When you’re trying to improve your acne, it’s important that you look at what you’re eating. Although the links between diet and acne are not always easy to determine, there are some dietary measures that have been shown to reduce outbreaks in acne prone skin.

Blood sugar and acne

Glycemic index (GI) is a measure of how quickly foods breakdown into sugar. The quicker food breaks down into sugar, the higher it’s GI and the higher your blood sugar rises. In response, the pancreas pumps out insulin to lower the blood sugar. When you eat high GI foods throughout the day, your body is perpetually pumping out insulin to manage the high blood sugar. This can lead to inflammation which, in turn, can make your acne worse. In addition, high blood sugar also stimulates the secretion of sebum, which can also make acne worse

To reduce this inflammation, you can choose to eat foods that are lower in GI. These include foods that are high in fiber, protein, and good fats. Focus on eating vegetables, fruits, oats, lean meats, lentils, and beans to reduce spikes in blood sugar. In addition, reduce or eliminate fast foods, processed foods and foods that are primarily simple carbohydrates (think white bread, pasta, cookies, muffins, donuts…) as these will increase the spikes in blood sugar.