What we eat also determines the appearance of our skin. Keyword: skin food. Anyone who struggles with blemished skin and wrinkles should rethink their diet – and perhaps replace the next pizza with a quinoa burger.
Milk does it: impurities.
Still having spots or acne as an adult is like being thrown back into puberty, only without the smooching in the schoolyard and the adventures. We now know that it is often down to the milk we froth up for our coffee every day because this doping enlarges the sebaceous glands and, as a supplier of essential amino acids, unfortunately, also promotes cell growth that causes inflammation in the body. Insulin-like growth factor 1, or IGF-1 for short, is relevant to developing blemishes. If the IGF-1 level in the blood is increased, blackheads and spots are on the rise. Despite this, according to studies by the Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine in Berlin, milk – in moderation with its vitamins and nutrients is good for metabolism. Specialist Yael Adler advises: “Don’t drink more than 200 millilitres a day!” Incidentally, lactose-free milk also contains messenger substances that calves need to grow and can cause irritation in humans. Only vegan alternatives such as coconut, oat, almond, or rice milk are IGF-free.
Anti-skin food gluten?
No other nutrient is as criticized as carbohydrates. They are said to raise insulin levels, make you fat – and even trigger allergies. It is, above all, the industrially processed wheat in white bread, pastries or pasta that has fallen into disrepute. However, only those who actually suffer from the autoimmune disease celiac disease and are allergic to a special protein in wheat flour: gluten. And that is only 0.5 per cent of the population! Unfortunately, gluten also promotes skin inflammation. “It becomes redder, flakier and more restless,” explains Melitta Löwenstein-Frey, a dermatologist from Krailling near Munich. “Depending on genetic disposition, individual stress situation and the state of the intestinal flora, the body can be overwhelmed with neutralizing the toxins in the wheat. All the toxins in industrially processed foods then penetrate to the surface.” Here too, as with milk, it depends on the quantity.
Nettles and redness caused by histamine
What could possibly be wrong with a strawberry? Or smoked char? We have stored fruit and fish as good foods. The problem is the histamine they contain. Histamine is a tissue hormone found in almost all body parts, which is responsible, among other things, for the expansion of small blood vessels. And causes allergic reactions. Suppose you consume too many foods with a high histamine content (alcohol, especially red wine, mature cheese, salami, seafood, smoked and fried foods, tomatoes, strawberries or citrus fruits – to name just a few). In that case, the body cannot break down this excess and reacts with redness or hives.