Although you can’t stop aging, you can help your skin look younger by maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Besides getting enough sleep, exercising regularly, cutting down on alcohol, and eating specific fruit and vegetables has proven successful in improving your skin’s health. Let’s look at four vegetables with the highest concentrations of zinc, vitamins A and C, and antioxidants, the most valuable nutrients for healthy skin.
1. Bell Peppers
Bell peppers are packed with vitamins A and C. In fact, the red variety of this delicious vegetable contains almost 170% of the recommended daily amount of vitamin C. This vitamin is crucial for healthy skin as it stimulates collagen production.
2. Tomatoes
This versatile vegetable (or fruit, depending on who you ask) is rich in many nutrients, the most important being vitamin C and an antioxidant called lycopene. This antioxidant helps repair skin damage and diminishes changes in skin texture over time. If you cook the tomato, it will release more lycopene. However, fresh tomatoes contain more vitamin C, so your skin will be taken care of regardless of how you consume this healthy vegetable.
3. Broccoli
Broccoli is an excellent source of vitamin C, zinc, and lutein. Zinc is an antioxidant that plays a major role in helping skin heal from a wound, including sun damage injuries. As for lutein, this carotenoid increases skin elasticity and guards it against damaging sun exposure.
4. Purple Cabbage
While not on bell pepper’s level, purple cabbage still packs a mighty amount of vitamin C. A single cup of this vibrant vegetable covers 50% of the daily recommended vitamin C intake. In addition, purple cabbage is full of vitamin A and an antioxidant called anthocyanin, which can help heal the skin after suffering UV damage.
