The skin is a reflection of our overall health. As the largest organ of the body it works 24/7 to maintain its barrier, protect us from the sun as well as acting as a depository for toxins and acid waste. Research shows that the vast majority of nutrition utilized by the skin are provided by what we consume in our diets. Whether it is proteins, fats, enzymes, or vitamins and minerals, our skin relies on what we eat to maintain healthy function. In addition, when the body is unhealthy, acidic or stressed, the skin often takes the brunt of the abuse. The purpose of this material is to simplify the complex functions of the skin so that they are understandable and to highlight the nutritional support that makes both the body and the skin look and feel great.
Many of the foods we eat everyday are considered “acid-forming”. What this means is that the byproducts of the foods form acids that are often absorbed into our bloodstream through the intestines. Our bodies respond to this inflammation and disease promoting event by depositing the acids in fatty tissue and our organs (including the skin). Acid forming foods are not necessarily common sense. For example, lemons/lemon juice seemingly acidic, yet, post-digestion, it is actually very alkalinizing (alkaline is the opposite of acidic). Most greens including vegetables are alkalinizing, yet many fruits are in fact slightly acid-forming due to the sugar content. An acidic environment in your body promotes more inflammation, encourages yeast/fungus overgrowth, slows metabolism, taxes your immune system and, in general, ages the body. We do not see acidity in the pH of the blood samples because the body, for survival, shifts minerals like calcium and phosphorus into the blood stream while pushing acidic remnants of food into various tissues.
In addition to the acid issue, the body must also deal with large numbers of artificial ingredients, hormones, pesticides and other harmful chemicals such as artificial sweeteners, etc. Once again, this taxes the immune system, creates hormonal imbalances and promotes disease. Our body ends up spending most of its time repairing damage that we create through poor dietary habits or food choices. Eating natural, organic and/or raw foods will help minimize the exposure to these harmful ingredients.
While Americans tend to eat approximately 25% more than they use to 30 years ago, they are getting fewer nutrients in these foods. Even our fruits and vegetables are lacking as they are often grown in soils depleted of essential minerals and nutrients from over-farming. As a nation we are vitamin and nutrient starved and benefit greatly from supplementation in that area. While vitamins are often known for their antioxidant properties, a greater function for both vitamins and minerals is their work at the cell level where they help drive virtually all of the processes in the body.
To add insult to injury, we don’t combine food properly when we eat. This makes it harder to digest foods, which means the availability of their nutrients is reduced. Then they are brought into the intestine that has trouble absorbing these partially digested nutrients because of their condition and because the intestinal walls are compromised by chronic abuse. Many Americans have “indigestion” as a result of poor food combining and mistakenly try to reduce the indigestion by suppressing acid formation or alkalinizing their partially digested meals with supplements like Tums. Partially digested foods become a source of toxicity in the colon and elsewhere once absorption occurs. The more digestion is interrupted by these prescriptions, the more toxins are created.
To effectively treat skin conditions such as acne, we need to understand the connection between skin health and overall physical health. It is just as important to treat the skin from the inside as it is to treat it from the outside.
(Cosmedix- Skin Nutrition)
Anti-Inflammatory Foods That Help Fight Acne
Almonds
Apples
Artichokes
Asparagus
Barley
Beans (dried and fresh)
Bean sprouts
Berries (blackberries, blueberries,
strawberries, etc.)
Bok choy
Brazil nuts
Broccoli
Brussels sprouts
Cabbage
Cantaloupe
Cauliflower
Celery
Cherries
Chickpeas
Chinese cabbage
Cucumbers
Eggplant
Endive
Escarole
Fish & shellfish
Flaxseed
Green bell peppers
Hazelnuts
Honeydew melon
Kale
Kidney beans
Lentiles
Macadamia nuts
Mushrooms
Oatmeal (regular, not instant)
Oats
Olive oil
Olives
Oysters
Pears
Pecans
Pinto beans
Pomegranate
Pumpkin seeds
Red bell peppers
Romaine Lettuce
Salmon
Snow peas
Soy products
Spinach
Sunflower seeds
Tofu
Tomatoes
Turkey
Turnips
Yogurt
Acne Alert! Inflammation-Inducing Foods to Avoid
(These are foods that cause a rapid rise in blood sugar which cause an insulin response in the body, which then causes an inflammatory response; everything we eat is converted to sugar as it is digested, but different foods are converted to sugar at varying rates – these are “rapidly” converted to sugar.)
Bagels
Bananas
Breads, rolls
Cake
Candy
Cereals (except slow-cooking oatmeal)
Cookies
Corn
Cornbread, corn muffins
Cornstarch, corn syrup
Crackers
Cream cheese
Croissants
Doughnuts
Dried fruits
Egg rolls
Flour
French fries
Fried food
Fruit juices
Granola
Hard cheese (except Romano and parmesan)
Honey
Hot dogs
Ice cream, frozen yogurt, Italian ice, sherbet
Jam, jelly, preserves
Mango
Margarine
Molasses
Muffins
Noodles
Pancakes
Papaya
Pasta
Pastry
Peas
Pie
Pita bread
Pizza
Popcorn
Potatoes
Pudding
Relish
Rice
Snack foods (e.g., potato chips, pretzels, corn chips, rice and corn cakes, etc.)
Soda
Sugar (white and brown)
Tacos
Tortillas
Waffles
For more information, see http://www.dermahealthinstitute.com .
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