One of the biggest concerns of older adults is the inevitable changes in skin and hair.
Lucky for you, there’s a lot of anti-aging foods that you can incorporate in your diet to ensure that you still have that youthful even in your older days.
Nutrients Your Hair and Skin Needs
Generally, your hair and skin need a certain amount of different nutrients to be healthy. The following nutrients are the most important ones if you want to look healthy even as you age.
- Omega-3 Fatty Acids
- Zinc
- Vitamin A
- Vitamin E
These nutrients are not hard to find in food. So, before you rely on supplements, you can instead change your diet a little to have space for foods that are good for your skin and hair.
Food for the Skin and Hair
There are generally two categories for foods good for the skin. Some nutrients promote skin elasticity, while other nutrients help you get clear skin. Other foods that are mentioned below have more than one of the necessary nutrients that are needed to have healthy skin and hair. If you eat enough of these foods daily, you do not have to worry about wrinkles, acne, or hair loss for a long period of time.
- Fatty Fish
The best foods for skin elasticity are rich with omega-3 fatty acid. It helps the skin stay moisturized and is important for people who often have dry skin.
There’s a variety of fatty fishes that are rich in omega-3 fatty acids such as salmon, sardines, mackerel, tuna, and herring.
Fatty fishes are not only used to promote healthy skin and hair. Fish oil supplements are recommended by professionals to help fight conditions such as psoriasis and lupus. It lessens the inflammation and itchiness caused by these skin conditions.
- Walnuts
If you want something that has a lot of nutrients that is good for your skin, walnuts are one of the best foods to add to your diet. It has omega-3 fatty acid that can promote hydrated skin and is also rich with zinc that can help you get clear skin.
Acne and dark spots are problems even to older people. It’s often difficult to avoid foods that cause acne since they are everywhere, but you can balance it out by eating foods good for clearer skin. With both omega-3 fatty acids and zinc in walnuts, you can get the necessary nutrients for clear skin.
- Eggs
People who are experiencing hair loss usually lack protein in your diet. One of the best foods for hair growth is eggs. They have enough proteins to promote hair growth. They also have zinc which promotes clearer skin. In fact, zinc is known to reverse the effects of hair loss.
Aside from that, eggs already have biotin that is essential for the growth of hair follicles. In fact, most of the marketed hair growth supplements are mostly made out of biotin. On top of this, eggs are a great source of zinc which is also great for your skin.
However, you need to make sure that you are not overeating eggs. As it is rich with protein, you can easily gain fat if you eat a lot of eggs for consecutive days.
- Berries
The best thing about berries is that they are rich in vitamin C that is known for antioxidant properties. One cup of berries actually has a lot of vitamin C: 141 percent of someone’s daily vitamin C needs.
Vitamin C also helps your body absorb more iron, which prevents anemia. There’s a lot of research that proves that anemia can cause hair loss. Having enough dosage of vitamin C can help you avoid hair loss due to anemia.
- Oysters
Oysters are a great source of zinc that is good for the promotion of hair growth. A lot of people take in their zinc with supplements, but having too much zinc can actually cause hair loss. That’s why it’s better to take in your zinc to provide your daily need for zinc.
- Sweet Potatoes
Vitamin A is one of the essential nutrients to speed up hair growth. It can also make your hair thicker. Sweet potatoes have beta-carotene that our body converts to vitamin A that makes hair healthier.
Carotene is one of the main components of sweet potatoes. Since it can be converted to vitamin A by our bodies, with enough sweet potatoes in our diet, you can ensure that you will have healthy skin and hair even as you age.
- Avocados
One of the richest vitamins in avocados is its vitamin E that is healthy for skin and hair. Vitamin E is also a great oxidant which avocados are rich. Antioxidants can protect your skin from oxidative damage that can be caused by UV damage.
Avocados also have fatty acids that are essential as building blocks of cells. It is also good for your skin as it makes it more supple.
On top of that, avocados also contain vitamin C, that is another antioxidant that can protect your skin. And as was mentioned above, vitamin C can help absorb more iron.
A Few Tips
You do not have to eat these foods daily, but you need to measure the number of nutrients in your daily diet. For example, you can get enough vitamin C with a cup of berries, so you no longer have to eat other food containing vitamin C for that day.
You can consult a dietician to get the proper amount of nutrients with your planned meals. Simple mention that you are focusing on having healthy skin and hair, and they will be able to recommend a certain meal plan that can help you achieve what you want.
Final Thoughts
While a lot of people rely on supplements to make their skin and hair healthier, you can actually choose to change your diet to receive the nutrients your body needs. Aside from that, you are also getting other nutrients that can improve your overall health.
It is always better to start early when you want a healthy diet. Moving away from unhealthy food and having an all-natural diet can be difficult for some people, and it might take a while to start a healthy diet.
However, it is never too late. Foods like fatty fishes and oysters can be eaten by people who already have a deficiency in the necessary nutrients and can reverse some of the impacts that aging has on us.
By Admin –