Do you suffer from acne breakouts ever so often? Do you wonder why your skin always looks so dull, tired, wrinkled, swollen and puffy? The answer might be in in the foods you consume. There is a direct link between your diet and the appearance of your skin. Any dermatologist worth her salt knows that and would always inquire about your diet, before prescribing a topical treatment for any persistent acne condition. Let's examine the different food categories that aggravate your skin and gives it a bad day.
Salty Foods:
Salty snacks might be ideal in stopping hunger pangs but they are actually bad for your health, especially your skin. Many brands of plantain and potato chips, crackers, biscuits, noodles, canned foods and popcorn, are loaded with sodium. High sodium content in processed foods leads to water retention under the skin, giving your skin an unattractive puffiness, swelling, redness and dullness, especially under the eyes. If you are not allergic to nuts, roasted or boiled nuts is a much better alternative to salty snacks.
Grilled and Fried Foods:
Excessive consumption of grilled and fried foods such as Suya (barbecue or grilled meat), doughnuts, puff puff, fried ripe plantain, fried fish and meat, and other foods that have been cooked in oil or grilled at extremely high heat or temperatures. This way of cooking food, especially fats and protein, lead to oxidative stress and inflammation in the body when consumed regularly. This in turn, gives your skin a wrinkled, dull, tired appearance. Replace frying and grilling with boiling as much as possible.
White Carbs and Sugary Foods :
Your white and simple carbs are your white rice, white bread and white flour. Though, these foods are a staple in most families, they are actually high inflammatory foods and linked to many chronic and degenerative conditions. These white carbs and sugary foods such as soft drinks, alcoholic beverages, chocolates, candies, cakes and so on ; are all high in simple carbs, gluten and of course, sugar. This might be a secret craving, hidden from the world, but your skin knows and it would often visibly betray you. This unhealthy food choice messes with your insulin levels and cause your skin to flare up. Giving up or at least, limiting your cravings for sugary foods and white carbs and substituting with healthy alternatives such as oats, nuts, fruits and vegetables, will not only help you lose weight but it would also take the stress off your skin, leading to a healthier you. Those easily susceptible to acne/pimples should avoid eating sugary foods and simple carbs.
Dairy Products :
As surprising as this might sound, dairy foods or foods made from dairy, are linked to acne breakout. Dairy products refer to foods made from cow milk such as cheese, butter, yogurt and other milk products. Though milk is great for bone growth and development, for some, it is the major cause of their skin woes. So, if you have linked all or a certain type of dairy product to your acne breakouts, then you might need to cut it out of your diet entirely. There are a lot of plant based alternatives out there, like soy milk, almond milk, tigernuts milk.
In conclusion, do note that there is a direct correlation between your diet and your skin. What you eat will always tell on your skin, so choose your meals carefully.
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