Nutrition for Skin Health

Thousands of people struggle with recurring skin issues. Skin conditions can be physically uncomfortable and embarrassing. It’s time to try a new approach to address these chronic conditions.

Common chronic skin conditions:

• Acne
• Outbreaks
• Eczema
• Psoriasis
• Rosacea

The traditional dermatology approach is to treat skin conditions with topical creams, antibiotics and/or oral contraceptives. If you have tried all of these options and still have skin issues, it’s worth exploring if something you consume contributes to your discomfort.

Your skin is the largest organ in your body. Skin conditions often signal there is some type of inflammation or imbalance in the body. For this reason, we want to consider any skin condition a sign that there is something deeper to address.

Watch the video:

Some possible skin issue root causes:

• Hormone imbalances
• Digestive issues
• Inflammation
• Toxic build-up
• Environment
• Nutritional deficiency
• Poor skin care products

Our food and lifestyle choices play big roles in all of these root-cause factors. Food is the fuel that determines the health of our cells, skin, hair, nails, teeth, muscles, tissues and organs. Therefore, it’s important to look at which foods support your health and which foods might contribute to health issues you experience.

The top five types of food that can contribute to skin issues:

1. Sugar (cane sugar, brown sugar and high fructose corn syrup).
2. Processed carbohydrates (breads, pasta, cereal, crackers, cookies, etc.).
3. Processed oils (canola oil, sunflower oil, safflower oil, corn oil and vegetable oil) – usually found in packaged foods, fried foods and at restaurants.
4. Non-organic animal products (meat, dairy, poultry and eggs) contain antibiotics and hormones, which influence hormone levels.
5. Soy is a xeno-estrogen, which means it mimics estrogen-like activity in the body and can throw our hormones off-balance by increasing estrogen levels.

Some foods to add into your diet to support skin health:

• Green vegetables.
• Lemon (lemon juice in your water helps rid the body of toxins).
• Ginger + turmeric (anti-inflammatory).
• Water for hydration.
• Wild fish (salmon, tuna, etc.)
• Olive oil, coconut oil, avocado oil, avocados, nuts and seeds.
• Vital Proteins collagen.

If you still have skin issues after making the changes mentioned above, see if you have food sensitivities.

The top common food sensitivities that may contribute to your skin flare-ups:

• Sugar – especially acne.
• Dairy – especially acne.
• Gluten – all skin conditions, especially psoriasis.
• Eggs – especially eczema.

A nutritionist or alternative medicine doctor can test you for food sensitivity. Or, you can do a simple elimination diet where you do not eat these foods for 30 days. Then add them back in one-by-one to see how your skin reacts.

This tip is brought to you by Amy Krasner of Nourished Balance.