A look at whether some foods can cause or worsen acne
Eating a healthy diet can help encourage clear skin and prevent acne. Find out what to eat or stop eating for glowing skin.
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Can food really cause acne?
An in-depth look at food and acne
Food alone doesn’t cause acne or entirely prevent it. Your genes, lifestyle, and dietary plans all play a part in the appearance and severity of the condition. Some foods can make it worse, while others help your skin stay healthy. More research should be done to know how specific foods affect this skin condition. But they have looked at a couple of triggers of acne.
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What Is Acne?
Acne is not well understood, even by scientists. Since there is no cure for it, it makes more sense to avoid getting acne in the first place. Technically, it is classified as a disease that affects the skin’s oil glands. Think of your pores as pipes to the oil glands underneath your skin. Anything clogs up these pipes, and you’ve got acne. Beyond that, your oil glands produce sebum. Many people are unaware that all of this is continually going on, inside our bodies. But these complex processes are all significantly affected by simple changes in diet, so be careful about what exactly you put in your mouth.
What causes Acne?
When too much oil (sebum) is produced, a plug is formed with dead skin cells that clog your pores. Once red bumps or cysts appear, this process has already started. So when it comes to preventing acne, the key lies straight in your diet. When the right amounts of insulin and other chemicals are produced, your sebum production should remain consistent.
Foods to stop or reduce your intake of to curb acne
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Dairy Products
If you are lactose intolerant ingesting dairy products could cause an acne breakout. Specialists are still trying to know why it is; it could be the hormones that cows produce when pregnant, which could end up in their milk. People with high levels of these hormones tend to have more acne.
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High glycemic foods
You’re more likely to develop acne if your diet is filled with foods and drinks like soda, white bread or rice, and cake. The sugar and starches in these foods tend to get absorbed into your blood really quickly. That suggests they are high on the glycemic index, a gauge of how foods affect blood sugar. When your body produces more insulin to bring down the high blood sugar, it affects other hormones that can, in turn, boost the oil production in your epidermis.
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Milk Chocolate
A few short studies show that people who consume more chocolate are more likely to get pimples. But it’s not apparent why. The key ingredient, cocoa, does not seem to be the reason. In one study, participants who ate chocolate with 10 times more cocoa were no more likely to get acne than those who consumed the regular kind. Dark chocolate that contains less sugar and milk may be a better option if you’re trying to control your acne.
Food to eat more of to curb acne
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High-Fiber Foods
People who ingest a lot of fiber may see their acne condition improve. But doctors don’t know the specific reason why this is so. They do, however, know that high-fiber diets can assist in controlling blood sugar, which is better for stopping acne. Oatmeal, beans, apples, and carrots are some of the easy ways to add a bit of fiber to your diet.
Fish
Fish like the salmon are full of omega-3 fatty acids. They lower swelling in your body, and that can help keep acne away. They also lower the amount of a protein your body produces, that is connected to acne breakouts.
Nuts
People with frequent acne bouts often have low amounts of antioxidants like vitamin E and selenium, which are plenty in almonds, peanuts, and Brazil nuts. These nutrients shield cells from damage and infections. There’s no absolute proof that antioxidants will clear up acne, but they are good for your body in so many other ways. So there is no harm including them to your diet. Just do not overdo it.
Oysters
They contain high amounts of zinc, a nutrient that’s essential for your skin. Among other things, it can help kill bacteria that cause certain types of acne. It also seems to help the body hinder generating chemicals that can cause inflammation, a symptom, and result of acne. Too much zinc can bring about some health problems, though. Adults should not ingest more than 40 milligrams daily.
Seaweed
Whether you have it in a sushi roll, in a vegetable salad, or on its own as a salty snack, it is a great source of iodine, which your thyroid gland needs to work well. But too much at once can, however, make you break out. Most grown-ups need 150 micrograms daily, though pregnant and nursing women require more. If you have a balanced diet, it’s hard to get too much iodine. Along with seaweed, you can get it from foods like fish, dairy products, and also iodized salt.
