“You are what you eat.” This saying is definitely true. What you eat reflects who you are. Eating foods that cause acne is the reason you have acne. And now you are wondering what it is that the foods you eat cause acne. Don’t be sad because I will tell you which foods you should cut down on or avoid to achieve that blemish free skin.

Acne is a big problem, especially for teenagers. I am right? Because during that stage, teenagers are very concerned about their physical appearance. Now let me tell you this, diet is an important key in your health. Any food you eat affects your body. So what are the foods you should avoid or cut down on? They are the following:

1.Salt

You are aware that too much salt is dangerous for your health, but the problem is that there are other foods rich in salt that you probably don’t know about or are simply unaware of. Let me ask you. Do you eat processed foods? What about prepackaged foods? And I bet your answer is yes, so you’re eating a lot of salt which, by the way, can irritate your skin and promote acne breakouts. Not only that, too much salt is detrimental to your health, especially your cardiovascular and circulatory systems, as it can cause water retention and increased blood pressure.

So what are those high-salt foods? They are the following:

• Canned products

• Cheese

• Sausages

• Ham

• Bacon

• Hot dogs

• Junk food

• Canned sauces

• Seasoning mix; and etc

2. Artificial sweeteners

Artificial sweeteners contain chemicals that can irritate your skin or even react negatively. Therefore, it causes acne breakouts. So, stick to your average table sugar – it can be brown or organic sugar.

3. Fatty foods

Excessive intake of fatty foods can increase sebum production to secrete excess oils. With that, an increase in the sebaceous glands in the skin pores can lead to the formation of acne due to increased fat deposition. To avoid it, you need to eat less fat to avoid any acne problems as well as to prevent any health problems. It is very important to eat foods rich in good cholesterol or high-density lipoprotein (HDL). HDL lowers the amount of bad cholesterol, which is low-density lipoprotein (LDL).

Examples of HDL are as follows:

• Oatmeal

• High fiber foods

• Fish like tuna, salmon, sardines, mackerel (which are rich in omega 3 which is good for the heart)

4. Caffeine

Caffeine is a stimulant. As a stimulant, it disrupts the sleep pattern. Once it is interrupted, stress ensues. Once there is stress in our body, our body compensates for it by changing hormone levels. Once the hormone levels increase, one of its effects is the appearance of acne.

Examples of caffeinated foods are:

• Coffee

• Tea

• Coke

• Even chocolates

Foods that cause acne have already been mentioned above. The only thing you can do to prevent such flare-ups is to reduce your intake of these foods or, much better, avoid them. To achieve that clear skin takes a lot of effort. It includes taking care of your body, especially the food you eat. Because what you eat really affects the functionality of your body.