Food for Your Face: Remedies for Dry Skin You Should Always Have in Your Pantry

When you have dry skin you rely on moisturizers to keep your skin from getting red, stiff, and flaky. But you can also rely on some basic food staples to give your skin the nutrients it needs to hydrate itself. Putting the right foods in your body can bring the moisture back into your cheeks.

Fish - Reduces inflammation, retains moisture, keeps drying irritants out

You're always told to eat fish because it's high in omega-3 fatty acids, which can be great for your heart. The reality is that these fatty acids do much more than promote great circulatory health. They actively reduce inflammation, keeping your skin from getting red and irritated with exposure to sun or harsh, cold weather. Even better, omega-3 fats are an integral part of the lipid layer in your skin. Have you ever seen how oil floats on water? The lipid layer works in a similar way. It keeps the water in and makes a barrier that keeps harmful and drying irritants out. For those who can't eat fish, don't be discouraged because omega-3 fats are also found in flaxseeds, walnuts, and hemp hearts.

Butternut Squash - Offers amazing hydration, reduces cell damage, promotes skin repair

You probably don't need an excuse to eat more butternut squash soup (it's delicious), but here's one - it's packed with vitamin A. Vitamin A is a fat-soluble vitamin that is essential for skin hydration. It reduces cell damage in the top layers of the skin and promotes skin repair. Environmental factors like exposure to pollution and sunlight will damage the skin and dry it out, but with ample vitamin A your skin cells will recover faster, leading to more supple skin. Other great vitamin A sources include sweet potatoes (not deep fried) and carrots (raw or juiced is better than cooked).

Cucumber - Promotes supple skin, combats drying process

Collagen, the main skin component responsible for suppleness, is made mostly of a mineral called silica. Silica is a naturally occurring mineral in many plant foods, especially cucumbers, which are known to heal many skin problems. Silica helps to keep the individual components of your skin (like collagen and elastin) healthier for longer periods of time. Healthy skin is moist skin. A diet with plenty of silica will help combat the drying process that increases as you age. Other foods that are high in silica include bell peppers, green beans, and parsley.