The Best Foods for Your Skin (and You're Not Just Eating Them!)

You are what you eat — and so is your face!

According to Dr. Nigma Talib, your face — and how it looks from day to day — is very much determined by the food you eat.

In fact, she says there are four kinds of "food faces." And she says that they're all so distinct, she can tell what a patient ate the night before as soon as she walks in the door.

The four faces: the Dairy Face (which can see darkness under the eyes and blemishes), the Sugar Face (sagging and fine lines), the Wine Face (fine lines between eyes and deep folds around mouth) and the Gluten Face (bloating and pigmentation).

We know — none of that sounds particularly ideal! But Dr. Nigma says that, with the help of food (and not just eaten!), you can get your skin in shape.

Here's the breakdown!

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Tumeric
Tumeric is an antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory, which can help you with all four faces.

To boost your skin, Dr. Nigma says to blend it with cucumber and aloe vera, then freeze the mix into ice cubes. Wrap a cube or two up in a towel and gently apply it to your face for 30 seconds. The doc says it'll help soothe affected areas and encourage lymphatic drainage.

Aloe Vera
Famously soothing, especially for redness. Used in the ice cube tip above!

Cucumber
Also great for inflammation. Again, it's all about those ice cubes!

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Sauerkraut
"Any imbalance in the gut can show up on the face as pimples and redness," says Dr. Nigma. But fermented foods, like sauerkraut, can encourage healthy bacteria in the gut, which can help you get to your best face.

More fermented foods to help balance your gut:
—Kimchi
—Pickled cabbages
—Miso soup
—Tempe (And you're getting high protein here, too!)

Bonus Tip!
Dr. Nigma demonstrates her 1-minute face massage. If you're dealing with the side effects of "sugar face," she says this is the thing that will get your face back in shape. Watch the video to see!