It is probably safe to say that many people would love clear and glowing skin.

It not only projects a look of health, but it can make us feel good and do wonders for our self-esteem, however, not everyone is blessed with clear skin naturally and sometimes, we have to work at it to make it a reality.

The important thing here is to not aim for flawless skin with no bumps or acne/spots, it is essential that we aim for healthy skin and take good care of our skin health so that we can benefit from it.

With this article, I will delve into why food can affect our skin, the reason why we get spots and acne, and what foods we can consume to help us with healthier skin so that if you suffer from inflammatory skin conditions or any type of skin health concerns, you will know what kind of natural ways you are able to relive these issues.

How Come Food Affects Our Skin?

What we consume will have an effect on our body from physical symptoms to mental health symptoms.

It is hugely accepted that the food and drink we have, or don’t have, will in some way affect our overall health which includes our skin.

There have been links to many vitamin deficiencies that have caused skin disorders such as skin infections like dermatitis, fungal infections, and patchy red rashes which can appear due to a lack of vitamin B.

When we eat fruits and vegetables filled with antioxidants and vitamins such as selenium, vitamin E, and vitamin C, we are supporting our skin health greatly.

Why Do We Get Spots?

Growing up, you may have heard that certain foods such as milk and dairy products, processed foods, and sugar, will have a big impact on if you get spots/acne or not, that isn’t completely true, as developing acne is not directly related to food, but it is still important to eat healthy foods to provide healthy skin.

Spots will occur on our skin when the tiny holes (known as hair follicles) will become blocked due to one of the following ways –

1. Dead skin cells – these skin cells will build up on the surface layer of the skin blocking oil glands.
2. Excess oil – diet, hormones, genetics, and stress will all have an effect on oil production with excess sebum causing dead skin cells to stick to the skin’s surface.

When either one of these things happens, the bacteria that live on our skin (it is usually harmless as we all have bacteria on us), will contaminate the blocked follicles causing us to have more severe spots.

Making Sure to Adopt a Healthy Diet

Whilst dabbling in foods that encourage excess oil on the skin is not going to cause extreme spots or acne symptoms, it is still important to understand that the more we have of these foods the more likely we will develop spots or have issues with acne severity.

Going for foods that contain healthy nutrients such as omega-3 fatty acids and vitamins, can support the skin and help reduce acne, skin inflammation, skin aging, and so on.

What Foods Help Clear Skin?

Now that you are aware of how food can affect the skin and why it is important that we stick mainly to certain foods rich in essential fatty acids, vitamins, and minerals, it is time to look into what type of foods, as well as drinks, that helps protect healthy skin and provides us with what we need for overall health.

Green Tea

Straight into the drinks portion, green tea is known to help soothe acne symptoms as well as reduce inflammation, boost the immune system, and dial down the amount of sebum production.

Green tea has plant compounds called catechins which are more powerful than vitamin E and vitamin C.

Green tea is also known to stop the breakdown of collagen production and elastin, fighting skin aging which can also keep the skin hydrated.

Oily Fish

Fatty fish such as salmon, tuna, and mackerel are good for the skin, don’t let the oily label put you off as there are many ways you can make meals with these fish that don’t feel like you are drinking down oil.

Oily fish are wonderful sources of omega-3 fatty acids and omega-6 fatty acids, which can help maintain healthy skin.

Consuming oily fish can help reduce some severe skin conditions such as:

• Allergies
• Photoaging
• Dermatitis

So, if you have one or more of these, you may want to think about adding these kinds of fish to your diet to help you combat any issues you are facing with your skin health.

Low Glycemic Foods

Not a specific food group we are talking about now, but rather a mixture of foods that are classed as low glycemic index foods which have simple sugars to help prevent or improve acne.

There have been studies on the effectiveness of following a low-glycemic diet, but more needs to be researched to help confirm these findings and see if it is the best diet for people who have acne.

Foods that are noted as being low-glycemic are:

• Green vegetables
• Raw carrots
• Kidney beans
• Most fruits
• Chickpeas
• Lentils

Sweet Potatoes

Fan of regular potatoes? It may be a good idea to swap them for sweet potatoes as they are rich in vitamin A which has anti-aging properties.

To get the full benefit of sweet potatoes, it is important to eat them with the skins on as that will give you the nutrients you need.

Oysters

They may not be the first thing you think about when wishing to get clear skin, but oysters are zinc-rich and they are great at reducing spotty skin.

Zinc has many key benefits for our body which can add to healthy skin, this includes the following processes:

• Cell division
• Collagen formation
• Building keratin
• Cell growth
• Omega-3 metabolism

However, if you really are not a fan of oysters or you follow a vegan/vegetarian diet, you can always eat pumpkin seeds, mushrooms, beef, lamb, or pork.

