Eating for Clear Skin

A frequent question I come across is various themes of, “how do I eat to clear my acne?”

While nutrition is one of the four foundational pillars I like to see clients pay attention to in order to clear their skin, it isn’t the be-all, end-all. It’s simply ONE piece of the puzzle.

However, there are a few key points I want you to remember when it comes to nutrition for your skin.

Healing Your Relationship With Food is More Important Than Constantly Monitoring What You’re Eating

I believe nutrition and eating shouldn’t be complicated or restrictive. And I more importantly believe that food fear and healing a relationship with food is more important than anything else when it comes to nutrition. More often than not I see women go down a vortex of obsession around what NOT to eat to help clear their skin. Or they have a breakout and are immediately hyper-analyzing what they ate for the past 72 hours that could have caused the breakout.

Food isn’t always to blame.

Having a positive relationship with food also increases the likelihood that you are eating in a mindful, holistic way. And what I mean by that is, when you have a positive relationship with food it’s less likely you’re going to be consuming the quick, easy, processed stuff and more likely to be consuming foods that you not only enjoy but also nourish your body.

Intermittent Fasting CAN Be Helpful

I love intermittent fasting (IF) for a few different reasons for skin health. But I also see many women get a little too carried away with the “rules” when it comes to IF.

The reason I love IF for skin health is largely due to the association with your skin and gut health. IF is an excellent technique to give the chance for gut healing to take place. It has also been shown to help with regulating insulin levels - something we pay close attention to when we work with clients.

There are a number of different IF techniques and what I think is important to remember is that IF should fit to YOU and YOUR LIFESTYLE, not the other way around.

As a general rule, I like to see clients start with the “2 hour rule”, meaning do not consume things that will pull you out of a fasting state for 2hrs after waking and 2hrs before bed. A meal, for example, will pull you out of your fast. A small cup of coffee with a splash of cream will not.

Choose Low(er) Glycemic Load Meals

Again, the goal is to avoid insulin and blood glucose “spikes”. Insulin is a hormone, and it can negatively impact our skin if it’s unregulated by up regulating testosterone, as well as something called IGF-1 in your system. Both testosterone and IGF-1 can increase oil production and upregulate inflammatory processes in the pore, aggravating acne.

Glycemic load is a term that refers to the level that a meal would “spike” your blood glucose level. So for example, a high sugar meal or meal that breaks down to glucose quickly would have a high glycemic load, versus a meal that is lower in sugar or is slower to break down. Making sure your meals are not full of simple carbs and adding in foods that are a good source of fibre or a healthy fat will help reduce the glycemic load of a meal.

We talk in WAY more detail about meal structuring and macronutrients in the Skincare Lab.

Nutrient Density is Key

There are a laundry list of vitamins and minerals your body needs in order to have healthy, clear skin. And just popping an omega-3 fish oil supplement or taking zinc isn’t enough (I see this so often - supplements are cool and all but they NEVER replace a good diet). Ensuring your skin is getting what it needs is a lot easier when you’re consuming a nutrient-dense diet.

A simple way to make sure you’re getting enough nutrient density is to make sure you’re eating enough veggies - and eating the rainbow. Half your plate should be veggies, and choose a variety of both cooked and raw (some nutrients are more available to use in cooked foods while others are more available to us when the veggie is raw).

Aim for 3-5 servings of veggies daily, as a good minimum start point. And if you’re noticing this is difficult for you, it’s ok to incorporate in veggie powders like Designs for Health Paleo Reds and Designs for Health Paleo Greens (members of the Skincare Lab receive 15% off these items).

Most recipes that are coined “Paleo” will cover the bases I’ve mentioned above. We’ve got a 200+ recipe database, as well as meal plans within the Skincare Lab that can help get you started on eating for clear skin. I also have a few boards on Pinterest that can help get you started.