Foods That Make Your Skin Radiant

Skin creams can be very expensive, yet most companies offer very little, if any proof that they actually do what they promise. How would you like to save a bundle and improve your skin? Get out your shopping list and get ready to save money and look beautiful!

Firm and Brilliant

We have all heard "eat more fruits and vegetables." If you haven't taken that advice, you might change your tune if you knew that they will prevent wrinkles! The colorful pigments that produce that bright orange and red also replenish your skins antioxidant levels. Try adding more of these foods to your diet.

• Sweet Potatoes
• Tomatoes
• Cantaloupe

Why you ask:

They help replenish your skin's supply of antioxidants; they're ready to gobble up free radicals whenever they appear.

Fresh and Succulent

Our bodies don't have the ability to store the wrinkle-fighting vitamin C, so you need to keep the supply coming. The best and simplest way to do that is to eat citrus fruit every day. Try adding more of these foods to your diet.

• Oranges
• Lemons
• Limes
• Grapefruit

Why you ask:

They keep the skin's vitamin C levels high. Vitamin C helps keep collagen, the supportive protein fibers that stop the skin from sagging, but rather strong and resilient. Collagen breakdown starts to become more rapid in the mid-30s.

Tip:

Actually oranges are the top citrus vitamin C source. Spice up your foods with fruit by adding grapefruit to your salad, lemon to your water. Experiment with your citrus it all adds up to wrinkle free skin.

Smooth and Soothe

A potent antioxidant known as EGCG does all kinds of good things for your skin and is a good place to start. You can find the powerful EGCG's in true teas: black, green or white (not herbal). Brew a big batch of your favorite tea every day and sit back and enjoy the road to wrinkle free skin.

Why you ask:

True tea gives your skin a powerful dose of EGCG. EGCG puts out the fire on inflammatory chemicals involved in acne and sun-related skin aging; it also helps prevent skin cancer and has a taming effect on tumor cells. What's more, green tea contains L-theanine, an amino acid and helps squash the flow of the stress hormone cortisol keeping collagen fibers intact.

Green and Leafy

Certain dark leafy greens, whether they're fresh, frozen, raw or steamed, really deliver on vitamin A, one of the most skin-essential vitamins around. Try adding more of these foods to your diet.

• Spinach
• Turnip greens
• Broccoli

Why you ask:

These dark leafy greens deliver a hefty supply of vitamin A which supports skin cell turnover, the process that keeps cell growth and development going along seamlessly. Without enough vitamin A, skin becomes dry, rough and scaly.

Gems of the Sea

Several cold water fish give your skin a double benefit; age-fighting omega-3 fatty acids plus the healing powers of protein. Try adding more of these gems to your diet.

• Salmon
• Trout
• Tuna
• Atlantic Mackerel
• Sardines
• Pacific Herring
• Most Shellfish

Why you ask:

Omega-3s fight inflammation, now considered on the top skin-agers, ad they also help protect against sunburn, enhancing the effects of your favorite SPF sunscreen. Protein is required by the body to build and repair skin cells and to make enzymes and hormones that help keep your skin radiant.