Four Facts You Should Know about Food and Skin Health

Lisa Franchi June 09, 2016

Always have those pimples flaring up? Got acne marks? Blackheads? What about dull skin? Like most people, you’ve probably tried so many beauty products out there. But skin health is sometimes a big challenge… especially if your diet is poor.

Yep - what you eat and drink does have a great impact on your skin health. In fact, our diet alone could be causing those blemishes and unwanted spots.

Whether you’re trying to get rid of your skin problems or just want to prevent yourself from having them, here are some important diet facts that could help you achieve your goal.

Sugar makes it worse. Complex carbs help.

Carbohydrates come in two groups: simple sugars and complex carbs. Sugars are considered the ‘bad carbs’ because they make our blood glucose levels worse. Food containing bad carbs include those made from refined grains like pasta, pastry and desserts. Sugar makes acne worse and triggers its onset. Diets that are high in sugar don’t only cause skin problems. They are also linked to diabetes, obesity and premature ageing. Complex carbohydrates, on the other hand, are those that your skin and whole body need. They are generally low in glycaemic index so they get slowly absorbed by our body and are converted into energy more slowly. High-carb foods such as wheat, are less likely to aggravate acne and other skin problems.

Not all fats are bad.

Fats tend to have a stigma. But not all fats are bad for you, especially your skin. Good fats, particularly monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats, are an important source of energy and play a role in skin health. They help the skin produce its natural fats called ‘lipids’, keeping it smooth, soft and supple. While bad fats cause inflammation worsening acne and pimples, good fats help reduce inflamed skin in acne. You can get good fats from whole foods like avocado, seeds, nuts, and fish.

You should appreciate trace minerals.

Your skin needs minerals too, especially selenium. Brazil nuts, beef, poultry, fresh and saltwater fish, wheat germ and brown rice are rich in selenium. It is also found in dark chocolate. A diet rich in selenium and other vitamins and minerals can protect you from acne and other skin problems.

Yes, you need vitamin C too.

Vitamin C is probably the most popular nutrient when it comes to skin health. Vitamin C plays a crucial role in the production of collagen - the building block of beautiful, young-looking skin. You can get lots of this essential nutrient from citruses like oranges and lemons, dark green and leafy vegetables like spinach, kale and broccoli, berries, and milk. Vitamin C promotes skin repair and reduce inflammation that worsens acne.

There you go - the four diet and skin health facts that you should know. Spending lots of money on beauty treatments may not be worth it when we have poor diet. More than that, not only are you achieving beautiful skin, you are also developing a healthy and lean physique.