Eating for Beautiful Skin: A Quick Introduction

Why and when you should focus on your nutrition for your skin concerns

Your skin is the largest organ in your body, and one of the prime areas for detoxification. Blemishes, eczema, dermatitis, severe dry skin, etc. – all of these issues and more are intricately tied to what you eat or put IN your body, as well as what you put ON your body (or face).

If you ingest foods you know aren’t good for you – refined sugars, trans fats, caffeine, alcohol, foods that trigger allergic responses or intolerances, etc. – your body will see it as toxic and try to get rid of it through it’s detoxification centres - the spleen, liver, kidneys, colon, and/or skin. Now if you eat a LOT of these types of foods, your detox organs will go into over-drive, getting weaker, and “clogged up” in some cases.

If you think of your body as a barrel that is getting continuously filled up with stuff that clogs its spouts, then eventually it’ll spill over. That’s what happens to your body. When its “spouts” (detox centres) are clogged/overladen, the toxins still have to come out of somewhere, and that's when problems will start to develop. Skin issues in particular that can develop or worsen are acne/blemishes, dermatitis, eczema, rosacea, psoriasis, dry skin, etc. 

The same is true for stuff you put ON your face and body. Remember that your skin is porous. And when you use chemical-laden cosmetics or moisturizers, cleansers, etc., they leach into your bloodstream, further adding to the toxic overload in your system. Now your detox centres must filter through chemical irritants and allergens in addition to all the toxic food that you ingest!

 

The Lymphatic System

Other than acne, one of the biggest skin issues I see (and have personally dealt with) is dermatitis or eczema. If you have eczema or dermatitis and are wondering if it’s linked to internal toxic overload, then pay special attention to the areas of your body that are tied to your lymphatic system. Your lymphatic system’s main purpose is to cleanse toxins, and is made up of about 700 lymph nodes throughout the body. If your eczema/dermatitis is clustered around the main lymphatic areas, then that’s an obvious indicator that your body is trying to detox itself from something. If you look at the image to the right, you’ll see that main lymphatic areas occur around the: 

• chest and neck,
• your arm pits,
• your inner elbow area,
• your lower back,
• the folds where your groin meets your thighs, and
• behind the knees.

So if you have itchy/problematic skin around those areas in particular, take a closer look at what you’re eating. It may be caused by multiple irritants or just one.

For two years I dealt with severely itchy skin bumps that doctors couldn’t explain. They didn’t know what it was or where it came from. It wasn’t until I started seeing a Naturopath this past year that she thought it maybe looked like a gluten-induced reaction. At first I disregarded it because I had previously gone on an elimination diet and cleanse for a month, and the issue never 100% went away. Then she told me that it can take up to 3 months (though it all depends on the person) for your body to detox some allergens/ intolerances. So I tried going gluten-free again. And this time, I really noticed a difference... the itchy skin bumps completely went away! So I generally stick to a gluten-free diet now. If I do decide to eat it, I’ll know how my body will react and what I’ll have to deal with afterwards. 

So how can you lighten the toxic load for your body and help clear your skin naturally?

1) Try going on an elimination diet for about a month.

Stay clear of artificial ingredients, sugar, alcohol, caffeine, and common allergens/intolerances like dairy, gluten, and eggs. If you eat meat, stick to antibiotic-free and hormone-free options, preferably grass-fed. Added hormones that aren’t meant for humans can wreak more havoc on your detox centres and mess with your own body’s hormonal balance. When it comes to acne, hormonal balance plays an equally important part, but I’ll have to tell you more about that in a different post. Once you’ve been on the elimination diet for about a month, slowly incorporate foods back into your diet, one at a time, to check your body’s responses. Some foods take longer for your body to respond, so give each food (eggs, gluten, dairy, etc) a couple days buffer time to watch for any reactions. Yes, this does sound like a long and painfully drawn out process. And it can be. But it will also free you from the constraints of pain and food addiction! Even if you find that your body doesn't do much better without dairy or gluten, being off of high-powered stimulants like caffeine and sugar will reveal to you just how strong their addictive properties are, and how much better you feel without them in your diet!
 

2) Switch to an all-natural skincare routine.

Learn to read ingredient labels so you can spot chemicals and toxic ingredients. Your nearby health food store should have a whole host of options for you to check out for various skin concerns. 
 

3) Supplement only when absolutely necessary.

You should be getting the bulk of your vitamins and nutrients from the whole foods you eat, which is the best way to obtain bio-available nutrition that your body can use up right away. Taking too many supplements can actually have adverse reactions and cause your liver to work harder. Most vitamins go through your liver to detox and finally get expelled in your urine. So to keep your liver from going into over-drive, limit the amount of supplements you take on a daily basis. Personally, the only supplements I'd recommend are a good, bio-available and balanced multivitamin, omega 3 oil (for DHA and EPA), and a high-quality probiotic (at least 15 billion cultures). 
 

4) Hydrate!

You MUST drink enough water... around 8-10 glasses/day. Water aids your body in the detoxification process and keeps skin supple. Click here to learn more about the benefits of water. 
 

5) Exercise or move daily.

If you're experiencing skin problems along your major lymphatic areas, then you definitely need to exercise your muscles and body. Although your lymphatic system helps to detox, the only "pump" it has to move blood and sweat along to help get rid of toxins is through your muscular system. If you don't move, then you're preventing your lymphatic system from doing it's job. You can also help encourage lymphatic movement through the use of dry brushing and ingesting certain herbs and foods. And yes, a prime and working lymphatic system is directly correlated to less cellulite and unsightly fat deposits ;)
 

6) Get enough sleep.

This one is incredibly important.  It's during sleep, specifically during stages 3 and 4 of the sleep cycle, when the body regenerates it's organs. The liver in particular is most active from 11pm - 2am, doing the majority of it's detoxing and regenerating at that time. So definitely make sure you're getting enough sleep, and aim for the recommended 8 hrs a night (so you can run through 5-6 whole sleep cycles).
 

That should give you a good start to lightening your toxic overload and help you with your nutrition-related skin concerns. There are plenty other factors to consider in skin health, such as hormones, but for now, implementing the above recommendations should not only improve your skin concerns, but improve your health and energy overall!
 

Keep on thriving!

Teenna