Happy Friday! Today, we are looking at Vitamin A and its role in both skin health and appearance. Learn about how and why it works and the foods to eat in our latest Anti-Inflammatory Food As Medicine Series - including recipes rich in Vitamin A.
We are also serving up three of our favorite spices that we keep on hand and use frequently, and in honor of National Veggie Burger Day, a veggie burger recipe and sides that work well with it!
This past week, if you missed it, we covered:
Iced Tea: How to make it, why sun tea should give you pause, recipes and more, plus our June Seasonal Food Series, including recipes!
Easy ways to get more protein into your diet when pregnant
Our opinions on whether we think agave is healthy
It’s National Veggie Burger Day today, so we wanted to share our plant-based burger recipe - free for all our readers for a limited time! And our VIPs get two new sides that go perfect with this burger: Fresh Dill Potato Salad and Asian-Inspired Sesame Ginger Coleslaw. Upgrade to access these side-dish recipes!
If you know of someone who may enjoy our recommendations and Food As Medicine series, please forward this along!
Every Friday, we share a quick roundup of products we actually use and love. These tools and staples can make cooking, serving, and clean-up easier and more enjoyable.
Today, we are offering up suggestions on some of our favorite spices - enjoy!
SpiceWalla Mom’s Taco Seasoning: I learned about this brand at the Natural Products Expo West, and I’m a big fan. Spice blends often contain flavors or preservatives, so be sure to read the ingredients. SpiceWalla doesn’t add any flavorings or preservatives and has some really fun blends - like Mom’s taco seasoning. Diana
SpiceWalla Amore Italian Seasoning: A great blend to have on hand for soups, stews, and sauces. Especially good in pizza sauces. - Dr. Weil
Flatiron Pepper Co. Red Pepper Flakes: This is another recent find. We add red pepper flakes to pretty much everything. Adding red pepper flakes at the end makes cooking with spice super easy because everyone can add however much/little they want. I also highly recommend their Hatch Valley Green Pepper Flakes! - Diana
WEIL Nutrition Corner™ Tip: Ground, dried spices taste best when used within 6-12 months, and whole spices can last 1-2 years. A good rule of thumb: If it smells weak, it won’t flavor your food well, and if the color is dull, it’s likely past its prime.
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Anti-Inflammatory Food As Medicine Series: Vitamin A For Skin Health
Vitamin A is essential for skin cell turnover and repair, which directly impacts how skin looks and ages. Here are four ways it works:
If you are interested in this topic you may want to read these:
Our WEIL Nutrition Corner™ VIPs get access to the benefits of Vitamin A for skin, the foods to add to your diet, and recipes to try. Upgrade today to access this and all our VIP content!
It promotes skin cell turnover. Vitamin A helps your skin shed old, damaged cells and replace them with new, healthy ones. As we age, cell turnover slows down, which can lead to dullness, rough texture, and more visible fine lines.
Vitamin A supports collagen production. Vitamin A (especially in its active forms, such as retinoids) helps stimulate collagen production, reducing the breakdown of existing collagen. Collagen is what keeps skin firm, elastic, and plump. Less collagen leads to more visible wrinkles over time.
It acts as an antioxidant (indirectly, via beta-carotene). Plant-based vitamin A (like in carrots and sweet potatoes) comes as beta-carotene, which helps protect skin from oxidative stress. This includes damage from UV exposure and environmental stressors. Since oxidative damage accelerates skin aging and wrinkle formation, eating foods rich in beta-carotene may help reduce these effects.
Vitamin A helps maintain skin hydration and integrity. It supports the skin barrier and promotes proper moisture retention. Since dry, compromised skin can make fine lines more noticeable, foods rich in vitamin A can help to keep skin looking more hydrated.
What Foods Are Good For Your Skin?
These foods are rich in beta-carotene, which your body converts into vitamin A as needed. Some benefits of getting beta-carotene from food are:
It’s safer than high-dose supplements
You are ingesting fiber and other antioxidants as well
You are supporting overall skin health, not just one pathway
Good Food Sources of Vitamin A
Sweet potatoes
Carrots
Butternut squash
Spinach and kale
Red and orange peppers
WEIL Nutrition Corner™ Tip: When it comes to vitamin A, more is not always better. Very high doses of preformed vitamin A (from supplements) can be harmful, so we suggest food sources as the safest and easiest way to increase your vitamin A intake.
Vitamin A-Rich Recipes
These two recipes are tasty sides for your summer meals - enjoy!
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