5 Steps to Glowing Skin from the Inside Out
Did you know?
Number 1: your skin is the heaviest and largest organ of your body.
Number 2: your skin is the external reflection of your overall health and well-being.
Take a second to absorb that (a little skin-related humor)…
The beautiful outer covering of our body comes in all different colors, shapes, and sizes, and is a powerful, multifaceted organ. The skin provides the body with sensory capabilities, protects its underlying tissues from the outward environment, regulates body temperature, and excretes toxins. But perhaps most importantly, it acts as an external reflection of our internal health. Today, I’m going to share with you five steps to achieve glowing skin from the inside out.
Step one is staying hydrated. For most people, this is much easier said than done, but it is the simplest and most affordable path to achieving healthy, glowing skin. When our bodies are dehydrated, our skin can become dry and itchy, informing us outwardly that our internal organs are thirsty. To ensure you’re well-hydrated, be sure to drink half your weight in fluid ounces per day. So, if you weigh 140lbs, your goal should be to drink about 70 ounces of water per day. Also, try and limit diuretics that dehydrate you further. Popular diuretics include coffee, juice, soda, energy drinks, alcohol, and other caffeinated beverages.
Step two is incorporating healthy fats into your diet. Healthy skin requires essential fatty acids, such as Omega 3 and Omega 6, to reduce inflammation and create a glowing, supple appearance. Our bodies cannot produce these essential fatty acids on their own, so we need to obtain them through high-quality foods. Foods rich in these EFAs include, but are not limited to, wild-caught fatty fish such as salmon and mackerel, pasture-raised eggs and animal proteins, seeds, such as flax, chia, or hemp, as well as vegetables like spinach, Brussels sprouts, and avocado.
Step three is to support your gut health. Evidence has demonstrated an intimate connection between the gut and skin health. Studies have shown a direct correlation between the imbalanced and unhealthy gut microbiome and certain skin disorders such as acne, eczema, and psoriasis1. To support this gut-skin relationship, probiotic supplementation can be incredibly helpful. In addition to a high-quality probiotic supplement, you should also include probiotic-rich foods such as sauerkraut, kimchi, or whole-fat plain yogurt if you tolerate dairy. More on gut health here.
Step four is to maintain balanced blood sugar. The food choices you make with every meal and snack impact your blood sugar, which means that a healthy diet is truly the foundation of well-balanced blood sugar. Following a nutrient-dense whole foods diet of high-quality proteins, healthy fats, complex carbohydrates, and filtered water will be key to having beautiful, smooth skin. Additionally, avoiding refined sugars and processed carbohydrates is important, as these foods wreak havoc on your gut health and therefore, skin health.
Step five is maintaining an active and non-toxic lifestyle. As a part of this beautiful, multifaceted organ, the skin both excretes and absorbs. Exercise and sweat therapy is the best way for your body to get rid of unwanted toxins. However, if you utilize chemical-filled body products, you’re reabsorbing those toxins, only to sweat them back out and start the whole cycle over again. To maintain beautiful skin, it’s important to exercise and sweat, but also ensure the products you put on your body are non-toxic and pure.
Following these five steps will provide a wonderful jumping-off point to support your skin, the largest organ of your body. Maintaining a diet of nutrient-dense whole foods will provide the ultimate foundation for optimal health and glowing skin from the inside out!
Reference:
1. Salem, Iman, et al. “The Gut Microbiome as a Major Regulator of the Gut-Skin Axis.” Frontiers in Microbiology, Frontiers Media S.A., 10 July 2018, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6048199/.
