Skincare can make an immediate and noticeable difference in how our skin feels and functions as we age. But some of the most meaningful ways we support healthy skin begin long before we reach for a serum or moisturizer.
What we eat provides the nutrients our bodies need to maintain healthy skin, muscles, bones, the cardiovascular system, and the brain. And one category of food deserves a little more attention as we get older: seafood.
Travel along Italy’s coastline and seafood is never far from the table. From Liguria and the Amalfi Coast to Puglia, Sicily, and Sardinia, fresh fish and shellfish are deeply woven into regional cuisine and everyday life.
This way of eating is also part of a larger Mediterranean lifestyle associated with health and longevity. Sardinia, in particular, is home to one of the world’s original “Blue Zones,” areas noted for their unusually high number of people living into their 90s and beyond. While no single food explains this longevity, traditional diets rich in whole foods, plants, healthy fats, and moderate amounts of fish and seafood are part of the bigger picture.
Within this way of eating, fish and seafood offer an especially valuable combination of high-quality protein, omega-3 fatty acids, vitamins, and minerals.
So, what can adding a little more pesce to your plate do for your skin and overall health?
1. Omega-3s Help Support Healthy Skin
Fatty fish such as salmon, sardines, anchovies, trout, and mackerel are excellent sources of the omega-3 fatty acids EPA and DHA.
Fatty acids play an important role in skin barrier function and healthy inflammatory responses. Research also suggests that dietary fatty acids may influence skin hydration and transepidermal water loss, although research specifically connecting seafood consumption with skin outcomes is still developing.
For mature skin, which naturally tends to become drier over time, getting enough healthy fats is an important part of supporting skin from within.
2. Seafood Provides High-Quality Protein
Protein becomes especially important as we get older because it helps maintain muscle mass and physical function. It also provides amino acids the body uses to build and maintain tissues throughout the body.
Fish offers complete, high-quality protein alongside nutrients such as vitamin B12, selenium, iodine, and, depending on the species, vitamin D.
It's less about eating a certain way to "look younger" and more about adapting our eating and lifestyle to give our bodies the nutritional building blocks they need to continue functioning well at any age.
3. It's Good for Your Heart and Brain
Perhaps the strongest reasons to eat seafood have little to do with appearance.
Fish consumption as part of a healthy diet is associated with cardiovascular benefits. DHA is also an important structural fatty acid in the brain, and researchers continue to study the relationship between fish, omega-3s, and cognitive health.
More broadly, the Mediterranean dietary pattern has been associated with better cardiovascular and metabolic health and healthy aging.
And that's an important distinction: the benefit isn't simply "eat more salmon." It's the dietary pattern around it.
The Italian Relationship With Seafood
Spend time along Italy's coastline and seafood naturally becomes part of the landscape.
From Sicily and Sardinia to Puglia, Liguria, Campania, and the Adriatic coast, you'll find countless regional seafood traditions. And, as with so much Italian cooking, preparation is often refreshingly simple.
Fresh fish might be prepared with extra virgin olive oil, lemon, garlic, fresh herbs, and seasonal vegetables.
When the ingredients are good, you don't need to do very much to them.
Seafood isn't necessarily treated as a special "health food." It's simply part of a varied way of eating, and perhaps that's something worth borrowing from Mediterranean culture.
Think Beyond Salmon
Salmon is wonderfully nutritious, but there's an entire sea of possibilities.
Sardines and anchovies provide omega-3s and are traditional Mediterranean favorites.
Shrimp, mussels, and clams offer protein along with valuable vitamins and minerals.
Trout is another excellent source of protein and beneficial fats.
And squid doesn't have to mean fried calamari. Throughout the Mediterranean, it can be grilled or incorporated into simple seafood dishes.
Variety makes it easier to enjoy seafood regularly while getting a wider range of nutrients.
How Much Seafood Should You Eat?
Current U.S. dietary guidance recommends at least 8 ounces of seafood per week for adults based on a 2,000-calorie diet, or roughly two 4-ounce servings.
A simple approach is to make seafood dinner twice a week.
One night could be salmon or trout. Another could be shrimp with vegetables, sardines over a salad, grilled fish, or mussels with a simple tomato broth.
When possible, choose a variety of lower-mercury seafood. Salmon, sardines, shrimp, trout, anchovies, clams, oysters, scallops, sole, and squid are among the FDA's "Best Choices" for lower mercury levels.
A Mediterranean Approach to Healthy Aging
One of the reasons we're continually inspired by Mediterranean food culture is that healthy eating doesn't have to feel clinical or restrictive.
A plate of grilled fish with seasonal vegetables, white beans, lemon, fresh herbs, and extra virgin olive oil isn't something you eat because you're "on a diet."
It's simply a delicious dinner.
And seafood is only one piece of the Mediterranean approach. Vegetables, fruits, legumes, whole grains, nuts, olive oil, movement, social connection, and taking time to enjoy meals all contribute to the bigger picture.
The same is true for healthy skin. Thoughtful skincare matters, but so do nutrition, hydration, sleep, movement, and the everyday habits that support our overall wellbeing.
Perhaps that's one of the lessons worth borrowing from Italy...
Choose simple, healthy daily habits. Live well. And share good food and good moments with the people you love.
And maybe add a little more pesce to the table.
