It’s that time of year where the skin’s a’crackin, pimples a’thrivin’ and you’re constantly trying to keep warm, hydrated and eat right!
Skin food doesn’t just mean what you should put on your skin, natural masks like good old banana and honey - in this case it means what foods could be causing your breakouts.
The tips I’ve learnt work well for me, however depending on your skin type and environment it might not be the best for you.
So let me set the scene, and if you can relate then read on....
My skin type: Dry with even dryer patches.
My environment: Cold, which causes even more dryness - British weather for you.
After much denial, trial and error I have concluded that dairy does indeed break me out. On days I eat anything with cheese (especially melted cheese) or milk I am sure to get a breakout the next day and my skin feels even dryer.
I switched to cutting down on cheese (I could never substitute it for anything because nothing compares) and substituting cow’s milk for oat, almond or rice milk. Out of the three, oat has become a regular as it’s not as watery as the other two.
Dr Jessica Wu’s book Feed Your Face (2012) explains exactly why dairy causes breakouts, it’s not the dairy itself, but the cow hormones in the milk. Research shows these hormones can interact directly with our skin cells and oil glands and cause a surge in insulin levels; which cause breakouts.
Another thing I have had to cut down on is fried foods! I’m sure majority of you have assessed they give you breakouts as well, because for me, anytime I eat fried foods it’s never ended well. It bodes well for me that I’ve never been a huge fan of oily foods, so it hasn’t been difficult to say no, apart from when I have those random cravings of hot chicken wings.
...And just when you thought it couldn’t get worse, cutting down on all the yummy foods - I’ve also reduced my sugar intake. Especially fizzy sweets that I used to devour in one go, honestly they used to break me out so fast. Now I just choose to indulge on them when i’m on my time of month, because hormones ruin my skin anyway so might as well enjoy life while i’m at it.
It’s only logical that your skin, the biggest organ in your body is affected by what you eat. These days we spend so much money on skincare products when really you should start at home!
So if you want to experiment and see if any of the above also affects you, then trial and error and cut down on dairy, fried food and excessive sugar! See if it makes a difference, like it did for me.