There’s a lot of truth in the expression, ‘you are what you eat’, when it comes to younger-looking skin. Let’s break it down:
1. Cut out foods that damage your skin
Refined sugars, processed foods, fizzy drinks, saturated fats and alcohol have a huge ageing effect on our skin – they cause damage to skin cells and affect collagen production, which keeps skin looking plump and young.
2. Eat anti-ageing foods
Incorporate lots of ingredients that have anti-ageing properties into your diet. These include oily fish (three times a week), avocado, almonds (a handful every day contains all the vitamin B you need) and fresh, colourful fruit and vegetables (the richer the colour, the richer it is in minerals, vitamins and antioxidants), so choose bright red berries and deep green leaves, such as kale.
3. Have red berry smoothies
A red berry smoothie (made with frozen berries, a splash of apple juice and kale) is the best breakfast you can have to keep your skin looking young as it’s full of anti-ageing antioxidants. Keep a supply of berries in the freezer to enjoy the health benefits all year round.
4. Drink lots of water
Lastly, staying hydrated is essential for plumping out skin and softening fine lines so drink two litres of water (excluding tea and coffee). I prefer fizzy water, but any other fizzy drinks are a no-go, and if you really want to look younger, cut out alcohol (or at least have as many dry weeks as you can). You’ll see the improvement within a week!
5. Take vitamin D3
The one supplement we should all take for better skin is vitamin D3, or ‘the sunshine vitamin’. It’s the one nutrient many of us here in the UK are deficient in so take a daily dose to give your body what it’s lacking.
