How Food and Stress Affect Your Skin Integrity
Skin and your diet
Your complexion is one of the first things people notice about you, and the health of your skin says a lot about the way you eat. A healthy diet is really an “inside-out” approach to achieving healthy skin, because the healthier you are on the inside, the more it will show on the outside.
The condition of your skin really reflects what you put in your body, and any number of chronic skin problems that you may be experiencing, from acne to dry skin, can often be directly linked to your diet. This is why a balanced nutrition is the best approach to making sure you're eating your way to healthy skin.
Ways your diet can affect your skin
Everything you eat becomes a part of not only your inner being, but the outer fabric of your body as well. The healthier the foods are that you consume, the better your skin will look. And the same can be said for the opposite. Eating foods that are bad for your nutrition and health can have a negative affect on your body and your skin, including:
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Moisture levels
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Wrinkles
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Melanoma
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Acne
WHY TAKING CARE OF YOUR SKIN IS IMPORTANT
Taking good care of your skin is important for more than just your appearance. As the largest organ you have, your skin is essential to your general health. If you take care of it, it can help take care of you. And the best way to make sure you are taking care of your skin, is by nourishing it from the inside first.
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5 ways to eat your way to amazing skin
As previously mentioned, your skin is a reflection of your overall health. Whatever you eat that’s good for you, is also good for your skin. So if you’re healthy on the inside, it will make you healthy on the outside too. There are a variety of healthy foods that are not only good for your health, but also provide a little extra boost to your skin.
However, it is important to note that it takes up to 6 weeks for new skin to emerge. So you probably won’t see the results right away, but if you’re diligent and patient your new skin and health will be worth the wait.
1.Antioxidants
Antioxidants can protect against the cell damage that free radicals cause, known as oxidative stress. Antioxidant is not really the name of a substance, but rather it describes what a range of substances can do. When it comes to your skin certain antioxidants can help keep collagen and elastin in tact, which are what keeps your skin soft and smooth.
The following are some examples of antioxidant rich foods:
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Leafy greens (Kale, Spinach, Cabbage, Beet greens)
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Sweet potatoes
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Pumpkin
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Papaya
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Berries (Blueberries, Strawberries, Cranberries, Acai)
Some of these foods even have antioxidants that help protect your skin against certain environmental factors. beta carotene in sweet potatoes, luton in kale, vitamin c strengthens capillaries
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Sweet potatoes are rich in beta carotene antioxidants
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Kale is rich in luton antioxidants
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Vitamin C antioxidants help strengthen capillaries
Because each antioxidant serves a different function, this means they are not interchangeable with another. This is why it is important to have a varied diet, so that you are getting a variety of antioxidants.
2.Don’t crash diet
A crash diet, also known as a very-low-calorie diet or a fad diet, is a type of diet with very or extremely low daily food energy consumption. While crash diets are not good for your health to begin with, they are especially unkind to your skin.
A crash diet will typically cause you to take in less micronutrients, which are essential for your overall skin health. Micronutrients are rich in vitamins and minerals, so drastically cutting them from your diet can cause damage to your health and your skin.
It could also cause you to take in less carbohydrates, proteins and fats, which are also important for your overall health. There are other ways to diet, if you feel you need to be on one, than a crash diet. Try not to limit yourself from so much all at once, and gradually reduce the amount of bad foods you are eating from your diet.
3.Selenium & Vitamin E
Selenium, which is nutritionally essential for humans, is a constituent of more than two dozen selenoproteins that play many critical roles in the human body from reproduction to protection from infection. It’s basically an essential mineral that is important for your skin and energy, and your adrenal gland love it. You can find selenium in brazil nuts and can get your daily recommended amount in just about 4 nuts.
Vitamin E is another essential vitamin for your skin and energy, and can be found in sunflower seeds, avocados and hazelnuts. However, both selenium and vitamin E work best for your skin when they are eaten together. If you’re not a huge nut and seed person you can find both selenium and vitamin E in fish.
4.Hydration
Water is absolutely crucial for your skin’s health. Without water, your organs will not be able to function properly or at their best. When your skin is not getting a sufficient amount of water, the lack of hydration could cause your skin to become dry, tight and flaky.
Along with keeping your skin hydrated, water also aids in digestion, circulation, absorption and even excretion. This is why it is essential to drink half your body weight in ounces of water a day.
5. Zinc
Zinc is an important mineral that metabolizes nutrients and grows and repairs body tissues. It is also known for helping to maintain your immune system, so it’s great for these COVID times. Zinc is essential to the health of your skin because it plays a key role in normalizing the function of your oil glands. So those who have excessively oily skin, might just have a zinc deficiency.
The following are some foods that are rich in zinc:
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Lean red meats (Beef, Lamb, Pork)
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Poultry (Chicken, Turkey, Duck)
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Fish (Crab, Lobster, Salmon, Clams)
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Whole grains
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Seeds (Hemp seeds, Pumpkin seeds, Sunflower seeds)
It’s also important to keep in mind that how your diet affects your skin can be subjective. Unfortunately, some people are just naturally more sensitive to certain ingredients than others and sometimes genetics are to blame. However incorporating these foods into your diet will also improve your overall health.
Stress and your skin
Stress is a common human condition, and everyone experiences it at some point in their lives. Moreover while you may think of being stressed as solely a mental state, that’s not entirely true. Stress can affect your entire body, including the health of your hair, skin, and nails.
Your body responds to changes in your psychological state; conditions like stress, depression, and anxiety can cause new skin issues to develop or existing skin issues to flare up. When you feel stressed, your sympathetic nervous system releases stress hormones like cortisol and adrenaline into your body. Cortisol causes increased oil production in your skin glands, which can lead to clogged pores and acne breakouts. Chronic stress leads to constant increased levels of these hormones and can have a negative effect on your skin health.
