What are the dietary considerations for acne patients?
Pure water
Water unquestionably comes first, and you need its help to flush away most of the toxins in your body. Acne on your face is actually a signal to remind you that you must drink a full 8 glasses of water every day. During this period, you should also stay away from sodas and sugary drinks that not only do not hydrate, but also cause dehydration to avoid aggravation of acne symptoms.
Seafood
Seafood contains essential unsaturated fatty acids, especially alpha-linolenic acid, which is lacking in the Chinese diet. Eating more seafood when you have acne, especially seafood with low mercury content such as anchovies, sea bass, salmon, scallops, yellowtail, canned tuna, shrimp and crab, but avoiding fish with high mercury content such as squareheads, sharks, swordfish and Atlantic mackerel (mackerel), can regulate the ratio of unsaturated fatty acids in our diet and better promote the recovery of acne.
Vegetables and fruits
Oranges, carrots and tomatoes, yellow vegetables and fruits are rich in carotenoids, which are converted into vitamin A in the body and help maintain normal metabolism of skin keratinocytes and reduce sebum secretion; vegetables such as cabbage, choy sum, kale and broccoli have antioxidant effects and may be beneficial for inflammation repair.
Foods rich in selenium
Whole wheat bread, salmon, lobster and other foods are rich in selenium. Selenium is known to promote antioxidant effects and facilitate inflammation repair. At the same time, selenium can also raise the level of vitamin E in the blood, and some studies have proven that low vitamin E levels in the blood can aggravate the inflammatory response of acne.
Eat more vitamin-rich foods
Special attention should be paid to vitamins A, B2, B6, C and E. Because vitamin A has a regenerative effect on the skin. And when collaborated with zinc not only inhibits epithelial cell proliferation and transitional keratinization of hair follicles, but also regulates sweat gland secretion and reduces the erosion of the skin by acidic metabolites. Vitamin C can effectively repair the tissues damaged by acne. Vitamins B2 and B6 are involved in metabolizing proteins and promoting fat metabolism, accelerating cellular bio-oxidation and calming acne. Foods containing vitamin A are roughly spinach, lettuce, apricots, mangoes, and fish eggs; soybean oil, nuts, and mushrooms and algae such as fungus and monkey head mushrooms are rich in vitamin E; and foods containing vitamin B2 and B6 are mostly concentrated in green leafy vegetables and fish.
Green tea
The tea polyphenols in green tea can reduce the level of oxygen free radicals in the skin and inhibit the effect of androgens on the sebaceous glands of hair follicles.
Green leafy vegetables
Chlorophyll helps to restrain internal infections and skin problems, while fiber can effectively regulate the digestive system, so the whole person will be healthier and acne will naturally have no place. During this period, you can choose such types as spinach, lettuce, celery, etc. according to your taste.
What to eat less of?
The following foods are contraindicated for acne patients.
1, acne patients should not eat fishy hair food.
Fishy food especially refers to seafood, such as fish, shrimp and shellfish; meat, such as mutton, dog meat, etc., also belongs to the ranks of fishy food. For acne patients, fishy hair foods can cause skin allergies and inflammation in the body, leading to the production or aggravation of acne, which is not conducive to disease control and treatment.
2, acne patients should not eat spicy fried food.
Spicy (onion, ginger, garlic, wine, etc.) and fried (doughnuts, pancakes, etc.) foods are hot and are a kind of stimulating food. As acne patients are endothermic, consumption will lead to fire, which will increase the secretion of sebum by the sebaceous glands and aggravate the condition of acne, which is not conducive to the control and treatment of the disease.
3, acne patients should not eat high-sugar foods.
High-sugar foods such as brown and white sugar, various kinds of candy, ice cream, chocolate, etc., when consumed, will accelerate the metabolism of the body, so that the sebaceous glands secrete more sebum, making the treatment of the condition more difficult.
4, acne patients should not eat high-fat foods.
High-fat foods such as fatty meat, eggs, cream, etc. These foods are rich in fat, making the patient’s skin greasier and the sebaceous glands secrete more sebum; at the same time, these foods release a lot of heat, leading to more acne.