Beautiful Through Healthy Eating: How Your Diet Shapes Skin, Hair & Wellbeing
Eating is an essential part of your lifestyle. It shapes how you feel on the inside and how you come across on the outside. Many people believe exercise and expensive make-up are enough for a well-groomed look. But it's mainly your diet that helps decide your inner and outer wellbeing. The right food supplies your cells with important nutrients – and those are exactly what make you glow from within. Let's look at how the right diet supports your wellbeing and your appearance.
What does “the right diet" actually mean?
A balanced diet is considered the basis for wellbeing worldwide. Here's what you can put on your plate for it:
- Legumes, fruit and vegetables: lots of vitamins, fibre and minerals with few calories
- Grains: bread, quinoa, brown rice, oats and the like
- Poultry, eggs, nuts and seeds, tofu (protein, fibre, iron)
- Dairy: yoghurt, milk, cheese
- Complex carbohydrates: pasta, potatoes, rice, whole-grain bread
- Water instead of sugary or heavily processed drinks
Note: Even healthy foods are best eaten in balanced amounts. Over the long run, very large portions can lead to excess weight and an energy slump.
How the right food affects how you look
What you eat also shows on the outside. A few examples:
- Skin: A nutrient-rich diet supports the body's own collagen formation, which contributes to skin elasticity. Heavily sugary foods such as sweets are better enjoyed sparingly.
- Weight: Whole foods such as salmon, chicken breast, potatoes, green vegetables and apples keep you full for a long time and provide plenty of nutrients.
- Hair: Nutrient-rich food helps hair look well-groomed and strong. Supply your body with vitamins such as A, B, E and C – found, for example, in nut butter, fish, oranges and eggs.
- Eyes: Carotenoids are pigments from kale, peas, spinach, carrots, parsley, apricots, melon, tomatoes and fennel – they make the eyes look more awake and bright.
- Lips: For supple lips, enough fluid is key above all. Strongly caffeinated, very spicy and salty foods tend to dry them out. Chia seeds, almonds, broccoli and spinach are a lovely addition.
- Teeth: A good diet and thorough dental care keep teeth and gums fit. Sugary drinks and sweets are best enjoyed sparingly.
Healthy eating: your 5-step checklist
Healthy eating doesn't mean going hungry, skipping meals or following strict crash diets. Healthy eating is a lifestyle made up of nutrient-rich food, enough exercise and small breaks. These rules help you along the way:
1. Know your calorie balance
Men and women have different calorie needs. Find out roughly how much energy your body needs – and keep an eye on your macronutrients too. Because not every calorie is equal: 100 calories from sprouts give your body something different than 100 calories from chocolate.
2. Choose minimally processed foods
Real, as-natural-as-possible foods are rich in nutrients and usually easy to digest. Fruit, vegetables, legumes and whole-grain products fall into this category and can land on your plate every day. Heavily processed products are better kept to a minimum.
3. Snack freely – but mindfully
Reaching for junk food regularly quickly becomes a habit. A portion of fries, a bar of chocolate or a slice of cheesecake can deliver as many calories as two full meals. So snack consciously – think nuts, fruit, dark chocolate or dried fruit. These snacks keep you going longer.
4. Reduce sugar wherever you can
Industrial sugar hides in many desserts, but also in packaged savoury products. Cut back on refined sugar wherever you can – the same goes for artificial sweeteners, flavourings and colourings. Instead of soda or a big bar of chocolate, reach for your water bottle and some fresh fruit. After a short adjustment phase, that often feels surprisingly good.
5. Serve yourself smaller portions
Mindful eating belongs in every healthy-eating checklist. A full plate tempts you to finish everything and to see that amount as “normal". Instead, take small portions and pause briefly after the first plate. Only if you're still truly hungry do you go back for more.
Nutrients for skin and hair: biotin, zinc and co.
Some nutrients play a special role for skin, hair and nails. Biotin contributes to the maintenance of normal skin and hair, zinc contributes to the maintenance of normal skin, hair and nails, and selenium contributes to the maintenance of normal hair and nails. You'll find these nutrients in eggs, nuts, seeds, whole grains, legumes and fish, for example. If you'd like to top up your diet specifically, you can consider a suitable supplement in addition to balanced meals.
Skin & Hair Capsules
A nutrient complex in convenient capsule form – as a supplement to a balanced, varied diet.
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Prices incl. VAT. Food supplements are not a substitute for a balanced, varied diet and a healthy lifestyle.
How healthy eating shows up in everyday life
If you follow the checklist, you can expect changes like these:
- fewer cravings
- more energy through the day
- better sleep
- less bloating
- a more balanced mood
- well-groomed-looking skin
A one-sided, heavily processed diet, on the other hand, can take a toll on your wellbeing – for instance through an energy slump, a dip in mood or a less clear complexion. Even small steps towards fresh, minimally processed foods often make a noticeable difference.
Frequently asked questions
Which foods are good for skin and hair?
Does sugar really affect the skin?
Is healthy eating alone enough for beautiful skin and hair?
More on healthy eating on the Surpresa Natural blog
Want to do more for your wellbeing? Then take a look at our Surpresa Natural blog. There you can read, for example, why collagen matters for skin and joints, which foods naturally help against inflammation and how natural and synthetic nutrients compare.