Foods

Top Foods for Great Looking Skin and Hair

The skin is the largest organ of the body, so what you eat can definitely affect your appearance.  While genetics and lifestyle habits play a significant role in skin health, the right foods can also help you fight acne, minimize wrinkles, and enhance your skin's natural beauty.

	Salmon. Omega-3-rich foods like salmon and sardines help seal in your hair's shine. The carotenoid that gives this fish its pink color, astaxanthin, also improves your skin's elasticity. And it's full of the good fat -- DHA-omega-3 -- that makes your skin and hair look younger and healthier.  Distilled fish oils or DHA supplements will work, too.  Recommended:  2 grams of fish oil if you're taking a supplement that contains both EPA and DHA. If you're taking DHA alone, you only need 600 mg.
	Lycopene  Natural sunscreen. Lycopene is an antioxidant found in brightly colored orange and red produce. Lycopene is a member of the antioxidant family known as carotenoids, which firm the skin by helping build collagen. It acts as a natural sunscreen to help protect your skin from free radical damage. Food source: Pink grapefruit is extremely rich in lycopene, a powerful antioxidant. Just half a grapefruit a week, which contains 17 mg of lycopene, is all you need for added sun protection.
	Bran Bran is rich in vitamin B, which may slow hair loss and promote hair growth. Other B-rich victuals include beans, peas, carrots, cauliflower, soybeans, nuts, and eggs.
	Legumes, avocados, soybeans, nuts, and egg yolks These contain biotin, and a lack of this chemical can lead to dry skin and brittle hair and nails.
	Avocados. The whole fruit as well as avocado oil may prevent some funky stuff that kills hair follicles -- dihydrotestosterone (DHT) -- from getting where it wants to go.
	Green tea.   Its polyphenols act to protect you against sun damage and help thicken your epidermis, your body's primary barrier to the outside world. Brew a strong pot, cool it, then give your head a rinse to help kill off dandruff-causing fungus. Incidentally, if you drink green tea, the caffeine in it may help slow balding, too.
	Black sesame seeds.  There's no real data on this, but the Chinese swear that a teaspoon of these a day keeps hair darker.
	Pomegranates In addition to thickening your epidermis and helping to produce more collagen and elastin (the stuff that keeps your skin firm and springy), pomegranates contain antioxidants that seem to accelerate wound healing.
	Avoid meat.  Cut out any four-legged animal fat. Fat from four-legged animals, plus palm and coconut oil, leads to more DHT production and hair follicle damage.

Good Sources of Vitamin B6

Cereal    Total Raisin Bran (1 cup)    Kellogg's Special K (1 cup)	2.0 mg 1.9 mg
Tuna, fresh, cooked (3 ounces)	0.9 mg
Potato, baked, with skin (1 medium)	0.6 mg
Chickpeas, canned (1/2 cup)	0.5 mg
Chicken breast, roasted, no skin (3 ounces)	0.5 mg
Banana (1 medium)	0.4 mg
Broccoli, boiled (1 cup)	0.3 mg
Sunflower seeds (1/4 cup)	0.2 mg
Tomato sauce, canned (1/2 cup)	0.1 mg
Carrots, raw (1 cup)	0.1 mg

Good Sources of Vitamin B12

Clams, canned (3 ounces)	84 mcg
Liver, calf's, pan fried (3 ounces)	70 mcg
Oysters, raw (6 medium)	16 mcg
Salmon, canned (3 ounces)	4 mcg
Tuna, light, canned in water (3 ounces)	2.5 mcg
Nutritional yeast (2 teaspoons)	2.5 mcg
Ground beef, 85% lean (3 ounces)	2 mcg
Lamb, loin chop (3 ounces)	2 mcg
Yogurt, plain, low fat (8 ounces)	1.3 mcg
Cottage cheese, 2% milk fat (1/2 cup)	0.8 mcg