Bad food-bad skin

For all of you who ever wondered if your food choices affect your skin.Yes they do..everything you eat your skin absorbs from your bloodstream.Sugar,dairy and processed foods are your biggest enemy,when it comes to beautiful,healthy,glowing skin.Here are some tips on what to avoid and what to eat if you want to avoid breakouts.



Choose Low Glycemic Foods

Eating foods with a lot of sugar (as well as refined carbohydrates such as white bread that are broken down quickly into sugar) causes your blood sugar to spike.Elevated blood sugar stimulates your body to pump out insulin,which then triggers a cascade of hormonal effects,including elevated levels of the male hormone androgen,excess oil and increased skin cell production,all of which lead to clogged pores and breakouts.


Quit Dairy

Milk is full of growth hormones,which will be absorbed into your bloodstream and will affect your skin.Milk can affect your Insulin.Even if it has a low GI it still affects your blood sugar and will affect your human hormone production.Especially whey protein which comes from the whey of cow's milk and is added to protein bars,cereals and is a by product of cheese,has a lot of male growth hormones which cause acne.And lets not forget all the other steroids,antibiotics and chemicals that we ingest if we drink cow's milk,even pasteurization and homogenization can't destroy these compounds.


Avoid Iodine

To much salt in processed and canned foods,Iodine in cow's milk and table salt are all linked to acne.
Iodine is a mineral that has been clinically proven to aggravate acne. The biggest source of iodine is iodized table salt. Avoid that salt. Other food sources of iodine include oysters, lobster,seaweed, shrimp and milk.Try to limit these foods.


Eat Zinc-Rich foods

Zinc is natural anti-inflammatory as well as an inhibitor of acne causing bacteria.No wonder a lot of people with acne have a zinc deficiency.Before you go out and buy a zinc supplement,be careful because excessive zinc intake can actually be toxic.Get your zinc through foods, like lentils,kidney beans,almonds,cashews,tempeh,sunflower and sesame seeds.I know that red meat is a source of zinc but it is also very high in saturated fat and cholesterol which can lead to heart disease.


Omega-3s to fight acne

Omega -3s actually reverse the damage caused by a diet high in inflammatory foods.It is a natural anti-inflammatory,so it has the potential  to calm broken out skin.Omega-3 may also decrease the hormone that causes increased oil production and clogged pores.And last but not least,Omega 3s may act as a natural mood booster.Well if that is not a good reason to eat your flax seed.Vegan sources of Omega-3s are flax seed,walnuts,hemp oil,pumpkin seeds and soy beans.


Let's eat our way to beautiful skin



Love and Cookies

Jennifer