There are so many factors that influence your skin health that it can become difficult to keep track of the ways you could be unknowingly damaging your skin. One of the stealthiest of these negative influences on your skin is a poor diet. If you eat poorly, you are directly sabotaging your skin’s health. But you could be eating pretty well and still have some issues with your skin. This could be due to certain foods that are not commonly thought of as unhealthy, but are specifically terrible for your skin. To find out these surprisingly dangerous foods you never knew about, here are 7 foods that are actually ruining your skin.
Coffee
Although many people swear by their morning cup of coffee, this steamy, delicious morning ritual could be compromising your skin. Coffee is a diuretic, which can drain your body of all its hydration – including your skin. This can result in fine lines can look worse, and your face can lose its glow and dewy look. Balance coffee with a glass of water to replace some of the lost hydration.
Bottled water
Those few dozen bottles of water a day could also be the secret culprit behind acne breakouts. BPA is essentially a synthetic estrogen that can act as a hormone in the body, leading to hormone-related skin issues.
Alcohol
Alcoholic beverages are another diuretic that can ruin your skin, leaving your face looking sunken and worn out from dehydration. But balancing out spirits with water and extra fluids will keep you from that dreaded dry out effect after a night of drinking.
White rice
White rice ranks very high on the glycemic index and is very high in sugar. High contents of sugar are terrible for your skin because what is not picked up by your liver can end up in your collagen, and can additionally cause intense inflammation of the skin.
Salt
Another major proponent of skin dehydration through poor diet is salt. It’s in almost everything we eat, unless you explicitly take strides to reduce your salt intake. Begin using salt-free seasonings when you cook. Also, explicitly request that no salt be added to your food at restaurants.
Processed meat
Processed meats are very high in sodium and fat, which is absolutely terrible for your skin. The extra sodium can cause water retention, which ultimately leads to puffiness and swelling in the face. New studies are also showing that the sodium nitrates that are found in many processed means can cause a breakdown in collagen and elasticity. This can cause premature aging to occur.
Spicy foods
Researchers haven’t detected yet why exactly spicy foods can make skin conditions flare up. But they certainly do in conditions like acne and rosacea. These conditions can be an indication of too much heat in your system, and spicy foods will only further aggravate these conditions. If you have existing skin problems, it is likely your best bet to avoid spicy foods at all costs. Your skin will thank you later.