Developing healthy eating habits is not only good for your overall wellbeing, it can also be good for your looks. Your skin reflects what you eat, and it is interesting how food choices actually lead to common skin issues.
Simply by reducing intake of these specific items, you might already see the difference. Before you try out expensive creams or pay for dermatologist visits, try limiting the following from your diet:
1. Baked Goods and Sugary Items
Women love sweets and pastries, but the unfortunate thing is that the refined sugar in these food items lead to blood sugar spikes and inflammation all throughout the body. In turn, it causes collagen and elastin to break down, so that the skin loses strength and elasticity.
Moreover, sugar attaches to proteins and forms what is called “advanced glycation end product”. This manifests in breakouts, sagging skin, and a general washed-out look.
So while grabbing a cake or cookie with coffee, resist the urge and avoid issues like acne. Instead, go for fresh fruit and foods rich in zinc (they reduce inflammation and production of bacteria).
For a snack, reach for dark chocolate instead. It does not have as much sugar and it is full of antioxidants that fight off sun damage.
2. Fatty Proteins
Meat and other fatty foods like cheese cubes and pizzas might be the cause of puffy and dull skin, as well as those dreaded dark eye circles. If you want to eat meat, opt for lean proteins like fish and chicken (sardines and salmon actually fight acne breakouts), or go for vegetable-based snacks and nuts.
3. Caffeine
Australians love coffee, but it is not always good for their skin. When you consume too much caffeine, levels of cortisol (the stress hormone) go up and this might be the reason behind your acne.
If you miss hanging out at a cafe, then go for decaf or swap that soda for Sprite (which has no caffeine). If you want to really treat your skin right, go for plain water.
4. Salty Foods
All those chips and popcorn in the grocery might be tempting so try to fight off the urge to eat too much. Too much salt leads to your skin retaining water, and this, in turn, makes your skin look bloated and puffy. Plus, iodised salt will make breakouts even worse.
What makes this difficult is that salt can be hidden in most items sold in Australian groceries and in restaurants. Processed foods are especially loaded with them.
If you want to control your salt intake, it is best to cook at home from fresh ingredients. You know how much salt you added. Instead of chips, go for nuts instead. They contain lots of great stuff for your skin.
5. Dairy
Dairy is a huge part of every Australian’s diet, with some people consuming far more than others. Unfortunately, it increases androgen levels in the body, which leads to too much oil production and acne.
Giving up dairy, however, is not necessary; limiting your intake is enough. You can also try out dairy alternatives especially if you already have oily skin.
Final Thoughts
Being aware of what you put in your body and how it affects your skin is important, so that you can find the simple solutions to those irritating skin issues.
Fun fact about Nicola: She owns a lot of sunscreens as she carries a mini sunscreen in each of her handbags and backpacks.
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