Pregnancy Beauty: Five Best Foods for Your Skin

With all the hormonal changes in your body during pregnancy, your skin, as the body’s largest organ, is the one that shows the most obvious changes. That “pregnancy glow” doesn’t always come automatically, but there are foods that you can indulge in to nourish yourself, your new baby and your skin. Dr. Jeannette Graf, Director of Dermatology at Omni Aesthetic MD, in New York City, has some tips for moms-to-be.

1. Walnuts: Omega-3 fatty acids are a key ingredient in these tasty snacks and help maintain the barrier that preserves the moisture in your skin. They’re also rich in antioxidants that help to protect your skin from free-radical damage.

2. Lean Proteins: These include chicken, turkey, eggs and fish. They give you energy and contain skin-renewing enzymes. Fatty fish (such as salmon) contain Omega 3s and 6s that keep your cell membranes healthy. They block harmful substances while still allowing nutrients in. If you’re having a craving, proteins will fill you up quickly and give you a boost of energy without the spikes and crashes of sugary treats.

3. Blueberries: As with walnuts, blueberries contain antioxidants that protect the skin from damage and disintegration. If you’re watching your calories or don’t like walnuts, they’re a great substitute. Plus, you can enjoy them frozen, which is a summertime refresher and a tasty, sugar-free “popsicle”.

4. Tomatoes: Whether you love beefsteak, roma, cherry or grape tomatoes, your skin will benefit no matter what. They contain lycopene, which works to increase the collagen levels in your skin-and cooked tomatoes offer more lycopene than raw ones. What does that really mean? More collagen equals a smoother complexion and a lessening of skin sagging. It “plumps” up your skin and can make fine lines and wrinkles appear less noticeable.

5. Water: It may seem like a no-brainer, and some might even argue that water isn’t food, but keeping hydrated during pregnancy and beyond, is key to your overall health as well as your skin’s health. Dr. Graf suggests “Aim for a gallon per day! We’re made of 75% water. Filtered water is great and you don’t need fancy machines.”

In addition to these tips, Dr. Graf has a few more. “Avoid refined foods and eat good, complex carbs because babies need the energy! But remember, everything in moderation.” She advises that moms-to-be avoid anything that comes out of a cow: “Switch to coconut or almond milk,” and to add supplements that include vitamin D. “Vitamin D helps the skin oversee the antimicrobial peptides that the skin makes…that protect us from the outside world. Plus, it’s good for wound healing.”

And as with everything you do-pregnant or not-make sure to run any lifestyle and dietary changes by your OB-GYN or healthcare specialist to make sure you won’t be doing damage or harm to yourself. Everyone is different and what works for your Lamaze-class classmate might not work for you.



Shelley Moench-Kelly is a New England-based writer and editor whose freelance clients include Google, L’Oreal Paris and TheWeek.com. You can follow her on Facebook