A Doctor's Diet Guide for Clear Skin

(Photo Credit: Pinterest)

Achieving that au naturel glowy skin takes more than just your topical skincare ritual. 

We are constantly bombarded with new product releases; brands urging us to buy the next big thing such as innovative facemasks, serums, or moisturizers to clear all blemishes and reduce wrinkles. Topical skincare is important, but it can only target the very top layer of our skin. Our skin however, is like a rose, made of many layers. 

What very little people talk about is the importance of nutrition and diet for your skin. Diet affects the deepest layers of our skin - the layers that keep our skin looking smooth, glowy, and supple. I hope after learning about the foods and ingredients that help improve skin complexion, you can adopt them into your lifestyle!

(Pictured: Dr. Bryant Esquejo)

We sat down with our adviser: Dr. Bryant, a Naturopathic doctor who specializes in treating adrenal health, autoimmune conditions, cardiovascular health, skin conditions, blood sugar regulation, thyroid health, and immune support. We discussed the different types of foods and ingredients you can add to your diet to aid in improving various skin concerns from within! Continue reading to see what Dr. Bryant is recommending...

Skin Benefit: Hydration, Dewiness and Wrinkle Reduction

Types of foods and why:

• Bone broth, marine collagen peptides, and lots of citrus fruits (oranges, lemons, kiwi, pineapple)

• Bone broth is collagen and amino-acid dense which can be used to form collagen itself. A healthy amount of collagen increases the hyaluronic acid levels in our skin.

• When supplementing your diet with any form of collagen peptides, marine being the most effective for skin and bone health, make sure your body is sufficiently nourished with enough Vitamin C. To read up on why Vitamin C is critical for collagen storage and production, click here. 

How much should you eat daily:

• Try drinking a cup of bone broth. Here’s a recipe you can follow on self-care Sunday and you will have enough for the rest of the week!

• Collagen with Citrus Foods

• Try and not exceed 10g of collagen because taking more can affect your kidney functions and can lead to a disease called: Scleroderma

• You can eat as much citrus fruits as you want. Since Vitamin C is water soluble, it can easily be detoxed out of your body

Skin Benefit: Acne Prevention and Anti-Inflammatory 

Types of foods and why:

• Beets, Burdock and Rutabaga 

• Support liver function which is necessary for reducing and controlling the amount of acne-causing hormones 

• Broccoli 

• A compound found in broccoli, sulforaphane, increase detoxification processes which help reduce and control acne-causing hormones

How much should you eat daily:

• A cup of any of the above. The more cruciferous foods, such as broccoli, have more fiber which is good for digestion

Skin Benefit: Evening Skin Tone

Types of foods and why:

• Milk Thistle 

• Increases glutathione, a skin-benefiting antioxidant, in the liver which has been shown to reduce dark spots

• Tremella Mushroom (Snow Mushroom)

• Extracts have been shown to reduce the function of cells that cause dark spots and is also shown to replicate the functions of hyaluronic acid, a critical component of our skin that makes it supple and smooth. We all want that! 

How much should you eat daily:

• Milk Thistle

• 150mg

• Tremella (Snow Mushroom)

• Half a cup or 500-1000mg

Skin Benefit: UVA/UVB Protection 

Types of foods and why:

• Maqui Berry 

• Highest concentration of antioxidants, more specifically Delphinindin. Antioxidants reduce UV damage to the skin by soaking up free-radicals that have caused damage to our skin

• Goji Berry 

• High in Polyphenols and Polysaccharides, which help reduce UV damage to the skin by soaking up free-radicals that have caused damages. Goji berries have been used for centuries in China and is a fruit commonly used with tea drinking and broth making

• Blueberries and Blackberries

• High in Anthocyanidin, another type of antioxidant, which help reduce UV damage to the skin by soaking up free-radicals that have caused damage to our skin

How much should you eat daily:

• Maqui Berry 

• Hand-full 

• Goji Berry

• Hand-full

• Blueberries and/or blackberries

• Hand-full 

What foods you should AVOID:

While you adopt cleaner eating habits and follow Dr. Bryant’s food recommendations, there are (yummy) food culprits that you should try and avoid when you’re trying to achieve a glowy and dewy complexion. But we are all unique and different, so focus on what makes you feel good and always choose what works best for your own bodies. 

(Photo Credit: @lidyanada)

Inflammatory Foods

• Sugar

• Gluten

• Dairy

Dr. Bryant recommends food allergy testing and doing a food elimination diet as every individual is different and each person deserves a personalized treatment.