Stronger than it looks but more sensitive than we think: that�s what skin is, a veritable protective barrier for the body. We are used to cleaning it and taking care of it with gel, cream and cosmetics. But the beauty and health of skin demands on a diet that is balanced, varied and rich in certain vitamins and minerals.

One way to follow this diet is eat a lot of fruits and vegetables. Because of their composition, some are particularly good for protecting skin and making it look better.

Fighting wrinkles
Fruits and vegetables that are yellow or orange, and green-leaf vegetables
have large amounts of substances that are pre-cursors of vitamin A, also known as betacarotenes. This vitamin is essential for forming tissues, mucous membranes and
skin cells. They also help curb the action of free radicals and thus the ageing of skin
and other organs.

So it is good idea to eat fruits like peaches, apricots, mellon and persimmons, as well as vegetables such as the pumpkin, carrot, swiss chard, parsley, watercress, cabbage, spinach and curly endive. Their vitamin A concentrations vary from 100 microgramos for each 100 grams of product in carrots and parsley to 583 microgram in Swiss chard, 830 in cabbage and  816 in spinach. Peaches contain 73 micrograms, persimmons 100 and apricots, 298.

Natural antioxidants
Citrus fruits like kiwis and berries like strawberries, watercress, the cabbage family and parsley are rich in vitamin C. Besides their role as antioxidants, they are essential for wounds to heal and intervene in production of collagen, which gives skin elasticity and makes it deteriorate more slowly.

Bright skin with vitamin E
Besides fruit and vegetables it is a good idea to eat nuts. A small ration each day is enough because they are rich in calories. Nuts have a lot of vitamin E, as do green-leaf vegetables and raspberries. Almonds, walnuts and pistachios �along with the fruits and vegetables mentioned above� reduce cellular oxygenation and ageing of skin by providing more elasticity, and even work against spots.

Walnuts and hazel nuts are also rich in copper, which serves as an antiinflammatory, alleviating skin ailments of this kind and also helping to produce the chemical that makes skin elastic.

Bananas are also recommended for keeping skin pretty and bright. They are rich in zinc, which is an antioxidant that promotes renewal of skins cells and invigorates them.

Broccoli has a lot of magnesium, which helps expel toxins from the body, and this helps the skin. It also helps fight stress. Don�t forget tomatoes, a commonly eaten vegetable that provides a pigment with good anti-oxidant capabilities: lycopene.

What about the hot weather?
When the warm weather comes, we show off our skin more and like to have it pretty and bright. All of these fruits and vegetables help you do this, but they must be part of your diet all year round. It is also necessary to keep the body and skin well hydrated by drinking at least two liters of water per day. A good way to moisturize your skin and take in necessary nutrients is to drink fresh-squeezed juice, both from fruit and vegetables. When the heat hits, they are appetizing and light.