When it comes to your skin, the phrase “You are what you eat” has never been more true. You know that what you eat and put into your body affects your overall health, but did you know that it also affects your skin’s health? The best way to keep your skin happy and healthy is to eat foods that will help you to achieve that goal.
Your skin is made up of water, fats, and proteins. By eating lean proteins, healthy fats, and drinking plenty of water you can keep your skin in it’s best shape. Now that you know what to eat, what specific foods should you avoid? While the science, testing, and experimentations are still in preliminary phases, here are 5 foods that have been linked to acne breakouts that you should avoid in order to eliminate breakouts.
1) Milk
Milk and other dairy products such as ice cream and cheese can cause your body to produce high levels of insulin when you consume milk. This insulin spike can lead to inflammation, which can then lead to breakouts.
2) Sugar
Foods and drinks that are high in sugar are usually bad news for your skin, especially soda and chocolate. The quick “sugar rush” that your body produces when consuming sugar is especially bad for your skin. This doesn’t mean you will break out each time you consume sugar, but we recommend that when you feel the need to indulge, you choose dark chocolate. Dark chocolate has more antioxidants, and less sugar which makes it better for your skin.
3) Spicy Foods
A study conducted in 2006 and published by the Eastern Mediterranean Health Journal concluded that spicy foods can be another trigger that causes breakouts on your skin. This is because spicy foods often contain acidic lycopenes that can irritate your skin, throw off the balance of your pH levels, and trigger breakouts. While everybody will react differently, you can consider cutting spicy foods to eliminate acne.
4) Gluten
White breads, chips, bagels, white rice, pretzels, pizza, and all other high-glycemic foods have been linked to causing breakouts, most likely due to the high insulin levels these foods produce. This high level of insulin encourages inflammation and triggers the release of hormones that have found to be acne-promoting. Recently, studies have shown that foods with high glycemic indexes can be especially troublesome. A ½ cup serving of rice is considered a 17 on the on the glycemic index rating and anything over a 20 is considered high, so while smaller amounts of these foods might not cause an immediate breakout, eating these foods in larger amounts certainly can. Remember that the next time your eating sushi!
5) Fast Food
Greasy foods are known to cause inflammation which, as we previously stated, can cause acne and breakouts. Be especially careful around greasy foods since getting the grease from your food on your hands, and then subsequently on your skin (especially your face) can also clog your pores and cause breakouts.
So What Should I Eat?
Consuming healthy fats, proteins, and water is always the best way to keep your skin healthy. Vegetables, lean proteins (such as nuts and lean meats), and healthy fats (such as olive oil and avocados) can help your skin to be it’s very best. Drinking water helps rid your body and skin of toxins and helps improve overall health.
