Our skin, much like the rest of us, is greatly influenced by our diet.

Two easy places to start are to make sure you are drinking enough water and getting enough oil naturally in your diet.

The Adequate Intake for water increases with size, so children need less and larger adults more, but roughly 3-4 liters per day meets the average adult's needs, and this includes water occurring in the foods or drinks we consume.

Oil is found naturally in seeds, nuts, and avocados, in relatively large amounts and to a lesser degree in other foods.  Unrefined, cold pressed oils, such as extra virgin olive oil and sources of the omega 3 fatty acids, such as chia seeds, flax seeds, and hemp seeds, as well as the oil pressed from these nutritious seeds,  all can serve to keep us well lubricated, inside and out, as well.  The amount of total fat intake that has been associated with reduced risk of chronic disease, yet still meeting our nutritional needs, is between 20 and 35 grams of fat per day for the average adult.

Assuring that our vitamin needs are met is another good idea, as deficiency of certain fat soluble vitamins may have an effect on skin health.  Eat dark green and orange vegetables to assure that you are getting enough beta carotene with which our bodies produce vitamin A, get some unprotected sun (leave off the sunblock for at least 10-15 minutes per day and sit or walk in the sunlight, between 10 am and 3 pm) to allow your body to synthesize vitamin D from the sun's rays, and eat foods rich in vitamin E, such as sunflower seeds, nuts such as almonds, hazelnuts, and pine nuts, wheat germ, dark green vegetables, such as spinach, collards, beet, dandelion, or turnip greens, and tomato products, to name a bunch!

So that is it for today.  Food for thought, so to speak.  Remember, this blog is written for you.  I have a lot of information and love to share.  Please feel encouraged to comment on the day's blogs or use the comment space to ask general questions or suggest future blog topics.

Would you like a great recipe for a cream cheese that you make at home?  And you won't find any dairy products in the ingredients!  Curious?  Check back tomorrow.....