A healthy, balanced diet is the cornerstone for basically everything else good in your life. If you want to avoid cancer, stroke, and heart disease, eating right makes a huge difference. If you train for any kind of athletic pursuit, you need a diet that supports your strength and recovery.
Good nutrition can also be like an insurance policy against premature signs of aging. A healthy diet promotes cell rejuvenation, which can help keep you looking younger and more radiant. Read on to see some of the ways that your diet can have a direct impact on your appearance.
1. Gives You Glowing Skin
Many of the nutrients you eat — or don’t — play important roles in the health, look, and feel of your skin. For example, proper hydration, including the water you get from fruit and vegetable consumption, improves skin elasticity and prevents wrinkles. Dietary protein helps your body produce collagen, which can keep your skin smooth and clear and help with tissue repair.
Minerals like copper and zinc also assist with collagen production, keeping your skin looking young and supple. Vitamins A through E can help with a variety of skin concerns like inflammation and pigmentation. Cruciferous vegetables can stimulate stem cell production, which can brighten complexion and have many other beneficial effects in the body.
To stave off signs of aging, eat a balanced, nutrient-rich, whole food diet with fruits and vegetables of every color. Broccoli, avocados, walnuts, fatty fish, olive oil, and probiotics are widely considered some of the best foods for your skin. It’s also a good idea to avoid processed foods and alcohol whenever possible.
Diet can do a lot, but some skin issues still require prescription skincare. For example, lifestyle changes can improve symptoms of conditions like acne and rosacea, but probably can’t cure the underlying issues. When in doubt, try a combination of lifestyle changes and the right skincare routine.
2. Keeps Your Hair Healthy
In addition to affecting your skin, your dietary choices can also have a major impact on your hair. In some cases — like if you have grayness or hair loss — your hair can age you more than your skin.
To avoid premature hair loss, you need to get plenty of the right vitamins and minerals in your diet. Without enough vitamin B12, vitamin D, biotin, riboflavin, or iron, you may be more likely to experience hair loss. Some of the best foods to eat to help prevent premature hair loss are sweet potatoes, nuts, and fatty fish.
Some studies have also shown that your nutritional choices can make a difference in when and whether you go gray. Vitamins B9, aka folic acid, found in lentils and leafy greens, is one nutrient which may play a role in grayness. Deficiencies of vitamins B6, B12, biotin, vitamin D, and vitamin E may also cause hair to go gray sooner.
Vegetarian diets can be some of the healthiest diets that keep you looking young. But in some cases, vegetarians may be at higher risk for hair loss and graying. This is because some nutrients necessary for healthy hair, like vitamin B12, are mainly found in animal products. To maintain their youthful looks, vegetarians may need to supplement or take extra care to balance their diets.
3. Keeps Your Body Strong
Along with exercise, nutrition is an important component of maintaining a strong and healthy body. Getting enough protein and meeting your caloric needs helps you build strength and maintain energy levels.
Having a healthy body composition can give you a more attractive appearance of its own accord. And supporting an active lifestyle with good nutrition also gives you the energy you need to reap exponential benefits. The better you eat, the better you feel, and the more you move, and the stronger you get.
That said, remember thinness doesn’t equate to beauty, and the pursuit of weight loss can do more harm than good. Getting stuck in a yo-yo dieting cycle, for example, can take a negative toll on your health. Losing and regaining the same weight over and over again can cause wrinkles and loose skin.
In the same vein, make sure you’re not missing out on vital nutrients just because you’re trying to get lean. An overly restrictive diet can cause dry or blotchy skin and make your hair look dull. Instead, it bears repeating: aim for balance and plenty of fruits, vegetables, and quality proteins. Energy and vitality will make you look younger than that washed out, starving model look.
4. Improves Your Mental Health
This one might seem controversial, but your diet makes a big difference in your mental health.
Lots of research suggests a strong link between brain and gut health. The foods you eat can affect your mood, and a balanced diet can prevent symptoms of anxiety and depression.
This is important because being happy affects other peoples’ perception of your age and your overall appearance. In other words, a better diet can give you a more joyful life, which makes you more attractive.
What’s interesting is, a lot of the foods most known for boosting mood are also directly tied to skin and hair health. Among others, leafy greens, fatty fish, lentils and nuts all seem to be tied to nearly every aspect of well-being. Probiotics like yogurt, kimchi and kombucha also seem to boost mood and cognitive function and reduce anxiety and depression.
A nutritionally-balanced diet can make some people with mental health symptoms feel a whole lot better. But remember that food isn’t a cure-all, and that some symptoms may need professional or prescription treatment. If you’re experiencing thoughts of self-harm or suicide, don’t try to fix it with food. Consult a healthcare provider (you can do this online) and get the proper diagnosis and treatment.
The Right Diet for You
At the end of the day, finding health and vitality through food is an incredibly personal journey. Be extremely wary of fad diets, extreme calorie restriction, and anyone trying to sell you specific products. Aim instead to find the right mix of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and quality fats and proteins for your body.
Remember that each individual has a unique profile of dietary and daily calorie intake needs. What works for your best friend or your favorite influencer won’t necessarily be the right choice for you.
