What to Eat to Get Stronger and Healthy Skin

Eating is the consumption of food, usually in order to supply the organisms with energy and also to enable growth. Food is not only consumed for its nutritional content but also because it gives pleasure and satisfaction to the appetite. The joy that people feel when eating are because of the nutrients contained in the food that stimulate the senses and emotions. There are 4 basic categories of foods and they are carbohydrates, proteins, fats and vitamins.

Carbohydrates are divided into simple and complex. Simple carbohydrates can be found in foods such as fruits, vegetables, cereals and breads whereas complex carbohydrates are found in foods like rice, potatoes, pasta and whole wheat breads. A diet that helps you lose weight is one that has a high intake of simple carbohydrates. The main reason behind consuming carbohydrates is that they are easily converted into energy. As a result, people have a lot of energy to carry out physical activities.

When it comes to fat, we can divide it into three categories, namely saturated fat, trans-fatty and monounsaturated fat. Saturated fat is considered bad for health, while monounsaturated fat is beneficial since it has a lot of nutrients. Trans-fatty is very dangerous because its calories are harder to burn compared to other types of fats and therefore it leads to gaining weight.

Essential fatty acids are found in plants and animal foods. These are omega-3 fatty acids that act as a protection for the DNA cells against the destructive effects of oxygen. They also help in cell membranes by acting as molecules and improving their functions. Vitamin E is an essential fatty acid that is commonly deficient in most people.

Vitamins A, B, C and D are also very important for good skin health. However, some experts say that a lack of vitamin A may lead to dry skin while others say that vitamin B is helpful in preventing dry skin. Meanwhile, vitamin C helps the body in producing collagen and keeping it youthful. Meanwhile, vitamin D promotes calcium absorption from the intestines and it also regulates the production of skin cells.

Some fats have more health benefits than others. Most fats found in our foods today are unsaturated fatty acids found in palm oil, sunflower oil and safflower oils. While these types of fats have longer shelf life, eating too much of them can result to weight gain and poor skin health. So, do not be fooled by labels like “low-fat”, “heart-healthy” or “heart-protective”.