Nutrition Corner: Skin and Hair Care from the Inside Out

Glowing skin and luxuriant hair are a reflection of a nutritious well-rounded diet. Essential fatty acids, including omega-3s, play a key role in skin and hair health—look for them in fatty fish, flax and chia seeds, walnuts, almonds, spinach, and cruciform vegetables. Protein is also critical so aim for a daily serving of fish, chicken, eggs, or soy. Collagen and elastin are proteins that maintain skin integrity, keeping it firm and plump while Vitamins A, C, D, and E help combat dryness. Trace minerals like iron, magnesium, zinc, and biotin along with folic acid and Vitamins B6 and B12 are important for hair growth. Foods with a plentiful supply of B6 are bananas, potatoes, and spinach while major sources of B12 include meat, poultry, fish, and dairy. Folic acid is found in fresh fruits, especially citrus, many vegetables, whole grains, beans, and lentils.

Traditional Asian foods which have been used for millennia to support healthy skin and hair include squid or calamari, black soybeans, black sesame seeds, lotus root, Chinese pine nuts, Chinese yam, Chinese cabbage, Chinese cucumbers, Chinese dates or jujubes, Chinese tofu, royal jelly, bee pollen, and Asian mushrooms like wood ear, enoki, oyster, and shitake. Eat well, feel well, look well!