Eating your way to healthier skin

Every year around Thanksgiving, thoughts of food begin to fill my head – an itinerary of holiday goodies to prepare and enjoy. These delights range from my uncle’s famous cream of mushroom soup to my sister’s artful sugar cookies.

Fast-forward to New Year’s, when I find myself cursing, most likely while straining to put on my once-loose skinny jeans.

My skin begins its own personal campaign to punish me for adding so much fat and sugar to what is otherwise a healthy diet – let’s just say my face is nothing you would want on your next holiday card. Suddenly those cookies and buttery mashed potatoes don’t taste as good as I remember, and I almost always vow that I will not go overboard the next holiday season, no matter how addicting the fudge, rolls, cakes and eggnog are.

This year I am actually going to try to honor my past self’s wishes, exercising a muscle that rarely gets any attention from Thanksgiving to New Years – my self restraint. For once I would like to come out of holiday season with no regrets casting shadows over my time with friends and family.

Thankfully, this can be accomplished without filling my dinner plate with salad greens every holiday meal. Prepared in a healthy way, many holiday staples can be turned into health-friendly eats, some even providing surprising benefits to promote clear and healthy skin.

While preparing the many celebratory dinners ahead, I will try to always keep almonds close at hand, trading my usual cookie-dough snacking with a handful of protein-packed nuts. Almonds also contain high levels of vitamin E, which helps skin defend against harmful UV light.

Sweet potatoes are a staple at any of my family’s gatherings, and are a good source of fiber-rich carbs and vitamin C, which produces collagen that can help maintain skin’s elasticity. Accompanying this dish is usually some form of mixed vegetable, another good sign: Vegetables, especially brightly colored ones like broccoli and carrots, are full of antioxidants that protect skin against environmental damage.

My family has a long-standing tradition of enjoying a seafood feast in the afternoon of Christmas Eve (don’t ask me why). Choosing a wild-caught, oily fish like salmon or mackerel fights inflammation, which can trigger acne and redness. I could try cooking it in safflower oil, which contains omega-6 fatty acids that are natural moisturizers for skin.

I can even enjoy Thanksgiving turkey – a white, skinless, piece of bird is full of protein that brings a sense of fullness and satisfaction to help me pass on seconds of dessert. Processed carbs found in sweets raises the level of insulin and the chemical IGF-1 in your system, which in turn leads to clogged pores and excess oil secretion. Who knew that a little pie could do so much harm?

So this holiday season, as a gift from me to me, I will try to follow some of these helpful, healthy-skin eating rules.  After all, good health is a gift that will last a lifetime – or until my next cookie.