Taking care of your skin is more than vanity, our skin protects us from harmful bacteria and fungi, and is our defensive layer against any harm, from UV rays to torrid heat.
Having healthy skin is imperative if you want to avoid threats like cancer, and if you have diabetes, you’ll want to keep your skin in pristine shape more than anyone.
Skin is the largest organ in our body, and it’s more complicated than you think, so avoid the following foods and enjoy a fresh face every morning.
#7 – Coffee
Coffee has lots of health benefits, its caffeine gets our neurons working hard, and the natural antioxidants in your favorite brew are good for your circulatory system. For your skin, though, coffee has a negative effect.
Coffee is a diuretic which means that it drains water and electrolytes from our bodies, sending them to our kidneys to be disposed of. Coffee dehydrates us, and if there’s something our skin doesn’t like is being dry.
Wrinkles are accentuated, and what’s worst, your skin can suffer damage from long dehydration periods.
#6 – Salty Food
Just like coffee, salt dehydrates us. That’s why it’s dangerous to drink seawater. Although salt is an essential mineral for our well-being (in moderate amounts), it can dry our skin, making it suffer from stress, and produce excessive oil, blocking our pores and creating pimples.
#5 – Dairy Products
Dairy products are excellent sources for calcium and protein, but in large amounts, they promote chronic inflammation that damages the tiniest veins and arteries that cover our skin.
There’s one more thing; dairy often has antibiotics and hormones that alter the delicate balance of microbial life on our skin.
#4 – Sugary Treats
Sugar, candies and soft drinks prove themselves unhealthy in every department, and they’re bad for your skin too. Sugar has a high glycemic index, which causes inflammation damaging your skin circulatory system.
Sugar causes bloating and makes your body store the excess energy as fat, and overweight affects our bloodstream, making our skin suffer from lack of oxygenation and nourishment.
Dark chocolate is your safest bet since it’s not that high in sugar and has tons of antioxidants. In moderation, you can enjoy dark chocolate guilt-free.
#3 – Simple Carbs
Not as bad as simple sugar, simple carbs like the ones found in white flour bread, starchy foods like potatoes and even fruit can cause overweight, high blood pressure, and inflammation — all increasing pressure on our sensitive skin and the intricate labyrinth of veins feeding it.
#2 – Food with Pesticides
There’s a reason why agricultural products grown with weed killers, pesticides and chemical fertilizers have a terrible reputation, they’re linked to many maladies and illnesses, including cancer. Our skin that depends on a delicate balance between the microorganisms that live on it can be easily disturbed by the foreign chemicals used in conventional farming.
Get organic food if you don’t want these chemicals to damage your relationship with the microorganisms living on your skin.
#1 – Spicy Foods
Spicy food is good and bad for the same reason; it makes us blush and sweat. When we eat spicy food, Serotonin, the happy hormone, is released, and there’s also an adrenaline rush. Still, if you have a skin condition like acne or rosacea, the dilating veins and arteries can worsen your ailment.
Look after your skin.
Your skin protects you, day in and day out, so the nicest thing you can do is looking after it by watching what you eat.
Remember that what’s most important about our diets are portion sizes. There’s nothing wrong with having a cup of coffee in the morning or eating a sandwich at lunch, but portions matter and balance is everything, so think of it all as a whole. Now, get yourself a fruit-scented face mask and pamper yourself!
