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Written By: Editorial Team | Updated : September 25, 2014 2:47 PM IST
Eating healthy is important not only for strength and immunity, it's important for your beauty too. In this megaguide, we give you a list of foods you should eat in order to enhance your skin, hair and teeth.
Healthy skin
Most women (and some men) go to great lengths to make sure that their skin glows and they look attractive. However, beauty is skin deep and what you eat determines how you look. A diet rich in antioxidants and vitamins is considered good for your skin. But, if you are confused as to what food items you should eat, we give you a list of 10 foods that can make you more beautiful from within:
Sweet potatoes: They contain vitamin A which is anti-inflammatory and helps fight off acne-causing bacteria. It also has vitamin C which helps prevent acne and heals it if you already have it.
Pumpkin seeds: It is packed with zinc, an essential in the creation of new skin cells and an aid in protein synthesis and collagen formation. It controls the production of oil in the skin and adds colour and brightness to the complexion.
Apples: Vitamin C found in these fruit, helps to firm and tone the skin. It prevents free-radical damage, protects your skin cells and delays signs of ageing. (Read: 5 skincare secrets by dermatologists for radiant skin)
Beets: They are a great source of anthocyanins a powerful antioxidant that reduces inflammation and slows down the ageing process and helps prevent wrinkles.
Carrots: For the ultimate anti-ageing, wrinkle-fighting boost, add vegetables high in vitamin C like carrots in your diet which can protect and improve your skin. They are high in beta carotene which the body converts to vitamin A. Vitamin A is one of the most important nutrients for healthy skin.
Strawberries: Mashed strawberries mixed with honey, avocados or yoghurt can bring a healthy radiance to the skin. But you can also use the juicy red fruit to whiten teeth. Strawberries contain malic acid, a natural whitening agent.
Lemons: Lemons are rich in vitamin C, which plays an important role in the synthesis of collagen in the body. For this reason, the regular use of lemons both internally as part of the diet and externally on the skin can help keep your skin healthy and free from scars.
Tomatoes: Tomatoes have an antioxidant called lycopene which acts as a sunscreen from within and has anti-ageing properties too. Tomatoes are acidic in nature and applying their pulp to the pimple causes the skin to dry and the pores of the skin in the region get tightened. (Read: Herbal remedies to get rid of pimples)
Spinach: Spinach is loaded with antioxidants which can help reduce the onset of wrinkles making it a good anti-ageing product. It also strengthens your skin tissue and has anti-inflammatory properties which helps flush out the toxins.
Amla: The extract of amla is rich inVitamin A. This vitamin is essential in collagen production, a compound that keeps the skin looking young and elastic. Amla when consumed on an empty stomach has properties that slow down the degradation of collagen and helps the body produce more. (Read: Why amla is so great for your health)
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Healthy hair
Hair loss is not just due to external factors like dandruff, sun exposure and so on. It is also a result of an unhealthy diet. When you deprive your body of essential nutrients, many of which are needed for normal hair growth, you are likely to suffer from hair fall. If nothing's done about it for a prolonged time, you are likely to near baldness. In order to control this situation, it is best to feed your locks a healthy diet, high on the nutrition scale. Here's what your hair needs to remain healthy.
Vitamin B-Complex: This is required to help the haemoglobin supply oxygen to the scalp and hair follicles. More oxygen promotes hair growth and a healthy mane. The lack of vitamin B-Complex can lead to weak, undernourished and damaged hair. You can either get this from natural sources like chicken, tuna and salmon, or eat vitamin tablets if you have its deficiency.
Zinc: Our scalp contains oil glands which need to function adequately to produce enough oil, the lack of which can lead to a dry scalp, dandruff and eventually hair loss. Eat foods like nuts, whole grains, lentils, meat and seafood to provide enough amounts of zinc to your hair.
Copper: Haemoglobin is needed by our body to supply enough oxygen and blood to various organs including our hair. Copper helps in the formation of more haemoglobin. Lack of it can result in weak, brittle hair which will lead to hair loss. Good sources of copper include sesame seeds, soya, cashew nuts, meat, and seafood.
Iron: Iron is very essential for men and especially women as they lose out blood and iron during their menstrual cycle. Even pregnant and lactating women need a high dose of iron as it hel
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