March 19, 2025

When it comes to radiant, clear skin, yes, your skincare routine matters – but what you put into your body is actually going to be more important, as your skin is the external reflection of what’s going on inside. It will often be the first thing to show signs of nutritional insufficiencies, gut or hormone imbalances, and any issues with our stress levels.

There are three key areas we want to think about supporting: our skin structure, the level of hydration within our skin, and then the clarity and texture of the skin surface. Luckily, a good few of them cross over!

I am also going to touch on the things you could be having that are working against you – and some easy swaps to limit these.

First up – skin structure. You’ve got to build a strong collagen and elastin framework for your skin to be plump and luscious. It’s actually the natural lessening of our ability to produce these proteins as we get older that leads to skin ageing.

Your best food sources of these are going to be proper bone broths, which are rich in both collagen and gelatine, bone marrow, chicken skin, fish skin and bones, and then gelatine itself.

If they all sound a bit gruesome to you, please don’t be put off! You can use bone broth in mashed potato instead of butter or olive oil, or roast marrow bones, scoop out the centre, then whip that to a beautifully unctuous butter to spread on toast or melt onto cooked vegetables. Tinned sardines or salmon come with soft bones and skin that you won’t notice and make fabulous fillings for jacket potatoes or sandwiches that are super quick and easy. And if that is all still a bit out there for you, then grab an organic gelatine powder, a naturally low-sugar fruit juice, and make your own jellies! And just include those as snacks.

You then also want to combine these with foods that boost collagen production, the key ones being protein foods like meat, dairy and eggs, that contain the amino acids proline and glycine. Or, for plant-based eaters, you can supplement these from non-animal sources.
The minerals copper and zinc, which we get from nuts, seeds and shellfish mainly. Your omega-3 sources – the best ones being small, oily fish. I use SMASH-T to remember them: salmon, mackerel, anchovies, sardines, herring and trout. And finally, vitamin C-rich foods like fresh herbs, bell peppers, fresh tomatoes, leafy greens and citrus fruits.

So how would you put that into practice?

If you’re having roast chicken, pair this with a simple pesto, roasted tomatoes and a bone broth gravy/those bone broth mashed potatoes. Yum! Keep the skin on if having grilled salmon, make it nice and crispy, then add tenderstem broccoli, pumpkin seeds, feta and lemon juice, and some lovely whole grains on the side. Or choose a gorgeous bone broth ramen with prawns, a boiled egg, cabbage and chopped cashews and noodles. They’d all be fabulous skin-structure-supporting meals.

Pure, unsweetened/unflavoured collagen supplements can absolutely contribute, but whole-food dietary sources are always going to give you more complete support. Also, I'm going to say this now, vegan collagen doesn’t exist, so you want proline, glycine, and then a skin, hair and nails complex if you're a plant-based eater looking to add in supplemental support.

Next up – hydration of the skin. And yes, water is important, but it’s about getting that hydration into the skin itself, which means you need to be thinking about functional hydration, a.k.a. your electrolyte status. Electrolytes are minerals with an electrical charge, which means they then control how fluid moves in the body.

Dull, dry or easily irritated skin is often due to a lack of functional hydration, which then compromises the skin barrier. As electrolytes are used universally around the body to control other vital mechanisms – like our blood pressure and bowel function – using a pure, unflavoured electrolyte complex in your water can be a valuable addition. Avoid those that have 1,000 mg of sodium per serving in them though – that’s way too high except in very specific instances. My preference is for the Oshun liquid. You also want to make sure you are actually having enough water, which you can work out by taking your body weight in kilograms and multiplying it by 0.033. That gives you your baseline daily requirement in litres, and then you'd just adjust that if you were sweating a lot or had higher water needs, such as if you were breastfeeding.

Fresh herbal teas like rosemary or mint steeped in hot water are great for water intake generally, but they also add in powerful antioxidants to protect the skin. Proper coconut water can be useful for adding natural electrolytes – but it is naturally rich in sugar, so I wouldn’t rely on that solely, or have too much. And then matcha is a really firm favourite of mine, as it adds in a whole host of boosting support whilst also solving a potential complexion compromiser. I’ll come back to this in a second.

Before that though, let’s touch on skin clarity and texture. Issues with breakouts and acne are often due to the skin being your backup waste-removal organ when the gut isn’t working as well as it should do, to do this for you. In addition to making sure you’re functionally hydrated, look at the kinds of fibre you’re having. Are you getting a mix of whole grains, nuts, seeds, root vegetables, non-starchy vegetables and fruits each week?

Yes, all the harsh, brushy stuff like kale is good – but you also need a lot of sticky soluble fibre to absorb water into the bowel and keep things moving. Soaked chia seeds, rice, barley, oats, potatoes, cooked fruits like cooked apple and softer vegetables – like peppers, aubergine and onions – are just as important as broccoli. And cook them rather than just having raw stuff. Salad is mainly water, and isn’t that helpful here.

Your healthy fats are also going to be hugely important for skin texture, as they help with elasticity and holding moisture. Oily skin is actually a sign of the skin barrier trying to protect itself by producing more oil when it has been over-stripped through harsh washing, or when essential fat levels in the skin are low. Add a really good peppery extra virgin olive oil when serving meals, sprinkle on nuts and seeds, and enjoy avocados, eggs with their yolks, not just egg whites, and oily fish regularly too.

Probiotic-rich foods like fermented vegetables can be helpful for some, but add these in gently and see how your gut reacts. If they make you super gassy, you actually don’t need more bacteria in there – you need less, which is a common issue for many people, that they don't realise.

And whilst we’re on that train of thought – what do we not want to be doing if our goal is gorgeously glowing skin?

Excess sugar and refined carbs – like processed snacks, white bread, sweets, protein bars and sweetened protein powders – will cause a process called glycation, which breaks down collagen, compromising the skin structure.
Ultra-processed foods and fried foods will also trigger inflammation, which can alter the gut microbiome, create puffiness and redness, and also damage collagen. Instead of those, why not make a mix of nuts, seeds, and very dark chocolate pieces to snack on? Or have some really great whole grain crackers with hummus or some cottage cheese or a boiled egg. Switch fried foods for air fried, or roast without oil and add extra virgin olive oil to serve instead. Or pesto, or a lovely tahini dressing.

Alcohol and caffeine will dehydrate the skin, making it look tired and dull, whilst also impacting our blood sugar regulation – making us more likely to choose those refined sugars and carby foods that we wanted to avoid.

And this is where matcha slots in! Switch your coffee for matcha – you don’t impact your blood sugar in the same way, you get gentle, sustained stimulation, and it’s hugely rich in antioxidants that improve skin clarity and texture as well as preventing it from ageing. Pick a really vibrantly green organic ceremonial matcha for maximum benefits and great taste. Just make sure not to add dairy to it, as this means we can’t use the antioxidants properly. A pure nut or soya milk would be ideal. No barista versions, as they have added inflammatory oils to them, and no rice or oat milk, as those are just sugar water!

In terms of alcohol you could switch a sugary or sweetener laden mixer like tonic water to a naturally infused sparkling water with fresh lemon or grapefruit. You’ve taken out the extra sugar and added Vitamin C. Or make a mocktail with a botanical spirit replacement, infused sparkling water, citrus, and a splash of raw apple cider vinegar. Again, great Vitamin C, no alcohol, more hydration and now you’ve added some digestion-supporting probiotics from the vinegar.

Hopefully, that’s a few ideas for you to get started – and the great thing is, you don’t have to do them all! Pick a couple at a time and rotate between them. Your skin will absolutely glow in thanks.