processed foods, consume more than you burn off, you’re essentially inviting inflammation into your system, waving it from across the street and rolling out the red carpet for it to come in. You are lighting the fire inside all with the wrong choice of diet, which will definitely show on your skin.

Anti-inflammatory foods, however, are great at making your body feel cool and healthy. These foods include raw, unprocessed foods, lots of fruit and vegetables that are overflowing with untouched minerals and vitamins your skin is craving for. 

This doesn’t mean you have to disown any of the foods that you enjoy. It just means you need to prioritise the healthy choices and focus on achieving the right balance. 

Eat the Rainbow

What I mean by this is consuming a variety of different fruits and veggies. The more colours you see in your plate, the better. Greens, reds, purples, yellows - paint your dinner plate in rainbow! Fruits and veggies are packed with antioxidants that help your skin fight off free radicals, and these are just some of the benefits.

Drop It Low with Sugar

Swap out your favourite sweet snacks that are high in sugar, with healthier, low-sugar versions. When sugar is digested, it is usually attached to the collagen in our skin, and when it attaches it can cause issues with acne and rosacea. Nobody wants that, right? 

Focus on Fiber

Food rich in fiber is great for your digestion. Anything that takes care of your insides translate to healthier skin. Next time you’re at the supermarket grab these foods and start to incorporate them into your eating habits: 

• legumes
• beans
• couscous
• whole-wheat bread
• fresh fruits and 
• fresh vegetables. 

Fermented Vegetables

Pickled vegetables are delicious, so now you have a good excuse to indulge in them! Your skin demands it. Why are they so good for the skin? 

They are packed with probiotics, which is essentially good bacteria, great for your skin. Probiotics are great for your gut health, and scientists have proven that the state of your gut largely affects the state of your skin.

Go Green

You probably have this in your kitchen cabinet, and it’s simply waiting for you to realise how good it actually is for you. Green tea is a powerful ally as it helps:

• Unclog pores
• Repair skin from UV ray damage and some suggest even help protect skin from cancer
• Reduce redness and irritation, thanks to anti-inflammatory properties.
• Help with acne, as it also has anti-bacterial properties

What secret ingredients and recipes have you found work miracles for your skin? Share them down below with us all!

And remember.

No matter what, you are amazing!

Tracey x