Eating a healthy diet does more to give you beautiful skin than applying expensive creams and treatments. Healthy fats, vitamins and antioxidants go to work inside your body, with health reflected in clear, beautiful skin. For the eco-conscious, however, it’s not enough for foods to be healthy; they should also be sustainable and available locally. By knowing what foods give you beautiful skin, sourcing them locally and learning to preserve them for the off-season, you can make both healthful and sustainable choices.
Locate a farm or market that sells locally produced dairy products. Dairy products offer an excellent source of vitamin A, which improves your skin cells. Yogurts provide the double benefit of vitamin A and acidophilus cultures that are good for digestion, which contributes to better skin. Often, organic and farmers markets sell milk, cheese and yogurt from a dairy farm in the local area, or you may be able to find a farm that sells directly to customers.
Purchase antioxidant-rich foods from your local farmers market as they become available in-season. Plums, blackberries, strawberries and blueberries all contain high levels of antioxidants, which protect skin cells from damage. Strawberries become available first, appearing in late spring, and the other fruits begin ripening during the summer and into early fall. Enjoy these fruits raw, in salads or with cereal and yogurt.
Preserve extra quantities of antioxidant-rich fruits while they are in season. Making jams, jellies and chutneys is an option, but complicated preservation methods aren’t necessary. Store frozen berries in an airtight container in the freezer. Use as desired to sweeten your cereal, oatmeal or yogurt, or snack on them, frozen or thawed.
Consume locally grown walnuts. Walnuts contain essential fatty acids, which strengthen cell membranes that help protect skin from damage and keep it looking young and firm. Walnuts are among the best sources for essential fatty acids. Walnut lovers enjoy them plain or in salads and baked goods. If you’re not a walnut fan, when finely crushed or ground they leave little trace of flavor in breads and muffins.
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