There are many ways to keep your skin healthy and glowing through nutrition.

Our secret to healthy, glowing skin has always been to start from the inside. Having a balanced diet with nutrient-dense, organic, whole foods are key to keeping skin problems at bay. Here are our top 2 tips (that's right, just 2!) for glowing skin all season long!

1. Be Best Friends With Water

The skin is an organ of elimination, thus needing water to properly perform its duties. 2-3 litres per day are needed to maintain proper hydration levels, especially if you are active. If it starts to get a little bit boring, try adding the following to your glass:

• Mint or basil leaves
• Lemon or lime slices
• Sliced cucumber
• Raspberries
• Splash of unsweetened cranberry juice

2. Up Your Anti-oxidant Intake

Why anti-oxidants, you ask? Anti-oxidants act as our army, so to speak, and combat the free radicals in our body caused by numerous things – pollution, diet, and stress, for example. Skin aging is also a result of this free radical damage. Increasing your dietary intake of anti-oxidants is integral in the quest for good skin health.Incorporating more anti-oxidants into the diet can be very easy. Think lots of fruits and vegetables, lots of colour and lots of variety.

Over 150 fruits, vegetables, nuts, teas, spices, and etc. have been evaluated for their ability to deal with free radicals (the Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity or O.R.A.C. for short). Some of the highest scoring foods are listed below as well as some ideas of how to get them in your daily diet.

Blueberries

Frozen blueberries make a great snack or you can add to smoothies, or your morning cereal or oatmeal. Blueberries are chock-full of nutrients and is king of antioxidants. Here are 10 proven health benefits of blueberries: https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/10-proven-benefits-of-blueberries#section3

Kale

Try making homemade kale chips. Toss bite-sized pieces of raw kale with melted coconut oil, salt, pepper and a dash of cayenne and roast at 350 for about 15 minutes, until crispy. Kale is also a great source of Vitamin K and can help lower cholesterol. Find out more about the health benefits of kale here: https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/10-proven-benefits-of-kale

Beets

Place cooked, sliced beets on a serving platter and top with olive oil, goat’s milk feta cheese, chopped fresh parsley and microgreens for a simple salad. Beets can also help with lowering blood sugar. Read this article all about beets! https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/benefits-of-beets

Ginger

Add some fresh grated ginger to a stir-fry or place a 2-inch peeled piece of ginger root and steep in boiling water, making your own ginger tea. Ginger has long been known for helping relieve digestive upsets - here are 8 other health benefits of ginger!

Sweet Potatoes

Keep the skin on, bake whole (as you would a baked potato) then top with vegetarian chili for satisfying vegetarian meal. Sweet potatoes are a rich source of fibre and so delicious! Find out other health benefits of sweet potatoes here: https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/howto/guide/health-benefits-sweet-potato

Garlic

Not only is this delicious on everything(!) - this mighty herb packs a powerful health boost! In 'Unlocking the Benefits of Garlic', a research article by New York Times, "researchers show that eating garlic appears to boost our natural supply of hydrogen sulfide, which acts as an antioxidant and transmits cellular signals that relax blood vessels and increase blood flow."

Green tea

Try adding lemon slices and raspberry for even more nutrition goodness. Green tea is also a great alternative to your daily cup o' Joe!

Goji Berries

Add to your trail mix or sprinkle on top of yogurt and granola. Goji berries are a superfood and include a long list of health benefits! Learn about them in this article by Huffington Post: https://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2014/03/28/goji-berry-benefits-_n_5044948.html

Dates

Kick your sugar cravings to the curb with this healthy sweet treat. Dates can help you manage your blood sugar levels thus it's great as pre-workout snack! Here are 4 other reasons to eat more dates: https://www.chatelaine.com/health/diet/five-health-benefits-of-dates-and-a-coconut-date-snack-recipe/

Basil

Thinly slice and add to salads, rice dishes or whole grain pasta salad. Basil is well-known for its strong medicinal and healing properties, but it also boasts other health benefits. Here are 9 incredible benefits of basil you may not know: https://food.ndtv.com/food-drinks/9-incredible-benefits-of-basil-leaves-you-may-not-have-known-1834742