Feed Your Skin at 2:57 PM

The 9 best foods to keep your skin looking and feeling great
By Abby Lerner
1. Carrots
This crunchy snack is loaded with vitamin A, which helps balance the pH of your skin's surface, making it just acidic enough to fend off harmful bacteria. Plus National Cancer Institute researchers found that people with the highest intakes of carotenoids—pigments that occur naturally in carrots—were six times less likely to develop skin cancer than those with the lower intakes.

 2. Berries
The high-antioxidant content of blackberries, blueberries, and strawberries yield countless healthy-skin benefits. Not a fan of fleshy fruit? Artichokes, beans, prunes, and pecans are packed with the stuff as well. 
3. Salmon, Walnuts, and Flax Seed
The common healthy-skin ingredients in these foods are essential fatty acids, which not only block harmful irritants, but also act as the passageway for nutrients coming in and out and for waste products to get in and out of the cell. The stronger that barrier is, the better your skin cells hold moisture. 
4. Healthy Oils
Good-quality oils—those labeled cold pressed, expeller processed, or extra virgin—keep skin lubricated and looking and feeling healthier. But remember even healthy fat is high in calories, so limit yourself to two tablespoons a day. 
5. Whole-wheat bread, Muffins, and Cereals; Turkey, Tuna, and Brazil Nuts
It may seem like a random grocery list, but all of these foods are rich in the mineral selenium, which plays a key role in the health of skin cells. In fact, studies show that even skin damaged by the sun may suffer fewer consequences if selenium levels are high.

 6. Low-Fat Dairy Products
Vitamin A is one of the most important components of skin health, and low-fat dairy products such as milk and yogurt are a great place to get it.

 7. Green Tea
The skin-health assets in this drink are matchless. It has anti-inflammatory properties, protects the cell membrane, and may even reduce the risk of some cancers. An added bonus: Sipping on this super drink can also boost metabolism.

 8. Sunflower Seeds
These tiny seeds pack the most natural vitamin E of any food around. And no antioxidant is better at slowing down the aging of skin cells to keep you looking younger longer.

 9. Water
Good hydration is key to healthy looking skin, and there's nothing better than pure, clean water to quench your body's thirst—except maybe mineral-rich hard water from the tap