8 Breakfast Foods To Give Your Skin a Healthy Glow

June 26, 2023

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There’s no question that what kinds of foods we consume can have effects on how we feel and what we look like on the outside. Some foods help debloat an upset stomach others can assist with preventing hair loss. There are also foods you can include in your diet that may help achieve gorgeous, radiant skin and a healthy glow. It’s true! There are certain foods that are rich in nutrients that may promote glowing, radiant skin. Sure, makeup and cosmetics can do wonders for the skin, but diet can also play a huge part in skin health. Here are some delicious, nutrient-packed breakfast foods to give your skin a healthy glow and jump-start your day.

1. Avocados

Time to eat all the avocado toast! Avocados are rich in monounsaturated fats along with vitamins A and C, which help maintain skin tissues and prevent skin dryness. Because avocados are rich in vitamin C, there is also reason to believe that avocados can help with skin strength.

In fact, a 2022 study published in the Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology found evidence that daily avocado consumption may result in improved elasticity and firmness of facial skin.

2. Walnuts

Feel free to top off your smoothie bowl or Greek yogurt with some walnuts. Walnuts are filled with protein, healthy fats, and vitamin E — all of which can help contribute to a dewy, glowing face.

Walnuts also contain a specific form of vitamin E called gamma-tocopherol. Gamma-tocopherol has shown evidence of helping the regeneration of skin as well as preventing skin damage. The popular nut is also filled with omega-3s. Omega-3 fatty acids are an essential nutrient for maintaining skin health by keeping the face from drying out.

3. Green tea

Research has shown that green tea may help protect skin from damage as well as aging. Green tea contains an antioxidant called catechins. A 2020 study published in the Springer Nature Journal showed evidence that the high antioxidant activities in catechin can help protect the skin from the sun’s UV rays.

Further research from a randomized controlled trial published in the Journal of Nutrition has shown that drinking green tea daily could reduce redness in the face from sun exposure by up to 25% as well as improve the moisture, roughness, thickness, and elasticity of the skin. Instead of a mocha latte or hot cup of joe in the AM, an iced or hot green tea could have lasting benefits for clear, glowing skin.

4. Strawberries

No breakfast smoothie is complete without the sweet and tart flavoring of delicious strawberries. Not only is the popular berry tasty and one of the most nutritious berries in the bunch, but they could also help contribute to healthy skin as well.

Strawberries are rich in antioxidants. The role of an antioxidant is to, literally, prolong life. They are often used to counteract deterioration, or oxidation, in foods.

One study published in Anais Brasileiros de Dermatologia, the official publication of the Brazilian Society of Dermatology, showed that oxidation can lead to aging skin. Since strawberries are so rich in antioxidants as well as vitamin C, they are a great addition to a breakfast meal to help promote film, healthy, glowing skin.

5. Kale

Switching up the spinach in an egg white breakfast omelet for some kale could help promote glowing, healthy skin. Kale, rich in carotenoids, vitamin C, and glucoraphanin, can all help decrease inflammation.

A 2017 study published in the Nutrients journal found that collagen and elastin levels were significantly improved in a group of middle-aged women who took a carotenoid-rich curly kale extract.

6. Oatmeal

A warm, comforting bowl of oatmeal in the morning for breakfast will not only give you a great energy boost to start your day, but you’ll also be doing your skin a favor.

Oatmeal is low on the glycemic index, which means it’s a food that will not spike up blood sugar levels and follow up with an energy crash. Foods with a low glycemic index are favorable over those with a high glycemic index because those foods can cause blood sugar levels to spike, causing stress, and inflammation, and potentially lead to pimples and acne.

7. Egg whites

Eggs provide protein, vitamins, and nutritious minerals that all pack a powerful punch to get your morning going. Egg whites are also high in the amino acids lysine and proline. Hundreds of skin care products tout the power of amino acids, but a couple of scramblers in your breakfast routine could help just the same. Proline is one of the two amino acids needed to synthesize collagen in the human body.

8. Chia seeds

Add some chia seeds to your smoothie or prep some chia pudding overnight for breakfast your skin will thank you for it. Chia seeds are one of the richest sources of omega-3 fatty acids, which, as we know, help regulate oil production on the skin to help hinder breakouts, reduce dryness, and minimize signs of aging.