What to Eat When to Eat and Why for Great Skin

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Hey, this is JJ Virgin. Thanks so much for joining me. This is Ask the Health Expert. In each episode, I put the power of health in your hands and share ways to get healthy, lose weight, heal your gut, detox, and lots more so you can look and feel better fast. If you'd rather watch the video, hey, I did put on my makeup and do my hair, so check it out on my YouTube channel.

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If you ever stare in the mirror and you want to figure out how to stop time, you are not alone. I mean, no one wants to look older than they are, right? I mean, unless you're like 12. I mean, there's a reason that the anti aging market was valued at more than 60 billion in 2021. But even with all the products out there, you know you can't stop aging. But you can control how you age. Now, the good news is, if you want glowing, healthy skin, you can give yours a boost and not spend a ton of money doing it. So be sure to watch all the way through. Because when you know what to eat, when to eat, and why for your skin, you'll take years off the way your skin looks and feels. Now, you may know this fun fact. Our skin is our largest organ. It's literally our face to the world. Skin that ages faster than it should is no fun. And best yet, though, it's preventable. There are things we can do to prevent or slow down the signs of aging skin. So let me ask this. We all know it's normal to see changes in our skin as we age. But why is that normal? Now, first of all, we're all going to deal with some level of oxidative stress. And this is something that can age us faster if we have too much of it. Now, I'm going to give you some examples, but first, first, let me explain this process. Oxidative stress happens when there's an imbalance of free radicals and antioxidants in your body, and too many free radicals do damage. So unless your body is able to maintain a balance between the antioxidants and free radicals, the way it works is that your cells produce free radicals during normal metabolic processes, but your cells also produce antioxidants. And those antioxidants, they neutralize the free radicals. But there are certain things that can lead to excess free radical production and increase your oxidative stress. Things like sun exposure, things like processed hi fi, high food intolerance, inflammatory foods, too much alcohol, and smoking. Of course, obvious, these all can increase oxidative stress, which then accelerates your aging and by the way, is horrible for your skin. Then there's inflammation. Now, inflammation can wreak havoc on your skin as well, especially from those hi fi, the high food intolerance, inflammatory foods, and dehydration. So dehydration causes your skin cells to get smaller. So hot weather, certain soaps, too much sun not drinking enough water can also increase dryness. Okay, so what do you do? Well, there are a couple of things even before we get into what to eat. So here's number one. The number one thing that's going to help you prevent premature aging and skin cancer is to stay out of the sun. If you're not wearing sunscreen, period, end of story. When you do go in the sun, use a sunscreen with an SPF of at least 30 because that will block 90% of the sun's UVB radiation and keep you from getting burned. But you also want one that blocks UVA rays, too. I mean, by the way, a lot more SPF doesn't give you a lot more protection because no sunscreen can block all uvb. So don't let the sunscreen do all the heavy lifting even when you're wearing it. Stay in the shade. Get some super cute big hats and sunglasses. All right, number two, reduce the amount of alcohol you drink if you know you're overdoing it. Now, I'm not saying none because red wine's my favorite health food. Shout out dry farm wines and it has health benefits for your heart. There's an antioxidant called resveratrol in red wine that has anti inflammatory benefits for your skin. But on the flip side, alcohol creates free radicals. So drinking less means fewer free radicals and less cell damage. So