Top 7 Fruits for Glowing Skin You Need in Your Diet

The basis for our overall health, well-being, and beauty is a proper and well-balanced diet. Conversely, unhealthy nutrition, rich in sugars and saturated fats, harms our metabolism and damages all the organs in our body, including the largest one – the skin.

As Sophia Loren once said: The mirror of your health is your skin – And what's more important for your health than fruits rich in vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants?

In this article, we'll take a glimpse at some of the best fruits you can add to your diet to get that healthy glow.

#1: Avocado

And yes, avocados are, in fact, fruits. This delicious fruit is chock-full of unsaturated fats, omega-3 fatty acids, and vitamins A, E, and D. These nutrients are essential for strengthening the skin's moisture barrier, making it more resilient and elastic. In addition, avocados contain particular enzymes and proteins that protect the skin from harmful UV rays [source]. Therefore, in the long run, adding avocados to your menu will have an excellent anti-aging effect on your skin, making it firmer and with fewer fine lines and wrinkles.

Extra tip: Add avocado cubes to your salads or use it as a spread on your breakfast toast. In addition, you can DIY avocado face masks by mashing half a ripe avocado and mixing it with one tablespoon of honey.

#2: Banana

Bananas are a rich source of a variety of minerals, antioxidants, and amino acids. Vitamins A, C, and E and minerals, like magnesium and potassium, found in bananas, are essential for protecting the skin against free radical damage and ensuring the normal functioning of skin cells. In addition, bananas are jam-packed with silica, the so-called beauty mineral. This mineral is vital for collagen synthesis in our skin, making it firm, elastic, and wrinkle-free [source].

Extra tip: Of course, bananas are so delicious, that you can eat them without anything else – just peel them, and you're good to go. But they also make a great addition to your breakfast porridge, yogurt, or fruit smoothies. And just like with avocados, you can make super-nourishing face masks with mashed banana and honey, aloe vera gel, or turmeric.

#3: Watermelon

This pink beauty consists of more than 90% of water, providing your skin with that much-needed hydration. Watermelons are also loaded with vitamins and antioxidants, nourishing the skin and protecting it from pollutants. However, the major players in this superfood are citrulline and lycopene. Citrulline is an essential amino acid with anti-aging properties. While lycopene is a red pigment, providing watermelons with that scrumptious pink color and acting as a potent antioxidant at the same time, safeguarding the skin from damaging UV rays and improving its tone and texture [source].

Extra tip: Sprinkle your green salad with some watermelon cubes and slices of cheese. For bonus perks, besides having a watermelon slice as a refreshing summer snack, you can also apply its juice topically. Blend watermelon flesh, seeds, and rind, and drain the juice. Soak a cotton pad in it and dab on cleansed face. Leave it on for about 15 minutes, then rinse. It will soothe any irritations and give you that instant glow.

#4: Kiwi

This small but mighty green wonder is packed with nutrients essential for our overall health as well as the health of our skin, offering a variety of skin-loving benefits, from anti-aging to moisturizing. Vitamin C or ascorbic acid is the essential nutrient of kiwifruit, contributing to the normal collagen formation inside the skin. Besides vitamin C, kiwis are rich in vitamin E, folate, potassium, antioxidants, and unique proteins crucial for maintaining the skin's natural barrier and protecting the skin from outside influences [source].

Extra tip: If you find plain kiwi too sour, you can slice it up and make a fruit salad with kiwi, peaches, bananas, Greek yogurt, and honey. Also, you could add it to your smoothies or green salads.

#5: Citrus Fruits

Citrus fruits, such as oranges, lemons, limes, mandarins, and grapefruits, contain ample amounts of vitamin C, necessary for the production of healthy collagen fibers – the skin's framework. In addition, these fruits are abundant in other skin-loving macronutrients, such as niacin (or vitamin B3), folate, potassium, magnesium, vitamin B6, pantothenic acid, and riboflavin. All of these nutrients have potent anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties, essential for skin health [source].

Extra tip: Have a freshly squeezed orange juice in the morning to kick-start the day with that energy boost. One OJ contains all the antioxidants you need per day to keep your complexion healthy and happy.

#6: Berries

Berries are another excellent source of vitamin C, if not the best – strawberries have more vitamin C than oranges! Besides vitamin C, berries, including strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, blueberries, and others, contain ample amounts of ellagic acid and phenolic compounds that act as powerful antioxidants. Therefore, these fruits protect the skin from UV damage, boost skin immunity, soothe inflammation, and promote wound healing [source].

Extra tip: To make them even yummier, have them with your morning oatmeal and a little bit of honey or mix them in your chia pudding or a smoothie.

#7: Papaya

If you want amazing skin, another fruit you need in your diet is papaya. This tropical fruit contains high amounts of antioxidant compounds that protect the skin against both intrinsic and extrinsic oxidative stress, preventing skin aging. The antioxidants found in papaya include caffeic acid, rutin, quercetin, myricetin, α-tocopherol, papain, kaempferol, and benzyl isothiocyanate [source]. These compounds also exhibit anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial properties, helping heal various skin infections, lesions, eczema, and others.

Extra tip: Have a bowl of papaya as your morning or evening snack, or blend it with your smoothies. Also, if you feel especially creative, you can mix up a papaya face mask – mash a small piece of papaya and mix it with your favorite facial oil. Apply the mask to the cleansed skin and rinse after 15 minutes.

Takeaway...

Bear in mind that having healthy and glowing skin is usually the result of all-around effort. So surely, incorporating these fruits into your daily menu will be incredibly beneficial. But to ensure your overall health, thus the health of your skin, you need to pay attention to many other factors, such as a well-balanced diet, regular physical activity, proper skincare, and finding ways to relax and de-stress.

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