Summer is just a couple weeks away, which means it’s time to break out the sun dresses, tank tops, and shorts! During these warm months we tend to pay extra attention to how our skin looks – whether it’s noticing a tan, bug bites, acne, sun burn, or any other skin issue that went unseen in the winter. While it is important to do skin self-examinations and care for your skin on the surface, it’s just as important to spend time and energy making sure your skin is healthy from the inside out!

How does it work?

What we put into our bodies is just as important as what we put on it; eating the right foods and drinking plenty of water is essential to healthy skin that glows from the inside out. Luckily for you, summertime is filled with delicious fruits and vegetables! These alone are filled with hydrating water and beneficial vitamins and minerals that will help your skin look and feel healthy.

Fruits and Vegetables That Hydrate

* Watermelon is an excellent example of a summer fruit that hydrates. Watermelon is capable of hydrating you and your skin for quite some time. It is mostly made up of – you guessed it – water! It also contains sodium, magnesium, and potassium, perfect for hydrating you and giving your skin the nutrients it needs to maintain that ~natural glow~ and overall health!

* Cantaloupe is wonderful for hydration and is packed with healthy doses of vitamin A, vitamin C, magnesium, fiber, and potassium. The nutrients in cantaloupe help fight free radical damage, which slows the aging process of the skin and helps keep your skin soft and supple. Who said eating healthy can’t be delicious?!

* Grapefruit: juice, tangy, full of hydrating juices, and an awesome summertime breakfast. Grapefruit provides you with vitamins A, B, and C, and fiber, is great for cardiovascular health, reduces asthma symptoms, and is a powerful antioxidant that helps your body fight off viruses!

* Celery and Celery Juice: celery is a great snack or in between go-to for when you want to crunch on something that is healthy. Packed with water, it also contains vitamins and mineral salts to keep your body hydrated and your skin glowing. In addition to eating celery, drinking plain old celery juice is extremely beneficial for your overall health. I have been attempting a daily celery juice cleanse (I start the day off with 16 ounces of pure celery juice every morning) and have seen some awesome results in my skin and digestion. Celery strengthens the hydrochloric acid in your gut as it is a high alkaline vegetable, so it is very helpful in treating acid reflux, bloating, and indigestion. Celery juice has also been found to help treat acne, eczema, and hives. If the juice is too much for you on its own, try adding it in to your smoothies or other juices!

* Strawberries are high in antioxidants, hydrating vitamins, and other essential nutrients that we need to stay healthy. Blueberries and cherries are wonderful sources of antioxidants as well! Try to limit the amount of berries you eat each day, however, because they do contain a fair amount of natural sugars that should be consumed somewhat sparingly!

* Cucumbers are mostly made up of water and contain vitamin C. They are naturally hydrating and perfect for summer salads, snacks, or adding to your water for a fun midday refresher.

Hydrating Your Skin With Beverages

Though we should be drinking 8 glasses of water a day, it’s important to remember that when the weather starts to get hot, the more water we should drink. For those who do not like the taste of plain water, occasionally adding lemon or lime, or both, to your water can make the difference in whether or not your skin is hydrated.

In addition, making your own homemade fresh green tea, chilling it and serving it with ice and lemon is a great way to hydrate that tastes good too. Adding a sprig of mint tops it off making it the perfect summer hydrating drink. Try to balance out each glass of tea with a glass of water whenever possible, as the caffeine found in green tea can start to dehydrate the body.

For many of us, putting a product like a moisturizer or mask directly onto the skin sounds like the logical path to keeping hydrated looking skin. However, what you do on the inside first will always make the biggest difference. Eating your summer fruits and vegetables and hydrating yourself with water and teas will not only keep your body functioning properly; it will also keep your skin glowing like the sun without all the side effects! And of course, don’t forget your sunscreen!!