5 foods that contribute to healthy skin

Try these eating tips to help improve the look and health of your skin.

young black woman happily eating an orange

Updated on February 6, 2025.

Top-shelf skin creams can go for $400 per ounce. Yet, few offer proof that they do what they promise. One affordable, expert-backed alternative? Focus instead on foods with nutrients that can help protect your skin, says Amy Wechsler, MD, a New York City-based dermatologist. Here's her grocery list of good eats.

Firm, bright, and colorful

Brightly colored fruits and vegetables are packed with antioxidants. These powerful anti-inflammatory substances help your body neutralize free radicals whenever they make an appearance. Free radicals are molecules that damage cells and contribute to skin changes, from dryness to wrinkles.

Dr. Wechsler’s top picks: Sweet potatoes, tomatoes, and cantaloupe

Fresh and juicy

Vitamin C is an antioxidant and helps the body create collagen. Collagen makes up the supportive protein fibers that help keep skin firm and taut. It typically decreases as you age.

Your body can't store much vitamin C, so you need to replenish your supplies regularly. Citrus fruits help keep your vitamin C levels high. Ounce for ounce, oranges are the top citrus source of C. But a healthy diet includes variety, so mix things up. Squeeze limes on melon, add grapefruit to a green salad, or add a little lemon juice into a glass of sparkling water.

Dr. Wechsler’s top picks: Oranges, lemons, limes, and grapefruit

Smoothing and soothing

There's a potent antioxidant known as epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) that can aid your skin. It may help reduce inflammatory chemicals involved in acne. There is also some evidence it may be linked to a lower risk of skin cancer and slower cancer cell growth.

The best place to find it? Black, green, or white tea (but not herbal varieties). So, try sipping some throughout the day. Just be sure to ease back by the mid-afternoon. The caffeine in tea could keep you up at night—and sleep is also critical for healthy skin.

Dr. Wechsler’s top pick: Green tea. While all true teas contain EGCG, green teas have the most. Dr. Wechsler's personal favorite is hojicha green tea, a variety that originates in Japan. "The roasting process that turns this green tea a brownish color also lowers its caffeine content," she says.

Dark and green

Whether they're fresh, frozen, raw, or steamed, certain dark green vegetables deliver a hefty supply of vitamin A, which supports skin-cell turnover. This is the process that keeps cell growth and development humming along. Without enough vitamin A, skin can change. It may become dryer, tougher, and scaly.

Dr. Wechsler’s top picks: Spinach, turnip greens, and broccoli

Fish favorites

Fatty, cold-water fish provide your body with omega-3 fatty acids and protein. Omega-3s help keep inflammation in check. They also help protect against sunburn, enhancing your suncare routine. Protein is required to build and repair skin cells and to make enzymes and hormones that help keep it glowing.

it's important to be mindful of what you eat and aim to avoid or reduce your intake of fish that contain more mercury. (These include some types of mackerel and tuna.) A good rule of thumb is to limit seafood or freshwater fish to two meals a week. That's a must for young children and for people who are pregnant, who may become pregnant, or who are nursing.

Dr. Wechsler’s top picks: Salmon, trout, tuna, sardines, Atlantic mackerel, Pacific herring, and most types of shellfish

More tips for healthy skin

In addition to eating a healthy diet, don’t forget these smart skin strategies.

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Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health. Antioxidants. Accessed February 6, 2025.
MedlinePlus. Antioxidants. December 26, 2017.

Cleveland Clinic. 23 Foods To Eat for Healthier Skin. March 24, 2022.
NIH Office of Dietary Supplements. Vitamin C: Fact Sheet for Consumers. Updated March 22, 2021.
Michalak M, Pierzak M, Kręcisz B, Suliga E. Bioactive Compounds for Skin Health: A Review. Nutrients. 2021 Jan 12;13(1):203. 
Biochemistry, Collagen Synthesis. StatPearls. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2025 Jan-.
Saric S, Notay M, Sivamani RK. Green Tea and Other Tea Polyphenols: Effects on Sebum Production and Acne Vulgaris. Antioxidants (Basel). 2016 Dec 29;6(1):2.
Di Sotto A, Gullì M, Percaccio E, Vitalone A, et al. Efficacy and Safety of Oral Green Tea Preparations in Skin Ailments: A Systematic Review of Clinical Studies. Nutrients. 2022 Jul 30;14(15):3149. 
Zheng XQ, Zhang XH, Gao HQ, Huang LY, et al. Green Tea Catechins and Skin Health. Antioxidants (Basel). 2024 Dec 10;13(12):1506.
Green tea and nonmelanoma skin cancer: Is there an association? Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology, Volume 76, Issue 6, AB149.
Oregon State University Linus Pauling Institute. Essential Fatty Acids and Skin Health. Accessed February 6, 2025.
American Academy of Dermatology Association. 10 Skin Care Secrets for Healthier-Looking Skin. October 29, 2024.

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