Here's Why Your Skin Is An Inside Job

Each summer, as part of an international exchange program, we house Italian and Spanish students for three weeks. They stay with us to practice English and educate themselves on American culture. Year after year the students arrive bright-eyed, cleared-skinned and energetic. However, after spending three weeks in the states, they head home with clogged pores, blotches, blackheads and some develop cysts on their face, neck, chest, back, and shoulders. 

The meals requested by the students are typical American fare: hot dogs, hamburgers, french fries, meatloaf, Thanksgiving dinner, onion rings, peanut butter and jelly, and pancakes are among the most popular requests. These were often washed down with milk. Funny, I even remember one student leaving the U.S. stocked with Pop-Tarts to bring to Spain. As the students tour New York City each day, they enjoy additional fast food options, relishing grilled cheese, ice cream and other ethic fare from the culinary food trucks and shops around town. 

Year-in and year-out I watch as my students leave New York City exhausted with acne and breakouts, due to poor dietary choices. This cements for me what I know for sure: that the skin is an inside job. 

So many people ignore this simple fact, mostly parents. The watch as their kids develop acne, and off they go purchasing pro-active or running them to the dermatologist to get "side-effect" prescriptions for medication to control. What surprises me is that parents allow the continual intake of fast and processed foods. 

While some studies are inconclusive that acne and diet are related, there are many that confirm the connection between improper diet and acne. Not surprisingly, a study in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology cites sugar and dairy as the main culprits of worsening acne. Incidentally, constipation -- a back up of the bowel, is another chronic condition that seals the deal when it comes to bad skin. 

Here is one simple truth. What goes into the body comes out one way or the other. The skin is an elimination organ like the kidneys, the lungs, the rectum and the liver. Its job is to expel toxins. If the diet is poor and the bowels are blocked due to poor dietary choices, then you can bet it's going to show in the skin. End of story.

You'd be hard-pressed to find a vegan, a vegetarian, or even a part-time vegan for that matter with bad skin. This is because number one cause of young, radiant and vibrant skin is diet, followed by good digestion and efficient elimination. While the number one root case of bad skin is poor diet and poor digestion and elimination coupled with hormonal changes. 

The bottom line is this: healthy, radiant and clear skin is as simple as eating foods that work with body versus eating foods that work against it. Foods that work against the body are:

Refined sugarDairyFast foodsProcessed foodsWhey and protein powdersAlchoholCoffeeHigh protein diets

Foods that work with the body are anti-inflammatory, abundant in vitamins and minerals, collagen and encourage good digestion and elimination. These are:

FruitsVegetablesGood fats like coconut, nuts and avocadoBone Broth

The needs of the skin and the body are pretty basic. Eating a diet high (at least 80%) in fruits and vegetables and low (approximately 10%) protein and (10%) good fats, as well as sweating to rid the body of toxins, is the ideal way to attain glowing and radiant skin. Avoid topical treatments as these are a waste of money. Instead invest in learning how to EAT by loading up on the proper foods for the best skin and health