The 12 Best Foods for Healthy Skin

Nutrition is important for health. An unhealthy diet can damage your metabolism, cause weight gain, and even damage organs, such as your heart and liver.

But what you eat also affects another organ — your skin.

As scientists learn more about diet and the body, it’s increasingly clear that what you eat can significantly affect the health and aging of your skin.

This article takes a look at 12 of the best foods for keeping your skin healthy.

1. Fatty fish

Fatty fish, such as salmon, mackerel, and herring, are excellent foods for healthy skin. They’re rich sources of omega-3 fatty acids, which are important for maintaining skin health (1).

Omega-3 fatty acids are necessary to help keep skin thick, supple, and moisturized. In fact, an omega-3 fatty acid deficiency can cause dry skin (1, 2Trusted Source).

The omega-3 fats in fish reduce inflammation, which can cause redness and acne. They can even make your skin less sensitive to the sun’s harmful UV rays (2Trusted Source, 3Trusted Source).

Some studies show that fish oil supplements may help fight inflammatory and autoimmune conditions affecting your skin, such as psoriasis and lupus (4Trusted Source).

Fatty fish is also a source of vitamin E, one of the most important antioxidants for your skin.

Getting enough vitamin E is essential for helping protect your skin against damage from free radicals and inflammation (5Trusted Source).

This type of seafood is also a source of high quality protein, which is needed for maintaining the strength and integrity of your skin (5Trusted Source).

Lastly, fish provides zinc — a mineral vital for regulating the following:

• inflammation
• overall skin health
• the production of new skin cells

Zinc deficiency can lead to skin inflammation, lesions, and delayed wound healing (6Trusted Source).

SUMMARY

Fatty types of fish like salmon contain omega-3 fatty acids that can reduce inflammation and keep your skin moisturized. They’re also a good source of high quality protein, vitamin E, and zinc.

2. Avocados

Avocados are high in healthy fats. These fats benefit many functions in your body, including the health of your skin (7Trusted Source).

Getting enough of these fats is essential to help keep skin flexible and moisturized.

One study involving over 700 women found that a high intake of total fat — specifically the types of healthy fats found in avocados — was associated with more supple, springy skin (8Trusted Source).

Preliminary evidence also shows that avocados contain compounds that may help protect your skin from sun damage. UV damage to your skin can cause wrinkles and other signs of aging (8Trusted Source, 9Trusted Source).

Avocados are also a good source of vitamin E, which is an important antioxidant that helps protect your skin from oxidative damage. Most Americans don’t get enough vitamin E through their diet.

Interestingly, vitamin E seems to be more effective when combined with vitamin C (5Trusted Source).

Vitamin C is also essential for healthy skin. Your skin needs it to create collagen, which is the main structural protein that keeps your skin strong and healthy (10Trusted Source).

Vitamin C deficiency is rare these days, but common symptoms include dry, rough, and scaly skin that tends to bruise easily.

Vitamin C is also an antioxidant that helps protect your skin from oxidative damage caused by the sun and the environment, which can lead to signs of aging (10Trusted Source).

A 100-gram serving, or about 1/2 an avocado, provides 14% of the Daily Value (DV) for vitamin E and 11% of the DV for vitamin C (11Trusted Source).

SUMMARY

Avocados are high in beneficial fats and contain vitamins E and C, which are important for healthy skin. They also pack compounds that may protect your skin from sun damage.

3. Walnuts

Walnuts have many characteristics that make them an excellent food for healthy skin.

They’re a good source of essential fatty acids, which are fats that your body cannot make itself.

In fact, they’re richer than most other nuts in both omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids (12Trusted Source, 13Trusted Source).

A diet too high in omega-6 fats may promote inflammation, including inflammatory conditions of your skin like psoriasis.

On the other hand, omega-3 fats reduce inflammation in your body — including in your skin (13Trusted Source).

While omega-6 fatty acids are plentiful in the Western diet, sources of omega-3 fatty acids are rare.

Because walnuts contain a good ratio of these fatty acids, they may help fight the potential inflammatory response to excessive omega-6.

What’s more, walnuts contain other nutrients that your skin needs to function properly and stay healthy.

