Healthy foods can actually keep wrinkles and signs of aging at bay. In fact, if you eat right it can help you look young and live longer. In other words, if you want to eat some sort of junk food that is not too good for you, you should just grab a handful of nuts instead. So this doesn’t sound as good? Maybe it will by the time you are finished reading this.

Read on for healthy foods that are have been proven to fight the effects of age:

• All types of citrus fruits
All citrus fruits contain high amounts of vitamin C. If you want to literally seal up the wrinkles and cracks in your skin, you should use a product containing vitamin C. Topical vitamin C is widely used in anti-aging products. However, the ability to heal from within is also important and eating oranges will give you a major dose of this vitamin.

• Walnuts
There are a lot of antioxidants in walnuts. This makes them great providers for these cancer-fighting compounds. Not only will they keep skin cancer from developing, they can also fight discoloration and other types of environmental weathering.

• Green tea
Green tea is also a wonderful source for antioxidants.

• Almonds
Almonds are very well known for the amount of vitamin E they contain. Scars and stretch marks will be diminished when applying vitamin E topically. It can also diminish existing age spots. However, when taken internally vitamin E can help prevent the formation of these marks in the first place.

(Note: if you are going to have surgery soon, ask your doctor about the appropriate amounts of vitamin E for your diet. Some people find that they bleed more when they take extra vitamin E so you might want to cease any supplement during this time.)

As you can see, there are numerous reasons to eat healthy. Next time you need extra motivation, reread this and you won’t be tempted to skip the healthy foods.

One of the most important parts of healthy eating is balance. This relates to your skin in several ways. Your diet of food and your diet for your skin must both be well balanced. This means if you use a very large dose of vitamins in an anti-aging cream, you need to balance it out with a mega-moisturizer. A lot of the vitamins that help to prevent aging also cause the skin to really dry out. Which will actually cause even more wrinkles. The best way to prevent this is to keep skin hydrated by – you guessed it – drinking lots of water and applying refreshers regularly.

In addition to staying hydrated, some forms of vitamins can cause sun sensitivity. You should already be aware of this if you are taking large amounts of vitamin C or vitamin A. But did you know that the same applies if you take these vitamins topically? You should always where sunscreen when you are using a lotion that is vitamin heavy.

When reading about staying healthy, you have probably read how important it is for a balanced diet to include nuts and other legumes. Certain types of nuts that you eat will help keep your skin smooth. Your skin will stay youthful looking and acting if you add walnuts to your diet. Which is because they are loaded with antioxidants, which your body will stop producing big time after your mid-twenties.

A lot of what you put in your mouth can also help out the skin on your face. Great facials often come from hearty vegetables. Herbal supplements often are ideal wrinkle treatments. Changing your eating habits to include healthy foods is also the key to younger looking skin.