If you’ve ever suffered from acne (or even if it’s just occasional breakouts and pimples) you will probably agree that you would do anything for clear skin. At least that’s the case for me.
A little dive in into my story & why I’m writing this blog post:
(Scroll down if you want to dig into nutrition directly!)
Personally I have tried everything. I’ve probably visited more than 10 dermatologists in my life already. And I was prescribed everything from supplements and antibiotic creams, benzoyl peroxide to antibiotics. Unfortunately most doctors will only know about those medications and common methods to treat acne. And there’s a huge problem with them. They are not treating the root cause but only the symptoms. And sometimes they come along with severe side effects which was also the case for me.
When I was 13 I visited a dermatologist who did have a different approach on things. He didn’t prescribe me harsh chemicals that would dry out my skin to the point where it would become scaly and so itchy I would scratch it gorily in my sleep. He didn’t prescribe me antibiotics which would not only kill bad bacteria on my skin but also disturb my healthy and protective gut bacteria. Oftentimes treatments like this will only lead to a worsening of the exact same symptoms we’re initially trying to get rid of.
Instead this doctor told me I should cut out refined sugars and dairy products from my diet and handed me a natural cosmetics facial cream with herbal extracts. Little me was surprised, extremely sceptical and thought this was too easy. I was used to being prescribed those harsh chemicals and I wanted them, after all this was the only thing that could help, wasn’t it?
It took me a while before I got back to this doctor’s approach. Until I did my own research and questioned whether dairy products were really as healthy as I believed them to be. And I also swapped all my skin care products for natural ones – at this point I have to mention these changes didn’t come without a huge improvement in my complexion.
So what role does nutrition play in acne and breakouts?
A huge one! Acne is an inflammatory disease and there are foods which can either increase inflammation in the body or decrease it. The foods we eat in general have a major effect on our body which is pretty logical right? If you think about it a person who is only eating processed junk foods will obviously not get enough nutrients, feel tired and sluggish compared to a person thriving on a nutritious whole food plant-based diet.
The foods you eat are crucial for your health. Fueling your body with essential vitamins, minerals, fiber, unsaturated essential fatty-acids and plant-protein is the best way to ensure long term health (and healthy skin!)
“Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food.” – Hippocrates
“The doctor of the future will give no medication, but will interest his patients in the care of the human frame, diet and in the cause and prevention of disease. ” – Thomas A. Edison
“The food you eat can either be the safest & most powerful form of medicine or the slowest form of poison.” – Ann Wigmore
Which foods are inflammatory & can worsen acne?
Adapting a whole food plant-based diet will probably make you feel better overall (read this post if you’re interested how: What happens when you go vegan) but going plant-based is especially worth a try if you’re suffering from skin problems and other sorts of chronic diseases and inflammation.
A whole food plant-based diet is the healthiest you could possibly eat. Not only are you lowering your risk to develop common diseases (type 2 diabetes, adipositas, heart disease, cancer, autoimmune diseases & chronic inflammatory diseases) you’re also avoiding the things that are most likely to break you out. Eating a wholefoods plant-based diet means cutting out animal products and also processed and refined foods. Thus your diet will be based around fresh fruits & veggies, complex starches (whole grains, starchy vegetables), legumes, nuts and seeds.
However there are some foods that are especially worth cutting down on:
Dairy products
If there is one food you would want to avoid it should be dairy.
I already wrote a blog post on dairy a while ago explaining why you might want to ditch dairy. But especially for those struggling from acne giving up dairy may lead to a huge improvement in skin health.
Dairy is not only loaded with hormones but also other bioactive molecules (e.g. growth factors) which can cause acne, increase inflammation and furthermore lead to a variety of (more serious) diseases. So cutting out dairy is definitely worth a try as it is the major factor contributing to the epidemic of acne in Western civilizations.
Here are some really good & informative, more in-depth videos on the causality between dairy consumption and acne.
Cocoa
I’m a huuuuge chocolate lover. However if you’re struggling with acne-prone skin you might want to try giving up chocolate for a while to see whether it might improve your complexion. There is evidence that chocolate might trigger the release of inflammatory chemicals – and we did talk about acne being an inflammatory disease already.
https://nutritionfacts.org/video/does-chocolate-cause-acne/
https://nutritionfacts.org/video/does-cocoa-powder-cause-acne/
Refined sugars & high glycemic foods
If you’ve ever researched about the link between acne and nutrition you might have come across the glycemic index. The glycemic index describes how your blood sugar reacts after eating certain foods. Refined grains and sugars create a blood sugar spike that will then drop really fast due to a fast insulin response. Not only are these foods loaded with empty calories and lacking vital nutrients, due to the fast insulin response they also contribute to excess sebum production and a spike in the synthesis of growth factors and androgen production – which is an important contributor in the pathogenesis of acne.
This is more of a category than a single food and includes pretty much all processed foods. So a whole foods plant-based diet is really what you should aim for if struggling with acne.
Little excursus: Food with a high GI are usually really high in sugar whilst being low in fat and fiber. Most fruit has a high GI too. But hold on! Fruit is obviously not unhealthy. When talking about GI a lot comes down to proper food combining. If you eat fruit with a spoon of nut butter (100% nuts) the GI of your meal will decrease and furthermore you will have some healthy fats which will help your body to absorb fat-solible vitamins e.g. vitamin A. To put in a nutshell try to eat unrefinded whole-foods and think about combining fruit with nuts.
Here’s a little chart to help you notice which foods are rather low or high GI. As you can see high GI-foods are usually processed. Whilst you don’t have to worry about potatoes and watermelon the other foods have very little health benefits – those are the ones you should try to cut out.
It is important to note though that not all breakouts are food related. You could eat the healthiest diet ever and still suffer from breakouts due to hormonal fluctations (e.g. during your period), allergies (I’m dealing with that atm), air pollution and other unresolved issues. Diet is a major contributor though and should not be left out of focus. It is jut not the only one, please don’t forget this.
Also you are not alone! I know how nasty, annoying and challenging skin problems can be. But this too shall pass. It is not your fault and you can always message me if you want to talk. Remember that your skin does not define you and the people you’re around love you regardless of your complexion and no matter what. Chances are you are the only one that is really bothered by unclear skin. And I do completely, totally and fully understand you. But remember to take good care for your skin, to give it some love back and not torture it with harsh chemicals.
I hope this blog post was helpful and that I did mention something you didn’t already know.
I’d be really happy if you leave a comment, follow my blog and connect with me.
Lots of love,
niki (from nutriousniki)
Niki's Blog 