Haute Beauty expert Dr. Deepa Verma provides tips on what to eat to achieve radiant and youthful skin while emphasizing beauty comes from the inside out. 

Tips to achieve natural skin glow:

It may sound cliché, but you are what you eat. Your food is your medicine or your poison.

Beauty may be skin deep as the saying goes, but it goes much deeper.

Skin health starts from within.

As an integrative/anti-aging MD, I focus on 4 pillars of a healthy lifestyle to not only boost mental and physical wellness but to ultimately achieve a radiant glow. My 4 pillars are clean diet/good gut health, exercise, restorative sleep, and stress reduction. In addition, stay well hydrated, use organic & medical-grade skincare, limit excessive sun exposure, avoid smoking, minimize alcohol consumption and do preventative maintenance with RF microneedling and laser skin resurfacing to boost collagenesis. I always check gut health in my patients as that is the foundation for healthy skin.

Photo Credit: ShutterstockFoods to eat for healthy skin:

My motto for youthful skin is to eat the colors of the rainbow with an array of fruits and vegetables, and foods that Mother Earth provides us. Perishable foods are key, not artificial and synthetic chemicals or foods made in a lab.

I am a plant-based advocate and recommend avoiding inflammatory foods such as meat and dairy which can cause a host of problems including acne and dull, lifeless skin.

Concentrate on foods high in antioxidants and vitamins and minerals to nourish skin, hair, and nails.

Collagen peptides are great for the skin to slow down the aging process.

Here is a list of some of my top foods that can contribute to glowing skin:

Olives, tomatoes, broccoli, sweet potatoes, avocados, nuts, spinach, salmon, green tea, carrots, beets, lentils, watermelon, cucumbers, pumpkin seeds, flax, chia seeds, berries, oranges, turmeric, ginger, quinoa, brazil nuts. Make sure to drink plenty of water. As I mentioned above, choose your skincare products wisely. Talk to your physician.

Photo Credit: ShutterstockHow food impacts skin:

Eating the wrong types of food can drastically affect the quality of your skin. Unhealthy foods can accelerate the formation of wrinkles, skin laxity, dryness, discoloration, rashes, rosacea, and inflammation. When foods are laden with artificial chemicals and preservatives and dyes, the skin quality takes a nosedive. Our skin is the largest organ and serves as a barrier to external elements. When that barrier, the skin, is compromised, then a whole host of disease processes can occur. This is why it is so important to keep the skin healthy and strong.

Foods to avoid that can damage skin quality:

Meat, dairy, processed foods, deep-fried foods, soda, coffee, candy, white flour, gluten, refined sugar, energy drinks, foods laden with pesticides and chemicals (think only organic), saturated fats (found mainly in meats and dairy).

I said it once and I will say it again…YOU ARE WHAT YOU EAT.

Nourish your mind-body-spirit with fresh foods and natural colors, and your skin will thank you for it.

Live well, age well.