What Foods Are Good for Acne A Detailed Guide on What to Eat
Many people don’t think about their diet when they’re trying to get rid of acne.
A healthy diet is one of the best tools you can use to fight acne because food is one of the main things that cause acne. When you switch to a healthy diet, your body will start changing and the acne will start disappearing.
Acne is difficult to get rid of, especially if you’re in your teens. Instead of eating healthier, people will try to implement skincare routines and medication into their daily routines. This can help fight acne, but it’s not the best thing you can do.
Read on to learn more about what foods are good for acne and the importance of a healthy diet.
What is Acne?
Most people experience acne at some point in their lives. It causes red, white, and black bumps to form on the surface of the skin. People refer to acne as whiteheads, blackheads, and pimples.
Acne occurs when the pores of the skin get filled up with bacteria, dead skin, and oil. People that are going through puberty will often experience acne because the body starts producing more oil due to the hormones.
Having a healthy diet can play a major role in the prevention and treatment of acne. Foods that are rich in vitamins and essential nutrients can keep the skin clean. Some of them include complex carbs, zinc, omega-3 fatty acids, and antioxidants.
Acne can form anywhere on the body that has pores, but some of the most common areas are the face, neck, back, and shoulders. All of these areas share something in common in that they are where people produce the most sweat.
If you don’t treat acne, it will still go away. However, not treating acne can cause it to stay much longer than it would if you didn’t treat it. If acne stays around for too long, it can cause scarring over time.
Whether you have little to no acne or a lot, it’s always good to have a healthy diet. Depending on the severity of acne, some people will seek out medical assistance. Some medications can help combat the acne, but you’d end up spending a lot of money.
What Causes Acne?
While dead skin and oil are primarily what causes acne, you should be aware of how acne works so that you can prevent it in the future. The surface of the skin has a plethora of holes (pores) where hair grows from. All of these pores are attached to oil glands that can produce sebum.
The oil glands send sebum to the surface of the skin, which is meant to get rid of the dead skin cells in the pores. When the dead skin cells and oil sit in the pores for too long, acne can occur.
A whitehead occurs when a pore gets clogged near the surface of the skin. Blackheads are pores that get clogged but don’t close. A pimple occurs when a pore opens up and allows bacteria to get under the skin.
How Diet Affects the Skin
Implementing a healthy diet for acne is one of the best treatments you can do because you don’t need to spend much money and you’ll feel a lot better overall. A proper diet can clear congested skin because some foods can raise blood sugar much quicker than others.
Whenever your blood sugar rises, it can cause your body to start releasing insulin. As insulin is released, the oil glands can start producing more oil, which will increase your chance of getting acne.
Some of the foods that cause insulin to spike include:
- Pasta
- White rice
- Sugar
You’ll notice that all of these foods are high in carbohydrates. Foods that are made mostly of simple sugar will spike insulin because they’re high-glycemic carbs. Other foods that are high in carbs, like chocolate, will also cause insulin spikes.
What Foods Are Good for Acne?
The average American diet doesn’t consist of foods to clear acne, so you’ll have a bit of a shock when you’re transitioning to a healthier one. Instead of consuming dairy products and food high in carbs, you’ll need to focus on foods that have a healthy connotation.
Some of the best acne-fighting foods include whole grains, legumes, fruits, and vegetables. Most fruits have a lot of sugar, but it’s different from other foods because it’s natural. Providing that you’re eating foods with plenty of vitamins and antioxidants, you’ll quickly start losing acne.
You should also eat lean meats without much fat. Should you decide to eat carbs, eat things like whole-wheat bread and brown rice. While everyone’s body is different, all of these foods are healthy, so start building your diet around them.
Be sure to drink plenty of water because it will help you keep your skin moisturized and nourished. When you’re hydrated, it will be easier for the oil to exit the pores because they’ll be better lubricated.
Start Eating a Healthy Diet for Acne
You should start coming up with new meal plans now that you know what foods are good for acne. Eating a healthy diet to get rid of acne will make it harder to get acne again in the future because you’ll be hydrated and won’t have high blood sugar.
Eating healthy will not only help you fight acne, but you’ll also avoid things like diabetes. Anyone that’s overweight will start quickly burning fat, and you’ll feel more energized than you normally are.
Browse our articles to learn more about living a healthy lifestyle.
