Earlier this year after sharing my story on healing my chronic acne, many of you all let me know of similar experiences with skin issues. As a health coach, I am super passionate about working with women to help treat the root cause of the symptoms being experienced. And, not to toot my own horn lolz, but acne & breakouts are definitely one of my areas of expertise! When it comes to the root cause of ongoing acne, breakouts, or any other pesky skin issues, we first have to make sure our microbiome, aka our gut is balanced. Read on for 4 tips for rebalancing gut health to clear breakouts.
Your gut is directly linked to the appearance of your skin. I tried everything under the sun from the age 13 all the way up to my late twenties to heal my acne flare ups. You name it, I tried it. Accutane, antibiotics, birth control, spironolactone, ProActiv, Salicylic Acid, Benzoyl Peroxide, Chemical Peels, and the list goes on and on. Then I discovered first-hand the power of food as medicine when I transitioned to a plant-focused, anti-inflammatory diet and I was finally able to get my skin under control.
Gut-Skin Connection
Skin issues are usually an inflammatory response to stress that the body is under. Whether that is mental and emotional stress from things like your job or a relationship, or physical stress from poor sleep or diet, this stress causes the gut microbiome to be out of whack and imbalanced. Everything gets thrown off and there becomes more “bad” yeast bacteria produced versus good gut bug bacteria (like the stuff in probiotics!)
These imbalances could show up as you getting sick with a sinus infection (something I also personally struggled with off and of my entire life), breakouts, yeast infections, IBS and other “bathroom issues” as I like to call them (lolz), and so much more.
The best way to get back into balance is through healthy, plant-based FOOD and removing proven common inflammatory foods like gluten, dairy, alcohol, sugar, and processed food to name a few.
Here are a few tips for rebalancing your gut to get back to clear, glowing skin.
4 Tips for Rebalancing Gut Health to Clear Breakouts
1. Take a high-quality probiotic.
The gut is the control center to literally EVERYTHING in our body- immune system, nervous system, hormones, how food is absorbed, and so much more. So many women experience hormonal acne but may not necessarily realize there is a connection to the gut as well. For me, this was a game changer in understanding that even hormone health is linked to gut health. I figured out I could help keep breakouts at bay during my period by keeping my gut extra happy, starting with a probiotic.
Probiotics are the good gut bacteria that you want a continuous supply of to stay in balance. Versus you may have also heard the term “prebiotics” which is the food for the probiotic bacteria to eat and stay alive.
I recommend the Sakara Life probiotic because it contains a diverse species of ALIVE probiotics as well as digestive enzymes that help break down for better absorption. (PS- Code XODANIELLE saves you 20% off!)
2. Eat lots of diverse, plant FIBER.
Your gut LOVES plants. Plain and simple. Why does a whole food plant-based diet work so well for gut health? The way I look at it, simply because you are making up for the lack of animal products by naturally filling your plate with more fruits and veggies. I recently talked about this in an Instagram video on plant-fiber for skin.
Examples of how to eat more plants are simple things you can do everyday. For example, throwing some spinach into your morning fruit smoothie (I swear you won’t be able to taste it!), adding steamed broccoli to your spaghetti with marinara sauce, and always starting your dinner with a big, colorful salad.
Animal products, like meat especially, have no fiber versus a plant-based diet that is extremely high in fiber. However, I do like to point out that going vegan or vegetarian may not solely improve your skin unless you are focusing on lots of fruits and veggies every day. Many people go vegan but they eat junk food. So we must make sure to focus on eating the rainbow. Literally, cook with as many different brightly colored fruits and veggies as you can. Green spinach, red tomatoes, yellow bell peppers, orange carrots, blue blueberries (lolz) – you get the picture. The key is to focus on variety at each meal.
A tip I learned from Sakara is to also make sure to include cruciferous (sulfur containing) veggies like broccoli or brussel sprouts for example, which are super detoxifying for the body. So funny when I realized this because multiple dermatologists I have gone to in the past prescribed chemically ridden, harsh sulfur face washes. When all along I should have just been eating more sulfurous veggies!
3. Eat your water.
That’s right I said EAT, not drink. While yes, drinking clean, filtered H20 everyday (fave water filter here) is an important part of a healthy body, I’m talking about hydration from fruits and veggies. Hydrating the body with fruits and veggies high in water content is tip #3 in transforming gut health to clear breakouts.
A few examples are cucumbers, romaine lettuce, tomatoes, or raspberries. These foods high in water content help with digestion and keeping everything flowing smoothly. Your cells absorb this hydration differently and moisturize the skin from the inside out.
4. Mind-Body Connection & Positivity
I credit daily meditation and visualization exercises for maintaining new found clear skin. Your gut is your second brain (where the saying “trust your gut” comes from) so we have to work out our mind and help it communicate to the gut. Picture yourself with clear, healthy skin. What feelings does this invoke? Confidence? Happiness? Our mind is our most powerful tool for telling the body what we want and to help manage stress.
I know it may sound super woo-woo but hear me out. All of this really clicked for me and a number of my clients when you look at some of the scientific research behind this concept. Our bodies listen to what our minds tell them. Just check out this world-renowned study by Dr. Masaru Emoto that shows how water changed its molecular structure solely based on negative versus positive messages! It will blow your mind. Our bodies are listening. What are you telling yours?
There you have it! My top 4 tips to rebalance your gut and get back to clear, breakout-free skin. Which one did you find most helpful? I would also love to chat with you more. Book a totally FREE Clear Skin Call here with me and get a custom action plan to start getting your skin under control.
XO, Dani
Sources:
Leave a Reply