Additionally, psychological conditions cause increased internal inflammation. When your body perceives a threat, the immune system sends out a response to handle it, that response is inflammation. Usually, inflammation helps protect and heal our bodies from microbes and wounds, but a body under stress causes the immune system to overreact and send out an inflammatory response.
How stress affects your skin
Stress can also cause inflammation through the gut-skin connection. Stress impacts the balance of bacteria in your gut, which leads to a release of inflammation. Internal inflammation can manifest externally as skin conditions like acne, or eczema and psoriasis flare-ups. People with chronic inflammatory skin conditions like eczema, psoriasis, and rosacea are more sensitive to flare ups when they are stressed. There are many ways stress physically affects your skin:
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The stress hormone cortisol leads to an overproduction of sebum (oil) in your skin glands, which causes acne breakouts.
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Stress impacts your immune system, causes your skin to be more reactive and sensitive, and triggers rashes, hives, and redness.
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Stress exacerbates existing inflammatory skin conditions like eczema, psoriasis, and rosacea, leading to flare ups.
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Stress may cause you to feel nervous or anxious, and pick at scabs or acne, or scratch your skin until it becomes red or breaks.
Tips to help your skin when you’re stressed
Skincare routine
Maintain a good skin care routine every day, even on days when you feel too tired or anxious. If being stressed makes you feel tired, you may not want to take off your makeup and wash your face before bed. But try to stick with your routine anyway, because neglect could worsen your skin issues.
Exercise
Be sure that you are exercising regularly. Exercise releases feel-good hormones that will improve your energy, mood, and outlook. Types of exercise that you can do may be biking, swimming, running, walking or even yoga. It is never too late to start exercising daily, and it is a guarantee that your body and skin will thank you later.
Balanced diets
It is imperative that you eat a healthy, balanced diet. A balanced diet will include whole foods and plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables. Try to steer clear of processed and sugar-laden foods, because they are more likely to trigger more inflammation inside your body. This inflammation will then lead to more stress and then more troublesome skin.
Solid sleep schedule
Make sure that you are getting enough sleep each night. Sleep gives your body the time it needs to rest and heal, and good sleep improves your mood, energy levels, and cognition. Try going to bed around the same time each night and try to get at least 8 hours of sleep every night. Additionally, try not to use your phone or laptop at least 30 minutes before bed.
Relax
Remember to take time for yourself. Find the time to engage in a relaxing, re-energizing activity that makes you happy. This type of activity could be reading a book, taking a warm bath, getting a massage, listening to music, meditating, or practicing yoga and deep breathing exercises. Whatever your relaxing activity is, be sure to do it at least once or twice a week.
Talk it out
Most importantly, try to talk to someone if stress is having a negative impact on your health and well-being. Confide in a trusted friend, family member, or therapist. Even just knowing you have someone by your side can help you feel stronger in your capability to handle stress.
Lifestyles more susceptible to poor skin habits
While anyone can be susceptible to developing poor skin, there are certain lifestyles that are more likely to attract poor skin habits. Once you recognize that you fall within one of these lifestyles, you will be one step closer to conquering and taking control. However if you don’t relate with one of these lifestyles, and still find yourself suffering from poor skin, it does not mean that you still can’t take control.
Picky eaters
Those who are picky eaters are more likely to experience poor skin and possibly develop poor skin habits. This is usually the case for this type of lifestyle because picky eaters typically don’t get enough vitamins and minerals. A picky eater might think that only foods that require an experienced taste pallet can give them the vitamins and minerals they know they need. But because foods like salmon and papayas are something a picky eaters typically stray from, they’re not getting what they need.
WHAT CAN BE DONE
They are foods beyond salmon and papayas that can offer you the vitamins and minerals needed in order to have healthier skin. Some commonly liked foods include berries, broccoli, milk, eggs, oranges and tomatoes. Try to integrate a few of these foods into your diet, if they are not integrated already.
Fast food
Those who are constantly eating fast food are more likely to experience poor skin and may even develop poor skin habits. Fast food barely has any vitamins and minerals in it, so when you are constantly eating it you are not getting the right vitamins and minerals you need. The amount of oils and fats in fast food are also extremely bad for your skin, not to mention your overall health.
WHAT CAN BE DONE
Try to limit the amount of fast food you eat to once a week at first, and then start to slowly integrate it out of your diet. If you happen to have fast food for lunch one day, have a dinner that is rich in antioxidants and zinc. An example could be lamb, sweet potatoes and a kale salad with olive oil dressing.
Dehydrated
Those who drink little to no water daily are more likely to experience poor skin and may even develop poor skin habits. Water is an essential for your body, so depriving your body of it may result in serious consequences on your skin and overall health. Those who are living a dehydrated lifestyle may be doing so because they’re either rarely thirsty or they drink other beverages other than water.
WHAT CAN BE DONE
If you have a hard time staying hydrated, try eating more fruits that have high amounts of water in them like watermelon. If you barely drink water because you find the taste to be bland, try to drink tea instead of coffee or a soda.
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Taking care of your body from the inside is the best way to take care of it from the outside. There are certain foods that can help you do that, but it won’t happen over night. So if you don’t see in overall change within your skin after 6 weeks, it doesn’t mean they’re not doing anything for you. They’re still extremely important for your overall health and wellness, as well as your skin, especially if you are prone to stress.
Extra tips for healthy skin
There are more foods than just those listed above. So if you are more of a picky eater, or following the Low-FODMAP diet and can’t eat some of the listed foods, here are a few more options!
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Green tea
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Olive oil
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Tomatoes
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Oranges
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Almonds
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Sunflower oil
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Pomegranates
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Greek Yogurt
