Solve your skin problems through easy to find food
Solve your skin problems through easy to find food. Photo | Photosearch.
What you need to know:
The two things you need to do for glowing skin is;
- Eat a rainbow of fruits and vegetables
- Get in plenty of good, healthy fats
Last week, I talked about the first two things you need to do for glowing skin:
- Eat a rainbow of fruits and vegetables: Reds/oranges/yellows like sweet potatoes, carrots, apricots and watermelon, purple foods such as berries and grapes, green foods such as spinach and Sukuma.
- Get in plenty of good, healthy fats: oily fish (salmon, tuna, sardines, omena, dagaa), nuts, and seeds and their oils. Avoid the “bad”, processed ones (red meat, cheese, ice cream, fried foods, crisps and convenience foods).
And now for this week’s installment:
- The Gut Connection
Many naturopaths, like myself, believe acne to be a result of build-up of toxins in the colon. That doesn’t mean that you have to be constipated to have a problem. Unless you’re emptying your bowels once a day, a build-up of toxic material inside the intestines is likely. When that happens, toxins can be reabsorbed back into the body and enter into general circulation. Let me give you a picture: think of a sewer system which has nowhere to flow to. Think of all the build-up and leakage that would follow. That’s the same thing that happens in your gut when you don’t “go” when you should be. Quite simply, once the toxins are reabsorbed, they erupt on your skin, whether it’s in the form of irritation, reddening or spots.
There are several ways to increase the amount of fibre in your diet – fresh fruit and vegetables, wholemeal bread, porridge, lentils and beans are all naturally high in fibre. All of these will help keep your gut regular and healthy, and in turn your skin.
- Water Water Everywhere…
One of the most crucial nutrients for your skin is water. Think of a balloon filled with water – it’s taut and firm to touch. If you were to allow some of the water out, the balloon would shrink and the rubber might even become a bit shrivelled. When you deprive a skin cell of water, the result is comparable. Without enough water (dehydration), the cells cannot rebuild our bodies or flush out the waste products which accumulate in the cells and blood. This turns into a vicious cycle whereby they cannot receive enough oxygen or nutrients to work or cleanse properly.
Try drinking a few litres a day and you’ll be surprised at the difference it makes – not just to your skin but your entire wellbeing. And all this in as little as a week!
To help your skin further, avoid dehydrating your body by eating too many salty foods and drinking too many caffeine-rich or alcoholic drinks.
