Each year women spend billions of dollars on lotions and potions to keep their skin from aging. However, if you want to keep your skin in great condition, it’s a lot easier and less expensive than you may think.

The secret to radiant and younger-looking skin does not necessarily come from the outside. The bulk of the work to keep your skin young comes from the inside. Generally speaking, forget the miracle creams – just protect with SPF and nourish from the inside and you will have beautiful, glowing skin. The following steps will help understand what your skin needs to look its best.

1. Protect:
It doesn’t matter what day cream you use, if you want younger looking skin you need to have one that has an SPF 15 level of protection. Sun damage is the major cause of premature skin aging. You don’t need expensive creams. One that has SPF 15 for the day and for the night, simply one that you feel comfortable with and is absorbed easily into your skin type, is all you need. You can spend a few dollars, to several hundred dollars on skin creams, however there will be little difference between them in terms of protecting your skin. One of the biggest myths of all is nourishing the skin from the outside. The stories are great and sound convincing, but it’s a shame they don’t work! If you want to nourish your skin, you must begin from the inside. The foods you eat are important. Don’t fall for the hype of the advertising of eternal youth from a pot of cream.

2. Foods to keep your skin young:
SELENIUM
There are several foods you can incorporate into your diet in order to get plenty of selenium to zap free radicals, which break down collagen in your skin. One great source of selenium is multigrain bread. Other foods that can help are shrimp, brazil nuts and sunflower seeds.

OATS
Oats contain silicic acid that is responsible for making the spongy like cells that lie between collagen and the elastin fibres of the skin. This plumps up the skin making it look more youthful and is great for holding back fine lines. Alternatives to oats are whole grain wheat and alfalfa, the latter of which is a popular supplement.

GOJI BERRIES & MUESLI
Most berries contain a lot of vitamin C, but the standout here are Goji berries, which have 500 times more vitamin C gram per gram than oranges. Muesli, on the other hand, contains a good dose of vitamin E. Together these vitamins are great for zapping free radicals and protecting the skin naturally from sun damage. Other good foods for vitamin C include oranges and grapefruit. For other vitamin E sources, consider sweet potatoes, sunflower seeds, spinach and avocado. As a general rule you should get at least 3 - 5 servings of fruit and vegetables per day.

GREAT MEATS
Get plenty of oily fish and aim for 5 servings per week of sources including mackerel, salmon, sardines, herrings and salmon. These fish contain omega-3, the essential fat that helps form prostaglandins, which are responsible for keeping the skin subtle nd hydrated.

STEAK
Lean steak is great for supplying iron, an essential nutrient. If you don’t like steak, then you can have mackerel, sardines or dark turkey meat as an alternative to beef.

CRAB
Crab is a great source of copper, which is an essential mineral for the formation melatonin which helps reduce the formation of age spots one of the tell tale signs of skin aging. Beef, sardines, mussels, lobster and sunflower seeds are also good sources.

3. Drink water and lots of it:
Water…we can’t live without it and it’s essential to get plenty to hydrate your skin and flush out impurities. So try to drink eight, 8-oz. glasses each day.

How to look older than your years!
It’s been said a million times before, but if you want to look older than your age, the quickest way to get there is to smoke. According to the Mayo Clinic, at www.mayoclinic.com, smoking accelerates the normal aging process of your skin, contributing to wrinkles. Skin changes from smoking can be seen in young adults who have been smoking for as few as 10 years. Smoking causes narrowing of the blood vessels in the outermost layers of skin and damages the elastic fibers (elastin) and collagen which give your skin strength and elasticity. In addition, the repetitive facial expressions you make when smoking — such as pursing your lips when inhaling and squinting your eyes to keep out smoke — may contribute to wrinkles. So there is yet another reason to quit smoking...or to never pick up the habit to begin with.