Feeding your skin from within
It is common knowledge now how much of an effect your diet has on your overall health; what you eat directly affects how your body feels on a day to day and long term basis. When it comes to your skin many specialists confirm that there is often a direct correlation between diet and recurring skin complaints that in the past have been blamed on skin type, age and the effect of alcohol of skin - ‘Wine Face’ anyone?!
But how exactly does what you put into your body impact what shows in your skin? What constitutes as a ‘good skin diet’? It is all down to your gut and how your body digests certain food groups, according to our Colonic Hydrotherapy specialist Victoria Cooper. She gives us all the info we need here:
Why do certain foods cause reactions in the body?
When the body is showing symptoms of sensitivity from certain food groups, this is most likely due to an intolerance. The type of food in question may include the common culprits of sugar, gluten, lactose/casein and alcohol, but is by no means limited to this short list.
What actually happens in the body when a reaction occurs?
Any food to which the body is intolerant will trigger the immune system which responds immediately and may present a variety of symptoms individual to that person. Some symptoms may show an inflammatory response - the IgA immune antibodies (as part of the immune system) are distributed throughout the body as soon as something the body doesn't like enters the mouth.
Since the immune system is strongly influenced by the gut flora (the microbe population living in our intestine) this is an area that needs to always be kept in mind, especially when it comes to the causes of digestive problems.
How does this reaction affect the skin?
As part of an array of intolerance symptoms, the skin can suffer from rashes, eczema, pallor, breakouts and general skin congestion, as the body is attempting to use the skin as an excretory organ. Excess intake of sugar can speed up the ageing process as it produces a high level of Advanced Glycation End Products (AGE’s for short, how appropriate!) and the proteins most responsible for a youthful appearance - collagen and elastin - are the most likely to be affected by this glycation. The collagen and elastin proteins weaken and stiffen and therefore reduce their ability to favourably affect our appearance.
What can we do to reduce this reaction?
If you are planning on doing a body overhaul, consider the detoxifying value of a colonic to aid the achievement of your goals. Assisting the body out of a pattern of constipation, reducing bloating and gas and achieving greater abdominal comfort and well-being may just also be the very thing for your facial appearance!
Diets in the limelight
Many celebrities are very open about their diet, often cutting out certain food groups to stop intestinal reactions, help them look and feel good but also specifically to incorporate the best food for skin into their diet. Actress Zooey Deschanel follows a gluten and dairy free diet due to intolerance, with singer Beyonce famously becoming a vegan to cleanse her system and give her digestive system a break. Angelina Jolie adds healthy grains including quinoa, millet and chia seeds to her meals wherever possible and Drew Barrymore is a fan of supplementing her healthy diet with plant based juices.
What actually happens in the body when a reaction occurs?
Any food to which the body is intolerant will trigger the immune system which responds immediately and may present a variety of symptoms individual to that person. Some symptoms may show an inflammatory response - the IgA immune antibodies (as part of the immune system) are distributed throughout the body as soon as something the body doesn't like enters the mouth.
Since the immune system is strongly influenced by the gut flora (the microbe population living in our intestine) this is an area that needs to always be kept in mind, especially when it comes to the causes of digestive problems.
How does this reaction affect the skin?
As part of an array of intolerance symptoms, the skin can suffer from rashes, eczema, pallor, breakouts and general skin congestion, as the body is attempting to use the skin as an excretory organ. Excess intake of sugar can speed up the ageing process as it produces a high level of Advanced Glycation End Products (AGE’s for short, how appropriate!) and the proteins most responsible for a youthful appearance - collagen and elastin - are the most likely to be affected by this glycation. The collagen and elastin proteins weaken and stiffen and therefore reduce their ability to favourably affect our appearance.
What can we do to reduce this reaction?
If you are planning on doing a body overhaul, consider the detoxifying value of a colonic to aid the achievement of your goals. Assisting the body out of a pattern of constipation, reducing bloating and gas and achieving greater abdominal comfort and well-being may just also be the very thing for your facial appearance!
Diets in the limelight
Many celebrities are very open about their diet, often cutting out certain food groups to stop intestinal reactions, help them look and feel good but also specifically to incorporate the best food for skin into their diet. Actress Zooey Deschanel follows a gluten and dairy free diet due to intolerance, with singer Beyonce famously becoming a vegan to cleanse her system and give her digestive system a break. Angelina Jolie adds healthy grains including quinoa, millet and chia seeds to her meals wherever possible and Drew Barrymore is a fan of supplementing her healthy diet with plant based juices.
