Foods That Could Be Causing Your Acne Breakouts
The Self Care Guru Pro-Tip 7: Foods That Could Cause Your Acne Breakouts
You are what you eat, right? Your skin is usually very telling of your diet. We’ve all seen those acne face maps. It’s known that certain foods can cause acne breakouts. Here are some foods that may surprisingly be the culprit to your flare up.
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- Whey protein powder – although it’s regarded as one of the best kinds of proteins in the fitness industry, whey protein increases the production of a hormone called insulin-like growth factor 1, or IGF-1 in your body. The insulin then increases the production of sebum (oil) which can cause acne. According to Rajani Katta, M.D., clinical assistant professor of Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine, whey also produces androgens, or hormones that work by overstimulating oil glands. This can clog your pores as well.
- Dairy (especially skim milk) Malaysian research revealed that those who regularly consumed milk were four times more likely to deal with acne than those who didn’t. Hormones in the milk could be the cause – the same androgen hormones found in whey.
- Dried Fruit Dried fruit is actually refined carbohydrate that is high on the glycemic index, meaning that it your blood sugar to dramatically spike causing a rise in insulin levels. Similar to what happens with whey, this can trigger oil production in your skin causing breakouts. Unfortunately most wheat bread pasta, white bread, crackers, and cereals also fall into the refined carbohydrate category.
- Shellfish — Specifically, shrimp and lobster which are both high in iodine which too much of can clog your pores with excess oil. Ironically, iodine is usually beneficial for your health however some people may have a sensitivity to it, similar to diary which may trigger breakouts. There’s more bad news for seafood lovers – shrimp is also known to cause acne.
- Bottled juice — Most juices are high in sugar but also lack fiber which can cause a spike in your blood sugar which then leads to the excess sebum (oil) production and inflammation.