The cooler months can play havoc on your skin with increased exposure to dry wind, low humidity and indoor heating, leaving your skin dry and flaky. In conjunction with a proper skin care routine, you need to keep a close eye on what you are eating to maintain a healthy glow throughout the colder seasons.

Diet can help protect skin against dryness and sun damage and promote smooth and glowing skin, and here are our top 10 superfoods to make your skin glow this winter.

1. Oils – our favourites are olive oil and coconut oil. Rich in vitamins A and E, and packed with natural fatty acids, oils helps hydrate the skin to maintain elasticity and softness. Apply topically prior to a bath for soft and smooth skin, and add to salad dressings and cooking.

2. Grapefruit – is packed with vitamin C, which protects the skin from free radical damage. It also has lycopene that helps keep your skin smooth.

The potassium present can prevent wrinkles and age spots as well as protect the skin against harmful UV sunrays. The amino acids in grapefruit make your skin more firm and soft.

3. Avocado – a great source of vitamins A, C and E, avocados help your skin lock in moisture. Also contains folic acid, magnesium and potassium, which are all essential for healthy skin and reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.

Enjoy them as a snack, as a face mask or massage avocado oil into the skin before a bath for soft skin.

4. Carrots – loaded with vitamin A and other antioxidants, carrots can keep your skin healthy, vibrant and glowing, plus prevent pigmentation and an uneven skin tone.

5. Broccoli – is packed with skin-boosting ingredients like vitamins A and C as well as natural estrogens. Plus, the B vitamins in broccoli help get rid of dry, flaky patches, one of the most common skin problems that people have during the cold winter days.

6. Almonds – contain powerful antioxidants and are a good source of vitamin E that helps nourish your skin and protect it from the sun’s damaging UV rays.

7. Spinach – enjoys a high vitamin A content, an antioxidant that keeps your skin healthy and improves skin tone and vitamin C, which helps repair skin cells and keeps your skin looking beautiful. Spinach also has lutein that protects the skin from sun damage.

8. Green Tea – rich in antioxidants that fight free radical damage to your skin. Plus, the polyphenols in green tea can prevent and reduce signs of premature aging like wrinkles, age spots and saggy skin.

You can simply splash cool green tea on your face and then rinse your face with cool water or drink 2 or 3 cups daily.

9. Salmon – has a high amount of omega-3 fatty acids that nourish from within. This helps maintain plumpness and moisture even when exposed to skin-drying winter winds and central heating.

Plus, salmon has selenium, a mineral that protects the skin from harmful UV rays and zinc which stimulates the production of new skin cells.

10. Dark Chocolate – especially the varieties that contain at least 70% cocoa which are rich in flavonols that can help your skin look its best even during the harsh conditions of the winter season.

Flavonols are antioxidants that help your skin protect itself from UV damage, fight free radicals, keep skin soft and supple, and increase blood flow.