The embarrassing condition of acne has been blamed on a wide variety of causes throughout the ages. Many people unjustly blame individuals with acne-prone skin of being dirty or failing to wash their faces properly. This is obviously far from the truth as acne can strike anyone, regardless of his or her personal hygiene habits. Others believe that eating large amounts of chocolate will cause an acne breakout. This is also not entirely correct, but new research has linked acne to a person’s diet.
Some types of foods that tend to cause acne breakouts are those foods that are highly acidic. These foods tend to cause acne as they create an imbalance in your body’s pH levels. Foods that acne prone individuals should avoid include the following:
- Vegetables: lentils, squash, corn
Fruits: currants, plums, prunes, cranberries and blueberries- Grains: barley, cornstarch, oatmeal, wheat bran, amaranth, rice, rye, wheat germ, noodles, macaroni, spaghetti, bread, soda crackers, white flour, rolled oats and wheat flour
- Beans & Legumes: chick peas, green peas, kidney beans, pinto beans, red beans, soy beans, black beans and white beans
- Dairy Products: butter, ice cream, processed cheese, butter and ice milk
- Nuts & Butters: peanuts, pecans, walnuts, cashews and peanut butter
- Animal Proteins: bacon, beef, pork, salmon, lamb, fish, clams, cod, mussels, sausage, scallops, turkey, venison, shrimp and lobster
- Fats & Oils: canola oil, lard, olive oil, sesame oil, sunflower oil, hemp seed oil and safflower oil
- Sweeteners: corn syrup, sugar and carob
- Alcohol: spirits, hard liquor, wine and beer
- Condiments: vinegar, pepper, ketchup and mustard
- Drinks: coffee and soft drinks
- Drugs & chemicals: aspirin, pesticides, tobacco and herbicides
If you want to prevent or minimize acne breakouts, you should replace acidic food with alkaline food choices. Some examples include carrots, cucumbers, garlic, lettuce, tomatoes, apples, grapes, lemons, pineapples, raisins, strawberries, peaches, oranges and almonds. You may be surprised to see so many citrus fruits on this list. The specific citric acids these fruits contain have an alkalizing effect on your body that will actually reduce the level of acidity, rather than increase it.
Rather than making an effort to avoid one specific type of food, it is better to avoid groups of acidic foods that will trigger your acne breakouts. Replacing some of the choices in the first list with more alkaline foods from the second list is a good start. You will soon discover that small changes in your diet will most likely produce significant results in the reduction of your acne breakouts!
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