One ounce (28 grams) of walnuts contains 8% of the DV for zinc.

Zinc is essential for your skin to function properly as a barrier. It’s also necessary for wound healing and combating both bacteria and inflammation (14Trusted Source).

Walnuts also provide small amounts of the antioxidants vitamin E and selenium, in addition to 4–5 grams of protein per ounce (28 grams) (12Trusted Source).

SUMMARY

Walnuts are a good source of essential fats, zinc, vitamin E, selenium and protein — all of which are nutrients your skin needs to stay healthy.

4. Sunflower seeds

In general, nuts and seeds are good sources of skin-boosting nutrients.

Sunflower seeds are an excellent example.

One ounce (28 grams) of sunflower seeds packs 49% of the DV for vitamin E, 41% of the DV for selenium, 14% of the DV for zinc, and 5.5 grams of protein (15Trusted Source).

SUMMARY

Sunflower seeds are an excellent source of nutrients, including vitamin E, which is an important antioxidant for the skin.

5. Sweet potatoes

Beta carotene is a nutrient found in plants.

It functions as provitamin A, which means it can be converted into vitamin A in your body.

Beta carotene is found in oranges and vegetables such as carrots, spinach, and sweet potatoes (5Trusted Source, 16Trusted Source).

Sweet potatoes are an excellent source — one 1/2-cup (100-gram) serving of baked sweet potato contains enough beta carotene to provide more than six times the DV of vitamin A (17Trusted Source).

Carotenoids like beta carotene help keep your skin healthy by acting as a natural sunblock.

When consumed, this antioxidant is incorporated into your skin and helps protect your skin cells from sun exposure. This may help prevent sunburn, cell death, and dry, wrinkled skin.

Interestingly, high amounts of beta carotene may also add a warm, orange color to your skin, contributing to an overall healthier appearance (5Trusted Source).

SUMMARY

Sweet potatoes are an excellent source of beta carotene, which acts as a natural sunblock and may protect your skin from sun damage.

6. Red or yellow bell peppers

Like sweet potatoes, bell peppers are an excellent source of beta carotene, which your body converts into vitamin A.

One cup (149 grams) of chopped red bell pepper contains the equivalent of 156% of the DV for vitamin A (18Trusted Source).

They’re also one of the best sources of vitamin C. This vitamin is necessary for creating the protein collagen, which keeps skin firm and strong.

A single cup (149 grams) of bell pepper provides an impressive 211% of the DV for vitamin C (18Trusted Source).

A large observational study involving women linked eating plenty of vitamin C to a reduced risk of wrinkled and dry skin with age (19Trusted Source).

SUMMARY

Bell peppers contain plenty of beta carotene and vitamin C — both of which are important antioxidants for your skin. Vitamin C is also necessary to create collagen, the structural protein that keeps your skin strong.

7. Broccoli

Broccoli is full of many vitamins and minerals important for skin health, including zinc, vitamin A, and vitamin C (20Trusted Source).

It also contains lutein, a carotenoid that works like beta carotene. Lutein helps protect your skin from oxidative damage, which can cause your skin to become dry and wrinkled.

But broccoli florets also pack a special compound called sulforaphane, which boasts some impressive potential benefits. It may even have anti-cancer effects, including on some types of skin cancer (21Trusted Source, 22Trusted Source).

Sulforaphane is likewise a powerful protective agent against sun damage. It works in two ways: neutralizing harmful free radicals and switching on other protective systems in your body (22Trusted Source, 23Trusted Source).

In laboratory tests, sulforaphane reduced the number of skin cells UV light killed by as much as 29%, with protection lasting up to 48 hours.

Evidence suggests sulforaphane may also help maintain collagen levels in your skin (23Trusted Source).

SUMMARY

Broccoli is a good source of vitamins, minerals, and carotenoids that are important for skin health. It also contains sulforaphane, which may help prevent skin cancer and protect your skin from sunburn.

8. Tomatoes

Tomatoes are a great source of vitamin C and contain all of the major carotenoids, including lycopene.

Beta carotene, lutein, and lycopene have been shown to protect your skin against damage from the sun. They may also help prevent wrinkling (24Trusted Source, 25Trusted Source, 26Trusted Source).