it's a balance, right? All right, now the big thing, and this is number three and the reason we're here and is knowing what to eat for healthier skin. Now, I'm going to give you some simple swaps so you can drop foods that are hurting your skin for foods that will help heal it and make it glow. And the ones you're going to want to drop immediately are obviously those fried foods, fast foods, right? The dirty processed foods that are high in carbs and sugar and damaged fats. Now, you could be doing all the right stuff with topical products, but if you're eating a bunch of sugar, you, you are accelerating aging. Sugar will actually bond to the collagen in your skin and make it less elastic, which causes it to age more quickly. It's called advanced glycation end products acronym age. There you go. Right. And sugar is one of the biggest problems for your skin in general. It triggers the release of insulin, and insulin triggers excess sebum production in your skin and androgen activity. And those are the two big things that we know trigger acne breakouts. If you're prone to acne, sugar also triggers inflammation and a Lot of these skin conditions like eczema and rosacea are connected to inflammation. So just reducing the amount of sugar you eat, reduce it, get it out, can be huge for your skin. Now other big ones are dairy and gluten for the same reasons. They can be highly inflammatory and dairy especially can be a big trigger for breakouts. In fact, in one review, researchers found an association between moderate to severe acne and milk consumption. So swap the foods, these foods for foods that will give you all the nutrients your skin is craving and use my plate to guide you. Because you know when you eat by the plate, protein, fat, healthy fats and fiber, you're going to automatically get foods that help nourish your skin from the inside out. Now, if there's one thing I've learned, it's that your skin craves and responds to organic, clean, nutrient dense foods. So now let's restart the counter. Here we go. Number one, my good friend and holistic plastic surgeon, Dr. Anthony Yoon, recommends making omega 3 fatty acids a priority. For one thing, they're anti inflammatory. And inflammation, as you know, is a huge skin ager. And one way to get more of them can be to choose good protein, because good protein sources are going to have good fats. So think wild caught salmon, grass fed and finished beef. Win win. You really need these healthy fats for your skin. They help your cells stay hydrated and they help reduce inflammation. Plus they can also help support the collagen in your skin and keep it firmer. And studies show that people who eat more omega 3s have better skin. Their skin is more moisturizer and because it's more hydrated, it has fewer wrinkles. Right. Now another great friend of mine, naturopathic doctor Trevor Cates, known as the spa doctor, says that one of the most common things that shows up on people's skin is keratosis pilaris. They're these little bumps on the backs of their arms. And a lot of times they're directly linked to nutritional deficiencies like not getting enough essential fatty acids. So again, we, we need these good fats to help keep our skin healthy. So back to how to get your omegas. You want that fatty fish like salmon. And by the way, salmon is also high in astaxanthin, which is a carotenoid that protects you from the sun from the inside out. So it's good for your skin in that way too. But other fatty fish choices like bluefin tuna, sardines, mackerel, these can all be great too. Now if you don't Eat fish. Have half an avocado. Throw some ground flaxseed or chia seeds in your smoothies. And walnuts are another great one. They're especially rich in omega 3s. And the easiest thing of all, supplement with an omega 3 every day. Now, I have one called Omega Ultras. And the reason I love it is because most fish oil supplements come in a processed form that's harder for your body to absorb. But this one is made specifically so your body can use all the good stuff without the gross fish burps you can get from other fish oils. If you've ever had that happen, you.

