My 5 Must-Eat Foods for Pretty Skin

We hear about it ad nauseum -- eat right to stay healthy, eat right to lose weight, eat right to live longer. Now, I'm here to tell you one other reason to step away from the Cheez Doodles: eating right works wonders on your skin.

Eating the right foods can offer your complexion some major benefits, from keeping you hydrated, to preventing acne, to protecting you from UVA damage. These five foods are serious skin savers, which is why I've incorporated them into my diet.

Sweet Potatoes: Orange is a hot color for spring 2012, and this orange superfood is on the hot list, too. Why? It's loaded with vitamin A that helps fight bacteria that can cause acne. I like to slice sweet potatoes like fries, sprinkle on a little olive oil, and bake them.

Salmon: Heard of astaxanthin? Yeah, I hadn't either. But now I know it's a carotenoid that is found in salmon and it helps with skin's elasticity. Translation: fewer fine lines and wrinkles.

Tomatoes: Tomatoes are rich in the antioxidant lycopene, which has been shown to help prevent sunburn and slow cell damage.

Water: While we all know that water is good for us as a whole, I like to create "beauty water" by filling up a pitcher with anti-bloat ingredients like cucumber slices, grapefruit, and orange. It keeps me from looking puffy. (Bonus: It tastes great.)

Watermelon: My dermatologist told me to start my day by eating a slice of hydrating watermelon to help keep my skin soft, and I've found that it really works. I also love to eat a few slices after a workout instead of reaching for a sports drink. Watermelon has 92 percent water content and it's loaded with rehydration salts, so it works better and is much better for the environment, too -- no pesky plastic bottles to feel guilty about!

Looking for more ways to get gorgeous, glowing skin? Look no further...