8 Foods for Better Skin

As we age, the surface layer of the skin thins. The layer beneath the surface also loses collagen — skin's scaffolding — and elastin, fibres that give skin its bounce. Far beneath the surface, fat cells also shrink. The result? Wrinkling and sagging. You can blame some of this on exposure to the sun. Ultraviolet rays damage the skin and generate unstable molecules called free radicals that wreak further havoc by breaking down collagen. Smoking and air pollution have a similar effect.

The body fights back with its own antioxidants, which neutralize free radicals, but getting more antioxidants from foods as sweet and delicious as berries increases your protection when the damage starts to overwhelm the body's natural defences.