It is true, we are what we eat. Our diet can greatly affect how our skin appears and eating the wrong foods can certainly cause damage to your skin. There are easy ways substitute these foods with healthier skin friendly alternatives so we’ve outlined the key foods to stay clear of and healthy alternatives to look for.

Photo via VP Fashion

1. Alcohol: All in moderation and if possible try to stick to red wine. Alcohol contains a ton of sugar which can cause glycation (the breakdown of the proteins in skin(collagen and elastin), ultimately causing skin to sag and age. Glucose also causes cells to be malformed and irregular thus creating free radicals.
2. White Sugar: Also causes glycation due to the high sugar content found in alcohol. Try adding non-processed sugars or fruits into your diet. Honey or Cacao are great alternatives to actual sugar and they are both super foods. Cinnamon can also be substituted and it helps with inflammation!
3. White bread: Foods that have a high glycemic level raise blood sugar and can cause inflammation. This can cause a puffy look to the skin and face. Look for breads listed as low glycemic.
4. Fried foods: Tthese foods also have high glycemic levels and can be full of preservatives which can cause bloating. If you are cooking with oil, try and use olive oil or coconut.
5. Soda: Arguably the worst health-leading drink that you can ingest. whether it is the sugar or the artificial sweetener, stay away from drinking soda. Soda causes bloating and can dehydrate the skin.
6. Preservatives: Leading cause of inflammation. Inflammation inside the body is a very bad thing and looks pretty bad our your skin too. Preservatives are in many foods. Stay clear of deli meats, pre-packaged snack foods and try cooking from scratch instead of reaching for the chines food. When cooking at home use natural ingredients buying processed food. Use ingredients to season food like garlic, tumeric and ginger. All three are extremely healthy and aid with inflammation.
7. Meat: All meat if not organic will contain hormones that the animal has been fed. Hormones can need to eat organic in order to not ingest hormones the animal has been fed. Aim for fish instead. Salmon is the best because of omegas.
8. Iodized salt: Leads to dehydration. Substitute with celtic salt or sea salt.
9. Dairy: Leads to pore-clogging breakouts and added skin congestion. Primary function in the cause of inflammation. If you must eat dairy, eat plain yogurt without added sugar.

On our HOT list?

Water, oily fish such as salmon and sardines, avocado, berries, citrus fruit, nuts, seeds, green vegetables, red wine in moderation, green tea, rooibos tea, garlic, ginger, cinnamon, turmeric, and plain yogurt.