By: Adam L.
Everyone wants nice skin and wants to be nice and skinny.
After all, our skin and our weight are the first things people notice about us and we want to look our best.
And while there are plenty of synthetic products available for promoting glowing skin and weight loss, there are four natural products that are great for your skin (and also help you lose weight).
They’re easy to find, inexpensive and proven to work.
They are olive oil, salmon, coconut oil and avocado oil.
Let’s dive in and see how they work to promote healthy skin and weight loss.
1 – Olive Oil:
Olive oil is one of the healthiest oils on the planet, not just for heart health, but in a myriad of other ways.
According to dermatologist Paul Laurence, MD, olive oil is great for supporting soft, glowing skin by protecting the liver and supporting the skin’s resilience to sun damage.
That’s because it has a ton of antioxidants in it, plus, the short-chain fatty acids help to plump up skin cells.
Those short-chain fatty acids are also what contributes to weight loss. Dr. Mary Flynn encourages olive oil for general health as well as weight loss. She writes: “The general body of research says that once you have two or more tablespoons a day, you’ll improve your blood pressure, your glucose levels and your good cholesterol.”
Flynn adds, “But I’ve found that the weight-loss effect comes into play at three tablespoons, so that’s what I recommend. It’s an amazing food – it does all these things that help your body, plus it tastes good.”
Just get a high-quality oil to get the best results.
2 – Salmon:
Salmon is one of the healthiest foods on the planet, bar none.
When it comes to skin health, the richness of the omega-3 fatty acids are what helps give your skin added support. Omega-3s help neutralize inflammation which is responsible for the breakdown of collagen and elastin, two compounds that give skin its smooth texture.
This quality is why Dr. Rachel Nazarian of Schweiger Dermatology Group in New York says salmon is superior for skin health. “I consider salmon to be one of the superfoods for skin health,” she remarked in an interview.
As for weight loss, salmon helps to balance cholesterol levels and promotes a healthy cardiovascular system. When your heart is healthy, it enables you to shed fat. Another aspect of salmon’s weight loss property is how it’s packed high in protein, which promotes lean body mass as well as fat burning.
The more protein you eat, the better chance you have of maintaining lean body mass.
3 – Avocado Oil:
Avocados are an incredibly wholesome fruit and eating them is bound to promote better health.
However, if you want better skin and weight loss, the oil of avocado is a leading contender for food of the century.
Avocado’s high-fat content helps to moisturize the skin and protect it from drying out. Those fats also act as antioxidants, which prevent inflammation from damaging your skin. There’s evidence that avocado oil helps to keep skin young and youthful as the fats keep certain cellular matrices supple and firm, so the normal signs of aging don’t appear.
And for weight loss, avocado oil is super helpful at slimming you down, especially when on a ketogenic diet.
Because avocado oil is made up of short-chain fatty acids, it breaks down quickly for cellular metabolism. Once those fats are burned up it will cause your body to seek out pockets of fat elsewhere and then use them for energy, too. This process helps to burn off excess fat and means faster weight loss.
This ketogenic principle is why so many people are losing weight on a ketogenic diet, and why avocado oil is so helpful for weight loss.
4 – Coconut Oil:
Coconut oil is one of the best natural products for skin health as it’s one of the few naturally occurring fatty products that doesn’t just keep your skin smooth and moisturized, but also helps to fight off bacteria that cause the skin to develop acne.
Coconut oil is rich in lauric acid, which has known antibacterial properties. Putting it on your skin will keep bacteria from building up, which can help you resist the formation of certain skin conditions like acne.
In addition to that, the fatty acids help to fill pockets and creases in the skin for smooth, firm skin.
The way coconut oil helps with weight loss is similar to how the other oils help with staying trim, but with a twist.
Coconut oil works specifically on abdominal fat which is one of the most dangerous kinds of fat.
As HealthLine writes:
“In a study of 40 women with abdominal obesity, supplementing with 30 mL (2 tablespoons) of coconut oil per day led to a significant reduction in both BMI and waist circumference over a period of 12 weeks.
Another study in 20 obese males noted a reduction in waist circumference of 1.1 inches (2.86 cm) after 4 weeks of 30 mL (2 tablespoons) of coconut oil per day.”
And while coconut oil is good for weight loss, like many fats, it’s a concentrated source of calories so you don’t want to overdo it.
