The Best Supplements for Healthy, Glowing Skin

There are countless supplements on the market that promise improved physical beauty and “anti-aging” benefits. The question is, how can you know for sure what works, and what doesn’t for healthy skin? In order to truly know, it is helpful to know a bit about how the body works and what the skin needs to be healthy. So, before you head out to your nearest health food store, consider these few tips on selecting quality and effective supplements for the skin.

Before You Supplement

When supplementing with various nutrients it can be quite the game of Russian roulette. You never really know what is going to work or not until you’ve given it a try and tracked progress; either using assorted tests or simple observation. However, there are a few simple things you to know before experimenting with supplements that can save you time and money. Perhaps, the two biggest mistakes people can make when supplementing are: • Taking supplements without addressing more dominant areas of health – Many times people will use supplements and yet put off doing the more important things, like eating a wholesome diet, sleeping well, exercising and managing their emotions. No supplement will be effective if you are engaged in counterproductive habits, so be sure to address these very foundational aspects to good health first. • Using low quality supplements (not all supplements are crated equally) – The truth is, not all supplements are made from quality ingredients. Due to loose regulations in the supplement industry, it is not uncommon for products to contain mostly fillers (rice brain and other substrate), and very little amount of active ingredient. Also, some company’s use low quality raw ingredients to begin with. Therefore, always use supplements that are organic, wild-crafted or food-grade • Presumption Supplementation – Other issues that occur with supplementation arise from supplementing without proper knowledge about the synergistic relationship between nutrients. For example, vitamin D3 is a popular supplement and a nutrient many are deficient in. However, strict vitamin D3 supplementation without vitamin K2 supplementation can lead to nutrition imbalances and new issues. Be sure do your research for supplementation, and ideally, get a blood test to check your unique nutrient profile.

The Best Supplements for Skin Health

With these basic tips in mind, let’s talk about some safe supplementation that will address the root factors in promoting healthy skin! Adhering to these guidelines, here is a list of the best supplements that promote overall skin health and beauty: • Probiotics: Taken internally or applied topically to your skin, beneficial bacteria can slow the aging process and promote beauty in several ways. Best of all, there is nothing weird or unnatural about probiotics supplementation, especially when you get them from your diet! The way probiotics help improve your skin is simple, yet profound. Your gut is the home to nearly 4 pounds of bacteria; they play roles in digesting and assimilating the nutrients your skin needs. They also make up your immune system, so they regulate inflammation and hormonal balance. If your skin isn’t in its best shape, you can almost always trace it back to these core issues, often triggered by environmental toxins, processed foods, drugs and a stressful lifestyle. The good news is that probiotics can help prevent all sorts of skin issues by promoting the health of the gut and immune system. Even better news, you don’t need an expensive supplement, you can get trillions of probiotics by eating delicious raw cultured vegetables, coconut kefir and other delicious fermented foods and beverages. • Collagen & Gelatin: Here’s the deal, your skin is made up mostly of protein, a special protein known as collagen. When you lose collagen, the skin becomes weak, brittle, aged and wrinkly. So it probably makes sense that supplementing with these proteins (collagen and gelatin) can improve the health of the skin’s structure. However, the great thing about collagen and gelatin supplementation is that they too, are multi-functional, promoting healthy skin in numerous way. Another way in which they promote healthy skin is by protecting and nourishing the cells. Collagen and gelatin are rich in the amino acids proline and glycine, which has a very broad range of cell-protective actions. It is well known that the skin tissues can be broken down during stress, causing cellular damage to the skin, forming wrinkles. However, glycine and proline are known to protect the cells from oxidative stress. Additionally, glycine is recognized as an “inhibitory” neurotransmitter, and promotes healthy and natural sleep. Used as a supplement, it can help promote recovery and rejuvenation of the skin. Lack of sleep is a primary stressor that can age the skin rapidly, so anything that promotes healthy, natural sleep is a win for good skin! • Bovine Liver: There are two basic objectives in achieving healthy skin; providing required nutrients, and promoting detoxification to prevent inflammation. If there is one food on the planet that deserves the title “superfood” it is liver. The liver stores many important nutrients (vitamins A, D, E, K, B12 and folic acid, and minerals such as copper and iron). These nutrients not only nourish the skin, they are important building blocks in the metabolic and detoxification system, so it helps the body get rid of toxins. An accumulation of toxins in the body can inhibit many functions, such as good digestion and the assimilation of nutrients. It can lead to inflammation as well, which can cause everything from acne to psoriasis. Rather than relying on isolated nutrients that can cause vitamin and mineral imbalances, seek to eat liver once a week as a supplemental food to ensure a copious array of vitamins, minerals and important nutrients. This will ensure not just healthy skin but a healthy body. • Tonic Herbs: There are many very wonderful properties that tonic herbs possess. But before we get into them, just know that tonic herbs are a very safe and smart way to help protect the skin and promote the health of the immune system and other organs. Tonic herbs are a special class of herbs that are perfectly balanced in nature. Unlike many supplements, they are native to the body and not allergenic. They also have multi-directional, so they help many of the body’s systems at once. Some of the most beneficial properties of tonic herbs include their immunomodulatory abilities, anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant qualities and the ability to act as an adaptogen. What this means is that most tonic herbs can help bring down inflammation, improve the immune system’s ability to fight off pathogens, and protect the cells from stress by improving the endocrine systems functioning. A few of the best tonic herbs for healthy skin include Schizandra, Reishi, Chaga and Ashwaganda. These all have strong immunomodulatory properties, cleansing properties and the ability to help the body adapt better to stress. These herbs can be found in our Alitura Revitalize.