Skin-deep; eat your way to glowing skin - KBC

True beauty is skin-deep and all you have to do is include these things into your diet

Walk around Nairobi and you’ll be sure to run into a makeup artist. The rise of makeup artists also means the rise of Kenyan makeup brands such as Joanna K Cosmetics, Huddah cosmetics, Suzie Beauty and the list goes on. Although this is great for every woman in need of a face beat, it also means more and more people are opting to cover up their blemishes rather than deal with them.

We don’t dispute that there are makeup artists out there who would put Rembrandt to shame, but we do think that before you buy your next concealer to cover up that troublesome bit of acne, you should deal with the reason you have acne in the first place.

Intrigued? Here are five foods you should incorporate into your diet to give your skin a healthy glow.

Water

You can’t start this list without including water. Water is the cheapest most effective way to achieve skin-deep beauty. Water helps flush out toxins from the body and also helps replenish water in cells.

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Moringa

Moringa is rich in carotenoids which accumulate under the skin and prevent against damage from UV light. Think sunscreen but from within, now who doesn’t want that?

You can buy moringa powder in any Kenyan supermarket. You can use it in smoothies, tea, soup, bake with it or shake it into salads.

Beetroot

It might not taste like much but there is no denying its health benefits. Beetroot is rich in Vitamin A, potassium, sodium, calcium, magnesium and Vitamin E which makes it a perfect all body cleanser. The key to clearer skin is a body free of toxins.

You can get beetroot at most vegetable markets. You can make a smoothie with it or add it to a salad.

Tomatoes

If you all you do with tomatoes is cook them, then you’re not giving them the credit they deserve. Tomatoes aid in the production of collagen which helps keep the skin taut and firm. Eat more raw tomatoes is the point here.

Avocadoes

It’s debatable, but avocadoes are God’s gift to man. You can eat them, you can smear them all over your face, put them in your hair and they will still come through for you. Avocadoes are dependable; we should all aspire to be as dependable as avocadoes.

For the purposes of this article, however, all you need to know is that avocadoes are rich in Vitamin E which helps give the skin its vibrancy and vitality and it also contains Vitamins C which helps in the reduction of skin inflammations.

Garlic

Garlic contains a chemical called allicin which is responsible for killing bacteria and viruses which cause acne and skin infections.

The only downside to eating raw garlic is that you’re going to need to walk around like lots and lots of gum. It’s up to you to weigh the benefits of skin-deep beauty against the detriments of bad breath. No one said this would be easy.