While we love a good face mask (hello #SelfCareSunday!) what you put inside your body is just as important as what you put on it.

1. Reach for Low-Glycemic Foods

When our diets are full of high glycemic foods like starches, refined sugars, and processed foods, we can experience high levels of cortisol, or the stress hormone. When that’s too high, it can trigger our skin to produce more oil, leading to imbalanced skin. Excess cortisol can also deplete our bodies of nutrients like B vitamins, which help keep our skin strong and supple.

A low glycemic diet helps prevent excess cortisol and blood sugar imbalances. Include lots of healthy fats (olive oil, fatty fish, nuts, and seeds), plenty of fibre, dark leafy greens, and adequate amounts of protein to help keep blood sugar balanced.

2. Enjoy Lots of Micronutrients

Vitamin’s A, B, C, E, and the mineral zinc are all critical for healthy skin.

Vitamin A protects skin against UV damage, which may help slow the signs of aging. There are two types of vitamin A – retinoids and carotenoids. Retinoids are found in animal products like salmon, eggs, and dairy. Carotenoids are found in plants like carrots, tomatoes, and sweet potatoes.

B vitamins support wound healing, improve elasticity, keep skin moist, and help maintain collagen. B vitamins can be found in whole foods like lean proteins, whole grains, and leafy green vegetables.

Vitamin C has lots of antioxidants which is why it’s often found in anti-aging and brightening products. Find it in citrus foods like oranges, strawberries, spinach, and broccoli.

Another important nutrient for the skin is vitamin E. Being the primary component of skin cell walls, it helps retain lipids in skin cells to keep them plump. For a vitamin E boost choose avocados, nuts, plant oils, and seeds.

Zinc is a mineral used in many reactions in our body, including protein synthesis. Therefore, a zinc deficiency can contribute to skin conditions and poor wound healing. The best food sources of zinc include oysters, red meat, poultry, beans, and legumes.

3. Reduce Inflammation

Keeping the skin healthy and hydrated means consuming enough essential fatty acids (EFAs). EFA’s offer anti-inflammatory properties that are highly beneficial for inflammatory skin conditions like acne.

Get your fill by indulging in chia seeds, walnuts, oils like olive, grape seed, flaxseed and hemp seed, and fatty fish like wild caught salmon.

4. Hydrate with Antioxidants

Speaking of hydrating, that familiar phrase about consuming eight glasses of water a day holds merit! Dehydration can cause sagging, dull, and flaky skin.

If you find plain water a little boring, spruce it up by adding fresh mint, cucumber slices, or freshly squeezed lemon juice for a refreshing drink. Your skin will love this antioxidant boost!

5. Get Enough Sleep for Good Collagen Stimulation

Sleep is the time when the body repairs itself. Our brain and muscles rejuvenate during sleep, and great sleeping habits also promote healthy cell turnover and skin repair.

During sleep, the skin’s blood flow increases, thereby stimulating collagen synthesis.

Collagen protein is a major component of the body’s connective tissue. It’s responsible for many things including our skin’s structure. Collagen synthesis helps our skin repair, heal, remain firm, and appear healthy. Age and other factors like stress and sleep deprivation can disrupt our normal collagen repair process.

Collagen peptides, which are large collagen proteins broken down into tiny bits, may have the most positive impact on our skin’s appearance when looking at supplementation. These peptides or broken bits of collagen protein are what help influence our body’s own collagen production.

Collagen comes in many forms, from powders to liquid, so you can choose the one that’s best for you! CanPrev’s peptides have been clinically researched and proven to improve the skin’s appearance and reduce wrinkles in 28 days![1]

6. More Movement

If you’re dealing with skin issues, exercise might be met with some resistance. Fears may emerge regarding how ‘sweat build-up’ may detriment the skin. Fear not!

Just be sure to keep proper hygiene practices before and after your workouts.

Cycling, running, walking, and yoga have all been documented for their lymphatic benefits. These types of exercise help detoxify the body by stimulating the lymphatic system. Plus exercise has many other benefits that are sure to put a smile on your face and help boost overall mood!

Aim for 30 minutes of medium impact activity at least three to four times a week.

Do What Works For You

Everyone will likely have a different skin care journey.

Whether it’s increasing your nutrient intake, drinking more water, making sleep a priority, consuming collagen, or moving more, make these steps part of your regular routine to steer your skin smoothly towards a glowy complexion!

[1] https://health-products.canada.ca/lnhpd-bdpsnh/info.do?licence=80061372 .