What Does Your Dry Skin Tell You About Your Diet?

The winters are here! Dry skin is one factor that certainly prevent us from enjoying winters in all its glory. Perhaps the problem is beyond the fixes and mends on the surface levels. Your diet.

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Highlights

Dry skin is a common problem
Your dry skin conveys a lot about your diet
Absence of a balanced diet is one of the reasons for dry skin

The winters are here! While we are all loving the nip in the air, there are plenty of things about winters that makes us dread the season as much as we love it. Dry skin is one such factor that certainly prevent us from enjoying winters in all its glory. In fact, dry skin is a mood killer all the time, regardless of the season. Trying all sorts of creams and cosmetics under the sun are also at times not enough to fix the dry and dehydrated skin. Perhaps the problem is beyond the fixes and mends on the surface levels. Your diet, for instance has a lot to do with what shows up on your skin.

Here's what your dry skin tells about your diet?

According to Dipali Mathur Dayal, Co-Founder, Magnifique, your dry skin conveys a lot about your diet. "Dry skin tells us that the body is dry within, there is a lack in essential oils that is required to keep the skin soft and supple, or the fact the tissues are sinking and the ageing is happening. Dry skin in children is very rare or because of ectodermal dysplasia which is kind of a genetic disorder. Otherwise, children usually do not have dry skin."

Bangalore based nutritionist Dr. Anju Sood says, "There are largely two important factors which can lead to dry skin. One is genetics and the other is your diet. In the absence of a balanced diet, your skin finds it difficult to nourish itself due to the unavailability of vital nutrients."

Dry skin has a lot to do with your dietOur skin is made up of fats, hence for nourished skin it is important to have fats. Now that doesn't mean you start noshing into the junk and trans kinds. There are several better sources of fat that should be part of your daily diet. According to consultant nutritionists Dr. Rupali Dutta, "Dry skin could be the indication of the fact that you aren't consuming adequate fat. We say 15 percent of calories should come from fats and oil. These days when people get extra conscious about fat intake then sometimes it can go low. That could be one of the reasons. Primarily it is the weather. It soaks up the moisture and because of cold, the skin goes dry. We can prevent it by having adequate antioxidants, Vitamin E, Vitamin C, Vitamin A. We should consume citrus fruits and green vegetables. Non-veg food is also a good source of Vitamin A but that you can't have too much as it contains too much of cholesterol and saturated fat. So whatever is the recommended amount you can have that." There are a lot of things that can contribute to a dry skin. According to Dr. Dipali, "Not having essential oils, primrose, oleic acid, palmitic acid could be one of them. To nourish your skin, one should eat flax seeds in the morning with corn flakes oats. We should drink more water and have more juices. We should avoid tea and coffee." As per Dr. Sood, "One should make it a point to load up on all vitamins and nutrients, but for skin mainly one should have lots of Vitamin A, C. D and E. These are important vitamins which are required for the lubricating of dry skin. However, the most important of them all is adequate consumption of water. One has to have minimum of eight-ten glasses of water every day to have a beautiful skin." According to Dr. Rupali, "One has to take the recommended amounts of fat. The National Institute of Nutrition and ICMR have recommended 15 percent of calories from visible fat. Vitamin A, C and E are other nutrients that are a must for a nourished skin."

What should you have to battle dry skin?

1. Sweet potatoesSweet potatoes are packed with Vitamin A. Vitamin A is essential for skin repair. The high quantity of beta carotene in it also helps shield the skin from dryness.

_{Sweet potatoes are packed with Vitamin A which boosts skin health}

2.Nuts and SeedsPacked with antioxidants, vitamin E and essential fatty acids, nuts and seeds play a pivotal role in nourishing the body from within. Regular nut consumption can repair skin cell damage from free radicals and accelerates the process of skin cell repair and regeneration.

_{Nuts and seeds play a pivotal role in nourishing the body from within}

3.SpinachLoad up on these greens to have a supple and beautiful skin. The antioxidants present in the nutritious greens helps prevent oxidative damage. The skin-friendly vitamin E, Vitamin A and C present in this leafy vegetable helps in the skin repair process.

_{The antioxidants present in the nutritious greens helps prevent oxidative damage}4. Fish
Fish tops the chart when you talk about 'good fats'. The essential fatty acids in fish can do wonders to your skin and hair health. Fish is one of the richest sources of omega 3 and iron too
.

_{Fish tops the chart when you talk about 'good fats'}

5. Avocadoes
A rich source of antioxidants, betacarotene, folate, omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin C and E, the buttery fruit is your best companion when it comes to skin woes._{Avocadoes rich source in antioxidants}Load up on these foods and keep dry skin at bay.

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About Sushmita SenguptaSharing a strong penchant for food, Sushmita loves all things good, cheesy and greasy. Her other favourite pastime activities other than discussing food includes, reading, watching movies and binge-watching TV shows.

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