Expensive creams and demanding nightly regimens may help a little bit. Ultimately, however, healthy skin starts from within. How you eat, the nutrients you get, the way you move, and how you live all dramatically impact the health of your skin.

As your body’s largest organ, the skin serves as a critical barrier against infection and disease. Among its functions, your skin:

Supports the immune system to protect against harmful invaders
Contains nerve endings to alert you about a hot or sharp object
Regulates your body temperature
Converts sunlight into vitamin D ^[1] ^[2]

Your skin can even give you glimpses of your overall health, revealing underlying problems such as allergies or infections.

Aging skin results from many factors, including reduced synthesis of collagen, a protein building block for healthy skin. ^[3] The good news is that many of these factors are within your control. You needn’t settle for unhealthy skin.

Healthy Skin Starts with What You Eat

Sugary, processed foods can “sticky” up collagen and other proteins that keep your skin healthy. This process, called glycation, prevents these proteins from doing their jobs. Over time, glycation can lead to advanced glycation end products, appropriately called AGEs, which can damage the skin. ^[4]

What goes on your fork makes a significant impact on your skin. Our Core and Advanced Plans contain a wide variety of nutrient-rich foods that helps fight these damaging molecules.

Fruits and vegetables provide the vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants your skin needs to glow. Among them include:

Vitamin C helps synthesize collagen. This antioxidant can also help prevent and treat ultralight (UV)-induced damage. ^[5]
Zinc can help skin heal after injury, protect against UV damage, and work as an antioxidant to protect skin against free radical damage. ^[6]
Vitamin D protects skin cells from UV-induced damage, skin cancer, and infections. The skin’s ability to make vitamin D3 declines with age. ^[7]

Other key nutrients also contribute to healthy skin. They include:

Protein provides the collagen and amino acids that skin needs to stay strong and radiant. Our Grass-Fed Whey Protein makes an easy way to get these important skin-supporting nutrients.
Healthy fats are critical for glowing skin. Studies show that the omega-3 fatty acids in wild-caught seafood can protect against skin conditions including psoriasis. ^[8] Flaxseeds – a staple ingredient in our Savory Raw Flax Crackers – provide a plant source of those skin-boosting omega-3s.

5 More Ways to Get & Keep Healthy Skin

You needn’t settle for the wrinkles, sagging, and other skin problems that can occur with age. Besides avoiding sugar, be aware of things like smoking and alcohol that can prematurely age your skin.

Equally important are the daily measures you take. Along with your diet, these five strategies support beautiful, radiant skin.

Drink plenty of fluids. Your skin is about 64 percent water. ^[9] For glowing skin, drink plenty of clean, filtered water daily. Keep a BPA-free canteen nearby to remind you. Be sure to enjoy other skin-supporting beverages, too. One study among 60 women found that the antioxidants in green tea could protect skin against harmful UV radiation and improve overall skin quality. ^[10]
Exercise consistently. Research shows that endurance exercise can improve age-associated skin changes.^[11] Among its benefits, sweating it out in the gym (or these days, at home) can release trapped oil and dirt in skin. You don’t need hours or a gym to get a great workout. With our Max T3 program, you can commit to an intense, full-body workout in just 12 minutes, in the privacy of your own home.
Get your beauty sleep. Hanging eyelids, redder and more swollen eyes, dark circles under the eyes, more wrinkles, a tired look… Those are among the repercussions of sleep deprivation that one study revealed. ^[12] Among its regenerating effects, sleep helps the body make the protein collagen. Aim for eight hours of quality, uninterrupted sleep nightly. Our Sleep + Mood Formula can help you safely fall and stay asleep to get rejuvenating shut-eye.
Protect skin against excess sun. Sun is a double-edged sword. The UV light from the sun can age your skin faster and lead to problems including wrinkles. Sun also has benefits, such as vitamin D. Balance is key. Your skin tone determines how quickly UV radiation becomes a problem. In very fair-skinned people, the sun can become harmful after five minutes. People with darker skin may be able to handle sunlight longer. ^[13] Learn more about sun safety and healthy vitamin D levels in this blog.
Get the right nutrients. When you’re eating and living well, a few key science-supported nutrients can keep your skin supple and glowing. Our Hair, Skin & Nails contains a comprehensive formula of skin-supporting vitamins, minerals, amino acids, and botanicals, including 2,000 IUs of vitamin D. These nutrients work together to provide all the necessary building blocks for healthier skin, hair, and nails. Hair, Skin & Nails is your skincare regimen in a bottle that supports healthy, fabulous skin!