Top 5 Foods for Younger Looking Skin

Instead, try an anti-aging diet, or what world-renowned healthy aging expert Dr. Nicholas Perricone calls a "nutritional facelift." A nutritionally sound diet can help delay wrinkles, improve skin elasticity and even promote optimal hydration.

As if you needed another reason to get your chocolate fix!

A 2006 study showed women who drank a daily cup of hot cocoa made with flavonoid-rich dark chocolate had smoother skin texture, a rosier complexion and, most importantly, optimal skin hydration. Flavonoids also help equip the skin with a stronger defense against wrinkle-causing UV rays.

And dont forget, better hydration equals less dry skin, which in the long run delays those pesky wrinkles.

Dark Chocolate Recipes:

• Hot spiced dark chocolate.
• Low-fat dark chocolate meringue drops.

Other flavonoid rich foods include: apples, apricots, blue berries, pears, raspberries, black beans, cabbage, onions, parsley, pinto beans, tomatoes, green tea.

Brightly colored bell peppers -- red, orange, yellow, and green -- are a rich source of vitamin C and lycopene, a potent antioxidant that helps protect the skin.

In fact, did you know just a cup of bell peppers contains more than 200 percent of your recommended daily dose of vitamin C?

Bell pepper recipes:

• Turkey Rollups with Bell Peppers and Basil
• Buckwheat Groat and Bell Pepper Scramble
• Vegetarian Korean Glass Noodles with Bell Peppers
• Veggie Rolls with Bell Peppers and Herbs

Other vitamin C rich foods: citrus (oranges, tangerines), cabbage, Brussels sprouts, tomatoes, guavas, kiwi fruit, broccoli and strawberries.

Salmon delivers a hearty helping of omega-3s -- an essential fatty acid that promotes plumper, younger looking skin.

Nutritionist Ann Yelmokas Mcdermott, PhD, of Tufts University told WebMD that essential fatty acids nourish healthy skin membranes and enable nutrients and toxins to enter and exit cells. At the same time, those skin membrances become stronger barriers that can lock in moisture.

The extra hydration not only delays deep wrinkles, but enhances a glowing complexion. All that for the price of a few salmon fillets!

Salmon recipes:

• Grilled Salmon Gyros with Cucumber Dill Dip
• Salmon with Blueberry Mango Salsa
• Salmon and Black Bean Tostadas

Other foods rich in omega-3 fatty acid: Walnuts, flax seed, fish, canola oil.

Carrots have long been touted as the best vegetable for protecting skin -- and for good reason.

Carrots contain antioxidants, vitamins B1, B2, C and most importantly, are the richest vegetable source of beta carotene (vitamin A). Beta carotene is essential in neutralizing the actions of free radicals. It helps prevent premature signs of aging (wrinkles and agespots), and supports the formation and repair of skin cells and tissue.

Did you know a cup of carrots contain over 686 percent of your recommended daily dose of vitamin A?

Carrot recipes:

• Sweet Potato, Carrot, Apple and Dried Fruit Tsimmes
• Gordon Ramsays Homemade Bolognaise Sauce with Carrots
• Shrimp and Carrot Siu Mai Dumplings
• Stuffed Shells with Artichokes, Cottage Cheese and Carrots

Other foods that are rich in beta carotene include: Spinach, pumpkin, squash, sweet potatoes, cherries, melon, peaches, nectarines, apricots, and mangos.