There are several ways your gut health benefits your skin. Your skin can reveal to you if something is going on internally that could be an issue or possible bodily imbalances. In nutritional studies, the skin has been viewed as an indicator of something going on inside.
Chinese medicine and Ayurveda have used techniques to analyse skin problems in relation to gut issues.
Breakouts on your skin can be improved by using health supplements that support digestive function. Supplements can restore good bacteria which in turn affects your skin.
How Does Gut Health Affect Skin?
Have you struggled maintaining a clear complexion with your skincare routine? Maybe the source of the issue can be in your gut.
If you have indigestion problems it can affect the way your body absorbs the nutrients from your diet. When there is poor absorption of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants, your skin may start to look dull. Your healthy glow starts to diminish! Plus if you have any skin conditions that keep returning, you may find these conditions worsening.
That’s why you want to maintain a healthy gut and digestive system. You want to be sure all the nutrition you consume is being absorbed and used to benefit your health.
But what is a healthy gut?
When your gut is healthy you have the right amount of good bacteria that limits the growth of bad bacteria. The good and bad bacteria have to be in balance in order to allow your immune system to work properly and keep you healthy.
To keep your bacteria in balance and maintain a healthy gut it’s important to feed the good bacteria with probiotics and fermented foods. Good gut health benefits your skin as well as maintaining healthy body functions which gives you a sense of wellbeing.
Gut Bacteria
Gut bacteria makes a huge impact on the health of your skin and the health of your body. Everyone has about 1 kg of bacteria living inside their gut! That’s a lot! You want to have 85% good bacteria with about 15% bad bacteria. That’s the ideal ratio that will keep your gut healthy.
But if this ratio changes, problems start to happen. One function of gut bacteria is to help digest some types of carbohydrates. The bacteria metabolise the carbohydrates into short chain fatty acids which is then used for energy.
Other benefits of good gut bacteria is that it produces some B vitamins and most of the vitamin K that is needed by the body.
How The Gut Becomes Damaged
When there is a shortage of good gut bacteria you can then have an overgrowth of bad bacteria. This is what causes the gut walls to become damaged. This is known as ‘leaky gut syndrome’.
Leaky gut syndrome is the culprit behind many common skin problems.
The damage occurs when there is too much bad bacteria in the gut. With leaky gut syndrome contents of the gut are then able to pass through into the bloodstream. Once in the bloodstream they can trigger lots of problems in other parts of your body. Your body uses your skin as the quickest way to move these harmful substances caused by a leaky gut. You will then have breakouts and redness on your skin.
How to Fix This
The best way to improve your gut bacteria is to take a high quality probiotic and to eat foods rich in probiotics.
These are some of the foods that can add good bacteria to your gut:
- Kefir
- Sauerkraut
- Natural yogurt
- kombucha
It’s also just as important to avoid foods that cause bad bacteria such as:
- Gluten
- Alcohol
- Refined sugars
- Processed foods
Limit or avoid those foods altogether to help your gut and skin heal.
You’ll have to find other ways to satisfy your sweet tooth!
How To Get Gut Health Benefits
Eat a Healthy Diet
Eating healthy is a must if you want to improve your skin health! Research shows that what you eat and drink affects your skin, the bacteria on your skin and your gut bacteria.
Focus on eating unprocessed foods, good fats, vegetables, protein and some healthy carbohydrates.
Your diet is the most important part to keeping your skin and gut healthy.
Identify Problem Foods And Eliminate Them
The first step to helping you identify which foods are causing you to have eczema or acne is to undergo a process of elimination.
Keep track of how your skin responds as you eliminate each type of food and then after several weeks reintroduce it again and see if there are changes in your skin. Many people have skin problems when they eat gluten, dairy or caffeine. Those foods also contribute to poor gut health.
Take A Probiotic
It’s best to talk to your doctor to help you find out which probiotic is best for your specific skin condition.
Some probiotics help with acne, while others help with rosacea.
Schedule That Sweat Sesh
Sweating is good for your skin!
When you stick to a good eating plan and sweat during a workout or in the sauna, the sweat acts like a fortifying prebiotic for your skin’s bacteria. (Your skin has special bacteria which is a good thing!)
De-stress
Too much stress in your daily routine can cause several different problems in your body and life. Now you have another reason to find ways to remove stress from your life and do things that calm you down.
Yes, stress can impact your skin and gut health!
Focus on things that you love to do and help you relax. Do yoga or stretching and meditate daily. Also, going on walks can be very calming. Do whatever it takes to take your mind off any stressful situation you may be going through.
One of the biggest gut health benefits is having glowing skin! Your skin is the largest organ in your body. Take care of your gut health and it will take care of your skin. Eat plenty of fruits and vegetables and other healthy nutrient dense foods. Your skin will love you for it!
Do you struggle with particular skin conditions? Have you ever tried improving your gut health?
