Healthy body = Healthy skin

Our last blog post discussed the causes of acne based on the scientific studies that were conducted. So far, there are no studies that can substantiate the links between the food we consume and acne. However, this is not to say that there is no anecdotal evidence of success stories of people who have seen a significant influence (positive or negative) on their skin after a change in their diet.

 

Even though it is safe to say that a clean gut will reflect postively on your skin, sometimes a drastic change in diet might have a less than desirable effect. For instance, I once had a client who developed acne after turning vegetarian. Becoming a vegetarian meant including a lot of soy based food in her diet, something that she did not consume much of before turning into a vegetarian. Soy contains phytoestrogens that mimic estrogens which can make your hormones go haywire. After careful observation of her diet, we tried to reduce her soy intake, and swap it with other plant based proteins, and she did see a significant reduction of acne within the next couple of weeks.

I have personally seen an increase in black comedones especially on the nose in people who have a fondness for fried food. Eating a lot of fried foods could overwhelm the liver which might be the reason for an acne flare up. In any case, fried foods is not healthy for you, and should not be part of your diet. Fried foods contains a lot of free radicals which in turns create more problems for your internal system. My clients see a reduction in black heads after consuming less fried foots, and increasing their water intake.

I have seen some clients, especially those who have big red angry looking acne (usually on their cheek), with "hot" internal constituent. This is not to say that everyone who eats spicy food will develop acne, however, those people who have this type of acne and enjoy spicy or "hot" food, normally see improvements after reducing their spicy and "hot" food intake. Hot in this case is not related to the temperature of the food, but how it affects your internal system. Eggs is another type of "hot" food which I have seen trigger big inflammed acne in some people. Drinking more water usually helps to "cool" your internal system as well.

Personally, I have noticed that I get whiteheads when I consume too much dairy products such as milk, ice-cream, cakes and for the most part they appear on my forehead.

Despite, the lack of firm scientific evidence confirming the link between food and acne, I believe that a healthy skin is a reflection of a healthy body. I am not endorsing eliminating any kinds of food but I would definitely recommend that certain items be consumed in moderation and that we take a more mindful approach to what and how we eat. For instance, during an acne flare up, it would be wise to keep track of the food we eat and observe the effects it has on our skin.

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I have prepared a small menu of sorts that lists the different types of foods that we can include in our diets. These food contain the important nutrients we need to maintain a healthy gut which will greatly benefit all of us in our search for clear, radiant skin. If you or your loved ones have had any experience on this topic, we would love to hear from you. Do you have any particular food item that you avoid? Is there anything in particular you would recommend? Do share with us what has or hasn't worked for you, your experience can provide the valuable insight in our search.