Acne Food Myths
We all know greasy fried foods like fries and fried chicken aren’t healthy foods. Even though many may tell you to stay away from greasy fried foods if you want clear skin, the truth is these foods don’t cause acne. If you get acne, cutting out all fried foods will not clear your skin. An otherwise acne-free person can fry everything they eat, and it won’t make them get acne (high cholesterol maybe, but no acne). Eating greasy or oily foods will not cause acne. The fat in our food has nothing to do with the oil that forms on our skin. Oily skin is caused by hyperactive sebaceous glands, and not from the foods you consume. Some persons naturally have oilier skin than others.Nearly all teenagers have oily skin, and not because they crave junk food. During puberty these glands suddenly rev up, causing shiny noses and foreheads and clogging pores. It’s those clogged pores that cause zits, not the oily foods. This doesn’t mean that you should eat fried food a lot, while they may not cause acne they are of little nutritional value and can cause cholesterol.
When to visit a dermatologist
It’s often easy to control your acne at home, but some cases are severe. If you don’t notice a difference with meticulous skin care, changes in diet, and over-the-counter remedies, you should talk to a dermatologist. Early treatment can help bring back your confidence and prevent acne scarring.
Acne Fighting Recipes you can try
Here are some recipes you can try to increase the nutrients you need to combat acne.
Catechin-Rich Ice Tea
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Research proposes that certain catechins found in green tea aid in modulating the production and actions of androgens and other hormones. Consequently, it has been theorized that green tea could be useful for the treatment of hormone-related acne. This anti-acne recipe uses loose tea leaves (instead of using tea bags) and proposes a fairly long brewing time, both of which promote the release of catechins from green tea leaves. Lemon juice, rich in vitamin C, further improves the availability of catechins. Ingredients needed:
- 2 cups of water
- 2 1/2 tsp of loose green tea leaves
- (loose leaves release more catechins than tea bags)
- 3 Tbsp of freshly pressed natural lemon juice
Boil some water. Place green tea leaves in the teapot and pour the boiling water into the pot. Let it steep for about five to ten minutes. Strain the tea and add in the lemon juice (lemon juice is loaded with vitamin C which helps make the catechins in green tea more available to the body). Let it cool and chill before serving.
Romaine and Smoked Salmon salad
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Lettuce is a low-calorie veggie that makes an ideal base for light, refreshing salads. This salad uses romaine lettuce to form a dish supercharged with chromium, a mineral that has been shown to control the oil glands that generate sebum. The radishes promote circulation, ensuring that the required anti-acne nutrients are delivered to all cells and that waste and toxins are removed efficiently. The carrots have detoxifying properties. Ingredients required:
- 1 small head of romaine lettuce
- 5 ounces smoked salmon, thinly sliced
- 2 diced tomatoes
- 4 thinly sliced radishes
- 1 carrot, diagonally sliced
- 1/2 cucumber, peeled and diced
- Juice of half a lemon
- 1 teaspoon of fresh ginger root, peeled and minced
- 1 tablespoon of canola oil
Place the romaine lettuce on two plates. Top with salmon, tomatoes, radishes, carrots, and cucumber. Shake lemon juice, canola oil, and minced ginger in a tightly covered jar and pour over salad
Barley Soup with Carrots and Parsley
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As long as you are not sensitive or allergic to gluten, barley is one of the best grains to eat if your skin is prone to acne breakouts because it has the lowest Glycemic Index rating of all common grains. The carrots and parsley in the soup may also be important as both of them are packed with beta-carotene. The body can turn beta-carotene into vitamin A, a vital nutrient with anti-inflammatory and sebum-controlling qualities. Ingredients:
- 2/3 cup water
- 1/3 cup pearled barley
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 cup yellow onion, chopped
- 1 cup carrots
- 2 cups vegetable stock
- 1 2/3 cup plain probiotic yogurt
- 2/3 cup fresh parsley, minced
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- 1/2 tsp black pepper, freshly ground
Boil some water in a soup pot. Add barley and let it simmer covered for about 25-30 minutes over low heat. Once the water has evaporated, remove from heat and set aside. In a stock pot, cook the onion in olive oil over medium heat for 4-5 minutes until soft. Add in some stock and carrots and bring to boil. Simmer and cook for about 20 minutes. Add the cooked barley and let it simmer for another minute or two and remove from heat. Stir in the yoghurt and add the seasonings. Serve immediately.
