Beautiful skin on the outside begins with good health on the inside. You can slather on as much cream and moisturizer as you want, but if you’re not eating healthy don’t expect to have the warm glow and clear complexion that comes from giving your skin the proper supply of nutrients and antioxidants. You’ll never look your absolute best unless you eat right.

Amazing Antioxidants

Free radicals are nasty little molecules that come from pollutants, pesticides, cigarette smoke, and other things we encounter daily. They attack the cells in the body, cause diseases, and can even damage DNA. Your skin is particularly susceptible to free radical damage, and almost all of the signs of aging skin are caused by them.

However, your body has a way to fight back. Antioxidants are the body’s fuel for strengthening cells and fighting off free radicals. Eating a diet rich in antioxidants is one of the best things you can do to fight the aging process.

Foods Your Skin Will Love

Now that you know how valuable antioxidants are for healthy, young-looking skin, let’s take a look at some common (and not so common) antioxidant-rich foods that you should be eating whenever possible.

Grapes
Grapes are high in polyphenols, antioxidants which destroy free radicals and give your skin fighting chance. They also contain resveratrol, another antioxidant which has been proven to protect skin and fight skin cancer. And, since we know you’re wondering, you can get these benefits from drinking red wine.

Citrus Fruits
Oranges, grapefruits, lemons, and kiwis are all great sources of Vitamin C, which helps to produce collagen. Collagen is responsible for keeping your skin firm and reducing wrinkles.

Green Tea

Green tea has long been touted for its many health and weight loss benefits, but did you know it’s great for your skin as well? In fact, it has so many powerful, skin protecting antioxidants that many topical creams actually contain green tea extract.

The Shiga University of Medical Science demonstrated just how beneficial tea can be for skin, when it carried out a study of tea’s effect on a skin disease called atopic dermatitis. The study found that 64% of atopic dermatitis sufferers reported an improvement in their skin condition from consistent consumption.

We highly recommend adding green tea to your diet. If for some reason you don’t enjoy the taste, you can also get the same benefits by taking green tea extract.

Cocoa
Here’s a surprising one. It seems that cocoa has an extremely high concentration of anti-aging antioxidants. Yep, you read that right. Eating dark chocolate actually helps your skin! However, this only applies to pure, high quality dark chocolate. The sugary milk chocolate in a candy bar isn’t going to help you in the slightest.

Olive Oil
Cooking with extra virgin olive oil is a great way to get some extra antioxidants and omega 3 fatty acids in your diet. Omega 3’s are great for your body and reduce your skin cancer risk. Olive oil also contains linoleic acid which helps prevent dry, flaky skin.

Whole Grains
Whole grain breads and pastas contain more antioxidants than their nutritionally-challenged Wonder Bread type cousins. Whole grains also contain higher amounts of fiber, an essential part of a healthy skin diet.

Berries

Colorful fruits like strawberries, blueberries, and cranberries contain high amounts of skin repairing antioxidants along with a heaping helping of Vitamin C.

While we’re mentioning berries, there’s an exciting new one that nutritionists are raving about. The acai berry found in the Amazon Rainforest contains more antioxidants than any food on earth. Skin creams with acai berry are showing up, and you can also find it in juice or powdered supplement format.