Diet, food-based skin care both affect skin's condition
If you've ever read any sort of beauty magazine, from Men's Health to Self, you've probably heard that food can affect the way you look—not just by causing weight gain if you eat too much, but by changing the chemicals and proteins in your skin. Of course there is the old adage that chocolate and sugar—and really just about any junk food—can cause an acne breakout. According to Dr. Diana Schwarzbein, author of The Schwarzbein Principle: The Truth about Losing Weight, Being Healthy and Feeling Younger,\ it is true that these junk foods can clog pores leading to blemished skin.
""High carbohydrate consumption stimulates insulin production,"" Schwarzbein said in the book. And high insulin levels can lead to breakouts, which is why men and women of all ages report acne problems—not just teenagers. If you consume large amounts of carbohydrates, insulin levels and oil production increase, which causes pores clogging. To avoid the possibility of food-induced acne, a good start would be to avoid lots of carbohydrates—but that is not all.
In addition to eating plenty of fruits, vegetables and other natural foods, drinking the FDA-recommended eight glasses of water each day helps keep your skin hydrated and your complexion clear.
""Water is nature's miracle and fruit is nature's candy,"" said UW-Madison senior Melanie Truhn.
And there may be a lot of truth to that. Schwarzbein agreed that natural foods are always best—and water is one of the most important parts of any diet.
""My skin definitely reflects what I eat. When I drink a lot of water or eat a lot of fruit, I feel like my skin glows,"" said UW-Madison pharmacy graduate student Sarah Hopkins. Hopkins also mentioned the importance of antioxidants in the diet—something she learned from a nutritional science class she took as a UW-Madison undergraduate.
While your actual diet can change the way your skin looks and feels, there are also skin care products you can buy at the drug store that use different foods as ingredients. Nancy Reyzer, a staff nurse in the UW Health West Dermatology Clinic, 451 Junction Rd., said they deal with several patients who have very dry skin and recommend various products with natural ingredients, such as oatmeal. ""Aveeno products work very well. Oatmeal is known to help with good skin care by preventing itching and dryness,"" Reyzer said. According to Reyzer, they do not use many diet-related remedies for skin care at the dermatology clinic because they deal more with dryness than with acne problems. However, some dryness might be caused by a lack of B vitamins in the diet, Reyzer said. While changing your diet to help with the skin beautification process, you can also use foods as ingredients for homemade hair care products. Hair is made up of protein, so a diet rich in protein makes a person less likely to have unhealthy or damaged hair. Schwarzbein also said not consuming sufficient nutrients will cause the body to use its own protein to get by, sacrificing the proteins that are not vitally necessary for survival, including hair. Some good food sources for protein include meat, fish, soy products and cottage cheese. The hospital occasionally uses home remedies to promote healthy skin. In particular, one home remedy Reyzer mentioned is using vinegar for toenail health.
Whether you choose to consume or use food-based skin care products, it's clear that diet and food can improve your skin. See below for some home remedies to beautify your hair and skin this summer.
Honey & Olive Oil Hair Mask
Mix 2 tablespoons honey with 3 tablespoons olive oil.
Apply throughly to hair.
Cover hair with plastic wrap or a shower cap.
After 15 minutes shampoo and rinse well.
—www.fatfreekitchen.com
Oatmeal Facial Mask
Take 2 teaspoons oatmeal and 1 teaspoon baking soda and add water to make paste.
Apply to face and all over the skin and rub gently.
—www.fatfreekitchen.com
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