Educational Tools | Princeton Integrative Health

Follow these 3 Nutrition Tips for Glowing Skin

Written by Jenna Richardson | Dec 18, 2023 10:30:00 AM

In honor of national skin health month, we're dishing out some of our top nutrition tips for skin.  We all want that dewy, luminous skin, don't we?  At PIH, we believe what you put into your body affects the outside. So take a look and get munching! 

1. Get those good amino acids and fatty acids

To start, it's essential to ensure you're getting an adequate daily intake of both protein and fats. While there is no strict rule on how to achieve this, some specific foods stand out for their potential benefits for your skin's well-being. Here are a few worth mentioning:

  1. Walnuts
  2. Salmon
  3. Oysters
  4. Bone broth
  5. Almonds
  6. Avocado
  7. Dark leafy greens

The recommended daily intake of protein and fats can vary depending on an individual's age, sex, activity level, and overall health goals. However, a general guideline for a balanced diet is to aim for about 10-35% of your daily calories from protein and 20-35% from healthy fats.

Here's a sample meal that provides a good balance of protein and fats:

Grilled Salmon Salad

  • A 4-ounce (113 grams) serving of grilled salmon, which provides about 25 grams of protein and 10 grams of healthy fats (including omega-3 fatty acids). A bed of steamed dark leafy greens, such as spinach or kale. Toppings like sliced almonds and avocado for added healthy fats and flavor. A drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and squeeze lemon juice.

This meal offers a well-rounded combination of protein and fats while also including some of the skin-boosting foods mentioned earlier.

2. Eat that Vitamin C

When striving for a more radiant complexion, prioritize the inclusion of antioxidants in your diet whenever you can. Numerous unprocessed, natural foods are abundant in these defenders against free radicals. Fresh fruits, such as oranges, lemons, grapefruit, and blueberries, stand out as prime examples, rich in vitamin C.

Vitamin C not only aids in combating oxidative stress within the skin, a key contributor to accelerated skin aging, but it also supports collagen production. This is why many high-quality collagen powders often incorporate vitamin C into their formulations. If the collagen supplement you choose does not include this essential vitamin, you may be overlooking a valuable benefit for your skin.

Winter Citrus Salad

  • Chop 2 oranges (a mix of navel and blood oranges), 1 grapefruit, 1 large pomelo, 1 small red onion, thinly sliced, 1/4 cup pomegranate arils, and fresh mint leaves, for garnish. Mix with 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, 1 tablespoon honey, and 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice.

3. Drink Water

Beauty professionals universally emphasize the importance of adequate water intake for maintaining healthy skin, and their advice is well-founded. Inadequate hydration can lead to lackluster, more wrinkled, and dry-looking skin.


Fortunately, you can also incorporate hydration into your diet by consuming foods rich in water content in addition to drinking fluids. Here are some examples of water-rich foods to consider:

1. Cucumber
2. Celery
3. Melons
4. Bell pepper
5. Lettuce
6. Strawberries

Conclusions

We hope you use these tips to get your dream skin!

Questions? Call PIH at 609.512.1468 for more information.