Butternut Squash
Butternut squash is a Superfood for your skin because just one cup is a top source of vitamin A (providing approximately 300% of the Daily Value), an excellent source of vitamin C (providing nearly 50% of the Daily Value), and one of the few vegetable sources of vitamin E, nutrients that help maintain healthy skin. Butternut squash is one of only a few foods that naturally have this powerful combination of nutrients. Studies show vitamin C is a potent antioxidant that encourages skin cell turnover and supports the formation of collagen - the connective tissues that give your skin its elasticity and youthful fullness, and vitamin E protects skin cells from free radical damage caused by the sun, while vitamin A helps to maintain the epithelial tissues that make up the skin surface. Also, the provitamin A carotenoid beta-carotene in butternut squash may protect the skin against damage from the sun. According to a study published in Free Radical Biology and Medicine, beta-carotene inhibited collagen breakdown and defended epithelial cells against the kind of ultraviolet radiation that can lead to wrinkles and age spots. Says study author Regina Goralczyk, "You could call beta-carotene a very gentle internal sun protector."
Bonus: Did you know that butternut squash is also a Superfood for your Eyes and Immunity?