We all heard the common belief that eating chocolate can makes us break out. But what about white bread and potatoes? While many doctors say that eating sugary foods has no link with acne, some recent research in dermatology and anti-ageing medicine reveals that what we eat can have a direct impact on our skin.
The food we eat can dictate our blood sugar reactions. Some food makes our blood sugar peak, and those repeated peaks can be harmful for our general health. More importantly, it can also damage collagen, one of the substances that keep our skin healthy and youthful. Keeping your blood sugar under control also mean less inflammation, thus less skin problems. This might explain the popularity of low-glycemic diets, including the famous Perricone diet. In those diets, people generally only eat foods that scores below 55 in the glycemic table. However, the glycemic table is not the best to predict the reaction of our blood sugar, as it doesn’t take normal portion size into account. For best results, choosing foods according to their glycemic load is much closer to reality.
Refined foods, and especially refined carbs such as white bread, potatoes and regular wheat pastas generally scores high on the glycemic load scale. What we have to understand is that foods that have been deprived from their natural fiber tend to make our blood sugar rise. This is true not only for refined grains, but also for fruit juices and other processed foods. To keep your skin plump and smooth, it’s a good idea to choose whole food, especially those rich in vitamins, minerals and dietary fiber. Fiber-rich whole foods with anti-inflammatory and/or antioxidant properties are also a good way to help your skin and overall health as well.
The best foods to improve your skin
- Flax seeds
- Pear
- Apple
- Strawberries
- Dark leafy greens
- Red bell pepper
- Fresh ginger
- Almonds
- Walnuts