If you follow Nada Vogt on social media, you're probably familiar with her charming and motivating approach to dieting and weight loss.
If you haven't had the chance to get to know her yet, now is the perfect time because almost everyone has faced some kind of dietary issue that Nada addresses in her posts.
With Nada Vogt, you won’t hear about how many calories you should consume daily, nor which diet is right for you or which you should avoid at all costs.
Nada believes that a happy person is someone who is healthy, understands why they eat when they do, and doesn’t confuse self-discipline with punishing themselves through strict diets.
Nada holds the official title of Sports and Exercise Nutritionist. At the age of 22, she enrolled in the FISAF International Academy, and in 2019, she became a licensed nutritionist.
Nada’s mentorship, where she helps people understand the root causes of bad habits, is based on scientific studies and research that she actively follows because, as she admits, learning never stops.
We spoke with Nada about how food impacts skin health and how we can improve the appearance of our skin through diet.
DK: Do you think that in recent years, people have started linking diet with skin health more often?
Nada Vogt: With the rise in popularity of the term "wellness" and everything it encompasses, questions about how diet affects our skin have become very common among those looking to adopt a healthier lifestyle.
Nutraceuticals have drawn a lot of attention over the years in response to this.
DK: What are nutraceuticals?
Nada Vogt: Simply put, nutraceuticals are dietary components naturally present in food that are believed to offer medical or health benefits. The term itself is a combination of the words “nutrition” and “pharmaceutical.”
DK: Which nutraceuticals are beneficial for the skin?
Nada Vogt: A diet that’s good for our skin is a diet that’s good for our overall health.
One rich in healthy fats, diverse in colors, full of leafy greens, and a good mix of nuts and seeds, while at the same time limiting (but not excluding) the intake of highly processed foods – sweets, snacks, etc.
Good nutrition for our skin is good nutrition for our body.
Popular nutraceuticals that would be beneficial to include in your diet are:
- Carotenoids
- Fatty acids
- Minerals
- Vitamins
- Polyphenols
DK: Could you tell us more about carotenoids? How do they affect our overall health?
Nada Vogt: Carotenoids are a family of over 600 fat-soluble plant pigments, about 20 of which are found in human tissue and blood.
Humans cannot synthesize carotenoids, so we must obtain them through diet or supplements.
Carotenoids protect the skin from harmful molecules known as free radicals,
which are generated in the skin due to various reasons, including sun exposure and UV damage, as well as metabolic processes within our skin cells.
There are four main dietary carotenoids:
- Beta-carotene, found in leafy green vegetables, orange root vegetables, and yellow or orange fruits.
- Lutein
- Zeaxanthin, found in leafy greens and eggs.
- Lycopene, found in tomatoes, pink grapefruit, and watermelon.
All of them act as powerful antioxidants and can slow down collagen breakdown in the skin.
DK: What lifestyle habits can support skin health?
Nada Vogt: While it’s not advisable to treat skin diseases solely with lifestyle measures, there’s no doubt that certain lifestyle factors affect our skin, both in health and disease.
For those with chronic inflammatory skin conditions (like eczema, psoriasis, acne, and rosacea), combining lifestyle measures with medical treatments can lead to favorable outcomes.
For those without skin conditions, lifestyle habits are important for maintaining healthy skin and preventing premature skin aging if that’s a concern for you.
DK: Is there a specific diet that can make skin look better?
Nada Vogt: There’s no one-size-fits-all diet that’s best for your skin—whether vegan, paleo, LCHF, or keto—it doesn't matter.
A diet that’s good for our skin is one that’s good for our overall health.
This includes a variety of foods, colorful meals, plenty of fruits and vegetables, essential fatty acids, olive oil, and limiting (not excluding) saturated fats and sugars.
Key components in our diet that can benefit our skin include:
- Omega-3 fatty acids – derived from linolenic acid, these are naturally found in the skin. They play a crucial role in the skin's immune function and have been shown to offer "photoprotective" effects, making the skin more resistant to sunburn. (However, this is no excuse to skip sunscreen!) They can be found in cold-water fish, nuts, seeds, and flaxseed oil.
- Carotenoids – including beta-carotene, lutein, zeaxanthin, and lycopene. This group of compounds offers numerous skin benefits, including limiting free radical damage, supporting skin maintenance and repair, and providing photoprotective properties. They can be found in leafy green vegetables, orange root vegetables, tomatoes, watermelon, and pink grapefruit.
- Minerals like selenium, zinc, and copper – copper and zinc are essential for collagen synthesis and wound healing. Selenium is an important antioxidant.
- Vitamins such as vitamin C and E – these have important antioxidant roles in the skin.
DK: Lastly, do you have a healthy summer recipe to share with us?
Nada VogtAbsolutely! Here’s a light summer recipe packed with fresh ingredients featuring some of the components we’ve talked about!
Tomato, Spinach, and Mozzarella Pasta
Ingredients:
– 200g of pasta (your choice)
– 2 tablespoons of olive oil
– 1 large tomato, chopped
– 100g of fresh spinach
– 100g of mozzarella cheese, chopped
– Salt and pepper to taste
– 1 clove of garlic, finely chopped
– Fresh basil (optional)
Instructions:
- Cook the pasta:
– In a large pot, bring salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook according to package instructions until al dente. Drain and set aside.
- Prepare the tomato and spinach sauce:
– While the pasta is cooking, heat olive oil in a pan over medium-high heat. Add the chopped garlic and sauté for 1-2 minutes until fragrant.
– Add the chopped tomato and cook for about 5 minutes until it starts to break down into a sauce.
– Add the spinach and cook for another 2-3 minutes until wilted.
- Combine the ingredients:
– Add the cooked pasta to the pan with the sauce and mix well to combine all the ingredients.
– Stir in the chopped mozzarella and mix until it starts to melt.
– For extra flavor, add fresh basil if desired.
- Serve:
– Serve the pasta warm, optionally topped with a sprinkle of parmesan.
Enjoy your healthy and delicious summer meal!
Author box
Dr. Jasmina Kozarev is a dermatovenerologist with a doctorate in the field of laser vascular procedures and a pioneer of aesthetic laser treatments in Serbia. She graduated from the Faculty of Medicine in Novi Sad as one of the best students of her generation, and she defended her doctoral thesis on laser treatment of vascular lesions in 2011. She has been a lecturer at domestic and international aesthetic and laser conferences for many years, with a special focus on dermatological acne therapy, skin regeneration and non-surgical rejuvenation.