...And other refined carbs (like cookies, white bread and white rice).
"Foods that have a high glycemic index are the worst for skin, and have been associated with increased acne breakouts," says Bowe. They mess up your skin in two ways: "First they trigger a sugar spike in your blood that leads to a cascade of hormones," she says. So, say hello to breakouts. Second, they cause glycation. "Glycation is when sugar molecules bind to the structures in your skin such as collagen, making them weak and dysfunctional," Bowe explains. Weak collagen equals more signs of aging.
The good news: Bowe says that eating refined carbs with fiber-rich healthy foods can help minimize the damage. On the flip side, if you're consuming high GI foods on a daily basis, that can lead to cumulative damage.
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Healthy Skin Diet: Switch to Non-Processed Carbs or Oats
We're not saying you have to nix carbs altogether to get better skin (we're not monsters, after all). It's all about choosing the right carbs. Oats are packed full of antioxidants and have been found to be anti-inflammatory. Ciminelli recommends wild rice (it's actually a grass and not a rice at all -- who knew?) and gluten-free grains like quinoa and brown rice.
Non-processed carbs like sweet potatoes should also make it on your plate. Sweet potatoes are full of beta-carotene, a super-charged antioxidant that helps repair skin cells and slows down skin cancer cells. It helps give skin a youthful glow while preventing aging. They also are full of vitamin C, which helps stimulate collagen production. In fact, one study found that people who ate four milligrams of vitamin C a day for three years reduced their wrinkles by about 11 percent. Just half a cup of sweet potato contains 20 milligrams of vitamin C.
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Healthy Skin Diet: Ixnay on the Milk
"Many people are unaware that skim milk has been linked with acne breakouts," says Bowe. The main culprits: the hormones and milk proteins found in milk, which can clog pores (one study even found that the hormones in milk can boost your oil production up by 60 percent!).
And it doesn't just stop at the gallon of milk you buy at the grocery store. One of the most harmful milk proteins is whey, which is often found in protein supplements like bars and shakes. Cutting out dairy may do a lot for your acne-prone skin, but Bowe recommends incorporating a topical acne treatment with the active ingredient dapsone, like Aczone Gel, to really get acne under control.
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Healthy Skin Diet: Try Almond or Coconut Milk
Bowe recommends swapping your cow milk for one of the almond variety. It's dairy-free and low on the glycemic index. "Low glycemic index foods stop that hormonal cascade from triggering breakouts by stabilizing your blood sugar," she explains. Almond milk is also high in protein, which helps keep your skin, hair and nails healthy and strong. If you have a nut allergy, Engelman recommends coconut milk, which her patients have had great success with.
As for your whey protein? Try pea protein or egg white protein instead, advises Bowe. Look for protein bars that are made without whey, like Rx Bars -- they're made with whole foods, and the protein comes from egg whites and nuts.
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Healthy Skin Diet: Lay Off the Canned Foods...
...and frozen meals, too. High levels of sodium lurk in overly processed foods.
Salty foods cause your body to hold onto water, resulting in a puffy face and the appearance of under-eye bags, says Bowe. Iodized salt is especially bad for skin in high doses, as it has been shown to aggravate acne, adds Noremus.
If you must eat pre-packaged food, make sure to rinse all canned vegetables, meats and beans after opening them to reduce the sodium content.
Food. It's the giver of life, the bread to your literal butter. You need it. But just in the same way that certain foods can ruin your figure, some foods will ruin your skin -- and, conversely, adopting a healthy skin diet can make all the difference in the world.
Turns out it's most likely what's on your plate that dictates how healthy your skin is, how young you look, and whether or not you have acne.
Sure genetics and other lifestyle and environmental factors play a part (ahem, the sun), but you'd be hard-pressed to find any esthetician, nutritionist or dermatologist that wouldn't consider food a major factor in deciding whether you have a clear, youthful-looking complexion.
Basically, whether you like it or not, what you feed your body dictates whether you have healthy skin or "problem" skin, so it's time to watch what you eat. Being food-conscious is officially not just important for helping you fit into your jeans. "Your skin is an eliminative organ," says celebrity aesthetician Susan Ciminelli (she's beautified the skin of Kristen Bell, Tina Fey and Jennifer Lopez). "Garbage in, garbage out."
With that in mind, there are proven ingredients that clear up even the worst of problem skin and ones that can help prevent your cells from aging prematurely. With the right foods, you can stop looking for the fountain of youth in a fancy face cream or cleanser and instead finally start to put the items that will really help in your grocery basket.
