These slimy little creatures are choc full of zinc -- a major player in skin repair that helps create collagen, which provides the structural support in skin (sayonara sagging). Zinc also has antioxidant properties, and it's been shown to be a protective nutrient at the cellular level.
Zinc also helps maintain stronger nails, keeps your scalp and hair healthy and helps protect your eyes from vision problems. How's that for multitasking?
Not into oysters? Hold your nose and swallow them quick. Kidding, er, somewhat. No, really, you can find zinc in red meat and poultry, beans, nuts, certain types of seafood (such as crab and lobster), whole grains, fortified breakfast cereals and dairy products. Though oysters are truly the best source of zinc.
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Tomato Paste
Protect your skin from sun damage by feasting on lycopene-full tomatoes. "Research has shown that daily consumption of lycopene in the form of tomato paste results in less sunburn," explains Drayer. And cooking tomatoes actually boosts absorption of lycopene. Other foods that do similar jobs include sweet potatoes, spinach and fruits like watermelon, cantaloupe and mangoes. "Like tomatoes, these foods also contain carotenoids, which protect against sunburn, so keep these on your shopping list too," says Drayer.
Meal idea: Fire-roasted tomato soup
Ingredients:
1� pounds plum tomatoes
1 small onion, peeled and cut into 6 wedges
2 cloves garlic
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
� teaspoon kosher salt
� teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 teaspoons thyme leaves
1 14.5-ounce can vegetable broth
Directions: Preheat your broiler. Core and halve the tomatoes and place in a bowl with the onion and garlic. Toss with the oil, salt and pepper. Place on a baking sheet and broil until softened and charred, 12�15 minutes. Let cool slightly; then place in a blender with the thyme leaves and puree until slightly chunky. Pour into a saucepan, add the broth, and bring to a boil. Simmer until thickened, 25 minutes.
Yield: 4 servings (about 1� cups each)
Per serving: 80 calories; 2 g protein; 11 g carbohydrates; 3 g fiber; 6 g sugars; 4 g fat; 0.5 g saturated fat; 0 trans fat; 0 cholesterol; 190 mg sodium; 35 mg calcium; 0.03 g omega-3 fats; 1,309 IU vitamin A; 23 mg vitamin C; 1.3 mg vitamin E; 1 mg iron; 0.3 mg zinc
Recipe from "The Beauty Diet: Looking Great Has Never Been So Delicious" (McGraw-Hill, 2008), by Lisa Drayer, MA, RD
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Wild Salmon
Keep skin soft and supple by adding omega-3 fatty acid-rich wild salmon to your diet�. These omega-3s replenish the lipids in your skin, which helps keep it flexible and moisture-full. "Omega-3 fatty acids also reduce inflammation on the cellular level that can lead to dry scaly skin, redness and acne," explains Drayer. Other good sources of omega-3 fatty acids for you fish haters -- flaxseeds and walnuts.
You covet your souped-up anti-aging creams and high tech serums, but what you put in your body might just give you the anti-aging boost you've been searching for. That's what healthy skin diets are all about.
We had a chat with dietitians Lisa Drayer, MA, RD, author of "The Beauty Diet: Looking Great Has Never Been So Delicious" (McGraw-Hill, 2008) and Tanya Zuckerbrot, MS, RD, creator of the F-Factor Diet, to help you learn how to maximize your body's wrinkle-fighting abilities through your diet with these foods that have some of the highest percentages of anti-aging vitamins, yet are still super-tasty.
"While topical creams can show some improvements in skin quality, the majority of ingredients just remains on the skin�s surface," says Zuckerbrot. "A well-balanced diet can ensure that nutrients are absorbed into the skin." So why not just pop a few pills to get the vitamins your diet may be lacking? Well, consuming a healthy variety of food is by far the best way to meet your body�s needs because food provides a number of benefits that a supplement can't -- basically, you get more bang for your buck. "Not only is turning to food a tastier option, but supplements don't contain all the vitamins and nutrients present in natural foods. Nor have they been shown to have the same disease-fighting benefits," explains Drayer.
Here we look beyond the creams, serums and supplements to share the top beautifying super foods you should fill your plate with in order to look younger and more radiant.
