If you read our article on foods you should eat for glowing skin, then you’re already well aware that what you put in your body has an impact on your complexion. And so, with that in mind, today we thought we would take the opposite approach and look at the foods that you want to avoid when you’re struggling with acne.
Of course, though, if you’re reading this and thinking you can simply change your diet and your skin will automatically clear up, rarely is that the case.
Problematic skin tends to be the result of some combination of stress, hygiene, lack of skincare, hormones, and yes, diet.
So just keep in mind that in order to get your acne cleared up once and for all, you’ll likely have to take a well rounded approach that addresses all areas of your lifestyle. For this, be sure to check out our post on all our top acne fighting tips, along with the top four acne fighting ingredients you want in your skincare. You also might find some value in learning about all the benefits of turmeric and CBD on your acne breakouts.
Okay, okay, that is enough talk, let’s dive into the top three food sensitives that might be contributing to your acne breakouts.
It might hurt to hear that you need to kick your sugar habit, but trust us, if you’re finding that you just can’t seem to get your acne under control, there’s a good chance your sugar intake is on the higher side.
While the amount of sugar that your body can handle will vary from person to person, the general rule is that if you’re struggling with acne, you want to lower your sugar intake as much as possible.
Sure, bite into that apple, but when it comes to reaching for a pint of ice cream on a Friday night, we recommend replacing that sugar craving with something like a fruit smoothie. You’ll still help curb that sugar craving, but you’ll avoid all those refined sugars, which is generally the main culprit in acne breakouts.
While fast food isn’t exactly great for anyone, and it might not technically be a “food sensitivity,” we couldn’t make this list without directing your attention to the impact that fried food can have on your skin.
While fat itself certainly isn’t bad for your skin (it’s actually very good in appropriate amounts), refined carbohydrates and “bad” fats are, and that’s exactly what you’re going to get when you drive up to the McDonalds drive through.
Not to mention, if you’re regularly eating fast food, this will likely impact your hormones, which we all know can affect your skin.
Bottom line: Stay away from fast food and fried food as much as possible when you’re trying to clear your acne through diet. You’ll likely quickly see what a dramatic impact this one small change can have on your complexion.
Again, everybody’s bodies work differently. While one person can eat all the cheese and yogurt that they want, another person may find that one piece of pizza has their body all out of sorts.
The key here is to figure out what works foryou.
Again, if you’re struggling with acne, you’ll likely benefit from eliminating diary from you diet for at least two weeks. After two weeks, try reintroducing diary. If you find that you start breaking out more than usual after diary consumption, there’s a good chance that diary just doesn’t agree with your skin.
Keep in mind an elimination diet is great for all different types of foods. While we’ve been chatting specifically about the top three food sensitivities here, there are plenty of other food sensitivities out there that you might struggle with.
Keep track of how your body reacts to different meals, write detailed notes on when your acne is at its worse, and try eliminating foods that you think are triggering the acne. You can then run experiments on yourself by eliminating the foods and then slowly reintroducing to get to the bottom of what’s triggering your acne.
Make sense?
Let us know in the comments below which foods you struggle with when it comes to achieving clear skin.