Your skin is simply a reflection of your internal health. While a good skin regime contributes to a glow, how you treat your body is the game-changer. Help your skin by focusing on what you are putting into your body. Below are several ways to improve skin health through a vegan diet.
Getting beautiful skin starts with focusing on what you consume and how your treat your body. You want to ensure that you get enough sleep, stay hydrated, avoid pollutants and toxins, exercise regularly, and most importantly, consume nourishing foods. There have been many diets that target the skin over the years, all various approaches to skin health. However, one thing stays the same throughout the years, and that is consuming fresh fruits and vegetables. Furthermore, recent research shows that whole plant-based foods offer plenty of benefits for your skin and general health.
To nourish your body and skin, you should focus on eating as many whole foods as possible. This can include, fresh fruit, fresh vegetables, juice, nuts, and grains. If you are transitioning to a plant-based diet, you should aim to avoid processed foods. Now, this does not mean you to eliminate all processed foods, but you should make a conscious effort to eat less of them. Your skin will thank you for it.
Below are several common skin complaints that can be minimized by a vegan diet.
There is now evidence that consumption of dairy products can link to acne in adults. Part of this is due to the hormones in milk, which can aggravate your skin and throw hormone levels off track. Additionally, adults are more likely to have lactose intolerance, which can present as skin irritation or acne with too much dairy.
Studies in Korea, show that those who eat more fresh vegetables have fewer acne issues than those consuming processed foods, meat, and cheese.
Due to the higher nutrient content, plant-based diets are naturally anti-inflammatory. Some skin conditions that present as inflammation include; eczema, allergies, and atopic dermatitis. Fuelling your body using whole foods and antioxidants helps your body to regulate effectively, thus lowering inflammation.
Regularly consuming orange vegetables like carrot, squash and yams increases beta-carotene. Beta-carotene is an antioxidant that gives your skin a healthy glow and fights off free radicals.
While plant-based diets are great for many skin issues, you must ensure you are not deficient in any vitamins or minerals. Otherwise, the deficiencies will show and affect your skin health. Thus, those on a vegan diet should ensure they consume enough fatty acids like coconut and avocado to avoid dry skin. Additionally, a vegan diet high in processed foods can see some of the previous issues return.
By focusing on eating whole foods, you can improve your skin health through a vegan diet. Fresh fruits and vegetables contain a myriad of antioxidants to fuel your body from the inside out. However, the changes to your skin may not be immediate. In fact, your skin may break out during the transition period to a vegan diet. This is simply because your body is adjusting to the new foods and eliminating toxins. Aim to drink half a gallon of water each day and increase your consumption of whole foods to see the benefits for yourself.
