Most people don’t realize this, but proper nutrition is key to having clear skin.
Far too often, people only associate skin health with external causes - sun damage, dirt, oil, and other environmental factors. However, when you’re dealing with acne inflammation, it may be a sign that your body needs a helping hand by targeting the root cause of the acne.
To make your life easier, we’ve diving into a few of the powerful foods and nutrients that work to reduce acne inflammation to keep your skin healthy from the inside out.
Turmeric
Turmeric is a flowering plant from the ginger family that has been popular for hundreds of years, and for good reason.
Not only does it add intense flavor into every dish, but it’s also extremely healthy for you as well.
And that’s because of its main active ingredient, curcumin, which contains both antioxidants and anti-inflammatory properties (it’s also responsible for coloring the food yellow).
Curious how it works?
When a breakout occurs, it’s due to inflammation of your oil glands and pores. And when you incorporate turmeric into your diet, it helps inhibit microbial growth, sebum production, and inflammation.
According to Dr. Purvisha Patel, ingesting 400-600 mg of turmeric per day can even help with deep cystic acne.
If you haven’t started incorporating turmeric into your diet, now might be time.
Selenium
Selenium is considered an essential part of our diet that plays a major role in decreasing inflammation that contributes to acne, as well as our overall health.
For some, a selenium deficiency could contribute towards acne inflammation making it important to be aware of your dietary needs.
Those at higher risk include vegans and vegetarians, frequent alcohol consumption, or anyone who lives in an area with higher levels of air pollution, sun, or cigarette smoke.
How can you tell if you’re selenium deficient? A few symptoms may include brain fog, poor fertility, acne, or discolored fingernails.
The good thing is that a deficiency lasts only as long as you lack proper supplementation, meaning you could try consuming foods higher in selenium such as Brazilian nuts, eggs or fish or by incorporating a vitamin regimen into your diet.
Other foods high in selenium can include meats like ham, pork, turkey, or chicken as well as sunflower seeds, spinach, and lentils.
Vitamin A
If you’re not eating orange and yellow fruits and vegetables regularly, you may want to rethink that.
These foods are rich in vitamin A, a powerful antioxidant that helps promote skin and overall health by fighting free radicals.
When applied topically, this vitamin is a powerful acne combatant helping reduce it after formation. On the other hand, when ingested, vitamin A can help improve skin health from within by decreasing inflammation while also helping heal scars by increasing skin cell growth.
Sources of food that contain vitamin A include:
- Carrots
- Sweet potatoes
- Beef Liver
- Mangos
- Salmon
- Cantaloupe
- Green leafy vegetables
In addition to these foods being rich in vitamin A, they also contain an abundance of other healthy nutrients vital to your skin and overall physical health!
Conclusion
Dealing with acne is tough, we’ve all been there.
You may have tried topicals at one point, or even Accutane, with little effect. What most people don’t consider is that nutrition (or lack of) plays a key role in the formation of acne. When your body is lacking in certain vital nutrients or is in excess of others, it can cause spikes in insulin levels, hormones, oil and inflammation.
Eating a healthy, well-balanced diet helps ensure that your body has what it needs to regulate itself and avoid causing situations like acne inflammation. And some of the best foods and nutrients that help reduce acne inflammation include turmeric, selenium, and vitamin A.
Adding foods like carrots, mangos, salmon, brazilian nuts, and more can help ensure your body has what it needs to fight acne - or if you want to make it easier on yourself, you can also try an acne supplement like Clear Within.
Clear Within skin supplement