Save your hide through good nutrition
Q: My skin is getting drier, duller and wrinklier. Could my nutrition — not the best, I confess — be affecting my skin quality? — Fran D., Charleston, South Carolina
A: Your skin is the body’s largest organ and helps fend off infection, regulate temperature and produce vitamin D. But it’s easy to damage.
A noninflammatory diet is the foundation of healthy skin — that means no added sugars, red or processed meats or ultra-processed foods. And specific vitamins and polyphenols in food can provide added benefits.
■ Beta carotene (it’s converted into vitamin A in your body) protects skin from free radicals (they cause fine lines, wrinkles and sagging). Beta carotene comes from leafy green and orange and yellow vegetables, fruits like papaya and tomato products.
■ Foods loaded with omega-3s promote heart health and help preserve your collagen — a protein in skin that keeps it firm and resilient. Get omega-3s from walnuts, avocados, chia seeds, salmon and herring.
■ Vitamin C also helps maintain collagen. You can get a dose of C from citrus fruits.
■ Vitamin E is an antioxidant that prevents cell damage. You can get E from almonds and sunflower seeds.
■ Polyphenols are antioxidants that show up in coffee, tea, grapes and dark chocolate (70 percent cacao) to help protect you from sun-caused skin aging.
Q: I keep getting UTIS — even though antibiotics seem to cure them when they show up. What can I do to help prevent them instead? — Elsie R., White Plains, New York
A: You can help prevent urinary tract infections by adopting the following:
■ Don’t go longer than three to four hours without urinating. Drink six to eight glasses of water a day.
■ Don’t douche or use feminine sprays but do wash your genital area well daily.
■ Wipe from front to back.
■ If you use birth control spermicides, ask your gyno about trying another type of birth control. And urinate after sex.
■ Wear cotton underwear.
■ Take a probiotic daily
■ The Cleveland Clinic says cranberry extract supplements can decrease your risk for UTIS. And a 2023 review of 50 studies in JAMA Network found that cranberry products, including liquid extract and capsules, reduce the risk of UTIS in women with recurrent infections by 26%.
■ And check out iherb. com’s blog, “15 Natural
Ways to Support Urinary Tract Health.”