Strawberries

Vitamin C is the main point of strawberries, and as previously stated, this vitamin is a key component for skin health.

Vitamin C can help protect the skin from UV-induced skin damage as well as help with producing collagen which can slow down as we age, but it that can be accelerated if we do not have enough vitamin C in our diet.

Strawberries also have a lot of antioxidants, so they really are a ‘super food’ to have.

Watermelon

When you bite into a big chunk of watermelon, not only are you hydrating your body but you are also producing nitric oxide which can help old spots and pimples heal.

You also get a boost of vitamins A, B6, and C, which can help protect your skin from UV rays (a bowl of strawberries and watermelon seems to be the best foods to have for this).

Try picking up watermelon that has redder flesh as it is better for your skin.

Dark Chocolate

Can’t leave out chocolate on this list.

Despite the fact that it is not the milk or white chocolate you would like to consume, a square of dark chocolate can offer up a lot of benefits for you that its counterparts cannot.

It contains flavonols which increase blood flow and keeps your skin hydrated.

Dark chocolate is a good snack to have and it can help women during their time of the month too, but it is important to not go overboard with it as the higher the percentage the more fat there is in it which is not good for your body in large quantities.

Eat Whole Grains

Finally, something that is key in keeping your body and skin healthy is whole grains.

Replacing your simple carbs with complex carbs like lentils, buckwheat, barely, and rye will give you the vital minerals that you need to help with regenerating the skin and fight against old age spots.

The fibre will help keep you regular and eliminate unwanted substances from the body which will support your liver with detoxification.

Conclusion

Do you now know what foods you need to eat to help you obtain clear skin?

Hopefully, this article has helped you see what is out there and how you can use it to keep your body and skin as healthy as possible so you don’t harm your skin in the long run.

Not only should you be eating healthy, but you also need to focus on getting sunlight and being active for your overall health, plus, using skincare products can also add to healthier skin too, but always make sure that you get help with finding the right ones that suit your skin type.

Diets are everywhere, in fact, it wouldn’t be wrong to assume that quite a few people have tried a diet or two to help them lose weight.

Whilst weight loss is good for people who are carrying excess weight that is causing them health issues, diets are not always the best bet to help you get rid of excess weight.

Today, when we talk about sticking to a diet plan, we mean a healthy diet plan that will change your relationship with food and have you look into adopting mindful eating habits and stop you from eating unhealthy food that is hindering your progress.

There are a lot of diets out there that say you will be able to lose weight in a matter of weeks and be a ‘better you‘, although this will draw people in, they can be detrimental to your health in the long run, and be the cause of your weight gain.

This is why we will go into why it can be hard for you to stick to any sort of diet, and what you can do for yourself to help you stick to a healthy eating plan, moving you away from junk food and fad diets that are causing you to relapse back into your old eating pattern.

Emotional Eating Habits

A lot of diets can be quite restricting with your food choices.

Because of this, many of them are not enjoyable and can cause people to feel hungry as well as bad about themselves.

It turns into a hate diet of sorts, as they are not focused on providing their bodies with nutrient-dense foods and healthy choices, but on whatever they can do to lose weight and stick to it no matter how bad they feel.

Even though some people can be aware that this is what they are doing, they will keep to them, because they are so focused on losing weight that they will try and ignore these intense cravings that are taking over their day.

Why Do People Emotionally Eat Foods?

People who are emotionally eating are doing so not just because of the hunger they feel, but because they trying to fill a ‘void’ within themselves which they use food for.

Whether they are feeling sad or just bored, they see food as the outlet they need to satiate those feelings and provide them with a comfort they feel they are not getting in regular life.

It affects their mental health so much that they then start to develop an unhealthy relationship with food that not only causes them mental health issues but physical health problems as well, as they stop seeing it as a comfort and see it as a punishment.

Aiming Too High

People will have a goal weight that they want to get to when they decide to start their weight loss journey, and they may have seen a diet that will get them there quickly, although, it may look good on paper, executing it is another task in itself.

What Will Happen if You go Too Far?

Starting a healthier diet is important, but when you have a goal of losing 3 stone in 3 months, that is going to the extreme and can potentially cause an eating disorder or developing eating habits that can be a serious issue.

If you push yourself too much from the get-go or you have an all-or-nothing mindset, then you could be hindering your progress as you may start putting it off more.

This will stop you from achieving your goals, rather than easing you into it and making those healthy habits work for you, so you need to stick to an exercise plan that benefits your day-to-day, instead of pushing yourself to wake up at 3-4 am for an hour run straight away.

Thinking Food is Your Enemy

You may see food as good and bad with no grey area. This is not technically true.

