Food is like oxygen to us. We cannot live without eating as food is necessary to provide our body with enough energy to work well and maintain the integrity of our organs. But, these days, we are more attracted to canned foods, or fast food that is unhealthy for us. These foods are also destroying our skin. You might’ve noticed you get acne every time you eat from outside.
So, in this article, we will discuss some health benefits of some fruits and vegetables and some easy ways to make them a part of your daily routine. This will make you shift from an unhealthy to a healthy diet and get glowing skin without spending extra money.
Can Food Help You to Get Glowing and Flawless Skin?
Food is not only good in taste but there are so many ways it is protecting you and your skin against all the harmful chemicals, sun rays, skin damage, and infections. Different fruits and vegetables contain vitamins, minerals, and beta-carotenoids. They help your skin stay fresh and glowing by hydrating it, slowing the aging process, improving the healing of your body, and protecting your skin against UV rays.
These were the general benefits but in the next section of the article, we’ll talk about what exact benefits you can get from each fruit or vegetable separately.
Food Items for Skin Glowing, Flawless & Beautiful You
Now, let’s discuss which exact food items can help in getting you glowing skin.
1. Watermelon
Summer comes with the gift of watermelons, a healthy and refreshing fruit we all love. With an abundance of Fibre, vitamins C, A, B1, and B, and lastly lycopene, watermelon helps in keeping your skin refreshed and wrinkle-free. It also helps in preventing tissue disruption.
Watermelon comes with 92% of water content so your skin also stays hydrated in summer. Now, let’s see interesting ways to use watermelon.
Watermelon Juice or Evening Snack
If you want it as an evening snack, just take your knife cut it however you like, and enjoy your watermelon alongside your family.
As for the juice, just take some pieces of watermelon and blend them in your blender. You are done with making the juice.
Watermelon Face Mask
The mask is best suitable for those with dry skin.
- Watermelon Juice
- Lemon Juice
- Aloe Vera and Honey
How to prepare:
Mix 3 tablespoons of Watermelon Juice and 1 tablespoon of lemon juice. Now, put in 1 tablespoon of aloe vera gel and honey each and mix well. Apply the mixture and leave it on for 15 minutes. Now, rinse it off.
2. Papaya
Papaya contains vitamin C, A, and B which helps your skin to stay hydrated and improve digestion. It also aids in healing scars and brightens your skin complexion and reduces inflammation.
Papaya Smoothie
- 4 cups chopped papaya
- Half a cup of milk
- 3 tablespoons lime juice
- Half a teaspoon of lime zest
- One-quarter cup of granulated sugar
- Half a teaspoon of vanilla extract
- Half crushed ice
How to Prepare:
Put all the above-mentioned ingredients in a blender and blend them for half to one minute. Pour it into a glass and you are ready to drink it.
Papaya Scrub
- Papaya
- Orange peel
- Rose water/honey
How to Prepare:
Mash the papaya and add 1 teaspoon of orange peel. Now, if you have dry skin add honey otherwise those with oily skin can add rose water.
Check out the 5 Best Natural Food for Skin Whitening to know some other natural ways to improve your complexion.
3. Carrots
Carrots are enriched with vitamins A, E, C, and K, dietary fibers, lutein, and Xanthin. They also include some amount of carbohydrates, potassium, carotenoids, and high water content of more than 86%. All these nutrients are beneficial for hydrating the skin, and protecting the skin against the sun, acne, pimples, and pores. They also serve as great antioxidants.
Carrot Juice
The easiest way to use carrots is by making juice. For this, we require:
- Carrots
- Orange Juice
How to Prepare:
Put the carrots in your blender and blend them well. Now mix some orange juice in it and it is ready!
Carrot Salad
- 1/2 lb carrots
- 1/2 minced garlic clove
- 2.3 Tablespoon olive oil
- 1 Tablespoon vinegar
- 1/2 Tablespoon honey
- ¼ ground coriander
- Black pepper and salt
- chopped fresh parsley
How to Prepare:
Mix carrots and minced garlic clove. Mix all other ingredients in a separate bowl and add them to the one with carrots and garlic. Shake the bowl well. For better taste, you can put it in the fridge for an hour.
4. Lemon
Lemon is one of the greatest sources of Vitamin C, phosphorus, and Vitamin B. It is an antioxidant that acts as an anti-aging and is helpful against tanning, reducing pores, and preventing blackheads. But, it is difficult to use lemon alone so let’s see what can you mix with them
Lemon and food
You can sprinkle some lemon juice on your salad, or the grilled fried chicken or mix it in lukewarm water to drink in the morning.
Lemon Face Mask
- Aloe vera gel
- Lemon Juice
How to Prepare:
Add 1 tablespoon of lemon juice to aloe vera gel and apply it to the area you want to treat. It is especially for the darker areas of your skin.
