WANT HEALTHY GLOWING SKIN?
If you want healthy glowing skin, you can look no further than your gut. I’m sure you’ve heard the saying, “Beauty is only skin deep,” but when it comes to obtaining glowing, youthful skin, beauty goes much deeper, and a lot of it comes down to the health of your gut. Specifically, the balance of bacteria, yeast and other microbes in your gut. Your gut not only absorbs nutrients but also eliminates toxins to maintain your overall health while making your skin glow. When the gut microbiome is out of balance and harmful bacteria is allowed to flourish, problems can show up in the skin in the form of inflammation, breakouts, rashes, and rosacea. The key to ensuring healthy skin is to focus on a diet containing food that promotes the growth of good bacteria in the gut and eliminates toxins from your overall lifestyle.
THE SKIN GUT AXIS
One of the primary regulators in the skin-gut axis is the immune system. It regulates inflammation and how the gut microbiota communicates with the skin. In addition to this communication, the gut can directly affect the skin if the intestinal barrier is compromised, as is the case with intestinal permeability (aka. leaky gut).
In the case of an impaired intestinal barrier, molecules from the gut can enter the bloodstream, accumulate in the skin, and disrupt the skin microbiome. Skin manifestations often follow digestive disorders, and the gut microbiome seems to play a role in the development of numerous inflammatory skin conditions.
As the skin and gut are interconnected, their axis also influences:
- Bad bacteria that make us fall sick
- The control of the body over the blood sugar levels
- Mood regulation
- Stress levels
- Balanced homeostasis
- Inflammation
- Metabolism
As evident, the gut-skin axis influences overall health not just the skin
FACTORS THAT CREATE IMBALANCES IN THE GUT
There are several reasons for this imbalance in gut flora: improper diet, toxins from the air, makeup and environment, food allergies, certain medications, deficiencies, sleeping disorders, and stress. Whenever good bacteria is overwhelmed by bad bacteria, these bad bacteria can pass through the bloodstream, causing inflammation and certain health disorders hinting towards an imbalanced gut flora. An imbalanced gut flora causes digestive issues, acne, irritable bowel syndrome, mental diseases, autoimmune diseases, and obesity. Keeping stress-free, reducing antibiotic use, and eating a balanced nutritious diet helps maintain gut flora’s health.
COMMON GUT ISSUES
LEAKY GUT
The weakening and inflammation of the intestinal wall, which results in increased permeability of the intestine, is referred to as a leaky gut. It is called ‘leaky’ because the bacteria, as well as the toxins, are able to leak through the walls of the intestine.
From poor diet to and over the counter pain medicines, other causes of gut permeability include:
- The imbalance of intestinal flora
- Food allergies and sensitivities
SIBO
SIBO stands for small intestinal bacterial overgrowth and occurs when bacteria take up residence in the small intestine where it does not belong.
Major symptoms
The symptoms of SIBO are as follows:
- Stomach and abdominal pain
- Bloating
- Fatigue
- Diarrhea
- Constipation
- Nausea
- Loss of appetite
- Unintentional weight loss
Causes
The cause is the overgrowth of bacteria in the small intestine. Bacteria can populate the small intestines due to low levels of acid in the stomach, poor gut motility, week immunity, or other abnormalities of the small intestine.
Risk Factors
There is an increased risk of developing SIBO if you have:
- Used antibiotics
- IBS (irritable bowel syndrome)
- An injury or surgery in the small intestine
- Crohn’s disease or Celiac disease
- Diabetes
- Hypothyroidism
SIBO and skin
Your skin reflects the health of your gut. The most common skin condition linked to SIBO is rosacea. SIBO can cause escalating problems such as poor absorption of fats, carbohydrates, proteins, and vitamin deficiencies. All such abnormalities also affect your skin. Keep your gut healthy if you wish to keep your skin in a healthy condition. Consult a doctor for the treatment of SIBO if you have any of the symptoms mentioned above.
Treatment
Consult your physician and get SIBO treated. SIBO cannot be treated with diet. However, some have had success with natural antibiotics.
