Last week we talked about eating your way to healthy skin by eating fruits, now we’re tackling veggies! Why eat up your vegetables? Some studies have shown that vitamin C and E, in addition to being full of antioxidants, might help prevent some DNA damage from the sun’s ultraviolet rays according to WedMD. Plus, according to Time.com, a new study found that eating more fruits and vegetables could lead to a rosier complexion. Researchers tracked the fruit and veggie consumption of 35 people over a six-week period and found: “higher intake was associated with perceptible changes to skin color. As participants ate more fruits and veggies, their skin tone looked healthier – and were judged to be more attractive.” Don’t just reach for rosy red veggies though; carotenoids are present in many fruits and vegetables that aren’t outwardly yellow or red, like leafy greens.
Here are some other things to keep in mind when eating your veggies for healthy skin.
Get Your Vitamins
For a good dose of vitamin C, fix yourself a dish using bell peppers, potatoes, broccoli or cauliflower. For vitamin E, you might try olives, spinach or asparagus. If you’re a fan of sweet potatoes, you’ll be glad to know that just one can give you a little more than your daily allowance of vitamin E.
Eat Them Whole
While vegetable juices and sweet sips like V8 are yummy, to get the most from your veggies you should eat them whole. Whole product has tons of healthy compounds like fiber, which contributes to a healthy complexion as well as an overall healthy diet.
Serving Size Matters
The USDA recommends filling half your plate with fruit and vegetables at every meal. For women, that’s a total of 2.5 to 3 cups of veggies while men should be getting 3.5 to 4 cups of veggies a meal.
Tricks to Try
If you know you need to eat more vegetables, try these tricks for adding them into your diet:
- Blend Broccoli or Cauliflower into your mashed potatoes or macaroni and cheese
- Opt for chunky salsa instead of thick, creamy snack dips.
- Pack bite size portions of your favorite veggies for snacks, like carrots and ranch or make the old school classic: ants on a log (celery and raisins atop a peanut butter trenched celery stick).
- Order vegetable pizza next time.
- Store your veggies in sight in a pretty bowl. You’re more apt to snack on what you can see.
How do you get healthy, glowing skin by eating right?
Photo from: Time.com
