Skin is affected by an unhealthy diet in many ways the major reason that people may not know is the acidifying foods. Some people may notice a change in color, dryness, acne, stretch marks, cellulite… Let’s find out.
Can Diet Affect Skin?
Yes, it’s affected by diet. The skin is the set of cells, and we human beings eat to feed our body’s cells, when there’s a lack or problem in our diet, the signs will appear on our skin.
And the skin actually may be affected by diet in many different ways. It all depends on the type of diet and dietary mistakes you make.
How Can Diet Affect Your Skin?
During a weight loss diet or any restrictive diet ( a diet that emphasizes any kind of restriction), you may notice some problems in your skin.
1- Skin dryness
During the weight loss process, the body needs water to break down and eliminate of fat through the urine. When we don’t drink enough water, we will certainly notice dryness in our skin because If you don’t drink enough water, your body will bring water back from your cells but mostly from your skin!
When we are losing weight, we need to drink more water than a normal person who’s not following a weight loss diet. Cause when you’re losing weight, your body will use a quantity of water for its functions, and the extra quantity must be used in the weight loss process.
2- Acne
When acne appears, it can be due to several reasons: hormonal (stress, puberty), medical (a sign of a disease or digestive disorder), or due to dietary or lifestyle errors. But sometimes a weight loss diet can cause acne when you’re consuming the wrong food choice which is irritating.
Top Foods that Causes acne
- Junk food
- High carbs foods
- Mayonnaise
- Sausage
- High saturated fat foods
- Uncontrolled oil consumption
What foods to get rid of acne?
To get rid of acne, you first need to treat its cause not only one food can remove it, but some foods are rich in antioxidants may help you detox your body and then, help you in your acne:
- Leafy greens: cabbage and spinach.
- Colorful vegetables and fruits: Tomatoes, beets, carrots, peppers, cherries, and eggplant.
3- Cellulitis and Stretch Marks
Stretch marks are yellow marks that appear in the fatty areas of the body, because rapid weight loss kills body cells. During the weight loss process, you need to lose weight while at the same time regenerating dead body cells.
So, make sure you lose weight gradually with a varied and better-balanced diet. And cellulite is a complication of stretch marks. If you don’t treat stretch marks before they become inflamed, they become cellulite with a darker color, like purple or sometimes pink.
Can diet cause/cure dark circles?
Scientifically, except for water, diet has nothing to do with dark circles. Dark circles in the first place appear when blood circulation is not sufficient, and the small veins around the eyes may not receive the necessary amount of oxygen.
This occurs more frequently in individuals with respiratory issues, like asthma,lung disease, and those who suffer from fatigue and lack of sleep. Anemia and dehydration can rarely cause this problem as well.
What about Eczema?
Eczema usually isn’t caused by diet. It’s a health condition that may happen because of; environmental factors, lack of skin care, immunity problems, or medical reasons.
What Foods Affect Your Skin The Most?
As I explained above, acne-promoting foods are a group of foods that provide a favorable environment for microorganisms to proliferate and form acne. Here’s a list of foods that promote the appearance of acne:
- Saturated fats
- Industrial sweets
- Canned foods
- Highly acidic diets (animal protein sources such as ; Meat, dairy, and eggs) .
note: acidic foods can promote acne only when they are eaten in the wrong way. You need to eat varied food choices to neutralize your blood PH and avoid acne. You need to mix animal protein with vegetables to get a healthy varied plate.
How to keep your skin healthy with a weight loss diet
Also, you need to avoid the 3 major reasons why diet affects skin :
3 major reasons why diet affects your skin
1- High carbs diet
A sugar-rich diet, particularly those high in industrial sugar, can contribute to the appearance of acne. As sugar acts as a pro-inflammatory agent, it worsens inflammation. It is best to decrease or even avoid sugar and sweet treats altogether.
2- Acidifying food
Acne is caused by microorganisms that thrive in an acid environment. An acidifying diet can promote the development and growth of these microorganisms by making our blood more acidic.
Acidifying foods, such as meat, offal, cold cuts, eggs, dairy products, industrial sugar, and junk food, are particularly likely to make your blood acidic. To restore balance and neutralize your diet, increase your intake of fruits and vegetables.
3- Restrictive diets
Diets that restrict many foods or severely restrict calories can indirectly or directly cause acne. Diets that lack essential nutrients such as vitamin D, magnesium, iron, etc. cause hormonal imbalances because these nutrients are very important for the function of female hormones. If there is a deficiency, acne is the first sign to appear.
So to avoid acne during a weight loss diet, you need to choose the right diet. A balanced diet is the best choice to neutralize your blood PH and avoid creating the favorite area for the bacteria to grow in your skin.
Through a balanced diet, you need to bring to your body all the nutrients that it needs for the well-being of your body cells including your skin cells. also, you need to avoid the dietary and lifestyle mistakes that I’ve mentioned above.
I am Eating Healthy but my Skin Looks Bad
You’re probably restricting some food choices from your diet, like when you are deleting some foods from your daily foods, you may have a dietary deficiency that may lead to acne. But you need to know that diet isn’t the only thing that causes acne.
Many other factors are responsible for acne other than diet. We have, a lack of sleep, not drinking enough water, stress; a sedentary lifestyle, and junk food….
What’s the dietary deficiency that may cause acne?
Generally, nutrients that act as hormone precursors and stimulate hormone function can lead to acne if deficient. Specifically, magnesium, vitamin D, and calcium are essential nutrients for proper hormone functioning. Deficiency in these nutrients can lead to hormonal imbalance and improper functioning of female or male hormones, which can result in acne.
What’s the Healthiest Diet To Keep Your Skin Safe?
There is no special diet for acne, other than avoiding the mistakes I’ve mentioned before. For example when you measure your blood or urine acidity ( PH) , and your doctor says it’s acid, you will need to eat more vegetables or go through a vegan diet for few days only. And, you need to have a good lifestyle, sleep enough, do regular physical activity, drink enough water, and avoid stress.
Best Skincare To Keep your skin soft
To maintain soft and supple skin, several steps should be followed regularly. A weekly skincare routine is recommended, which involves:
- Boiling a basin of water until steam appears.
- Next, expose your skin to the steam for at least 10 minutes.
- Afterward, cleanse your face with a suitable cleansing gel.
- Finally, pat your face dry using a clean towel or a paper towel.
- At the end you ….. flower water around your face.
It’s a simple skincare routine, but it’s the best one for protecting your skin against pathogens. But as I explained before, this skincare routine won’t give 100% results if you don’t follow its advice.
- Drink enough water ( 1.5 l / day at least)
- Get enough sleep on time
- Exercise regularly for optimal blood circulation and to prevent the appearance of dark circles.
- Consume a nutritious diet
- and regularly undergo blood tests to prevent nutritional deficiencies that can cause hormonal imbalances.
Bottom Line
Finally, the type of diet or the way you eat can affect your skin either for the better or for the worse.It’s essential to prevent dietary errors that can harm your body by following a well-rounded and diverse diet. Refrain from using restrictive diets that may result in dietary deficiencies.
Also, steer clear of diets that focus on a single food group as it can alter the composition of your body.
