Is Gut Inflammation Ruining Your Skin? Here's What To Do About It

Clear skin starts with allowing the body to rest by removing high-allergen-type foods and dietary pollutants and replacing them with foods to support the health of the eliminative organs.

If these three elements are chronically out of sync, then it is bound to show up in your skin. The skin is an organ of elimination. We eliminate waste products through our skin. Too many toxins inside the body can cause them to become stored in our skin tissue and promote inflammation. The typical Western diet lacks nutrition and is concentrated with chemicals, preservatives, and by-products that may encourage breakouts. Studies have shown that a high consumption of dairy, refined sugar, trans fat, and meat can make skin more prone to chronic skin conditions, including acne.

Because these types of foods are rapidly digested, they are considered high-glycemic foods, but it is also important to be aware of the amount of glucose entering the bloodstream from each food. Glycemic load value gives you a more accurate understanding of a food's effect on blood sugar. For example, watermelon has a high-glycemic index but a low-glycemic load because it has few carbohydrates in it. Foods with a glycemic load of 10 or below are considered low, while foods 20 and above are considered high Get to know the foods with the highest glycemic load.

The worst offenders in this food group are:

Insufficient iodine intake impairs the production of thyroid hormones—leading to a condition called hypothyroidism. However, if you're prone to blemishes you may want to monitor your intake of iodine-dense foods. Iodine is essential for healthy skin, hair, and nails, but there is some evidence that warns extremely high intakes can aggravate blemish-prone skin. Concentrated sources of iodine include kelp, sea vegetables, iodized salt, cod, shrimp, and milk.

The Western diet is concentrated in omega-6 fatty acids (corn, safflower, and canola oils), and due to our over-reliance on fast foods, many people get far more omega-6 fatty acids (over omega-3 fatty acids) that promote inflammation in the body and eventually reach the skin. Minimize your intake of omega-6-rich oils and processed foods and, instead, offset the imbalance with omega-3-rich foods and supplements.

A combination of lifestyle and nutritional changes, along with the addition of supplements (vitamins, minerals, herbs, omega-3 fatty acids), can be effective in clearing the skin, improving immunity, decreasing stress, and supporting your overall health.