There is a certain irony that hydration advice and information is well covered in the summer, when we hardly need to be reminded to have a cold drink to cool us down. Water is essential for maintaining the body’s equilibrium for essential functions, which is clearly not a seasonal issue, and the damaging effects of dry winter air on one’s skin are particularly noticeable in our Northeast climate.
After many weeks of this tough winter, our winter funk doesn’t just show in our surly expressions, our dull skin shows that it’s suffering too. Show your skin some TLC to help it through to the other side the winter, simply through your diet.
Fluids Water, water, water! There are very few studies disputing that people should be drinking at least eight eight-ounce glasses of water per day, and those few aren’t in fact proving that wrong, merely questioning the scientific basis behind that exact amount. But 8 x 8 was catchy, and, according to another easy-to-remember gauge recently touted by dietitians as likely too little for most adults. Their recommendation is drink half your body weight!
Don’t panic, you convert the pounds to ounces, i.e., a 160-pound adult should drink 80 ounces of water each day. Common thinking is that most people are shy of the lower measures, never mind the newer amount.
Diet Among the foods recommended for healthy skin: oily foods like salmon, avocado, and of course olive oil; foods with a high water content, such as peppers, celery, and tomatoes; and foods with beta carotene, like carrots, sweet potato, and butternut squash. (The body converts beta carotene into Vitamin A, the vitamin associated most with healthy skin.)
All the above are typically high on lists of skin-friendly foods, but there are many more and plenty that weren’t as intuitive as those. Sunflower seeds, for example, make a few experts’ because of their high Vitamin E content (which protects the skin from sun damage) and high essential fatty acid content. Coconut milk has healing powers of food and for skin it came up as an internal and external remedy, being rich in Vitamins A and C, calcium, iron, and natural proteins which all contribute to a smooth skin. And the humble apple was top of one list for its Vitamin C content (improves firmness of skin).