Know what I'm talking about.

Plus, it's sustainable. Okay, number two, the next thing you want to focus on in foods are foods that are high in antioxidants. Now, this is a big one, especially for aging, because antioxidants can reduce or prevent the effects of free radicals, one of the big root causes behind accelerated aging. So you want lots of antioxidants in your diet, and that means, and this is why you've heard this before, eat from the rainbow of colorful fruits and vegetables is because they all have different antioxidants. They all have different plant nutrients. Now, one of the best choices is broccoli. And I will tell you that broccoli is my favorite vegetable. Full disclosure, I'm a huge fan of broccoli because it's filled with antioxidants. Now, when it comes to fruit, berries are really the best here. Of course, we still have to be careful about eating too much fruit because of the sugar. You know, don't want to make a healthy thing unhealthy. But fruit has that fiber, which is going to temper its glycemic impact and its sugar impact. So think of with fruit, 1 to 2 servings a day. A serving is a cup. Next one from the rainbow are tomatoes. Now, tomatoes have this antioxidant called lycopene, which can also help keep your skin smoother. Also, foods that are rich in vitamin C can help fight wrinkles. You can get vitamin C, of course, in citrus fruits, but you can also get it in red bell peppers. Those are one of the biggest sources of vitamin C, and then broccoli, too. Who knew broccoli's got vitamin C? So keep shouting out the broccoli. All right? Vitamin E is another great antioxidant for preventing cell damage. And some of the best food sources of vitamin E for your skin are almonds and sunflower seeds. Now, other antioxidants, like polyphenols can be found in tea and coffee. And one study showed that the polyphenols in coffee and green tea can help prevent sun damage and hyperpigmentation. Now, if you have an issue with caffeine, then just get the clean decaf coffee and you'll still get those polyphenols or you're going to love this. You can get those polyphenols and grapes and dark chocolate. With the dark chocolate, make sure that it's 70% or higher. Cacao and low sugar impact. I get the ones made without sugar at all using things like allulose or monk fruit. And then another big shout out to extra virgin olive oil because of the polyphenols in that. Now, since we're talking about your, your skin, this is going to lead to food number three. We have to talk about your microbiome and the health of your microbiome, because all those microorganisms that live in the digestive tract that keep our digestion on track also help support our brain and our hormones, right? And boy, do hormones dictate your skin quality here. So the quality and health of your microbiome is definitely key to a lot of skin issues, but especially inflammatory skin issues. The connection is that we also have a skin microbiome and all kinds of microorganisms live on the surface of our skin to keep it healthy. Now, there's more and more research coming out all the time about the gut skin connection. It's like crazy amazing stuff. So you probably heard about the gut brain axis, but you now know we have a gut skin axis, meaning one of the biggest things that helps our skin microbiome is our gut gut microbiome. And to get a healthy gut, here's the number three. Give it fiber. Think about my plate that I have clean, healthy protein, healthy fats and fiber. So you want to feed it fiber and getting more fiber in your diet. This is going to be eating things like non starchy vegetables and legumes, right? And fruit. It's going to feed the probiotics in your gut because a lot of that has prebiotics and help them grow. You're also going to want to include fermented foods like fermented veggies. They are a great source of probiotics in their own right? So think of things like kimchi and sauerkraut and pickles. Just make sure you're getting the real fermented stuff, right? Not the junk food stuff. All right, let's talk when, because it turns out there's a best time to eat for your skin too, and it can really make a big difference. So when is that? So. So Dr. Tony Hughes says the biggest bang for your buck is going to be with intermittent fasting. And you may have noticed in this series that a lot of times the answer to when is to eat is intermittent fasting because it's so good for your health on so many fronts. So for your skin, here's why it's a great choice. Intermittent fasting can trigger autophagy and autophagy is the self cleaning process in your body that basically takes out the cellular garbage so the dull damaged cells can be replaced by younger, brighter ones. And giving your digestive system a break and going at least 12 hours also gives your body a chance to focus its energy on doing other things it needs to do to take care of you and your skin. And by the way, 12 hours is bare minimum. When I think of intermittent fasting, I'm really thinking of eating within an eight hour window or going and eating every once in a while, doing a one meal a day. Now, sorry to break this to you though, Fasting cannot solve all your skin issues, right? You cannot fast your way to aging in reverse, but it is a huge boost and it can help brighten your skin and keep it healthy. So use it when you can to support your diet and all the products that you're using as well. So as far as the why, there's no question about why eating for healthier skin is important. I mean, your skin may be on the outside of your body, but it's a window into what's happening on the inside and can be the way your body communicates to you about your overall health. If you're not taking care of it, your skin's going to tell you and everyone else around you that you need more sleep, that you're eating crappy, that you're not getting enough water, or that you're getting too much sun exposure, right? It's going to just wear it out there. It's like a billboard that you have on your face. And I'm pretty sure that the billboard you have on your face that you want to have is going, hey, I'm healthy now. The health of your skin has a lot to do with how you feel about yourself and that confidence you have in the world. So follow the recommendations in this video to get healthy and to look and feel great. Thanks so much for joining me. And if you don't know me, I'm JJ Virgin. I'm a four times New York Times bestselling author. I'M a Fitness hall of Famer and.

I have loads more to share with.

You to help you get your skin glowing and back on track to get healthy, lose the weight if you want to do that, and to just feel better for the long haul. So be sure to check out my YouTube channel for more great information and I will see you next time. For more info on this and other health topics I cover or to rate and review, find me on Instagram, Facebook and my website jjvirgin.com and don't forget to subscribe to my show so you won't miss a single, single episode. Go to subscribetojay.com thanks again for being with me this week.

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