Diet for Good Skin

Once you are ready for a diet for good skin—more in-depth information on the best foods for healthy skin—read on!

Three Food Foundations

1. Eat real food. To eat or not to eat certain foods? When you are looking for a diet for good skin that is the question! If you concentrate on quality, natural foods that have a long history of use, you can’t go wrong. Age-old guidelines—food foundations that have a long history of use—on what foods to eat as well as how to best prepare foods still have great merit today, and incidentally, increasing amounts of scientific backing. Because of toxicity and degree of infestation by viruses and parasites, the minimization of foods such as pork, ostrich and shellfish continues to be a good health guideline. Additionally, avoiding fake foods such as artificial sweeteners, colors, flavors and foods loaded with preservatives and other additives means our bodies have an easier time processing food and have less toxins to eliminate or store after digestion. That means both more nutrients to provide a good diet for good skin as well as fewer substances to tax the elimination processes of our skin.

2. Eat foods as close as possible to their original form. While, in this food foundation, I’m not suggesting you start eating raw, unwashed, freshly dug-up potatoes, it is easy to see that a baked or boiled potato is closer to its back-to-basics beginnings than its processed, oil, sugar and chemical added, pre-formed less-than-healthful cousin, the hash brown patty! Likewise, a crisp, green Granny Smith apple is a better regular snack choice than a baked and oatmeal-honeyed apple crisp, which in turn, has a better back to basics rating than a white flour pastry-coated, deep fried, sugar-filled apple turnover. Eating foods in as natural a state as possible, a true diet for good skin, means our skin gets a wider range and a higher volume of the nutrients it needs to get and stay healthy.
   
3. Don’t become a food fanatic! In other words, no matter the condition of your skin, don’t let a dietary plan or food foundation become the be-all, end-all. It makes great sense to take care of the wonderful bodies we have been given, but not a lot of sense that the task of feeding ourselves becomes out of balance with the other tasks we have to do in our life. Initially the change needed to move towards a diet for good skin can take a fair amount of time and effort, especially if Candida Albicans imbalance or food intolerances are an issue, but before long it should fall back to a more balanced place.
   

Five Food Guidelines

Making better foods for healthy skin choices doesn’t have to be as hard as the latest, greatest health guru makes it out to be. Start simply, be persistent and never say “die” or “diet” for that matter.

1. Minimized consumption of sugar, refined grain products and caffeine. Short term, refined sugar use can cause fatigue, weight gain, arthritis and depression. Long term, the list of potential ailments includes dental cavities, heart disease, yeast overgrowth, hypertension, hypoglycemia and emotional illness. Consumption of refined grains also contributes to a loss of essential nutrients and to a number of ailments including obesity and digestive disorders. Both the nutritional depletion and the yeast overgrowth in particular can lead quickly to skin problems. Whole grains play an important part in a diet for good skin but even they should be used in moderation, particularly for body types that do better on a higher protein intake. Reducing caffeine intake is also important. Caffeine is found in coffee, some teas and pops and chocolate. It is an addictive stimulant that acts as a diuretic (i.e. causes increased loss of fluids from the body). It interferes with the digestive process—a body system whose health is highly interconnected with skin health—flushes calcium from the body and can contribute to insomnia, irritability, dizziness and fatigue.
2. Minimized consumption of non-organic dairy products. The composition of cow’s milk differs from that of human milk and both the lactose (milk sugar) and high percentage of casein (milk protein) found in dairy products can prove problematic for some people. Dairy is listed as the number one food allergy in North America and has been implicated in ailments such diarrhea, bloating, iron-deficiency anemia, atherosclerosis and skin conditions such as acne, eczema, rosacea (sometimes spelled rosacia) and oily skin. The main concern with dairy products, however, is that they can contain unhealthy levels of antibiotics, pesticide residues and artificial hormones. If you consume dairy products, nutrition for healthy skin foundations would suggest limiting your intake and choosing organic, or even better, raw and organic, sources.
   

3. Appropriate consumption of meat. Beef, poultry, bison, lamb and fish provide a variety of beneficial nutrients including protein, certain B vitamins and iron and most people in North America, especially children and teenagers, are of the body type that achieve better health with the inclusion of animal products in their diet. Because animal products, however, generally contain no fiber, and particularly with grain-fed red meat, often contain a high percentage of saturated fat, it is best to eat smaller portions of beef or chicken or fish and to pair animal protein intake with vegetables to provide adequate fibre. As with dairy products, a diet for good skin practice would be to choose non-medicated sources that provide meat free from antibiotics, chemicals and artificial hormones, chemicals that are often contributing factors to skin problems. Because of the potential for parasites that are not destroyed by cooking, pork consumption is not recommended.
   
4. Increased consumption of healthy fats and fresh vegetables and fruit. Fats provide the most concentrated source of energy for the body, are essential for the manufacturing of cells, including of course cells in our skin, aid in calcium absorption and carry fat-soluble vitamins. To correct an imbalanced intake of fatty acids—one of the main dietary problems underlying poor health and poor skin conditions—avoid processed, hydrogenated and trans fats and use those that have a long tradition of supporting health such as extra virgin olive oil, butter and coconut oil. Supplementation with essential fatty acids such as oft-deficient omega three oils is frequently necessary. A diet for good skin includes fresh fruits and vegetables as they are sources of a variety of vitamins, minerals and enzymes. As well, vegetables and fruit contain a variety of phyto (the Greek word for “plant”) chemicals that are important factors in disease prevention and eradication. In their antioxidant role, the body uses fruits and vegetables—wonderful foods for healthy skin—to neutralize the damage caused by free radicals, enemies of healthy skin and good health in general, that are produced by stress, toxins and natural body processes. Fresh produce also contains enzymes (catalysts for many of the body’s chemical processes), high water content and a variety of valuable fibres and, in a diet for good skin, should be consumed daily, in relatively high amounts. That means lots of salads, veggies and dips, veggies on sandwiches and veggies in soups, stews and stir-fries. I also highly recommend getting fruit and vegetable intake in perhaps the most fun way of all, a daily green smoothie.
5. Increased consumption of clean water, fresh juices and healthful herbal teas. As 70% of the human body is water, it is important to maintain adequate fluid intake. Water carries nutrients to cells and removes toxins that remain after cellular activity and while it plays this role throughout the body, water’s hydrating effects are particularly noticeable when helping produce radiant, glowing and youthful looking skin. If possible, drink purified water as our bodies are affected by the pollution found in most water sources and by the methods most municipalities use to reduce water pollution. Vegetable juices are easily digested and, along with a very modest intake of unsweetened fruit juice and healthy herbal teas, can provide a healthy skin diet of additional nutrients and water content.