This site seems to quickly be turning into a natural skin care site! I am just really passionate about women creating natural beauty from the inside out rather than turning to heavy makeup and expensive quick fixes. I also know that there are a lot of women out there who are really struggling with skin conditions (myself included!) and I strongly believe that if you fix the underlying issues or deficiencies then you will have beautiful skin for life! I recently posted an article about how important it is to honour and protect your acid mantle. This post very much follows on from that article so if you have not read it yet then please go read it now! -B xx

Our acid mantle is largely made up of essential fatty acids. So if your skin is looking dry or if you are not naturally producing that great oily skin layer that helps to protect your skin from premature wrinkling then you may be deficient in essential fatty acids (as many of us are!). Being deficient in essential fatty acids is also linked to many diseases of the skin like acne, eczema and psoriasis. Sometimes this deficiency might be unrelated to what you are eating and there may be a genetic, inherited component involved! Obviously, if you don’t have a great acid mantle then the skin can’t self-protect! But don’t worry you can absolutely create one and today I am going to talk about all of the top foods to eat for healthy essential fatty acid levels and getting that gorgeous skin!

Our bodies can’t make EFA’s (essential fatty acids) so we will need to obtain them consistently from our diet. There are two types of essential fatty acids – omega 6 and omega 3. Omega 6 fatty acids are abundant in all processed foods and foods fried in omega 6 rich oils. We need to create a good balance of omega 3 in our body to balance out the omega 6 – too much omega 6 has been linked with increased inflammation and disease in the body (1).

There are three types of essential omega 3 fatty acids that our bodies need ALA (alpha-linolenic acid), EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid) and DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) (2). Plant-based sources only contain ALA’s but our bodies have the ability to convert them to EPA and DHA. However, some of us are much better at doing this than others and the conversion rate is actually very low (3). Vegan children have shown to still have good DHA levels but in senior vegan adults, DHA levels are shown to be quite low. If you are at all worried you can get these levels checked and supplement if necessary! EPA and DHA are mainly found in fatty fish (like salmon, sardines, mackerel and tuna, always buy wild caught not farmed). However, if you don’t eat fish there are many vegan supplements available or you can include some form of microalgae into your diet which I will talk about in more detail below!

7 Essential Fatty Acid Rich Foods to Eat More Of:

1. SEEDS:
Load up on seeds like pumpkin seeds, flax seeds, hemp seeds and chia seeds. Sesame seeds and sunflower seeds also contain omega 3 fatty acids. Although rather rare sasha inchi seeds are also a great source of omega 3! Get used to sprinkling them in your muesli, on top of your porridge, and add them to your smoothie. Sprinkle them onto your salad at lunch and dinnertime or pack them into a snack bag with some nuts for on the go!

2. NUTS:
Walnuts are probably the number one nut you NEED to eat more of for great skin! Also butternuts, Brazil nuts, cashews, and hazelnuts have EFA’s (although in smaller amounts). Grab a small handful to eat each day!

3. GREEN VEGETABLES:
Green leafy vegetables like kale, spinach, and mustard lettuce are great sources of EFA’s. Along with avocados – an amazing powerhouse of good fat for anyone on a plant based diet. Broccoli and cauliflower are also good vegetables to eat that contain EFA’s and you can also snack on them raw with hummus! Brussel sprouts are also surprisingly a great source of EFA’s!

4. BEANS:
Soybeans are a particularly good source of EFA’s so tofu and miso are really good to eat. Kidney, pinto, lima and navy beans are also great to eat for EFA’s along with other legumes like peas or split peas.

5. SQUASH:
Squash is surprisingly high in EFA’s – the winter and summer varieties. Cut it into chunks and steam it or add chopped squash to casseroles or soups!

6. MICROALGAE:
I now after doing this research STRONGLY recommend that all people on a strict vegan diet regularly include some form of microalgae into their diet. Green algae, blue-green algae and plankton are fantastic sources of essential fatty acids along with spirulina and chlorella. Why get it secondarily from the fish when you can get it direct!? The only reason fish flesh is high in essential fatty acids is because of all the plant based sea goodies that they are eating! This way you can also avoid all of the toxins that many fish are high in also. Microalgae is also a great source of DHA which is needed to ensure a really beautiful healthy brain! We learned before that DHA conversion is limited in plant-based sources of EFA’s. Studies have also shown that vegans who consume microalgae are also then able to convert the DHA into the EPA within their bodies so they will then be getting all three major essential omega 3 fatty acids.

7. OILS:
Flaxseed oil is a fantastic source of omega 3 fatty acids you can a tablespoon a day or add it into water/smoothies/raw soups. All oils are best consumed raw for the maximum benefits! Olive oil is also a good oil to take for essential fatty acids. You can easily add it to your salad as a dressing!

Evening primrose oil is a good plant based source of omega 6 fatty acids or GLA (gamma-linolenic acid). If you eat a lot of processed or fried foods then your body is probably already abundant in omega 6 and you will need to try and get more of the above omega 3 foods into your diet to increase your omega 3 ratios. However, if you suffer from any skin diseases or even skin dryness then I definitely think that you need to get on board with some evening primrose oil as there have been many studies that show a marked improvement in skin problems after taking it (4). Borage oil is also another good omega 6 rich oil.

Sorry, this article is a bit wordy – hopefully, it all makes sense! I feel like this is the number one issue where people run into problems on a plant based diet (not enough fat!) ♥

Links:

1 – Balancing Omega 3 and Omega 6 Fats from Berkeley Wellness
2 – Omega 3 fats from Harvard Health
3 – The Vegan Diet Flaw from Tonic
4 – Evening Primrose Oil from Dr Axe

Great write up on how Essential Fatty Acids work in Protecting Ageing Skin from Oskia Skincare