Do you have a skin condition or experience frequent acne and breakouts? Did you know that the foods you eat could be making your skin worse? Most people know that a diet high in fats is unhealthy for your heart, but did you know it’s also unhealthy for your skin? A well-balanced diet, filled with the right foods and drinks can help prevent breakouts, and revive your skin and pores. Continue reading to learn the five things you need to eat to keep your skin healthy and prevent breakouts and blemishes.
Fresh or Frozen Fruit. Fruit promotes healthy skin because it is full of vitamins and has a high water content. Lemons, oranges and other citrus fruits are perfect fruit choices because the citric acid found in citrus fruit is a natural acne remedy. In fact, citrus masks and potions have been used in home remedies for acne for years. Numerous acne products sold today use types of acids to aid acne sufferers. If you don’t enjoy eating fresh fruit, try blending frozen fruit into a smoothie.
Green Leafy Vegetables. Vegetables are an ideal skin clearing food. With a high fiber and water content, spinach, kale and other green leafy vegetables help eliminate waste and flush impurities from your body. As an added bonus, green leafy vegetables like kale, are high in iron and help promote heart health. Hate vegetables? Toss them in the food processor and disguise them in meatloaves or marinara sauce.
Complex carbohydrates. Beans, bran, and whole wheat bread are all high in fiber. Because fiber moves quickly through the digestive system, there’s less chance for impurities to build up. The quicker your food moves through the body the better. Simple carbohydrates like white bread and rice have little nutrients and stay in your digestive system until they are pushed out by additional food consumption. Switch to high fiber whole wheat bread and substitute meat products with beans when possible.
Lean protein. If you eat meat, chicken breast, fish and lean pork are the best choices to control acne and stay slim. If you can afford to, buy organic. Organic meats have fewer hormones and are a healthier choice for individuals who already experience acne due to hormonal imbalances. Avoid fried and battered foods when possible. Oil and fat are bad for your heart and bad for your skin.
Water. Ok, you don’t “eat” water, but you ingest it. Water is a very important part of the acne equation. Drinking 6-8 glasses of water a day will keep your body healthy and pores flushed out. If your skin is dehydrated, it’s likely holding oil and impurities in, not flushing them out. Staying well hydrated will make your skin look and feel healthier. If you don’t plain water, buy an unsweetened drink mix and add it to a bottle of water to make it more palatable.
Eating a healthy and balanced diet is essential if you want to clear up your skin and get rid of acne. Your skin is your biggest organ and it’s the only organ that people see on a daily basis. Do yourself a favor and begin making these five changes to your diet immediately. If you don’t see a difference in your skin after a month you might want to consult a doctor. Choosing healthy foods may not be enough to solve your acne problem exclusively. Some individuals will also need additional medications or treatments to help clear their skin.
