That woman you see in the gym with perfect skin may not be investing a small fortune in the latest research-driven creams. She may not have her skin therapist on speed dial and she may not even have her mum to thank for picture-perfect genes!

She may just be shopping wisely! So this afternoon, when you’re doing battle with Durban rush hour traffic, take a detour to your local supermarket and buy yourself some great skin!

Certain foods are crammed with skin-hydrating, sun-protecting, and even wrinkle-preventing powers. ECR Life came across this article on the The Times of India website. This shopping list was put together by leading US dermatologist Amy Wechsler:

Firm and bright
The skin doc’s three top picks: sweet potatoes, tomatoes, and cantaloupe.

What they do: Top up your skin’s supply of antioxidants, so they’re ready to scarf up free radicals whenever they make an appearance. Free radicals are highly reactive oxygen molecules that damage cells and contribute to just about everything that can go wrong with skin, from dryness to wrinkles.

Fresh and juicy
Your body can’t store much wrinkle-fighting vitamin C, so you need to replenish your supplies all the time. And the easiest way to do that is have some citrus every day.
The skin doc’s four top picks: oranges, lemons, limes, and grapefruit.

What they do: Keep skin’s vitamin C levels high. While C is a nifty antioxidant, that’s not the key reason it’s here. It helps keep collagen – the supportive protein fibers that stop skin from sagging – strong and resilient. (Flimsy collagen means lines and wrinkles.) Since collagen breakdown really picks up in your mid-30s, eat citrus early and often to head off aging.

Smoothing and soothing
There’s a particularly potent antioxidant known as EGCG that does all kinds of good things for your skin. The best place to find it is in tea: black, green, or white (not herbal). The skin doc’s #1 pick: green tea. While all true teas contain EGCG, the various types of green tea have the most.

What it does: Gives your skin a healthy dose of EGCG, which is a great multi-tasker. EGCG puts a damper on inflammatory chemicals involved in acne and sun-related skin aging, it helps prevent skin cancer; and it has a lion-tamer effect on tumor cells. What’s more, green tea contains L-theanine, a de-tensing amino acid – and anything you can do to stanch the flow of the stress hormone cortisol helps keep collagen fibers intact.

Dark and green
Certain dark green veggies, whether they’re fresh, frozen, raw, or steamed, really deliver on vitamin A, one of the most skin-essential vitamins going.
The skin doc’s three top picks: spinach, turnip greens, and broccoli.

What they do: Deliver a hefty supply of vitamin A, which supports skin-cell turnover, the process that keeps cell growth and development humming along flawlessly. Without enough A, skin becomes dry, tough, and scaly.

Fish faves
Several cold-water catches give your skin a double benefit: age-fighting omega-3 fatty acids and the restorative powers of protein.
The skin doc’s seven top picks: salmon, trout, tuna, sardines, Atlantic mackerel, Pacific herring, and most shellfish.
Just don’t go overboard. As good as omega-3s are for skin (and the rest of you, too), worries about the amount of mercury in many fish mean it’s smart to limit seafood or freshwater fish to two meals a week. That’s a must for young children and for women who are pregnant, who may become pregnant, or who are nursing.

What they do: Omega-3s fight inflammation, now considered one of the top skin agers, and they also help protect against sunburn, enhancing the effects of your sunscreen’s SPF. Protein is required to build and repair skin cells and to make enzymes and hormones that help keep it glowing.

So, print this out, stick it in your wallet and go shopping for younger, healthier skin!