Eat Your Skincare: Why Healthy Skin Starts From Within
We talk a lot about skincare.
Serums. Creams. Oils. Balms. Hydrosols. Ingredients. Routines.
And I absolutely believe in caring for your skin from the outside.
But there is something I think we sometimes forget:
Your skin is part of your body.
And healthy skin doesn’t begin in a little glass jar.
It begins with how we nourish ourselves.
That doesn’t mean you need a perfect diet, a cabinet full of supplements, or some complicated “skin diet.” In fact, I think we’ve made beauty far more complicated than it needs to be.
For me, it comes back to something much simpler:
Eat real food. Nourish your gut. Get plenty of nutrients. Support your body’s natural processes. And then nourish your skin from the outside, too.
Your skin needs nourishment, too.
Your skin is constantly working.
It’s protecting you from the outside world, helping regulate temperature, preventing excessive water loss, and acting as part of your immune system.
That takes nutrients.
Protein. Healthy fats. Vitamins. Minerals. Antioxidants.
And while no single food is going to magically give you perfect skin, consistently eating a nutrient-dense diet gives your body the raw materials it needs to do what it was designed to do.
The American Academy of Dermatology recommends getting nutrients through a balanced diet rather than relying on beauty supplements when you’re otherwise healthy. (American Academy of Dermatology)
So instead of asking, “What supplement will give me better skin?”
I like asking: “What can I put on my plate today that will nourish my whole body?”
Start with protein
Your skin is made up largely of proteins, including collagen and elastin.
That doesn’t mean eating collagen automatically sends collagen straight to your face. Digestion breaks proteins down into amino acids, which your body then uses where they’re needed.
But your body needs adequate protein and amino acids to build and maintain tissues.
This is one reason I love foods like:
- Bone broth
- Grass-fed beef
- Pastured pork
- Pastured chicken
- Eggs
- Sardines and other fish
- Other properly sourced, nutrient-dense meats
Bone broth is particularly popular because it contains collagen-derived amino acids and other nutrients, but I don’t think we need to put all our hopes into one trendy food. Eat the whole animal. Eat a variety of foods. Give your body the building blocks it needs.
Don’t be afraid of healthy fats
For years, fat got such a bad reputation.
But your body needs fat.
And your skin needs lipids to help maintain its protective barrier.
That’s why I love foods like:
Avocados.
Egg yolks.
Sardines.
Walnuts.
Olive oil.
Pastured animal fats.
These foods provide different types of fats along with other vitamins and nutrients.
And this is one of the reasons I don’t believe in the idea that beautiful skin comes from eating as little fat as possible.
Your body needs nourishment, not deprivation.
Zinc, iron and the little things that matter
Sometimes we focus so much on the big nutrients that we forget about the minerals.
Zinc and iron are two nutrients involved in many important processes throughout the body.
Zinc supports normal immune function, wound healing and cell processes.
Iron is essential for carrying oxygen throughout the body.
And rather than immediately reaching for a supplement, I love looking at food first.
Things like:
- Beef
- Oysters and other shellfish
- Sardines
- Eggs
- Meat
- Pumpkin seeds
- Beans and lentils
- Dark leafy greens
The goal isn’t to obsess over individual nutrients.
It’s to eat a wide variety of nutrient-dense foods regularly.
That’s where the magic of food really is.
Your colorful vegetables are doing more than adding color to your plate
Carrots.
Tomatoes.
Peppers.
Leafy greens.
Squash.
Berries.
All those beautiful colors come from naturally occurring plant compounds, including carotenoids and other antioxidants.
Vitamin C is particularly interesting when we talk about skin because it’s involved in collagen formation and also functions as an antioxidant. Foods such as peppers and citrus fruits are excellent sources. And this is another reason I don’t believe in eating the exact same five “superfoods” every day.
Eat the rainbow.
Different foods contain different nutrients and plant compounds.
Your body doesn’t need another expensive powder as much as it needs a colorful, varied diet.
And then there’s your gut.
This is the part I find especially fascinating.
Your gut and your skin aren’t completely separate worlds.
Researchers are increasingly studying what’s called the gut-skin axis—the communication between the gastrointestinal system and the skin, including the role of the microbiome, immune system and other biological pathways. (PubMed)
In other words:
What’s happening inside your body can influence what’s happening at the skin level.
That doesn’t mean every breakout is because you have “bad gut health.”
And it certainly doesn’t mean every skin condition can be cured by fixing your gut.
But it does mean that I don’t want to think about skincare as something that exists only from the neck up.
Feed your gut, too.
Your gut microbiome is influenced by many things, including the foods you eat.
So rather than jumping into an extreme elimination diet every time your skin acts up, start with the basics.
Eat more whole foods.
Eat plenty of plants.
Get enough fiber.
Include a variety of foods.
Eat fermented foods if they work well for you.
And don’t forget the basics that aren’t food at all:
Sleep.
Movement.
Hydration.
Stress management.
Time outside.
Your body is one interconnected system.
Your skin doesn’t exist in isolation.
What about acne, eczema and other skin conditions?
This is where I think we need to have some nuance.
If you’ve struggled with acne, eczema, psoriasis, rosacea or another skin condition, you’ve probably heard a million different opinions about what you “shouldn’t” eat.
No dairy.
No gluten.
No sugar.
No eggs.
No nightshades.
No this.
No that.
And suddenly you’re afraid to eat anything.
I don’t believe in that approach.
Diet can play a role in some skin conditions, but there isn’t one universal “skin diet.”
For example, research suggests that a lower-glycemic dietary pattern may help some people with acne, although the evidence isn’t definitive. The American Academy of Dermatology also notes that some studies have linked cow’s milk with acne, while yogurt and cheese have not shown the same association. (American Academy of Dermatology).
For me personally dairy does inflame my skin- this didn't start until after I had my daughter. So I do avoid it. I also don't eat gluten ever and don't miss it a bit! I lost 25 pounds by applying the GAPS diet to my life and not consuming gluten. I recommend an elimination diet but just know it can take 90 days to see results! This is not a immediate result type of approach but this is a root cause approach!
Don’t forget the skin barrier.
This is where what we put on our skin comes into the picture.
Your skin has a barrier that helps keep moisture in and protects you from the outside environment.
And when that barrier becomes irritated or damaged, skin can become dry, sensitive, itchy and reactive.
This is why I’m such a believer in keeping skincare simple.
Instead of constantly stripping, scrubbing, exfoliating and adding stronger and stronger products, sometimes your skin needs something much simpler:
Cleanse gently.
Hydrate.
Nourish.
Protect.
This is why I believe in both.
I don’t think you have to choose between eating well and having a good skincare routine.
Do both.
Eat the steak.
Eat the avocado.
Eat the sardines.
Eat the carrots and tomatoes.
Eat the walnuts.
Make the bone broth.
Eat your eggs.
Eat the vegetables.
Nourish your gut.
And then take care of your skin from the outside with ingredients that respect the skin barrier.
That’s the philosophy behind the way I make skincare at Willow Moon.
We’re not trying to convince you that one cream will fix everything.
We’re not trying to create a 12-step routine.
We’re interested in something much more old-fashioned:
Nourishing the body.
Nourishing the skin.
Using simple ingredients.
And getting back to the basics.
Because sometimes the most beautiful thing you can do for your skin isn’t another product.
Sometimes it’s sitting down to a nourishing meal made from real food.
And sometimes…
you really can eat your skincare.