5. Pomegranate
Who doesn’t love pomegranates? It is not only good in taste but is also beneficial for our skin in so many ways. This sweet fruit is full of vitamins C, k and minerals like potassium, phosphorous, and zinc. It is particularly beneficial for protecting against the UV rays of the sun and treating hyperpigmentation.
Pomegranate Salad
- Arugula, or kale!
- Apples
- Pomegranate seeds
- Nuts: Walnuts, almonds, or hazelnuts
- Olive Oil
- Balsamic vinegar
- Honey
- Garlic powder
- Cheese
How to Prepare:
Mix arugula or kale with pomegranate seeds and apples. Now add nuts, vinegar, honey, olive oil, and garlic powder as a dressing to the salad. To make it more flavourful, you can also add cheese.
Pomegranate Smoothie
- Pomegranate seeds
- Frozen Pineapple
- Banana
- Honey
- Ice
- Yogurt
How to Prepare:
Put the pomegranate seeds in the blender and blend them for a few seconds. Now add other ingredients until the mixture becomes creamy. You are ready to drink it now.
6. Cucumber
Next up on the list is cucumbers. They are well known for hydrating your body and have surplus dietary fibers, vitamin C, and vitamin K. The cucumbers can protect you against damage caused by free radicals, and aid in skin whitening and freshening.
Cucumbers in Food
You can just eat the raw cucumbers or add them to your sandwich or salad.
Direct Application on Skin
- Grated cucumber
- Gram flour
- Rosewater
How to Prepare:
Grate the cucumbers and add 1 tablespoon of gram flour to them. Add some rose water in it and apply it for 15 minutes. Now, rinse it off and it is going to treat your acne.
7. Avocado
Another great fruit for hydrating your skin is Avacado. It contains unsaturated fatty acids, lutein, Xanthin, and some amount of Vitamin A, C, K, and beta-carotenoids. These nutrients make it effective against inflammation, harmful UV rays, and skin damage.
Avocado with Other Food Items
You can just eat the avocado itself or add it to your salad, spread it on your sandwich, or make a smoothie.
Avocado Face Mask
- Yogurt
- Honey
- Avacado
How to Prepare:
Shred some avocado and mix it with yogurt and honey. Now apply the mixture to your face. This helps in removing the dead skin cells thus keeping your skin glow constant.
8. Oranges
Next comes our favorite winter fruit, the orange. Full of Vitamin C, oranges can help your skin stay fresh by slowing down premature aging, fighting against free radicals, and enhancing the production of collagen. Collagen is necessary to maintain the elasticity of your skin.
Orange in Diet
You can eat half an orange daily or make delicious orange juice. Trying oranges in the salad will also not be a bad idea.
Orange for Face Application
You just need the peel of an orange to get glowing skin
How to Prepare:
Take the orange peel and use it regularly as a part of your face pack. You will feel your skin getting brighter and glowy than before.
9. Pineapples
Pineapples are rich in vitamins A, K, and C along with some minerals and bromelain. These improve the texture of your skin, speed up the healing process, and provides anti-inflammatory action.
In Diet
You can eat pineapples for breakfast as well as in the evening. Eating pineapple alone is most beneficial but you can also add them in desserts and smoothies.
As a Face Mask
All we need is:
- Milk
- Pineapple Juice
How to Prepare:
Mix milk and Pineapple juice, one teaspoon each. Keep the mixture on your skin for 10 minutes and then rinse it off using cold water. This will help prevent wrinkles.
10. Tomato
Lastly, we will talk about an inevitable ingredient used in our daily recipes and salads. The tomatoes are enriched with potassium, manganese, magnesium, Vitamin A, and Lycopein. They are natural cleansers helping in opening clogged pores and lightening your skin.
Tomato Salad
- 1 ¾ pounds chopped Tomatoes
- Half cup red onion
- ¼ cup chopped Fresh Basil
- 2 tablespoons Extra virgin Olive oil
- 2 tablespoons Balsamic vinegar
- Salt and pepper to taste
How to Prepare:
Take a bowl and soak onions in it with water. Now layer some tomatoes in a bowl, and add some drained onions. Make layers of tomatoes and onions like this. Now add basil, vinegar, extra virgin oil, salt, and pepper according to taste. You can also use cherry tomatoes.
Conclusion
If you want to get a natural glow without having to use creams and lotions full of chemicals, it is best to use more fruits and vegetables. In this article, we’ve listed 10 food items that can help you get smooth and shiny skin in different ways. You might find your favorite fruit or vegetable on the list.
So, don’t sit idle and add these food items to your menus and skin care routines to get a long-lasting perfect skin glow. Also, check out the 10 best Detox Diets and Drinks to know some more healthy recipes for you.
