by Rosannie Murillo

Created on: October 08, 2008   Last Updated: October 14, 2008

Let's face it; who doesn't dream of healthy flawless skin? Of waking up in the morning and not having to fill our faces with makeup and creams to hide those oh-so irritating blemishes, blackheads, spots and zits? There are millions of treatments, creams and other products out on the market that promise and even guarantee us that perfect flawless skin in a matter of weeks, but basically when it comes right down to it, the key to that beautiful skin we desire is in maintaining a good nutrition. No other product will help your skin feel refreshed and renewed if we ourselves don't treat our skin to the vitamins and minerals it needs inside the foods and drinks contain them to their fullest.

One of the most essential drinks a person can have to maintain their skin healthy and clean is simply just water. Water humidifies our skin cells eliminating toxins and wastes, preventing blackheads and blemishes and leaving our skin radiant and soft.

Many vitamins and minerals, like A, C and E are greatly influential to our skin as well. People with deficiencies with these and other vitamins tend to have a drier skin than people with more balanced quantities and it also may not heal as quickly. In severe cases, dry skin may even crack and bleed. Diets including these vitamins can be found in foods such as carrots, sweet potatoes, spinach, broccoli, nuts and almonds.

Other vitamins such as B and B1 and B6 are also very helpful to our skin, keeping our circulation normal, eliminating aging spots and preventing eczema.

Aside from vitamins, certain minerals are also essential in the production of healthy skin. Iron produces the healthy pink glow we have upon our skin and zinc can also help our skin by helping it heal faster from any kind of wound.

As well as water, fiber can also be very beneficial towards our skin preventing constipation. We can find great sources of fiber inside food like apples, brown rice, beans, broccoli, raisins and nuts.

Another type of food that can help us, believe it or not is fish. Fish contains certain oils that our skin uses to effectively moisture itself. It is suggested that we consume at least one meal a day containing fish to achieve this goal.

Dairy products cannot be left out of our diet towards healthy flawless skin, especially milk; although some studies suggest its contrary effect on our skin.

Foods such as blueberries, blackberries, strawberries, plums and prunes all contain high oxidant levels which can prevent premature aging signs on our skin. On the contrary, all sorts of junk food have the opposite effects on our skin as these types of food are full of caffeine, grease and sugars than can really damage our skin. The excess of foods such as chocolate and fast food are proven to damage our skin through their Trans and saturated fat. Also, the excess of alcohol and caffeine can upstart the process of premature aging on our skin. Preserved foods can also play leading roles affecting our skin by causing it to break and develop certain food allergies towards it, thus it is recommended to be conscious of which foods we introduce into our body.

The main point towards achieving a healthy skin is all in its balance. We all know excess is bad, so it will be important to maintain that balance of the foods we eat and the frequency of when we eat them so we can satisfy our hunger without damaging our healthy skin.

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