Beauty-boosting foods: put these nutritious foods on your menu for brighter, firmer, acne-free skin.(PERSONAL CARE: NATURAL BEAUTY)

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If it's true that you are what you eat, who wouldn't want to be more beautiful simply by eating beauty-boosting foods? As it turns out, the foods that are good for you on the inside are also good for you on the outside. Conversely, the condition of your skin, hair, and nails offers clues to the health of your entire body.

"Eating the right foods can help your skin fight acne, reduce redness and inflammation, resolve moisture problems, and even reduce wrinkles," says Allison Tannis, MS, RHN, nutritional scientist and the author of Feed Your Skin, Starve Your Wrinkles: Eat Your Way to Firmer, More Beautiful Skin with 100 Foods that Turn Back the Clock.

"The body becomes less able to digest and absorb nutrients as you age, and the result is that fewer skin-healthy nutrients from the foods you eat actually reach your skin. This means that the foods you eat need to have a greater concentration of skin-beautifying nutrients," says Tannis.

"Wellness, health, and beauty are intentions," according to Debra Luftman, MD, a dermatologist and coauthor of The Beauty Prescription: The Complete Formula for Looking and Feeling Beautiful. "What's good for your heart and weight is good for your skin and brain. Avoid the bad stuff: refined and processed foods, saturated fats, grease, high-sugar foods, and high-sodium foods. Good nutrition should consist of unprocessed food: fruit, vegetables, nuts, seeds, whole grains, healthy fats, and protein."

Best Foods for Skin

Luftman suggests eating avocados, wild salmon, herring, mackerel, eggs, walnuts, canola oil, and soybeans for their omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids, which moisturize your body from the inside out, helping to keep your skin supple and glowing.