How can fruit and veg benefit our skin?

Always eating your five a day is something that’s been drummed into us for goodness knows how many years, but what are the actual benefits of doing this?

Obviously it’s better than eating chips and burgers for every meal but I can’t say I know loads about what vitamins do what and what I should eat to achieve certain attributes.

For a summer glow, Miguel Toribio-Mateas, a leading nutritionist and advisor to Astral Light & Moisturiser, has given the low down on what we should be eating.

He advised that the best way to do this is to “eat a rainbow of different coloured fruit and vegetables”.

The brightly coloured pigments in plants are called phytonutrients and many studies have shown “the ability of these natural substances to protect us from the same elements also, resulting in healthier, radiant looking skin,” Mr Toribio-Mateas claimed.

For skin health we’re meant to look out for words like carotenoids, flavonoids and isoflavones, which are “particularly akin to skin health”.

Carotenoids involve the yellow, red and orange pigments in foods such as peppers, tomatoes and oranges.

They’re also found in dark, green, leafy veg like spinach and kale.

Flavonoids are the reddish pigments available in red grapes and some citrus fruits while isoflavones are most commonly found in lentils, soy beans and other legumes, according to the expert.

Basically the message is clear, the brighter the fruit and vegetables we eat the more likely our skin will have all the basic vitamins and nutrients it needs to look smooth, healthy and wonderfully glowing.

If you’ve been feeling a bit run down lately I recommend you try creating meals with five natural colours or more, it can be a bit of a challenge but trust me it’s usually pretty tasty!

It doesn’t have to just be salads, why not try making a casserole or a risotto?

What’s your favourite healthy snack this summer?

Posted by Elsa Pienaar