So for quite some time I have been reading a lot about gut health and how it can help with good skin. I know we are all told to drink lots of water for our skin, but I personally feel that instead of it 'hydrating' our skin, I think it hydrates our overall bodies - thus leading to good skin.
If your gut health is not up to scratch then neither will your skin be or the condition it's in. We can tell quite a lot about our bodies just from looking at our skin and so checking our gut health is just the same. Have you eaten a lot of fried or processed food recently? Been away and overindulged? I think we all have been there at some point and then when we come home our skin can really have a freak out! It can look tired, stressed and pimply.
Well, if our skin is being damaged by our gut health, how can we improve the condition of it to make our skin problems history?
Probiotics
First things first - lets try and tackle the problem head on! Probiotics are so amazing for our gut health and overall well-being. We need these friendly bacteria in our bodies to help eliminate toxin build up and keep us 'moving' correctly - if you get my drift ;) They can help us out in so many ways too, check out this list...
- Probiotics can help to eliminate toxins and free radials in the body which lead to collagen breakdown - in short, this is what can cause wrinkles and fine lines, so they can help as an anti-aging treatment.
- Probiotics have been shown to strengthen the skins natural barrier function. This can protect us from unfriendly bacteria, pollution and also sun damage (although please don't think it's a substitute for an SPF!)
- They have been found to help hold the moisture in the skin allowing it to stay more plump and hydrated
- They have also shown to help with eczema and psoriasis when taken internally
Well, that's a pretty impressive list just from probiotics! What else can we do.
Avoid Dairy
I have found with my body, it works a lot better when I don't have dairy in my diet. Unfortunately, dairy products are not designed for human consumption and so this is why our bodies find it so hard to digest them. Milk from any animal is designed to feed baby animals and not grown adults. If you think how rich it is to feed a baby calf, that stuff can't be good for our gut health. I find a lot of 'coffee drinkers' struggle with breakouts around their jawline and chin sometimes as the dairy contains a lot of hormones that are given to the cows. This can affect our bodies too, especially our gut. Maybe try a milk alternative next time you want a coffee or make porridge. Your gut will thank you!
Introduce Natural Probiotics
Foods such as kimchee, fermented cabbage like sauerkraut are excellent for your gut. They contain natural enzymes to help with healthy gut bacteria. You can even make your own and let it ferment for a few days. All you need is a spoonful each day with your lunch or dinner.
Get it checked
You can always get a checkup on your gut health if you feel like you have a problem down there. You can have stool and blood tests if necessary to check for symptoms of IBS or leaky gut syndrome. Ask your GP for details.
Overall healthy diet
Don't just think that if you have done the above that you're done. Have a good look into your diet, do you eat a lot of processed or sugary foods? Deep fried foods or takeaways? A healthy diet is so important, not just for your gut or skin but for your overall body and well-being. Maybe keep a food diary and see if there is anything that you can cut back on.
I hope you have found this helpful
Thanks so much for reading
Emmaline x