12.8.20 Bye-Bye Dry Skin
“My skin is so dry it hurts,” I overheard one coworker say to another. Ouch, that sounds painful and in past years I have been in the same boat, reapplying lotion throughout the day and yet still shedding dry skin. For most of us this issue really shows up in the winter. Here is how it works!
This issue is best addressed from the inside out. Yes, clean, toxin free cosmetics and body products are so important! (My FNTP classmate @brookgrabowski with #beautycounter can help you with that!) But today let’s talk about the inside-out approach.
The NTA’s primary foundation of health is a nutrient dense, whole foods diet. What we eat are the building blocks for every cell in our body. Every one of our cells have a lipid (fat) bilayer that protects and regulates what goes in and out of the cell. If we are eating unhealthy fats or not enough fats, our cells will have compromised protection.
This is on a microscopic scale but blow it up to picture our skin as that bilayer. Skin, our bodies’ largest organ, is supposed to keep out the bad things and keep in everything that is us, right? In order to have moist, supple skin, those cells must be healthy!
Foods for healthy skin:
-wild caught fish: sardines, salmon, herring, mackerel
-avocados
-nuts and seeds (soaked and dried)
-coconut oil
-olive oil
-flaxseed oil (cold pressed, do not heat)
-chicken
-eggs
-citrus fruit
-berries
-sweet potatoes
-bell peppers
Many of us do not get enough good fats and especially omega 3s. For dry skin, and a plethora of other reasons, a fish oil supplement high in omega-3s is in my top 5 basic supplement recommendations for just about anyone and everyone. Spend the extra buck on a good brand as compromised omegas will only INCREASE inflammation rather than benefit you!
Trusted brands:
Biotics Research
Microbiome Labs
Innate Choice
Nordic Naturals