CANDIDA
Candida is a yeast and part of our natural gut microbiota. But when candida gets out of balance and begins to take over, problems arise.
Major Symptoms
The symptoms of Candida overgrowth are:
- nail and Skin fungal infections such as toenail, ringworm, athlete’s foot, and fungus.
- chronic fatigue
- bloating,
- constipation
- diarrhoea
- autoimmune conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis, ulcer, psoriasis, lupus, multiple sclerosis, or scleroderma.
- foggy brain feeling
- multiple skin issuesincluding hives, psoriasis, eczema, and rashes
- depression or anxiety
- mood swings
- vaginal infections
- urinary tract infections
Causes
The exact cause of candida overgrowth is not entirely understood. However, it is believed to be related to the gut microbiome’s disruptions, a diet high in sugar and processed carbs, antibiotics, and immune imbalances.
Candida and Skin
Candida can lead to blotchy skin, itchy skin, rashes, breakouts, eczema, and other skin conditions.
Treatment
Consult your physician and request a candida test. Improving gut motility and eating a high alkaline and whole foods diet with an abundance of green vegetables, vegetable juices and gut-healthy foods is helpful.
Food Sensitivity or Intolerance
Is there a particular food that you have noticed always gives you gas, abdominal pain, or diarrhoea? You may be sensitive or intolerant to it, which means your body has trouble digesting that particular food. A lot of people often confuse food sensitivities or food intolerance with food allergies. However, the body reacts completely differently to each of these two things.
Food allergies are an overreaction of your immune system towards certain foods. Even a small amount of the allergy-causing food can lead to hives and swollen airways. Usually, the reaction starts soon after eating the food you are allergic to. Food sensitivities, on the other hand, trigger a reaction in the digestive system. This, in turn, causes delayed immune reactions, which can lead to several chronic symptoms. Luckily, it is possible to completely resolve food sensitivity symptoms and their resultant conditions by simply changing your diet.
NATURAL SOLUTIONS
Now that you understand how your gut health affects your skin let’s review the must-have food for a healthy gut and glowing, perfect skin.
Collagen
Collagen is extremely beneficial for a healthy gut and skin. An easy way to boost up your collagen intake is to make bone broth. Collagen supplements are also available from most local health markets. My go to collagen is the Naked Collagen from Beauty Gen which is available at most leading health stores.
Probiotics
Probiotics are found in cultured foods and help to fight against the bad bacteria in the body. Eat foods such as yogurt, Sauerkraut, Kefir, Miso, Kimchi, cultured cucumbers, etc., to keep a good balance of bacteria in your gut flora.
Glutamine
Glutamine is infamous for healing up a leaky gut. The foods rich in glutamine include vegetable juices, parsley, carrots, spinach, cabbage, beets, beans, eggs, dairy products, fish, chicken, and beef. Fermented foods such as Sauerkraut and cabbage are also good sources of glutamine.
Vitamins
Your gut needs vitamins to maintain a healthy balance of microorganisms. It would help if you had a regular intake of all essential vitamins to keep your gut healthy. Include seafood, fermented food, green leafy vegetables, fibre-rich foods, and plenty of pure water in your daily diet.
Vitamin D
Vitamin D is great for digestion and a strong immune system. Good sources of vitamin D are fatty fish, liver, egg yolk, and mushrooms.
Clean Water
Stay hydrated. Drink lots of clean water to keep the right balance of bacteria in the gut. Water cleanses your digestive system. Staying hydrated keeps your skin glowing and gut in a well-balanced condition.
Clean Beauty Products
The use of beauty products can also influence the microbiome. May personal care products contain potent toxins that pass through the skin and into the body, where they disrupt our inner ecosystem. It’s recommended to use organic, non-toxic products on the skin to keep it nourished and prevent toxins exposure.
BOTTOM LINE
Healthy skin is dependent on a healthy gut. So, follow our guidelines and make the required changes in your diet and lifestyle to prevent gut issues so you can enjoy healthy and glowing skin.
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Here’s to a happier, healthier gut!
As always, all my love
Chenaye
xxx
