5 Best Diet Tips for Reducing Acne & Maintaining Healthy Skin

There are probably few hygiene issues more feared by both men and women around the world than the common acne breakout. Whether it’s caused by stress, dirt, or other factors, acne can be an unsightly burden for many students and professionals, and an entire market of supplements, soaps, and medications, has been created to try and combat this common problem. One area that many acne sufferers never consider as a method of treatment, however, is their diet. That’s a pretty big mistake: There are five major dietary adjustments that can help reduce the frequency and severity of acne outbreaks. Additionally, these five diet tips can promote healthier skin overall, which bodes well for things like aging.

Acne Tip: Give the Skin the Nourishment it Needs

Dietary habits are often associated with nourishing the body’s daily functions and its muscles, but those same habits are crucial to nourishing the skin. Healthy, well-nourished skin is less likely to break out and cause unsightly acne pimples to appear day after day. In particular, it’s recommended that those in pursuit of healthy skin eat lots of fruits and vegetables that are rich in beta-carotene. These typically yellow and green fruits and vegetables can make a major difference in the clarity of a person’s complexion.

Those looking for the right fruits and vegetables to nourish their skin should stick to greens and yellows, including fruits like apricots, cantaloupe, mangos, and peaches. Vegetables like carrots, spinach, and squash, are also perfect options.

Acne Tip: Eliminate the Foods Most Likely to Cause Breakouts

One of the keys to preventing acne is to remove foods and dietary habits that can increase the likelihood of a breakout. Some of these, like greasy foods and spicy meals, are well-known among those who suffer from acne breakouts. Others, though, might come as a surprise. In general, there are a few things that should be avoided in the pursuit of healthier, clearer skin:

• Smoking cigarettes
• Processed foods
• Caffeienated and alcoholic beverages
• Soda — even decaf or diet varieties
• Dairy products

With these foods largely eliminated from the diet, skin can retain its healthy, clear appearance, while acne breakouts will likely decline in frequency and severity. A vegan diet can help with skin issues too.

Acne Tip: Stay Away from Refined Sugar

Refined sugar is one of the leading causes of acne pimples and large-scale breakouts, so much so that many dermatologists refer to acne as the “diabetes of the skin.” These sugars are all too common, and they’re likely to be found in virtually every processed food in local supermarkets. Whether refined sugar is found in condiments, like ketchup and barbecue sauce, or even store-bought cookies, deli meats, and processed dinners, it can have a disastrous effect on the skin.

Rather than eating processed foods and pre-made products during meal times, switch instead to an acne diet that consists of fresh, all-natural ingredients. This makes it easy to monitor how much sugar — or high-fructose corn syrup — is being consumed. And it allows for exact control over every gram of refined sugar added into a daily diet.

Acne Tip: Cleanse the Skin with a Healthy Diet

When people try to make other parts of their body healthy, by eliminating fat or nourishing their muscles, they almost always engage in a cleansing process to make sure their body is healthy, efficient, and free of toxins that might slow down their path to better health. The same process should be done when ensuring clear skin. Luckily, there are some great foods that can help this process along.

When cleansing the skin and starting a new, acne-preventing dietary regimen, foods like broccoli, celery, cabbage, and asparagus should become a central part of most meals. Additionally, herbs and spices can help cleanse the skin and lay the foundation for better days ahead.

Acne Tip: When in Doubt, Pursue a Supplement for Better Skin

All the healthy eating in the world might not prevent clear skin without the help of vitamin-rich supplements. The skin needs a full amount of vitamins like A, C, and E, in order to stay healthy and clear of acne pimples. If those vitamins aren’t coming from food sources, they should come from a daily multi-vitamin that can make up for the deficiency. When the body, and the skin, are fully nourished by healthy foods and the right vitamin intake, they’re able to stay clearer, healthier, and better looking, for a longer period of time.

Five Great Ways to Avoid the Headache of an Outbreak

Preventing acne is as easy as eating the right foods, taking the right vitamin supplements, and avoiding bad habits that can force the skin to break out on a regular basis. With the right fruits and vegetables, a strong daily vitamin supplement, and the avoidance of things like unhealthy drinks and smoking, the skin can stay clear, healthy, and resilient, for a long time to come.