The Best Foods for Clear, Healthy Skin

Dr. Andrea Suarez, dermatologist, explains:

The Gut-Skin Axis

Your trillions of tiny friends in your gut work together to improve your immunity, metabolism, and skin health. On the other hand, low levels of beneficial microbes and high levels of harmful ones (this unhelpful imbalance is called “dysbiosis”) will tend to drive inflammation that worsens acne, eczema, psoriasis, vitiligo, and skin resilience (i.e. how easily it becomes inflamed, and how quickly—or not—it heals).

• Disruptors to avoid: chronic stress, antibiotics, red meat (which in the US will almost always contain antibiotics in any case), and high-sugar/ultraprocessed diets, all reduce gut microbiome diversity and impair gut barrier function.
• Prebiotics to load up on: fibers that feed good gut bacteria can be found in most plants, but particularly high-scorers include oats, garlic, onions, asparagus, bananas, beans, barley, tomatoes, artichokes, and peas.
• Probiotics to add in: live beneficial bacteria from fermented foods such as yogurt, kefir, kimchi, sauerkraut, kombucha, miso, non-pasteurized pickles; amounts may be small but they are still very helpful, because they increase gut biodiversity in a good way (i.e. it’s not just about how many beneficial bacteria, but also how many kinds, from how many sources, with more being better than fewer).
• Superfoods to top it off: Dr. Suarez recommends nutrient-dense, antioxidant-rich, and low glycemic foods like berries, leafy greens, legumes, and whole grains, for optimal skin health. And do remember, hydration is important too!

For more on all of this plus a discussion of how to get the most out of the Mediterranean diet in this context, enjoy:

Click Here If The Embedded Video Doesn’t Load Automatically!

Want to learn more?

You might also like:

Six Ways To Eat For Healthier Skin

Take care!