You are what you eat. Sure, we’ve heard that so many times. We try to follow a balanced diet, eat the right stuff and avoid junk food (as far as possible). However, despite our best efforts, skin care always feels like an uphill battle, a battle that simply cannot be won. After all, how does one fight with sun exposure, genetics, skin issues, pollution and free radical damage at the same time.

The food we eat actually plays a huge role in determining the way our skin looks. Healthy eating is not about just avoiding junk food, it is also about eating right. Today, we introduce you to some of the top skin healing foods, food that satiate your greedy taste buds and nourish your needy skin at the same time.

Broccoli
Broccoli makes this list because of its rich phytonutrient content. It is also known to be rich in vitamin C, which is essential for the proper growth of all types of tissues, right from the upper dermal layer all the way to the blood vessels. According to the National Institutes of Health, the antioxidants present in broccoli assist in enhancing the immune function of the skin and preventing the damage caused by inflammation. So add this tasty superfood into your diet and give your skin care regimen a much needed boost.

Green Tea
Green Tea is rich in the antioxidant EGCG, a polyphenol that offers protection to the skin from the damaging UV rays of the sun. The antioxidant composition present in green tea makes it an ideal ingredient to repair DNA damage and prevent any further damage to the DNA as well. Green tea also helps in ensuring adequate moisture, another essential factor for younger looking skin.

Brazil Nuts
Our body needs a rich supply of monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats in order to maintain healthy looking skin. These fats form the building blocks for our sebaceous glands, the ones responsible for creating a protective barrier on the outermost layer of our skin, and reducing dryness. Brazil nuts are very rich in selenium, a mineral that has been termed as crucial for proper maintenance of the skin’s immune system. They are also full of antioxidants such as vitamin E which help in promoting a younger glow and boosting the skin’s circulation.

Strawberries
Strawberries, or any other berry for that matter, is famous as a superfood for the skin because of its rich concentration of disease-preventing antioxidants. These antioxidants mop up the dangerous free radicals that are famous for tormenting your skin and they assist in beefing up the skin’s natural defenses as well. Strawberries are also known to be extremely rich in vitamin C.

Studies have shown that consuming vitamin C on a daily basis can increase the amount of vitamin C in your skin, and this can directly result in reduced sun damage, increased production of collagen, reduction of lines and wrinkles and proper wound healing. So add a cup of strawberries into your everyday diets and reap its benefits. And even if you don’t like strawberries, other berries work just as well.

So the next time you feel sick and tired of your skin and its constant tantrums, try adding some of these superfoods into your diet. They take over the role of dealing with your skin’s tantrums and make your taste buds feel happy as well.