If your skin isn’t glowing as much as it should, the first place you need to look is your fridge, not your bathroom shelf. What you eat (or forget to eat!) has a whole lot more to do with how your skin, hair and nails behave than you might think. While you’re probably familiar with the more obvious nutrient-dense foods like fatty fish, avocado, nuts and seeds, here are a few more in-season fruit and vegetable buys that might surprise you. 

For more glowy skin

Eat more cauliflower, Brussels sprouts and kale. These are all high in omega-3 fatty acids, which help to slow down ageing inflammation in our body. They also regulate our skin’s oil production, so it stays all soft and dewy, just as long as it is topped up regularly as we can’t produce oil. These vegies are also high in vitamin C, which helps in the formation of skin-plumping collagen. 

Top tip: Roast a whole cauliflower in the oven with a splash of apple cider vinegar to improve gut health linked to good skin.

For shinier hair

Eat more (raw) carrots, pumpkin and sweet potatoes, all high in beta carotene, which the body uses to make vitamin A. Our body needs this vitamin to make enough sebum, so your locks shine with Hollywood-style glossiness. Stock up on capsicum, oranges and kiwifruit, as these are all excellent sources of collagen-producing vitamin C too, which our body needs to build keratin, the protein that makes up hair.

For stronger nails

Eat more mushrooms, tomatoes and beans. These vegies are rich in biotin (B7), which helps prevent nails from becoming too brittle and breaking easily. Also, kiwifruit will help make nails more resilient thanks to the fruit being a rich source of vitamin C too, even more than oranges. 

Mushrooms are a superfood beauty all-rounder. Not only are they rich in antioxidants – this protects skin and promotes healing – they’re a good source of the super-hydrating hyaluronic acid which our skin loses naturally as we age. Better add mushrooms to every dish this winter!