Skin&Food: You Wear What You Eat

I am writing this from a personal skin journey that I actually went through, that proves the exact point that our skin is a reflection of our digestive system/health.

A couple years ago I became very sick with what ended up being caused by a severe bacterial imbalance in my digestive system. Symptoms would gradually appear, and one major symptom was adult onset cystic acne. I never had acne problems as a teenager, but this happened fast, and what felt like out of the blue. The jawline specific area was one of my first hints into my research that lead me to explore my gut health. I'm thankful for that red flag the body was presenting because it was what helped me discover the true root of all my symptoms (which also included extreme bloating, overall body ache/pain, brittle nails/hair, fatigue, grogginess, menstrual irregularities, etc).

Let me now explain how the skin is a window into gut health.

Think of your skin as the last door in a long hallway leading to the exit. When you eat something toxic that your body cannot digest and absorb, its job is to get rid of these toxic invaders as quickly as possible so it minimizes its damage. Well on the way out, these toxic invaders are swinging baseball bats causing as much damage/inflammation as possible. Your pores are one of the several ways our body can eliminate (in addition to lungs, kidneys, intestines, and lymphatic system). This is why in these cases,simple topical treatments with skin care products will not eliminate the acne, as it is coming from this internal root.

One of the most important steps you can take, even if you are not experiencing other bacterial imbalance symptoms is to go through the process of removing foods that fuel bad bacteria (ie: sugar, processed foods), and implement regular 'good' bacteria via probiotic.

Un-Diet was developed by everything I learned and adjusted during my process of healing, and something I hope can save a lot of people from experiencing ill-effects of imbalances created via the food they are consuming.

Please read our ambassador, Karen's, story of her skin transformation here.

Contributor: Emily, the Creator of Un-Diet. Follow her on Instagram