Though products that are applied to the skin definitely have benefit (especially when applying to specific areas), one could argue that more important is what you feed the body. The appearance of hair, skin, and nails is a direct reflection of overall health. Here are some ways you can eat, and drink, yourself to more youthful looking skin and gain better health in the process.

We are what we eat, both inside and out. In turn, if we deprive our body of proper nutrition we will suffer, both inside and out. Of course, all lifestyle choices we make matter to our health and beauty. Sleep, smoking, being around smoke, overexposure to the sun, and other negative environmental factors can make a drastic impact on how we age. Here we will focus on what we put in the body.

1. Hydrate the Skin

A natural way to keep skin looking young is to keep hydrated. Keep cells hydrated in the body with proper fluid intake. Healthy skin is hydrated skin—we hear this all the time. The best and most simple way to stay hydrated is to drink lots of water. This should be thoughtful and done throughout the day. Much of our water intake can be received from high water content foods, but, in general, the average adult will want to drink 8-12 8 ounce glasses per day.

2. Protect the Skin From the Inside Out With Fruit

Youthful looking skin is protected skin. Everyday life causes damage to cells through oxidative stress. How do you limit this damage? By providing the body with nutrients that have high antioxidant properties. The best are fruits, such as blueberries, blackberries, strawberries, plums and many others.

3. Build and Support Skin Structure With Protein

Maintain skin’s youthful appearance by supporting the skin matrix. The matrix of the skin is made of collagen. Eating proper amounts protein in the diet will help to build overall collagen structure by providing the amino acids as substrates for natural collagen production. This is a basic, but critical step that must be taken. To do an advanced step, you can ingest a special collagen protein that is readily absorbed. If you don’t eat adequate protein, the body will not have the raw materials to build the structure to support healthy and vibrant skin.

4. Maintain Skin Cell Function with Essential Fatty Acids (EFAs)

Young looking skin is abundant with plump, water-filled cells. As we age our skin’s ability to hold water decreases. Healthy skin cells have healthy cell membranes that keep good things in, such as, water and nutrients, and allows waste products to travel out. Fatty acids are the friend to the membrane.Without an adequate amount, membranes cannot keep their shape, which in turn leads to saggy, aged skin.

Good sources of EFAs are flax seeds, walnuts, salmon and canola oil. Eaten in moderation, all these contain enough of these fatty acids to have a positive effect on your skin. If you do not eat enough, get a high quality fish oil supplement high in essential fatty acids. Your skin will benefit along with many other systems in your body.

The four areas mentioned here are critical to skin health and really exemplify the “beauty within” approach. If you do the above along with the lifestyle changes we mentioned you will have great skin. Happy eating!