A gorgeous healthy glow is top of the wish list for so many people, and we'll go to amazing lengths to achieve it. Yet we tend to focus on external strategies: cosmetics, skin-care products and even surgery. We've become conditioned to think that beauty comes from outside and can be purchased in a cream or a lotion. However your skin is a perpetual state of bloom, constantly repairing and replenishing itself through the creation of new cells, from the inside.

The condition of your skin depends on the quality of raw materials from which these cells are constructed. In other words, what you eat and drink produces the skin you reveal to the world. The way your skin looks is actually a direct portrayal of your diet and lifestyle.

A gorgeous glowing complexion reflects a state of great inner health, and the only way to get it is by working from within. There's no way round it!

3 Beauty Tips for Glowing Skin this Winter:

1. Take a good fish oil supplement:

Fish oil contains Essential Fatty Acids (EFA's)-the best fats, they're important building blocks for cell membranes; when cell membranes are healthy, they transport nutrients efficiently, giving your skin a great glow. A balance and sufficient intake of EFAs can also help you burn fat, give you energy and encourage your skin to hold water, making it smooth and youthful. A deficiency or imbalance in EFAs can also age skin prematurely.

To increase your EFA intake - especially omega 3:

Take a good fish oil supplement

Add a tablespoon of Linseed, Sunflower and Almond meal (LSA) over your breakfast cereal

Add a tablespoon of flaxseed oil to your food or smoothie

Eat oily, cold-water fish like salmon, mackerel, sardines at least 3 times a week

Throw a handful of walnuts into a green leafy salad

2. Curb the Bad Carbs:

During winter we tend to crave the high glycaemic Index foods such as bread, biscuits, sweets and chocolate. These types of carbohydrates will certainly raise serotonin levels and make you feel good for a while, but once blood sugar levels go up and an insulin response occurs, serotonin levels will crash again. The continual carb craving can lead to weight gain, depression, fatigue, dull skin and wrinkles!

To lower glycaemic levels consume foods with a low GI (less than 50) such as:

Vegetables - Spinach, Asparagus,Red Capsicum, Broccoli, Mushroooms

Legumes - Chickpeas, Kidney beans, lima beans, Black eyed peas, Lentils

Cereals grains - Rye kernals, Barley Pearled, Quinoa

Fruit -Grapes, green apple, pear, Grapefruit, plums, Berries

Spices - Cinnamon, fenugreek

3. Add more Vitamin C, Zinc, Vitamin E, Vitamin A, Vitamin D to your diet:

Top up on your fat soluble vitamins and zinc. D is important in winter due to lack of sunlight, Vitamin C as a potent antioxidant preserving youth and beauty, building collagen and protecting the immune system for that youthful bounce n glow, Vitamin E is a powerful antioxidant that protects cellular membranes from oxidative and environmental damage, improving acne, eczema and psoriasis along with Zinc giving you that lustre and glow to a tired skin.

Vitamin A is a wrinkle fighter extraordinaire for normal growth, development and renewal of skin cells, keeping the skin taut, silky soft and youthful looking, Zinc helps regenerate skin cells, reduces inflammation, aids in wound healing and is a must in the formation of collagen for supple skin, strong nails and vibrant Hair.

Vitamin C - take a buffered supplement with bioflavonoids and Guava, pomegranate juice, kiwi fruit, Berries, orange, parsley, broccoli, bell pepper, strawberries, lemon juice, papaya, cauliflower, kale, mustard greens, and Brussels sprouts

Vitamin E - Wheatgerm oil, Vegetable oils, nuts (almonds), and green leafy vegetables

Vitamin A - Cod liver oil, hard cheese, eggs

Vitamin D - Salmon, herring, Tuna fish, Cod Liver Oil, Eggs, Sunshine.

Zinc - Oysters, Shellfish, Wheat Germ, Wheat Bran, Low Fat Roast Beef, Pine Nuts, Pecans, Cashews, Roasted Pumpkin Seeds, Veal Liver, Lamb