What A Clean Lifestyle Means for Dr. Goldfaden—Plus Tips to Inspire Your Own

When it comes to leading a clean lifestyle (which includes naturally derived skincare products from Goldfaden MD, of course!) Dr. Goldfaden truly practices what he preaches—and has been doing just that for decades.

In this Q&A, you’ll get to know just how much Dr. Goldfaden prioritizes living healthily and holistically. This proactive way of living has enabled him to be a leading dermatologist for over five decades—not to mention a wonderful role model for his children, grandchildren, and the thousands of people who have sought his expertise at his practice and via Goldfaden MD.

Why do you prioritize naturally sourced foods?

As a family, we grew up eating organic food, lots of raw vegetables, and high-quality animal proteins and fats. My wife and I also took care to instill the value of a clean diet (and other clean/healthy living considerations, including but not limited to physical fitness) in our children.

Naturally sourced, whole foods (meaning they aren’t processed and are free from pesticides and hormones) have the ability to offer a higher percentage of nutrients, vitamins, and key antioxidants. That’s because there are no unnecessary preservatives, hormones, or antibiotics that can prevent the beneficial ingredients from leaving that specific product. An additional benefit is that they also allow for peak freshness of foods.

Moreover, eating a diet of fresh, naturally grown/raised whole foods is scientifically linked to decreasing the risk of disease and increasing life span.

What are the primary ingredients people should avoid in food?

High fructose corn syrup, gluten, and artificial colors are often the worst offenders.

The worst offenders I want to flag include:

  • Processed foods
  • Sugar and high fructose corn syrup
  • Gluten
  • Artificial colors

In some cases, dairy (which, among other red flags, often includes countless hormones you don’t want in your body) is another trigger that can negatively impact your health as well as your skin.

How does a clean diet also equate to healthier skin?

What we put into our bodies is just as important as what we are putting on our skin. Being aware of what you put in and on your body is crucial, as the skin showcases the nutrients from both an internal and external standpoint.

What clean beauty retailers and brands do you recommend?

Credo Beauty and goop are both respected leaders in the clean beauty space. In particular, Credo is a wonderful resource for education on what clean beauty is (and isn’t). Moreover, I admire the work they do on building, promoting, and upholding the Credo Clean Standard for all brands they carry—with Goldfaden MD among them.

As far as clean beauty/makeup brands go, I’d like to call out Ilia, Alima Pure, PYT, and RMS.

Dietary and skin considerations aside, what are other simple ways to lead a cleaner lifestyle?

To avoid unnecessary and undesired exposure to chemicals that can be toxic or harmful—or at the very least can elicit some kind of reactivity—it is also worth switching to clean products to use around the home. I particularly recommend household cleaning supplies from Mrs. Meyers and Branch Basics.

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The Best Foods for Healthy Skin

Sure, we all want healthy, glowing skin. But aside from stocking your bathroom shelves with dermatologist-developed clean skincare products, is your diet helping you conquer your complexion goals?

Of course, it’s not only important what you put onto your skin; how you nourish your body also largely factors into getting that elusive glow.

While we’ve discussed the benefits of supplements and other ingestibles before, let’s look at what foods you should add to your next grocery haul.

What Nutrients Are Good for Healthy Skin and Why?

Healthy skin is hydrated, balanced, and protected with the right nutrients.

It should come as no surprise that some of your go-to skincare active ingredients are also incredible for your complexion when you include them in your diet.

Here’s a closer look at some familiar nutrients that nourish your skin both inside and out, plus how exactly they promote skin health:

  • Antioxidants (such as vitamin C, vitamin E, carotenoids, and selenium): promote glowing skin, fight free radicals, protect against aging and cell damage
  • Collagen: reduces wrinkle formation, supports youthful-looking skin
  • Hyaluronic acid: provides hydration, plumps skin
  • Omega fatty acids: evens out skin tone, protects against UV damage

5 of the Best Foods for Healthy Skin

To complement your skincare regimen, here are some of the best foods to eat for healthy skin.

Pomegranate Juice

Remember the major pomegranate juice boom from a few years back? This darkly pigmented, tart drink still deserves its place in the spotlight due to its high antioxidant content. Not only is it one of the richest dietary sources of vitamin C—ideal for both pro-aging and immune-boosting benefits—but pomegranate juice also packs skin-protecting vitamin E and anti-inflammatory polyphenols.

Other antioxidant-rich foods: citrus fruits, berries, green tea

Bone Broth

Derived from animal sources like cows and chickens, bone broth is rich in both hyaluronic acid (a hydration powerhouse) and collagen (a protein with multiple pro-aging benefits). Whether you sip it on its own, include it as a soup/stew base, or cook grains with it, bone broth is arguably one of the very best foods for healthy skin.

Other foods that support hyaluronic acid production: sweet potatoes, leafy greens, tomatoes

Salmon

Salmon is among the best sources of omega-3 fatty acids, which promote smooth, even, hydrated skin. They can also help tame redness and reduce the severity of breakouts. Omega-3s are considered “essential” fatty acids since the body can’t produce them on their own.

Also, it’s worth noting that the perpetually youthful Victoria Beckham eats salmon every day. (If she’s not the perfect spokesperson for higher fatty acid intake, I don’t know who is!) But if a daily serving sounds like overkill, the American Heart Association recommends eating it twice weekly.

Otherwise, you can also look for a high-quality omega-3 supplement.

