Everybody wants to have clear, healthy glowing skin. In order to get the right skin, it is important to look at the part played by nutrition in skin care. Healthy skin happens when we eat good foods, exercise regularly, minimize stress and protect our skin from the harsh environment.

There is no way around it. In order to have beautiful skin you have to eat a healthy well rounded diet including good portions of the alkaline forming foods. This includes most vegetables and vegetable juices, fruits and fruit juices, several teas, many different types of seeds, and so on. (Do a Google search on the term "alkaline" if you want the full list.)

Simply put, certain nutrients in the daily diet are essential for maintaining a healthy skin. These are foods rich in essential fatty acids, vitamin C, vitamin A, and vitamin B, and include fruits, vegetables, fish, and liver.

You might consider taking some nutritional supplements such as a good quality multivitamin and mineral supplement, vitamin C, an antioxidant blend (containing at least vitamins A, C, E, zinc and selenium), and an essential fatty acid supplement (linseed oil, fish oil or evening primrose oil or oil blend).

Foods that can enhance your appearance need to feature as many of the following as possible: antioxidants, antibacterials, fiber to clear toxins, essential fats to support skin and reduced levels of saturated fat and sugar. The quality and quantity of the food you eat definitely has a direct reflection on your health, the look of your skin and hair as well as overall stamina.

It is also very important to drink a lot of water. This will help flush toxins from your body as well as re-hydrate your skin. There are many reasons doctors recommend eight eight-ounce glasses of water each day, and beautiful skin is one of them.

Exposure to sunlight causes loss of water in our body which leads to dryness of the skin. Also, repeated sunburn frequently leads to some form of skin cancer, which is why you must take steps now to prevent sunburn from occurring. Protecting yourself from sunburn now really can prevent skin cancer later.

Eating a healthy diet also helps young people fight acne. Many people don't realize the connection between diet and acne, but it is there and a diet high in nutritious foods and low in junk food and oily foods can make a tremendous difference.

Your mama was right. You need to eat a nutritional and balanced diet to provide your skin with the nutrients it requires to look its best. A diet that is rich in nutrients will give you a better chance of beautiful skin no matter what your age.