Beautiful skin is not just down to good genes, but rather a properly functioning body.
As our largest organ, the skin is responsible for protecting us from invading bacteria, regulating our body temperature and keeping the insides inside.
It is made up of three layers - the outside layer, the epidermis; the middle layer, the dermis; and below that, the subcutaneous layer.
New skin cells form at the bottom of the epidermis and move gradually outwards, and the top layer of dead cells then sheds. This trip takes about four weeks, which means that with the right materials you can create better skin in a month.
An essential step for beautiful skin involves ‘friendly’ gut flora, ‘green’ foods and drinks that have an alkalising effect on the body, and avoiding acid-forming foods.
Some parts of your body should be acidic, such as your stomach when it produces digestive acids. However, in general, your body’s tissues and blood should be slightly alkaline.
Acid producing food includes: vinegar (except for apple cider vinegar), alcoholic drinks, margarine, pork and beef, salmon and mackerel. As well as coffee and black tea, yellow cheeses, pickles and mustard, chickpeas, most nuts, white rice and high-sugar and white-flour products.
You don’t have to cut these items out of your diet completely but reducing the amount you eat should have a positive impact on your skin.
Green drinks - those containing chlorophyll and wheatgrass - are the best way to create good acidalkaline balance.
Alkalising foods include spinach, peppers, courgette, broccoli, carrots, cucumber, cabbage and sweet potatoes - and surprisingly lemons and limes (although the fruit is acidic, it is actually alkalising in the blood). Avocado, asparagus (below), garlic, onions, radishes and uncooked tomatoes are also mildly alkalising.
Omega-3 is particularly good for your skin. It is abundant in cold-water fish such as sardines, trout and herring and although they are acid-forming, salmon and mackerel are good sources, too. Omega-3 is also found in flaxseeds, walnuts and green vegetables.
Omega-6, also found in flaxseeds, walnuts and leafy greens as well as eggs and fish, converts eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) which decreases inflammation and improves skin moisture. It also helps normalise blood pressure, helps with cardiovascular health and can reduce your risk of certain cancers.