Whilst junk food is not exactly the best option when you are planning out what food groups you need to eat from for a nutritious diet, it is still okay to have it once in a while as long as it is not excessive.

But, if you believe any type of sugar or fat is bad, then you are restricting yourself too much which can be hard to keep to for the long haul.

It’s Okay to Mix it Up

Less food does not equal a healthier diet.

Not eating much just means that you could be losing out on your favorite foods to stick to a diet that is not going to benefit you once you stop it.

What you need to be thinking about when you eat healthier, is not that this is a single diet that is going to help you lose weight and look great, but that you are changing your relationship with food to support your body and giving it what it needs.

You’re Obsessed With The ‘New Diet’ That’s Come Out

People on a diet can turn quite obsessive when they think about the results of what could happen if they take it on.

A lot of the time, articles will come out about a new ‘super food’ that can help people lose weight, e.g. adding coconut oil into everything or replacing sugar with artificial sweeteners, etc.

Whilst some of these can help with reducing calories, they are not a miracle, but people won’t see that when they are focusing on one diet, they just see what could happen and they become obsessed.

If you think just eating a particular food is going to help you, then you are mistaken as it is all about finding a balance, and you won’t find a balance if you are hyper-focused on one food or one meal plan.

Adopting a Healthy Eating Plan

Now that you know why you can’t stick to a diet, and as you know most diets that are in magazines and social media are not going to be the right fit for you, it is time to look at changing your eating habits to incorporate the right food groups and give you a healthier perspective on your habits.

Focus on Eating Whole Foods

One way that will keep you fuller for longer and have you eating foods that are nutrient-dense and good for you, is eating whole foods.

This means that the food you eat is minimally processed and does not have an abundance of chemicals and added sugar that affect you.

These foods include –

• Vegetables
• Fruits
• Whole Grains
• Nuts and Seeds
• Fresh Animal Proteins (or substitutes if you are vegetarian/vegan)
• Dairy (or substitutes if you are vegetarian/vegan)

Drinking smoothies with powders in that promote weight loss and consuming them instead of actual meals is going to make you hungry.

It is better to eat a diet that has actual food in it that you take your time to eat so you can notice when you are full and acknowledge that so you are able to step away when it’s the right time.

Speak to Professionals

Talking with dietitians, nutritionists, or a medical professional who has a background in healthy dieting can prove to be very beneficial when you are figuring out how to eat healthily.

There is a lot you need to wade through when you choose that you want to start eating healthily, so they can be a great help when you are deciding on which way to go and what will work for you.

They can aid you with meal plans, what nutrients you need, as well as if you are allergic or intolerant to anything that you will need to omit from your diet.

How Can This Benefit You?

When you know exactly what the best thing will be to eat for your body type, you will be able to have more energy, not feel anxious all the time, and help you with motivation.

Eating a good diet will not only benefit your body, but it will do wonders with your mind too.

Buy Healthy Foods and Snacks

One thing that can send us all off the deep end is the food we keep in our homes.

If you take a look in your cupboards, how many things there are you keeping for a ‘sweet treat’ or ‘for the kids’, and how many times have you hammered through them when you feel hungry?

It is important that you surround yourself with healthier food options so that you don’t feel that temptation and lose sight of what you need to do.

Mindful Eating

It’s okay to have some sweet treats but be mindful that you are eating them.

Take one or two out of the pack, put them on a plate, and go sit down.

Take your time eating them and be aware of what you are doing.

If you bring the pack with you, you are just going to keep eating. This is why distraction and healthy eating options are important when you are trying to stick to a healthy diet.

Plan Ahead

If you know that you are going to be eating out, or going for a night out with friends, then you need to plan ahead about what you will be eating that day and how the food you eat will factor into your healthy diet.

As previously mentioned, it’s okay to indulge sometimes, so if you do go out to eat, don’t focus too much on what you are eating, just enjoy it with your friends and then carry on your healthy eating the next day.

Think About Work

Something that will throw many people off is when they get back from work.

If you have not prepped your meals beforehand, you can fall into that hole of ordering in and ruining your healthy diet.

Prepare your meals for the week before you start your working week.

Do it on a Saturday or Sunday and make up your meals, put them in the freezer, and there you have it.

You can just warm them up when you get back and you don’t have to go through all the trouble of preparing and cooking when you are tired.

Conclusion

The question you had before – “Why can’t I stick to a diet?” now you know why you are not able to do it and what steps you can put in place to make sure that you stick to a diet that works for you.

It is not easy to start eating healthy when you haven’t for so long, but remember, there is help out there for you and you can do this even on the days you slip a little.

We all do it, so don’t beat yourself up.