Skin & Diet

I read an article about healthy skin and diet.  This article stressed how an unhealthy diet can be the primary contributor to acne.  It turns out acne affects one in five adult Americans and is a problem to 85% or all Americans at some point in their lives.  While poor skin isn’t necessarily a life-threatening condition, I do want you to understand that it is a sign or symptom that your system is not as healthy as it could or should be.  Skin blemishes are a major source of embarrassment and self esteem problems that people spend hundreds if not thousands of dollars upon.  What you need to know is that anytime you fight a symptom like this, most often there is an underlying cause that is not being addressed.  And like anything else in the body, when you are able to address the cause of a problem, the symptom takes care of itself.

To sum up the author of this article as concisely as possible, it is recommended that you cut sugars and grains to reduce any and all skin problems.  The sugars should come as no surprise.  In the past I’ve discussed numerous times that sugar increases inflammation in the body.  Skin problems are often a sign of an inflammatory process going on inside.  The skin also acts as a third kidney to help detoxify the toxins that are often included with the sugary foods.  As people clean up their diet by following a low glycemic eating plan, we always see their skin look more youthful just in the first couple weeks.  You may be surprised by the recommendation to limit grains for healthier skin.  Whole grains are healthy, right?  They are a good source of fiber and numerous vitamins and minerals, but all grains ultimately get broken down to sugar and all grains, even whole grains, feed inflammatory processes.  Likewise, many people have a sort of allergic reaction to grains.  This is often due to the gluten – a binder that is added to grain products to hold them together.

A 2007 study from the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that subjects struggling with acne and skin conditions who followed a low-glycemic diet for 12 weeks showed significant improvements with all their skin sensitivities.  Try cutting grains and sugars for just a few weeks and see if you don’t notice a major change!