3 Foods to Eat During Thanksgiving That Will Make Your Skin Glow

You know the old saying: You are what you eat. So while your taste buds might love a big bowl of fried, cheesy anything, you may want to consider what your skin wants. With the biggest food holiday right around the corner, we thought we’d check in with Mt. Kisco dermatologist David Bank and see if any of the dishes on our Thanksgiving table might do some good for our skin and—dare we hope!—even bring on a bit of a post-turkey glow. “Diet is an integral part of healthy skin,” says Bank. So if you can manage having a few of these foods this coming Thursday–and continuewith three to four servings a week–you’ll get an adequate boost of these skin-loving vitamins and nutrients.

KALE
This leafy green “contains Vitamin A, which is essential for skin health and reducing wrinkles," says Bank. Just one cup contains more than the daily minimium of skin-firming vitamin A.It also includes chlorophyll, a molecule helps carry out toxins from the body. Try a kale salad or a smoothie before your big meal to prevent ravenous eating.

SWEET POTATOES
While we don’t suggest loading up on the marshmallow-topped casserole, eating the sweet spud can help promote new skin cell growth via vitamins A and C. It also contains fiber to help keep your digestion on track, thereby reducing the chance for breakouts.

OLIVE OIL
Include some healthy fats into your meals. This heart-healthy oil contains Vitamin E, “which helps restore skin elasticity," says Bank. Antioxidants within olive oil can help fight free radical damage. But unlike the other foods mentioned above, olive oil can also be applied topically to skin."It penetrates into the skin without clogging pores," says Bank.