Want Tighter Skin? Health Experts Say This Is The One Diet Plan You Should Be Following

Richards also cites vitamin C as incredibly important for skin health.

“The antioxidant properties of Vitamin C makes it an efficient and effective nutrient to protect the skin from damage,” Richards says. “A diet void of fruit and vegetables that provide plant compounds can not only lead to poor health overall, but may speed up the aging process. This is because these compounds work as antioxidants in the body and antioxidants work to reduce the presence and damage of free radicals. Free radicals are similar to toxins and cause cellular damage both inside the body and out. This can lead to increased aging in many areas of health."

What about some of the other foods you should incorporate into your diet? According to Ramark, there are three more nutrients that she recommends for optimal skin health and tighter skin:

Carotenoids 

“Certain carotenoids (color pigments) are proven to increase collagen production in the skin, protect from UV damage, and increase your own production of hyaluronic acid,” Ramark says. These are beta carotene, lycopene, zeaxanthin, lutein, and astaxanthin. You find them in colorful fruits and vegetables such as tomatoes, carrots, sweet potatoes, melons, zucchini, corn, spinach, kale, and broccoli. And for best result you should eat a lot from many of these sources. Astaxanthin is a bit different since it is found in algae and even some sea food. Or as a supplement.”

Protein 

Perhaps this is no surprise, but protein-rich foods are important in order to give your skin enough building blocks (amino acids) for collagen and elastin, Ramark says. “You do not need to take a collagen supplement,” Ramark says. “But you do need to provide your body with the amino acids that are part of collagen production, as well as some other amino acids that help boost the production.”

Essential Fatty Acids

Even more reason to stop at the fish store today — fatty acids are important for health skin. “Make sure to eat nuts, avocados, olives (or olive oil), and either fatty fish or alga supplements,” Ramark says.