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By Sara Halcumb, RN

As we focus on enjoying a “Simple Summer”, I want to talk about how to get naturally glowing skin through the foods you love to eat!  What better time to talk about skin than the summer, right? During these beautiful warm months, we are wearing lighter outfits, putting on less makeup, and spending more time outside in the bright sun.  Our skin is front and center. There is no hiding behind giant coats, hoodies, thick layers of foundation and umbrellas. With nowhere to hide, who wouldn’t want to have naturally beautiful skin that looks sun kissed, flawless and bright? 

In this quick, yet informative guide, I’ll talk about 5 types of summer foods that provide your skin with the vitamins, nutrients and antioxidants needed to glow from the inside out. 

Skin Health

As the largest organ we have, keeping our skin healthy is vital.  It’s important to protect our skin from damage in the first place, before we can work on that natural glow.  Summer months can be especially harsh on our skin, because it’s during these months that our skin is often exposed to UV (ultraviolet) light, which is thought to cause oxidative stress, inflammation, breakdown of the extracellular matrix, wrinkling and skin cancer (PubMed).

Here are some quick tips to use on a daily basis to help protect your skin during the summer:

• Use moisturizer daily with a natural oil base like avocado or coconut
• Use sunscreen daily with an SPF of at least 15 (30 or higher for kids)
• Run a humidifier in your bedroom at night to keep skin hydrated
• Protect your lips with a lip balm that also has an SPF of at least 15
• Wash your face morning and night with a purifying facial cleanser
• Exfoliate with a facial scrub weekly
• Drink 6-8 glasses of water per day to keep skin hydrated
• Follow our simple morning and evening skin care routines

Now that we are protecting and caring for our skin on a daily basis to stop any more damage, it’s time to get to the juicy bits.  Let’s talk about getting that skin glowing from dietary sources. 

These 5 foods are high in antioxidants such as carotenoids, flavonoids, lutein, vitamins A, C, and E, and other minerals and nutrients.  These molecules have been shown to keep skin elastic, combat free-radicals which trigger inflammation, and they encourage cell and tissue growth.  All ways to get skin glowing from the inside out!

The foods listed below are good, healthy choices to eat year-round, but especially fresh and in season during the summer (with the exception of #5).  When we eat fresh, ripe, in season foods, we get the highest amount of nutrients and antioxidants because of the high sun exposure the plant receives.

5 Summer Foods to Eat for Glowing Skin

1. Avocados

We all know that avocados are rich in healthy monounsaturated fats.  But did you know that avocados also contain a unique lipid molecule called, polyhydroxylated fatty alcohol (PFA)?  This molecule has been shown to fight inflammation, protect your skin from the sun and help repair damaged DNA (PubMed).

Another benefit of eating fresh avocado is that it helps our body absorb the powerful antioxidant carotenoid, which is found in yellow, orange and red plants.  In the study, they found that by adding a little fat like avocado oil to a salad or salsa, significantly enhanced the carotenoid absorption (PubMed).

So, this summer don’t forget to make that yummy guacamole for the backyard BBQ, add fresh avocado to your summer salad or add avocado slices to the side of your veggie dish.

2. Red, Orange and Yellow Fruits and Veggies

We’ve all heard about eating our greens, but don’t count out eating plenty of plants that are red, orange and yellow in color.  These plants are high in beta-carotene (which is vitamin A in our bodies), flavonoids, phytonutrients, vitamin C and lycopene. Studies have shown that higher levels of lycopene in the skin effectively lead to lower levels of skin roughness (PubMed).

Beta-carotene can protect against sun radiation and free radicals, both of which can lead to skin aging.  Vitamin C aids in collagen production and has strong antioxidant effects on our skin.

Some examples of these summer foods include: tomatoes, carrots, sweet potatoes, corn, lemons, oranges, bell peppers, papaya, mangoes, and peaches… just to name a few.  

3. Berries

In recent years, the term superfood has gained a lot of popularity, and for good reason.  The definition of a superfood is,

“A type of functional food, said to process unusually high levels of health-boosting nutrients with few, if any, dietary drawbacks.”

Sarah Brewer, “How Food Works”

Among the superfoods, one of the most powerful and prevalent in the summertime, is the small yet mighty blueberry!  High in vitamin C, K, fiber, and flavonoid antioxidants, blueberries are the perfect food to get your skin glowing. 

Other examples of summer berries for healthy skin include: strawberries, raspberries, goji berries, acai berries, and blackberries.

4. Dark Leafy Greens

Here we go again, right?  Always pushing the dark leafy greens… but you can’t discount what has been proven to work.  Veggies such as kale, spinach, collard greens, romaine and arugula are high in beta-carotene, vitamins C, E, and K, phytonutrients, as well as the antioxidant lutein. 

Lutein has been shown to protect against wrinkling, sun damage, and even skin cancer (PubMed).

Vitamin C, which is found in high amounts in Kale, can help to clear up acne and fading scars due to its ability to speed up healing time, reduce redness and promote collagen production.

5. Green Tea

Lastly, let’s talk about the powers of green tea!  In one 12-week study of 60 women, researchers found that drinking green tea daily could reduce redness from sun exposure by up to 25%.  The polyphenols in green tea also improved the moisture, roughness, thickness and elasticity of their skin (PubMed).  That’s amazing!

This summer, instead of reaching for that sugary soda or juice, shake up some cooled green tea with ice, mint, and some lemon slices for a refreshing skin glow drink.

Another summertime trick is to use chilled green tea in your next smoothie for added antioxidants and skin glowing nutrients.

Final Words

When we back up and look at our diet from a bigger picture, it becomes clear that it isn’t just about eating certain healthy foods once and a while.  Rather, opt for a balanced diet every day that includes plenty of colorful fruits and vegetables. Mixing up your plants to include a rainbow of colors is the best way to ensure you are getting the perfect combination of vitamins and nutrients in your diet.

Also, this summer choose healthy summer drinks like flavored water with citrus fruits or crushed berries, chilled green teas and of course your favorite smoothies.

Since we are working on getting our skin glowing, you might also enjoy an easy morning and evening skin care routine.

Join The Discussion

I would love to hear your summer food staples! What nutritious summer foods do you like to eat? Do you have a good summer recipe or smoothie mix you are willing to share with our Literally Simple community? Can’t wait to chat!

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Author

Sara Halcumb is a registered nurse, health writer, mother and wife. She lives in the beautiful Pacific Northwest with her husband and two kids. She loves nothing more than spending her days exploring the great outdoors with her family.

Hire Nurse Sara to write or edit your next health or wellness article HERE!

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Sources:

Evans, Julie A, and Elizabeth J Johnson. “The Role of Phytonutrients in Skin Health.” Nutrients, MDPI, 24 Aug. 2010, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3257702/.

Rosenblat, Gennady, et al. “Polyhydroxylated Fatty Alcohols Derived from Avocado Suppress Inflammatory Response and Provide Non-Sunscreen Protection against UV-Induced Damage in Skin Cells.” Archives of Dermatological Research, U.S. National Library of Medicine, May 2011, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20978772.

Heinrich, Ulrike, et al. “Green Tea Polyphenols Provide Photoprotection, Increase Microcirculation, and Modulate Skin Properties of Women.” The Journal of Nutrition, U.S. National Library of Medicine, June 2011, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21525260.

Brewer, Sarah, et al. How Food Works. DK Publishing, 2017.