The usual American diet and the diet of the American teenager in particular is not skin-healthy.
Actually it's not ANYTHING healthy, but we are talking about the skin here.
Teenagers like to eat what their friends eat - pizza, hamburgers, hot dogs, French fries - and wash it down with nice, fizzy sodas.
Snacks are chips and candy bars.
While the taste buds might be happy with this kind of diet, the rest of the body is suffering - a lot.
Food is not entertainment.
Food is fuel for the body.
It's the delivery system that provides all parts of the body with the nutrients needed to function properly - including the skin! The skin needs a nutrient called EFA (Essential Fatty Acids).
Food sources of EFAs are shellfish, flaxseed, hemp oil, soya oil, canola oil, chia seeds, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, leafy green vegetables, and walnuts - none of which are included in the average American teenager's diet.
Another essential nutrient needed for healthy skin is vitamin A.
Vitamin A is in many foods...
until they are cooked.
Raw vegetables contain vitamin A, but cooked vegetables contain little or none.
Raw fruit also contains a lot of Vitamin A, and unprocessed fruit juice does, as well.
Some of the best food sources for vitamin A are carrots, broccoli, kale, spinach, peaches, apricots, and mangos.
Zinc is important to help maintain healthy skin, as well.
Some foods that are high in zinc are brewers yeast, whole grains, Brazil nuts, and pumpkin seeds, but because it is difficult to get enough zinc in the most balanced of diets, it is usually recommended that a zinc supplement be taken by mouth.
Eating chocolate and French fries won't cause acne.
That is a generally accepted fact in the medical community.
NOT eating a diet that is skin healthy, however, can certainly be the root cause of skin problems, including acne.
Actually it's not ANYTHING healthy, but we are talking about the skin here.
Teenagers like to eat what their friends eat - pizza, hamburgers, hot dogs, French fries - and wash it down with nice, fizzy sodas.
Snacks are chips and candy bars.
While the taste buds might be happy with this kind of diet, the rest of the body is suffering - a lot.
Food is not entertainment.
Food is fuel for the body.
It's the delivery system that provides all parts of the body with the nutrients needed to function properly - including the skin! The skin needs a nutrient called EFA (Essential Fatty Acids).
Food sources of EFAs are shellfish, flaxseed, hemp oil, soya oil, canola oil, chia seeds, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, leafy green vegetables, and walnuts - none of which are included in the average American teenager's diet.
Another essential nutrient needed for healthy skin is vitamin A.
Vitamin A is in many foods...
until they are cooked.
Raw vegetables contain vitamin A, but cooked vegetables contain little or none.
Raw fruit also contains a lot of Vitamin A, and unprocessed fruit juice does, as well.
Some of the best food sources for vitamin A are carrots, broccoli, kale, spinach, peaches, apricots, and mangos.
Zinc is important to help maintain healthy skin, as well.
Some foods that are high in zinc are brewers yeast, whole grains, Brazil nuts, and pumpkin seeds, but because it is difficult to get enough zinc in the most balanced of diets, it is usually recommended that a zinc supplement be taken by mouth.
Eating chocolate and French fries won't cause acne.
That is a generally accepted fact in the medical community.
NOT eating a diet that is skin healthy, however, can certainly be the root cause of skin problems, including acne.