Loving the Skin You're In
Skin health was the topic of a short talk I gave to the Walk ‘n Talk Wellbeing group today. Here I share my top take-outs to help you take an inside-out approach to nourishing your skin.
Firstly, why is our skin so important to us?
The largest of our organs, it covers the entire body and houses all our insides; protects us from dangers in our environment, infection, radiation and dehydration; keeps us warm, and it allows us to have the sense of touch. Wow, many reasons to look after your skin - it really looks after you.
Loads of factors affect skin health and ‘quality’, and the good news is you have direct influence over many of them. This includes the skincare products you choose, the amount of sunlight you’re exposed to, the amount of water you drink and what you eat.
My general guidance TOP TIPS for keeping skin cells well nourished & RADIANT
Stay hydrated - grab that glass of water now to keep skin cells plump! Cells also need water to rebuild and to remove the build up of waste products in the body. Aim for 2 litres a day.
Incorporate essential fats into your daily diet (e.g. nuts, olives, oily fish and avocados) to help nourish skin cell membranes. Lack of essential fats may lead to cells drying out too quickly and dry skin.
‘Eat a rainbow’ of plant-based foods every day to benefit from the whole spectrum of nutrients that support skin healing and integrity, and a cross-section of antioxidants that help limit the damage done to collagen and elastin fibers by free radicals ie. help protect against skin degeneration.
Did you know the skin is our largest detoxification organ? Every pore is designed to help toxins exit the body. Therefore by generally reducing the toxic load on your liver (consider natural skincare and organic food as good starting points), and by supporting a happy healthy gut with probiotic and prebiotic fibrous foods, both in turn may help the skin to effectively do its duties and stay clear of blemishes in the process.
If you have certain conditions affecting your skin e.g. acne, dermatitis, eczema, psoriasis, water retention, oily skin or rashes, then there are many more things you can do with nutrition and lifestyle to tackle the underlying triggers of the problem and/or to naturally help reduce your symptoms.
Essential oils are a fabulous example of how natural remedies can be used to treat certain skin conditions, and my Walk ‘n Talk Wellbeing team member Rowena talked more about this on Friday. Talk to me if you’d like to know more about this and I will point you in the right direction.
Finally, Louise from the team did a beautiful meditation at our talk to help us mindfully give our skin some love and appreciation. I work with loads of women who struggle with the concept of loving their skin and bodies, and as result end up in a fight with food too. We’re a critical bunch - it’s natural!
So, even if you’re in the camp that find the idea of loving your skin wholeheartedly a bit of a leap, then recognise that you can still respect it by taking care of it, following the types of tips I’ve included above, and practice being grateful for the many ways the ways it looks after you.
If you need help making peace with food and your body, please do get in touch and also check-out my signature programme, Reconnect, here.
