5. Walnuts
There is a lot in the news about how nuts in general, and walnuts in particular, contain an optimal ratio of essential fatty acids. Our bodies use these essential fatty acids as the building blocks of healthy cell membranes, and because we do not create them internally, we need to get our omega-3s and omega-6s from food. Another great source of EFAs is fatty fish like salmon, mackerel, and herring.
We recommend walnuts for your EFAs because they also contain the skin-loving antioxidants vitamin E, vitamin C, and selenium, as well as 4–5 grams of protein per ounce. Because walnuts are high in fat as well, it’s best to stick to one ounce per serving, but that much is enough to net you 6% of the RDI for zinc. Zinc is known to support skin healing as well as fight bacteria and inflammation.