There’s a saying that beauty comes from inside out. While this might be true on many levels, when it comes to taking care of your skin, that sentiment is spot on. Even though there are a number of topical products designed to address the signs of aging, holistic skincare starts with what you put in your mouth. When it comes to antioxidants in skincare, lotions and creams aren’t enough to see improvement. The food and drink you put inside your body can truly help improve your outward appearance, so a healthy diet should be part of every skincare regimen.

What’s the Role of Antioxidants in Skincare?

While it’s often easier to remember what to avoid when it comes to skincare, knowing what’s good for you can be tricky. Popular opinions and trends come and go, but science always shows that foods and ingredients rich in antioxidants are proven skincare heroes. Antioxidants are molecules that help your body fight off damaging free-radicals. When too many free-radicals build up in your body, they can cause signs of aging, cancer and other health issues. Antioxidants work in skincare to help remove those free-radicals and limit wrinkles, spots, loss of collagen and other signs of aging.

Antioxidants are naturally found in many products rich in vitamin C and vitamin E, including whole fruits and vegetables. There’s a whole world of foods and ingredients that the average person might not realize are dense in free-radical fighting ingredients. If your goal is to focus on antioxidants in skincare, then tweaking your diet is a great place to start. Read on and discover which vitamin rich foods, drinks and snacks you can add to your diet to help improve your overall health and up the level of antioxidants in your skincare routine.

Fruits

Vitamin C is a powerful tool in regards to antioxidants in skincare, and fruits and some veggies are an excellent source of this nutrient. When ingested, vitamin C is essential to helping boost collagen and promotes faster healing of the skin. Whole fruits offer a delicious and easy way to add more antioxidants to your diet. Add them to your smoothies, cereal, or just enjoy as a snack for a juicy skincare boost. Some excellent options include:

• Strawberries
• Blueberries
• Grapes
• Tomatoes
• Oranges
• Lemons
• Avocado
• Bell peppers
• Watermelon
• Apples

Vegetables

Your parents said you should eat your vegetables, and they were right; leafy greens and root veggies are essential antioxidant-rich foods. Whether you enjoy them raw or serve them in stews, these veggies pack a beautiful boost when it comes to the health of your skin. Here are a few skincare supporting veggies to add to your grocery shopping list:

• Sweet potatoes
• Broccoli
• Spinach
• Kale
• Beets
• Carrots
• Cabbage
• Asparagus
• Beans

Beverages and Treats

Delicious drinks and delectable treats offer an effortless way to boost your daily antioxidant intake. Chocolate and cider are two special treats that can make getting your daily dose of antioxidants a sweet affair. Green tea, black tea, and fruit teas are also high in antioxidants and are delicious served hot or cold. Coffee is also an effective antioxidant booster, but note that adding milk to coffee or tea could block some of the free-radical busting properties. Red wine and beer also top the list of antioxidant-rich beverages, but like all good things, alcohol intake should be limited.

• Coffee (in moderation)
• Green tea
• Black tea
• Red wine (in moderation)
• Beer (in moderation)
• Chocolate
• Cider

Nuts and Oils

Another way to sneak some extra skincare boosting benefits into your pantry is with nuts and oils. Vitamin E is essential when it comes to adding antioxidants in your skincare routine, and this nutrient is present in many seed oils and nuts. Nuts make a convenient, healthy snack and are great for topping cereal, oatmeal and yogurt.

Replace butter with olive oil in cooking, and use it for salad dressing or other toppings for an easy way to add antioxidant rich oils into your diet. Seed oils from chia, pumpkin, flax, sesame, pure black seed oil and sunflower seeds also provide free-radical busting benefits, and offer a great way to mix up the flavors in your cooking. Don’t forget the Omega-3 rich oils in oily fish like salmon, anchovies, herring and sardine that also provide the antioxidants in skincare benefits your body craves. A few nuts and oils to add to your pantry include:

• Almonds
• Sunflower seeds
• Peanuts
• Pistachios
• Pecans
• Chestnuts
• Olive oil
• Seed oils
• Oily fish

Herbs and Spices

Spices and herbs help add delicious variety to your home cooked meals, but did you know they are also antioxidant flavor bombs? It’s true; those fragrant powders and pastes do more than just kick your chilis, curries and soups up a notch. Not only are many of your favorite herbs and spices a great way to support antioxidants in your skincare routine, but they also provide additional health benefits as well, like ginger which can help with inflammation and cumin, which can aid in indigestion. Check out your spice cabinet at home to see if you already have these power packed flavor enhancers in stock:

• Turmeric powder
• Ginger
• Clove
• Onion
• Garlic
• Cumin
• Curry
• Chili Pepper
• Cinnamon
• Peppermint
• Sage
• Basil
• Thyme

With so many different healthy foods to choose from, even the pickiest of eaters can find a way to boost their dietary antioxidant intakes. Challenge yourself to add one different antioxidant-rich ingredient or whole food to their diet every day. Add some turmeric to your tea, snack on nuts instead of chips or throw some extra veggies into your soups. While it might seem like you only need antioxidants in skincare creams and lotions to get results, you’ll find that nature provides delicious, healthy results to fit your long term health goals. Make a plan to include more fruits, veggies, spices, oils, grains and nuts into your everyday meals and soon you’ll look as good as you feel. Great skin is just a few dietary tweaks away!

About the Writer: Aaron Smith is an LA-based content strategist and consultant in support of STEM firms and medical practices. He covers industry developments and helps companies connect with clients. In his free time, Aaron enjoys reading and writing about adventure, fitness, and lifestyle.