What we eat doesn’t just affect our health, but it also impacts our overall skin.
For better or worse, consuming certain foods leads to a proliferation of bacteria, which encourages the sebaceous gland function, which is the main source of acne.
Therefore, fixing your meal takes a bit more research, as one needs to be cautious about what you can put on your plate, and let’s start with these 5 everyday commonly consumed foods, which are unknowingly causing problems for your skin.
1. Dried fruits
Dried fruits are different from natural fruits, as they lose their health benefits when you dry them. Dried fruit is a refined carbohydrate that has a high glycaemic index. It dramatically spikes your blood sugar and raises your insulin levels. This also leads to changes in your hormones, which further increase oil production, triggering serious breakouts. Any kind of white bread, cereal, and crackers also fall into this category.
2. Milk
You might be in shock, as those who regularly consume milk are four times more likely to have acne than those who don’t. Hormones in dairy products are the main culprit, but the proteins present in milk are also to blame. The exact process is still unknown, but when it binds to receptors in the digestive system, it signals certain molecules that trigger acne and breakouts. When companies remove the fat from the whole milk, they add more of these proteins, making the milk thicker, which tastes less watery and can promote breakouts. But you can always choose rice, almond, oat, or coconut milk.
3. Milk chocolate
This is sad but true. Creamy milk chocolate is among the top foods that lead to acne. This sweet includes a trifecta of some of the most common acne triggers, as it includes refined sugar, trans fats, and dairy. But this does not mean that you can’t have a sweet tooth. Just prefer a dark chocolate with at least 70 per cent cocoa to save your skin.
4. Non-organic meat
The meat itself is not a problem, but the fact that poultry, pork, and beef contain high levels of antibiotics, which are fed to the animals to keep them healthy, disrupts the fine balance of our skin. Our body does not then find the good and bad bacteria, which react in the digestive tract, leading to skin issues. Therefore, choose organic meat and incorporate sources of probiotics, such as yoghurt and fermented food, which boost the level of good bacteria in your body.
5. Bottled juice
Fresh-squeezed juices are great for your body and skin, but bottled juices, even the fresh-pressed kind, lead to a major breakout trigger. If it’s mostly fruit, the sugar level should be low, which is not the case with bottled juices. Sipped on its own, it can cause a spike in your blood sugar, which increases the sebum production, further leading to inflammation, acne, and major breakouts.
