You Are What You Eat: How Your Diet Affects Hard Skin
We all know the impact that the right or wrong diet can have on our health. The food we ingest all has an effect on our skin and hair health. You would be surprised to know that your diet also has an effect on your feet!
But that doesn’t seem so bizarre if you think about it – your feet has skin, so if the overall skin health is less than ideal, even the skin on your feet is bound to be affected.
Let us see how consuming the right diet keeps away hard, unhealthy skin on your feet, and how better foot care can restore your feet to their original softness.
Vitamin A
Vitamin A is vital for good skin health. It is an essential contributor to skin cell growth and cell repair. Thus, it leads to skin renewal. A deficiency of Vitamin A can cause dry, hard skin.
Some sources of Vitamin A?
- Vitamin A is found in such food as carrots, egg yolks, peas, kale, spinach, pumpkins, and oranges. Non-vegetarian sources include liver. Vitamin A is often found in fortified juices and cereals, as well as multivitamins.
Calcium and vitamin D
Bones comprise a large part of your feet, apart from the skin. Hence, healthy bones lead to healthy feet, and having sufficient amounts of Calcium and Vitamin D can keep your bones healthy. Vitamin D is essential to help the bones absorb calcium. A deficiency of both of them can lead to thin, brittle bones and such conditions as osteoporosis later on in life. This condition can cause severe injuries and also reduce mobility, so the bones must be kept strong as one ages. A calcium deficiency also leads to cramps, soreness and pain.
Calcium and Vitamin D are also important for good skin health. Calcium is present in the epidermis, which is the outer layer of the skin, and it is important for skin cell renewal and replacement. A lack of calcium can make the skin on your feet thin, dry and hard. The skin soon begins to look tired and scaly.
Some sources of calcium and vitamin D?
- Calcium can be found in foods such as milk, cheese and yogurt. . Yogurt contains high amounts of both Calcium and vitamin D. vegetarian sources of Calcium include broccoli, kale, cereals, juices, soy drinks and tofu. Non-vegetarian sources include canned sardines and salmon.
- Vitamin D is found in oily fish such as salmon, tuna and sardines. You can also get it from egg yolks and liver.
Omega 3 fats
- Inflammation in the feet is a major cause for skin and muscle problems. It can lead to plantar fasciitis, (also known as Jogger’s Heel), which is a painful condition. You would be surprised to know that some food you eat – saturated fat from red meat and Omega 6 fats in vegetable and sunflower oils, for example – can cause inflammation. Consuming omega-3 fats can also reduce peripheral artery disease and diabetes, which are harmful since they damage the arteries bringing blood to your lower extremities. Thus, blood circulation to your feet is impacted.
Sources of Omega-3 fats?
- Oily fish such as salmon is an excellent source of Omega-3 fats. A diet comprising salmon can correct inflammation in the feet and the rest of the body. Have salmon servings two to three times a week for good results.
- Vegetarian sources of Omega-3 fats are walnuts, hemp seeds, pecans, and hazelnuts.
Even obesity plays a part in the health of your feet. It’s quite simple: the more you weight, the more pressure your feet are under. Reducing your weight and exercising daily can help you maintain your foot health for longer.
