Whether you’re someone who’s always been conscious of their appearance or not, some issues from your teens can continue to haunt you for long. Well, we are talking about acne, which potentially affects 15% of women.
While you frequent dermatologists, there are other areas to address. For instance, your diet. With some healthy intake each day, you can eventually let go of your old problems.
Now, you must be wondering what food has got to do with dead cells and clogged skin. Chances of acne are high when your skin pores get clogged with bacteria, dead cells, or both. Besides, your body produces an oil called sebum to prevent the skin from drying away. Excess secretion of this oil fosters the growth of acne. When your pores get clogged, you could experience inflammation, and eventually, ugly pimples could start showing up.
Key items to include in your meal to reduce acne
In this post, we are going to talk about some foods to integrate into your diet. With a healthy meal each day, you can keep acne at bay. Here we go!
- Kale
A superfood from the cabbage family, kale outperforms other members with its low calorie and high fiber content. Loaded with Vitamins A, C, K, and B6, this nutritionally dense food comes with antioxidants. Besides, kale contains minerals like potassium, magnesium, calcium, manganese, and copper. The presence of all these nutrients minimizes hyperpigmentation, which helps make the skin tone even.
The presence of Vitamin C produces collagen, which heals the scars left by acne. It also enhances your cell turnover rate. You can take kale as a side dish with your meals.
- Sweet potato
Sweet potatoes come with retinol and are enriched with Vitamin A. This is effective in warding off acne. When you scan through the leading cosmetics available in the market, you would notice retinol in the ingredient list. However, this ingredient might prove to be too harsh for women with sensitive skin.
Well, it’s better if you take it in its original form! Sweet potatoes also contain beta-carotene, which eventually converts itself to Vitamin A. Eventually, this would shield your skin against clogged pores, inflammation, and discoloration.
A small tip for you: You can include this item in your meal as baked fries.
- Papaya
While fighting acne, your system needs an effective ingredient to exfoliate dead cells. Papaya comes to the rescue in this case. It contains papain, a digestive enzyme. This helps in unclogging the pores and hydrating the skin. In case you have existing acne scars, they would gradually blur off. Most importantly, papain prevents future acne breakout on regular intake.
Consuming papaya enhances skin elasticity. No wonder experienced professionals at Afya Skin and Body Clinic recommend papaya for skin care!
- Pumpkin
Pumpkin makes its way to this list, thanks to its zinc and enzyme content. Besides, this vegetable comes loaded with alpha-hydroxy acids, which eventually restore the pH balance of your skin. Including pumpkin in your meals would also soften the skin significantly.
Remember, zinc can substantially regulate the oil production in your skin. Internally, it reduces the flow of sebum.
- Lemon
You must have heard of the effectiveness of lemon juice for tightening sagging skin. Well, we would recommend you something different, considering its compatibility issues with different types of skins. Lemon juice can work like magic, when you take it as a part of your diet. Citrus fruits are known for their anticarcinogenic and protective properties. When you take lemon juice squeezed in a glass of water, or over your salad, you can ward off acne.
Lemon juice helps in blocking free radicals and boosting the production of collagen. Besides, the existing acne scars would blur off gradually on continued intake.
- Berries
Next, we have several berries on the list, including raspberries, blackberries, blueberries, cherries, and strawberries. These fruits infuse your system with antioxidants and Vitamin C. Remember, Vitamin C fights blotchy skin, and the antioxidants present in the berries fight against the annoying dark spots on your face. With regular intake, your system will grow immune to acne.
Berries also offer other benefits to your system, which include maintaining lower cholesterol levels, enhancing brain health, and reducing heart issues. You can simply take berries as a part of your dessert!
There’s no point denying the fact that you have tried all possible means to reduce acne breakout. If there’s an actual cure for acne, it lies in your food habits. Here, we have talked about the most recommended foods, along with their benefits.
Apart from the items mentioned on our list, you can take legumes, quinoa, and salmon to prevent acne. So, you need to prevent acne from inside. Try these items out and thank us later.
