You Are What You Eat

 Photo by Jessica Felicio

“You are what you eat” is not just a cute, catchy play on Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin’s (a French lawyer, politician, and famous gastronome) original statement from 1826, ‘‘Dis-moi ce que tu manges, je te dirai ce que tu es’’, which translates to ‘Tell me what you eat and I will tell you what you are” (The Phrase Finder). It’s true! Your diet plays a role in every aspect of your life and your skin is a very clear indicator of how the foods you consume are affecting you.

In today’s fast-paced society, it’s common to have a diet that mostly consists of ultra-processed foods. Combine that with our general lack of knowledge about what a balanced diet should contain and there’s no wonder more people than ever are spending exorbitant amounts of time and money trying to achieve glowing, youthful, blemish-free skin. A balanced diet is key to achieving your skincare goals. 

How does your diet affect your skin?

The food you consume can affect your skin in a variety of ways. From increasing your natural glow and supporting the skin barrier to contributing to breakouts, eczema, and psoriasis, your diet can be a game changer.

Foods contain nutrients. These nutrients are essential to skin health and overall body function. Ultra-processed foods contain little to no nutrients, while fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, meat, and dairy are packed with skin supporting nutrients. A diet low in nutrients (high in ultra-processed foods) can increase the occurrence of acne, cause dryness, irritation, and inflammation. It can also negatively affect your skin’s ability to protect itself from external elements. 

What is diet?

Your diet is the sum of the food and drink you regularly consume. A healthy skin diet means regularly consuming food and drink that promote healthy skin. A diet high in ultra processed foods means that you are not regularly consuming foods high in the essential nutrients that promote healthy skin. Some examples of ultra processed food and drinks include

• Fast Food (including pizza)
• Soda, energy drinks, and many juices
• Chips, crackers, and other salty snacks
• Candy and other sweets (brownies, cookies, cakes, donuts, frosting, ice cream)
• Frozen meals
• Flavored yogurt
• Lunch meat and cheese (bologna, hot dogs, american singles)

This is not an exhaustive list, but it should give you a good idea of some of the ultra-processed food you may be regularly consuming. These foods are high in sugar, salt, oil, and fat, all of which contribute to dull, dry, blemish-prone skin. Research shows that individuals with acne are 54% more likely to consume a diet high in fat and sugar as these foods promote inflammation.

A healthy skin diet is high in protein peptides, fatty acids (not to be confused with fat), antioxidants, anti-inflammatory foods and other essential nutrients that help strengthen the skin’s metabolism and barrier. Skin metabolism is the biological process that regulates how you age and how skin damage is repaired. So, what does a healthy skin diet look like? We’ll dive into that next!

How do I start my healthy skin diet?

A healthy skin diet can certainly be intimidating, especially when you’re used to eating specific foods. I’ll be the first to admit that I have a sweet tooth and I love me some cake! I refuse to completely cut out the foods I love (I think it’s important to enjoy food and indulge every once in a while), but I do find a healthy balance and have found satisfying substitutions. For example, I enjoy baking, so I will make my own baked goods from scratch instead of purchasing baked goods from the market. When I bake my own desserts, I know exactly what’s going in my food, can make adjustments if I want to, and don’t have to worry about icky preservatives. Baking at home is still considered processing food, so I have some healthy alternatives to curb my cravings like packing fresh and dried fruit, munching on dark chocolate, or having a cup of tea with real 100% honey (much of the honey in the US is mixed or replaced with high-fructose corn syrup, so be sure to do your research if you don’t purchase directly from a beekeeper). 

The key to a healthy skin diet is making sure there is balance and that you are intaking the nutrients your body needs. Some nutrients you want to include in your healthy skin diet include

• Vitamin A, C, D, and E
• Antioxidants
• Omega-3 and 6                         
• Selenium
• Zinc
• Carotenoids (beta carotene, lutein, and lycopene)

You may not have heard of some of the nutrients in this list and may have no idea how you’re going to include all of these into your diet. Fortunately, the foods that make up a healthy skin diet generally contain 2 or more of these nutrients, in addition to many other beneficial nutrients. 

Where can I get the nutrients I need for my healthy skin diet?

So you’re ready to make changes to your diet to benefit not only your skin, but your overall well being. Great! Fortunately, there are many easy changes you can make if you’re prepared to put in the work.

• Antioxidants- protect against oxidative damage cause by the sun and environment
• Vitamin A- increases healing, prevents acne, promotes natural moisturizing
• Sweet potatoes
• Bell peppers
• Broccoli
• Dark chocolate (at least 70% cacao)
• Dairy
• Eggs
• Apricot
• Peaches
• Melons
• Vitamin C- helps your skin produce collagen and 
• Avocados
• Bell peppers
• Broccoli
• Tomatoes
• Dark chocolate (at least 70% cacao)
• Citrus fruits
• Strawberries
• Vitamin D
• Fish (salmon, mackerel, herring, sardines, tuna)
• Eggs
• Leafy greens (spinach, kale, collard greens)
• White beans
• Dairy
• Vitamin E- protects skin from free radical damage and inflammation
• Fish (salmon, mackerel, herring, sardines, tuna)
• Avocados
• Seeds and nuts (walnuts, sunflower seeds)
• Dark chocolate (at least 70% cacao)
• Kiwi
• Butternut squash
• Shrimp

• Omega-3 fatty acids- keep skin thick and supple. Helps reduce inflammation and sensitivities to UV rays.
• Fish (salmon, mackerel, herring, sardines, tuna)
• Seeds and nuts (walnuts, sunflower seeds)
• Plant oils (flaxseed, soybean)

• Omega-6 fatty acids- help maintain skin barrier integrity
• Seeds and nuts (walnuts, sunflower seeds)
• Corn
• Meat, poultry, fish, eggs

• Selenium- stops free radical damage, protects skin from UV damage, inflammation, and pigmentation.
• Seeds and nuts (walnuts, sunflower seeds)
• Meat, poultry, fish, eggs
• Firm tofu
• Whole wheat pasta
• Shiitake mushrooms

• Zinc- essential for skin barrier function and the healing of wounds, fighting bacteria, and is anti-inflammatory
• Seeds and nuts (walnuts, sunflower seeds)
• Broccoli
• Dark chocolate (at least 70% cacao)
• Meat, poultry, fish, eggs
• Oatmeal
• Low fat yogurt
• Lentils
• Shiitake mushrooms

• Carotenoids (beta carotene, lutein, and lycopene)- assist with anti-aging and skin repair, act as natural sunblock
• Sweet potatoes
• Bell peppers
• Broccoli
• Tomatoes
• Leafy greens (spinach, kale, collard greens)
• Pink grapefruit
• Watermelon
• Cantaloupe

This is not an exhaustive list, but should be a good place to start if you’re looking to build a healthy skin diet. Remember, balance is key! You can still enjoy the foods you love, but to achieve your skincare goals it will be necessary to reduce processed foods in your diet. If you’d like healthy recipes or suggestions, feel free to send us a message on Instagram or using our contact form.

We hope this guide was helpful! Let us know in the comments what topics you'd like us to explore in future blogs and follow us on our other platforms for more skincare tips and tricks. 

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