Other omega-rich fatty fish: sardines, albacore tuna, mackerel

Avocados

Luckily, this food favorite isn’t just delicious and nutritious, but also super beneficial for your skin. Avocados are a good source of vitamins C and E, the benefits of which we explored earlier. They’re also among the top dietary sources of healthy fat, which can boost skin elasticity. They may also protect against sun damage and resulting inflammation.

Tip: For your next brunch date, consider opting for a salmon avocado toast to make your skin and taste buds sing.

Other foods rich in healthy fats: extra virgin olive oil, nuts, seeds

Red Wine

Talk about saving the best for last! Rumor has long had it that red wine is good for your heart, but the same compounds behind that claim can also encourage better skin health. Red wine is rich in polyphenols—particularly resveratrol—which protects your skin and body alike against accelerated aging spurred by free radical damage.

Yet remember, excessive alcohol intake can, among other things, actually rob your skin of its luster. So moderation is key when it comes to reaping red wine’s skin benefits. One glass here and there should do the trick to get glowing while winding down.

Other foods with polyphenols: dark chocolate, cloves, chestnuts

Final Thoughts

Just as you opt for clean ingredients to boost your complexion, it’s equally important to prioritize skin and overall health alike with a healthy diet. When you feel good, you look good—and eating more of the right foods can help you achieve both.

Beautiful, hydrated, healthy skin may be an ideal, yet it’s completely within reach with the right inside-out regimen. And while this isn’t an exhaustive list of the best foods for healthy skin—luckily, there are many!—it’s a great starting point to love (and show love to) the skin you’re in.

Author Bio
Michele Ross is a beauty and lifestyle writer based in Los Angeles. She’s passionate about clean skincare and hiking in the California sunshine (with adequate SPF, of course).

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How to Care for Your Skin in the Digital Age

By Kaitlyn McLintock

Here’s a fun (read: frightening) activity. Sit back and add up the amount of time you spend working on your computer on any given day. Take that number and add the amount of time you spend on your phone. Add any remaining screen time, including but not limited to Netflix binges, online shopping, and time spent scrolling through news sites. The number you end up represents how long your skin is being exposed to potentially damaging light emitted from digital devices. This high energy visible light (HEV light), otherwise referred to as blue light, could be affecting the health of your skin in more ways than one.

Research tells us that blue light can cause skin damage. More specifically, it can cause hyperpigmentation and premature signs of aging. It causes the former by inducing inconsistent melanin production in the skin. It causes the latter by exposing your cells to oxidative stress, or free radicals, which damage the collagen in your skin, leading to such signs of aging as fine lines, wrinkles, and sagging skin.

That’s the bad news, but there’s good news, too. There are steps you can take to minimize the effect of blue light. From keeping an eye on your screen time to using antioxidant-rich skincare products, keep reading to learn more about how to care for your skin in the digital age.

Reduce Screen Time (If You Can)

The first and most obvious step in protecting your skin from an exorbitant amount of blue light exposure is to minimize your screen time. Even though that’s not always feasible when it comes to professional life (especially if, due to recent events, your laptop has become your office), there are ways to stay conscious of the time you’re spending on screens for other reasons. For example, limit time spent scrolling through social media to a few minutes each day. Track your screen time on your phone. Schedule screen-free time in your calendar, so you feel the freedom to walk away from your computer for a specific amount of time. At the very least, switch your phone display to night shift, which minimizes the amount of blue light it emanates.

Make Sure You’re Getting Enough Sleep

Because there’s evidence that blue light disrupts our natural circadian rhythm (aka our sleep-wake cycle), it’s important to prioritize sleep, especially if you’re spending most of your day staring at a screen. After all, research links sleep deprivation with acceleration in physical signs of aging such as fine lines and wrinkles. Sleep deprivation could also harm our skin’s natural reparative processes, meaning damage and inflammation could ensue from not getting enough shut-eye.

Load Up on Antioxidant Protection

We’ve already discussed how blue light exposes your skin to oxidative stress, or free radicals, which can damage collagen and lead to physical signs of aging. Antioxidants prevent free radicals from damaging the skin, which is the reason antioxidant-rich ingredients are so prevalent in blue light skincare products.

The efficacy of antioxidant-rich skincare is exactly why Dr. Goldfaden formulated the Mist Rx Daily Nutrient Face Mist with aloe vera, kale sprout water, Kakadu plum, and plant & fruit stem cells—all of which have antioxidant properties to fight free radical damage, thus mitigating the harmful effects of blue light on our skin.

While these blue-light-blocking tactics are all worth practicing, it’s important to note that our main source of blue light exposure is from the sun (and no, sunscreen won’t necessarily protect your skin. Remember that sunscreen protects against UVA and UVB rays, not HEV…). This is something to keep in mind, lest we panic and blame our ceaseless Zoom meetings for damaging our skin beyond repair. It’s likely that our skin is happy and healthy if we remain conscious of our health and lifestyle habits, focus on getting good, quality sleep, nourish our skin with the right protective skincare products, and schedule regular check-ins with a dermatologist.

ABOUT THE WRITER:

Kaitlyn McLintock is a beauty and wellness writer based in Los Angeles. Her work has appeared in such publications as Popsugar, Byrdie, Hello Giggles, Who What Wear, and more. When she’s not writing, researching, and editing, or testing out the latest skincare and makeup products, she’s drinking coffee and spritzing Goldfaden’s Mist RX all over her skin.

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