Protect Your Skin with Good Nutrition by Aliza Beer, MS RD

Protect Your Skin with Good Nutrition

By Aliza Beer MS, RD, CDN

With winter approaching and the weather getting colder, we are much more prone to dry and cracked skin which can be painful! Skin is the body’s largest organ, and it plays an important role in protecting us against germs and regulating body temperature, as well as enabling us to feel sensations such as touch. Skin contributes greatly to the maintenance of our health and therefore protecting it so that it can perform its functions is critical.

Nutrition plays an important role in the maintenance of our skin. There are multiple nutrition related risk factors that may contribute to the development of unhealthy skin and examples of these include dehydration, low body weight, being malnourished, inadequate food or fluid intake. Monitoring these risk factors and maintaining an optimal nutritional status may help to mitigate against potential damage. and helps to ensure that a scab will form when we cut or damage our skin. The wound healing process consists of four stages: homeostasis (blood clotting), inflammation, proliferation, and maturation. Each stage differs slightly in their required nutrients. Both protein and sufficient energy provision is needed at each stage. Healthy individuals should strive to consume 0.8g of protein per kg of weight per day. These requirements will increase as we age or with underlying health conditions.

Examples of healthy protein sources include fish, lean meat, nuts, seeds, legumes, and low-fat high protein dairy products (i.e. Greek yogurt). Inadequate overall caloric intake results in the depletion of our bone and muscle mass, which impairs the body’s ability to gain enough energy to function and perform processes such as wound healing. When our skin breaks, it places a greater demand on the body’s repair processes, and therefore ensuring we consume enough protein and calories is critical.

Vitamins and Minerals

Vitamins and minerals are also important to maintaining skin integrity.

Vitamin K

Vitamin K greatly contributes to the blood clotting phase of wound healing. Vitamin K can be found in leafy greens, such as kale and spinach, as well as broccoli, Brussels sprouts and asparagus.

Vitamin C

Vitamin C is important for the immune response when we damage our skin. Vitamin C contributes to the production of white blood cells which help to fight off infection and contribute to healing. Foods high in vitamin C include citrus fruits, tomatoes, strawberries, broccoli, and bell peppers. Adding lemon to a fish dish such as baked salmon with leafy greens is a great way to promote skin health by providing protein, vitamin C and vitamin K. As the body strives to heal our skin, it causes inflammation to occur, and while this is necessary, it also places increased stress on our bodily cells and organs.

B Vitamins

The B-complex vitamins such as vitamin B12 and vitamin B6 play a critical role in mediating these inflammatory processes. Vitamin B12 is mostly found in meat and fish and fortified products such as cereal and milk. Individuals on a vegan diet should consider vitamin B12 supplements and monitor their vitamin B12 levels via a blood test as vitamin B12 is mostly found in animal products. Vitamin B6 may be found in foods such as bananas, spinach, avocado, eggs, meat, fish, and sunflower seeds.

Vitamin A

Vitamin A, which can be found in foods such as sweet potatoes, carrots, pumpkins, and cantaloupe, plays a critical role in the formation of mature skin cells. This allows for the formation of a scab and the healing of our skin after damage occurs.

Minerals

Minerals, including iron, zinc, copper, selenium, manganese and folate, are also needed to keep our skin strong and healthy. These can be found in foods such as organ meat, fish, leafy greens (spinach and kale) and chia seeds. Monitoring your vitamin and minerals levels through a blood test will help to ensure that deficiencies do not occur and will help to maintain optimum skin health.

Antioxidants and Aging

Our skin is constantly at risk of oxidative damage through stressors in the environment such as UV and pollution, which contribute towards aging. Antioxidants can help to combat against the cellular damage that may occur from this exposure. Foods high in antioxidants are typically the most colorful, such as berries, beets, tomatoes, sweet potato, kale and dark chocolate. Consuming a diet high in antioxidants helps to protect our skin integrity and has powerful anti-aging benefits. Due to the power of antioxidants such as vitamin C, vitamin E, and Vitamin A (Retinol), they are often found in dermatologically tested skin care products that are used for anti-aging.

Vitamin D vs UV

Vitamin D, which is mostly obtained through sunlight, is critical to maintaining optimal skin health; however, increased sunlight exposure may result in skin damage due to UV. It is important to be aware of both the benefits and risks of sitting in the sun and to apply sunscreen. Vitamin D may also be found in small quantities in the diet drated, you may notice dark circles under your eyes and your skin may become itchy and tight. Pinching your skin is an easy way to determine your hydration status. Take a small portion of your skin and squeeze it tightly. If you notice wrinkling or your skin doesn’t bounce back when you release it, you are likely dehydrated. Drinking fluids frequently throughout the day such as

Consuming a diet high in antioxidants helps to protect our skin integrity and has powerful anti-aging benefits.

such as in egg yolk, salmon, and vitamin D fortified cereal and milk. It is important to speak to your doctor regarding advice on the balance between gaining enough vitamin D from sunlight to protect your skin but also not incurring damage from the UV.

Fluids

Drinking enough fluid and preventing dehydration is also critical to maintaining optimal skin health. When you are dehywater or warm tea in this cold weather will help you meet your fluid recommendations and promote healthy skin.

Healthy Skin Meal Examples

Breakfast • Low-fat, high protein Greek yogurt + berries + honey + chia seeds • Fruit platter + cottage cheese • Toasted bagel with lox & low-fat, high protein cream cheese Lunch/dinner • Salmon + leafy green salad + sweet potato • Avocado toast with poached egg and tomato salad • Tuna sandwich on whole grain bread and broccoli soup • Grilled tempeh with vegetables Snack • Avocado chocolate mousse • Carrots + hummus • Chia seed pudding • Apple and all natural almond butter • Mixed berry smoothie • Dark chocolate almonds

Protecting our skin is critical to maintaining our overall health and ensuring that our organs can function properly and maintaining optimal nutritional status is key. Ensuring your diet contains enough protein and energy, as well as being high in antioxidants and the vitamins and minerals discussed, will contribute to this.

Aliza Beer is a registered dietitian with a master’s degree in nutrition. She has a private practice in Cedarhurst, NY. Patients’ success has been featured on the Dr. Oz show. Aliza can be reached at alizabeer@gmail.com, and you can follow her on Instagram at @alizabeer.

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