Foods to Avoid and Foods That Can Help With Proper Skin Health

The things you eat and drink have a profound impact on many parts of your body. In addition to the obvious body parts, such as your stomach and gut, your diet will also affect your skin health. You see, the things you put into your body don’t pass through without impacting everything along the way. Therefore, your diet could determine if you have healthy, tight, appealing skin or unhealthy, pallid skin.

Foods That are Detrimental to Your Skin Health

Let’s start by looking at foods you should avoid if you want to have healthy skin.

Donuts

If you want to have healthy skin, many experts agree that donuts and other sugary baked goods are the number one thing to avoid. Donuts, cookies, and similar baked goods are packed with grease and sugar, both of which are terrible for your skin.

Fatty and Processed Meats

Aside from sugary baked goods, fatty and processed meats are another group of foods to avoid. Here are some of the biggest culprits.

Bacon
Hot dogs
Pepperoni
Fatty portions of red and white meat
Deli meats
Short ribs

These types of meats are packed with unhealthy saturated fats, which are linked to outbreaks of acne. Therefore, you should target leaner meats and those that are as unprocessed as possible.

Glycemic Foods

Highly glycemic foods are those that are high in sugar and increase your blood sugar levels. Highly glycemic foods are also packed with refined carbs – another food item that’s terrible for the skin. These types of foods cause premature skin aging and make your skin hard and brittle rather than flexible and soft. Here are some of the specific foods high in glycemia that you should avoid.

White bread
Refined pasta
White pasta
Anything made with processed flour

As a healthy alternative to these foods, you should choose whole grains and unrefined pasta.

Starches

Starches are right up there with glycemic foods and baked goods when it comes to skin health. Specifically, you should avoid starchy foods that are also fried, such as potato chips, french fries, onion rings, and anything else that’s deep-fried and starchy. Potatoes are also a bad option if you want healthy skin, and you should instead opt for sweet potatoes.

Fast Food

Finally, fast food is another food group to steer clear of if you want healthy skin. Fast food takes all the things that are detrimental to the skin and packs them into a single dish. Most fast foods contain glycemia, refined grains, and starch and are deep-fried, all of which are bad for your skin.

Foods That Promote Healthy Skin

Now that you know the things to avoid, let’s look at foods that promote healthy skin and boost your complexion.

Healthy Fats

While unsaturated fats are bad for your skin, certain fats, such as Omega-3 fatty acids, are good for your skin. You can get these fats from food sources such as:

Mackerel
Avocados
Herring
Sardines
Tuna
Salmon

Each of these foods increases skin cell regeneration and reduces inflammation, both of which are important for skin health.

Nuts

Nuts are another great source of healthy fats and zinc, both of which are important for skin health. Here are some specific nuts to target.

Walnuts
Sunflower seeds
Flax seeds
Almonds
Pecans
Cashews
Chia seeds

Along with zinc and healthy fats, nuts are also a good source of Vitamin E and other essential nutrients.

Certain Bell Peppers

In addition to being delicious, red and yellow bell peppers are also packed with beta carotene, Vitamin C, and Vitamin A, both of which are essential for healthy skin.

Fruits and Veggies

On top of boosting your immune system and being good for you overall, fruits and veggies are also important for healthy skin. While certain fruits and veggies high in Vitamin C, such as broccoli, tomatoes, grapes, kiwi, and citrus fruits, are the best option, all fruits and veggies are beneficial.

Dark Chocolate

If there wasn’t already enough reason to indulge in a bit of chocolate every now and again, it’s also beneficial for your skin. Chocolate, specifically dark chocolate high in cocoa, contains antioxidants and increases blood flow. This, in turn, leads to increased circulation and skin cell regeneration. By rapidly replacing dead skin cells with new ones, your skin will stay young and healthy for longer.

By choosing foods that promote healthy skin and avoiding those that don’t, you can keep your skin young, tight, and healthy.

References

The 13 Worst Foods for Your Skin (and What to Eat Instead) | livestrong
Five foods that are bad for your skin (medikaur.com)
13 Foods Dermatologists Say Make Your Skin Worse — Eat This Not That
The 23 Best Foods for Healthy Skin – Cleveland Clinic
The 12 Best Foods for Healthy Skin (healthline.com)
These 9 Foods and Beverages Are Really Good for Your Skin Health – GoodRx

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