Because tomatoes are rich in carotenoids, they’re an excellent food for maintaining healthy skin.

Consider pairing carotenoid-rich foods like tomatoes with a source of fat, such as cheese or olive oil. Fat increases your absorption of carotenoids (27Trusted Source).

SUMMARY

Tomatoes are a good source of vitamin C and all of the major carotenoids, especially lycopene. These carotenoids protect your skin from sun damage and may help prevent wrinkling.

9. Soy

Soy contains isoflavones, a category of plant compounds that can either mimic or block estrogen in your body.

Isoflavones may benefit several parts of your body, including your skin.

One small study involving middle-aged women found that eating soy isoflavones every day for 8–12 weeks reduced fine wrinkles and improved skin elasticity (28Trusted Source).

In postmenopausal women, soy may also improve skin dryness and increase collagen, which helps keep your skin smooth and strong (29Trusted Source).

These isoflavones not only help to protect the cells inside your body from damage but also your skin from UV radiation — which may reduce the risk of some skin cancers (30Trusted Source, 31Trusted Source, 32Trusted Source).

SUMMARY

Soy contains isoflavones, which have been shown to improve wrinkles, collagen, skin elasticity, and skin dryness, as well as protect your skin from UV damage.

10. Dark chocolate

If you need one more reason to eat chocolate, here it is: The effects of cocoa on your skin are pretty phenomenal.

After 6–12 weeks of consuming a cocoa powder high in antioxidants each day, participants in one study experienced thicker, more hydrated skin.

Their skin was also less rough and scaly, less sensitive to sunburn, and had better blood flow — which brings more nutrients to your skin (33Trusted Source).

Another study found that eating 20 grams of high-antioxidant dark chocolate per day could allow your skin to withstand over twice as much UV radiation before burning, compared with eating low-antioxidant chocolate (34Trusted Source).

Several other studies have observed similar results, including improvements in the appearance of wrinkles. However, keep in mind that at least one study didn’t find significant effects (34Trusted Source, 35Trusted Source, 36Trusted Source, 37Trusted Source).

Make sure to choose dark chocolate with at least 70% cocoa to maximize the benefits and keep added sugar to a minimum.

SUMMARY

Cocoa contains antioxidants that may protect your skin against sunburn. These antioxidants may also improve wrinkles, skin thickness, hydration, blood flow, and skin texture.

11. Green tea

Green tea may help protect your skin from damage and aging.

The powerful compounds found in green tea are called catechins and work to improve the health of your skin in several ways.

Like several other antioxidant-containing foods, green tea can help protect your skin against sun damage (38Trusted Source, 39Trusted Source, 40Trusted Source).

One 12-week study involving 60 women found that drinking green tea daily could reduce redness from sun exposure by up to 25%.

Green tea also improved the moisture, roughness, thickness, and elasticity of their skin (41Trusted Source).

While green tea is a great choice for healthy skin, you may want to avoid drinking your tea with milk, as there’s evidence that milk could reduce the effect of green tea’s antioxidants (42Trusted Source).

SUMMARY

The catechins found in green tea are powerful antioxidants that can protect your skin against sun damage and reduce redness, as well as improve its hydration, thickness and elasticity.

12. Red grapes

Red grapes are famous for containing resveratrol, a compound that comes from the skin of red grapes.

Resveratrol is credited with a wide range of health benefits, among them is reducing the effects of aging.

Test-tube studies suggest it may also help slow the production of harmful free radicals, which damage skin cells and cause signs of aging (7Trusted Source, 43Trusted Source).

This beneficial compound is also found in red wine. Unfortunately, there’s not much evidence that the amount of resveratrol you get from a glass of red wine is enough to affect your skin.

And since red wine is an alcoholic beverage, there are negative effects to drinking it in excess.

It’s not recommended to start drinking red wine just because of its potential health benefits. Instead, you should increase your intake of red grapes and berries.

SUMMARY

Resveratrol, the famous antioxidant found in red grapes, may slow your skin’s aging process by impairing harmful free radicals that damage your skin.

The bottom line

What you eat can significantly affect your skin health.

Make sure you’re getting enough essential nutrients to protect your skin. The foods on this list are great options to keep your skin healthy, strong, and attractive.