Quarantine in the Kitchen: The Best Foods for Glowing Skin

Okay, you caught us. The snacking is at an all-time high, and we’ve cleared out our pantries at alarming rates. What else is there to do? As we adjust to at-home life, we’re welcoming new routines into our daily schedule. One routine that shouldn’t change, however,  is our skincare routine. But don’t go running to the bathroom mirror to put these tips into action. Good news: Healthy skin starts in the kitchen! Here are some of the best foods for glowing skin.

Get Your Greens!

If we typed out all the benefits that leafy greens had, we’d be here for a while. Leafy greens are packed with nutrients that our skin craves. The best foods for glowing skin likely contain either Vitamin A, E, C, or a combination. Vitamin A acts as the acne warrior and helps to flush toxins out of your skin. Vitamin E protects your skin cells from free radical damage. Vitamin C assists the body in making collagen, which helps us out as we age.

How do we turn this into a yummy yet nutritious quarantine snack? For any salad haters out there, just wait a minute. With the right dressing and accessories, a salad can be a bomb-dot-com meal. Also, don’t limit your options to a salad when you’re trying to sneak greens into your diet. Lettuce wraps are a great alternative and still pack in everything you need for our end goal: glowing skin. There’s no excuse for leaving this out of your diet, especially because even if you hate the taste, there are ways to mask it. Turn your leafy green dosage for the day into something sweet. When you toss a handful of spinach or kale into a smoothie, you won’t even be able to taste it.

Fruits & Veggies

Warning: Cheesy quarantine joke is coming. Couch potatoes don’t count! We’re talking about the fruits and veggies that are just as nutrient-rich as they are in color. Tomatoes, broccoli, red grapes, sweet potatoes, avocados, red and yellow bell peppers; all of these are stuffed with nutrients, vitamins, and healthy fats to literally feed our skin with what it needs to be healthy today, after quarantine, and as we age.

Depending on where you live, the weather is starting to turn and the sun may decide to join us again. The need to protect our skin in the summer is emphasized. Aside from daily sunscreen, the above foods also offer assistance in shielding our skin from harmful rays.

Did you know? Sweet potatoes include carotenoids that act as a natural sunblock.

Get Nutty!

Who knew something so small could be so beneficial to our bodies? Foods like almonds, sunflower seeds, and walnuts are among the best foods for glowing skin. Walnuts add to our collagen bank, helping us stay away from those wrinkles as long as possible. It also houses the praised omega-3 fatty acids (the same thing that makes salmon so good for your skin!). Dry skin? Head to the almond aisle. Almonds are packed with vitamin E, which when consumed orally can increase its levels on the skin’s surface.

For the Sweet Tooth

Don’t worry, all the best foods for glowing skin don’t have to be things your parents forced you to eat when growing up. Dark chocolate aids to a funny term called “skin firming,” which is exactly what it sounds like. The key is to avoid any chocolate less than 70% cacao. If you’re buying dark chocolate, the percentage should be stated on the package.

As you move through quarantine, cut yourself a break. The pressure to maintain your routine while staying in the confines of your home is no easy task. If eating healthy, staying active, and staying sane doesn’t seem possible to check off the list all in one day, try to kill two birds with one stone. Eating the foods above will not only nourish the body but also help you feel good and look good. Our skin does a lot of work to protect us. Let’s show some love back by eating the foods we know it needs to thrive!

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