Your mom probably told you more than once to eat your vegetables, right? If your mom was like mine, she chopped and served fresh when she could.

Our shelves along the basement steps were always stocked with canned green beans, corn, asparagus, peas and a few others that were quite distasteful to me as a child. They were mushy and just didn’t taste good. From this I learned to dislike vegetables unless they were fresh.

All those years ago, living in New England, it was not easy to get fresh vegetables in the winter, so we had to work with canned until frozen vegetables became available. They were a step up from canned, but still not as good as fresh.

Today, with a global food market it is easier to get fresh vegetables year round, but when grown locally, that remains my first choice.

We Eat What We Like

One thing I know is we eat what we like and don’t eat what we don’t like. I also know that on top of vegetables being powerhouses of vitamins and minerals, they are also your skin’s friend. Yes, your skin.

You may find skin creams that boast hardy amounts of antioxidants, but you need to look no further than your vegetables to get a daily dose of these skin preserving nutrients.

Sandy was in her late 50s when I worked with her. She set a goal to increase her vegetables to five a day. She accomplished this by eating some in whole form and others went into her morning smoothie.

If you are looking for an easy way to get your five veggies in, check out this recipe and you can start with breakfast.

Sandy not only felt more energized from this change in diet, but she noticed the tone and texture of her skin improved. Understandably, any woman in her late 50s whose skin tone improves is surely motivated to continue doing what she’s doing, and Sandy has. She has beautiful skin.

No vitamin tablet or skin cream can give you what fresh vegetables can. Cell growth and regeneration happens best when we eat high nutrient foods. Think of supplements and skin creams as a help, but not the first choice.

Vegetables Are Great for Aging Skin: Sugar Is Not

We all know that too much sun will wrinkle and age our skin, but did you know that sugar is also said to damage the skin? Sugar is an irritant.

There are numerous claims that eating excess amounts of sugar will harm the skin. It’s sad that sugar tastes so good, and that it’s an addictive food, but the truth is it ages your skin.

That doesn’t mean you should never have sugar. Eat it in moderation to best keep your skin vibrant, your weight in check, and your energy steady. You can read more about the effects of sugar, and ways to keep your energy steady.

Are you eating a good number of veggies every day? Have you been successful in avoiding refined sugar? What do you eat to nourish your beautiful aging skin? Tell us what works for you! Please join the conversation.