Eat a skin-saving meal: Wonder Woman - Who are you today?

Eat a skin-saving meal: Wonder Woman - Who are you today?


Eat a skin-saving meal: Eating healthy is the most important and yet the most neglected part of glowing skin for Mumbai-based dermatologist Dr Aparna Santhanam. Even though finding time to pick skin-healthy foods becomes difficult, thanks to her crazy schedule, she ensures there's a good mix of skin foods in whatever she eats through the day.

"I make sure my diet has a mix of coloured vegetables like capsicums, carrots and beetroot alongside sprouts. Very often I have a crushed mix of walnuts, peanuts and flaxseeds. I also ensure a variety of complex carbs like jowar, barley, nachni, brown rice and soya flour in various forms like thalipeeth, bhakri and upma. Two helpings of yoghurt and a seasonal fruit a day is also a must for me. Also, I steer clear of colas and desserts," she says. For best results: plan your meals in advance, ideally a day before, to get all skin saving nutrients, says Santhanam.

Cut back on the sweet stuff: The breakdown of sugars, called glycation, damages the collagen that keeps skin smooth and firm. To prevent this natural process from careening out of control, Dr Neena Khanna, assistant professor of dermatology at AIIMS, New Delhi, makes sure she sticks to low-glycaemic carbs like whole grains as they're naturally low in sugar and the body processes them slowly to limit the loss of collagen. "I also stay off aerated drinks for their high sugar content which leads to puffiness of the jawline and early sagging of skin," she says.