Does your skin take forever to heal? Even from the tiniest cuts, scrapes, and sores? You may not be getting the nutrients your body needs to mend.

These five foods can slash healing time:

1. Broccoli

You need vitamin C to repair damaged skin, form scars, and produce collagen. And broccoli is a great source. In fact, it has 90% more vitamin C than oranges.1,2 Plus, it fights cancer, thanks to sulfur compounds that make it smell pungent when it’s cooked a bit too long.3

2. Turmeric

This spice reduces internal inflammation, helping skin heal from the outside in. Add it to your cooking or take a quality supplement. Turmeric also works as a topical remedy. Make turmeric powder into a paste by mixing it with water. Apply it to abrasions, covering with a bandage to keep the mixture in place. This treatment fights bacteria and inflammation.4,5

3. Beef

You’ve heard of taking zinc to shorten a cold… But did you know you need this trace mineral to close up nicks and scrapes? Organic, grass-fed beef is a great source of zinc. Eating more of it while you’re nursing an open wound can fight infections, clear away dead tissue, and help create a new, healthy layer of skin.6

(Are you prone to razor bumps? Try applying diaper rash cream to them after you shave. Sounds weird… But the main ingredient is zinc oxide. It heals wounds topically.)

4. Red peppers

People who are deficient in vitamin A heal slower. That’s because vitamin A and other retinoid compounds signal your body to start the repair process.7 Raw sliced red peppers dipped in olive oil-based hummus make a delicious vitamin A-rich snack.

5. Salmon

Most of us don’t get outdoors as often as our ancestors did, which means we often don’t get enough vitamin D3 from sunlight. You need it to develop new skin and protect healthy cells when you’re injured.8 A delicious way to boost levels of this vital nutrient: Gently steam or bake a filet of wild-caught salmon and top it with sautéed mushrooms.

Get rid of pesky wounds and protect yourself from infections by adding these foods to your plate. And if you ever need to heal from something more serious—like surgery—try these five must-have nutrients.

What foods have helped you heal faster? Let us know in the comments below.

In Good Health,

Angela Salerno
Publisher, INH Health Watch

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References:
1http://www.fruitsandveggiesmorematters.org/broccoli
2http://www.fruitsandveggiesmorematters.org/orange
3http://www.readersdigest.ca/food/diet-nutrition/power-broccoli/
4http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19775769?dopt=Abstract
5http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1496714?dopt=Abstract
6http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17244314?dopt=Abstract
7http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/3534019
8http://lpi.oregonstate.edu/mic/micronutrients-health/skin-health/nutrient-index/vitamin-D