How Your Diet Affects Your Skin

Posted: January 7th, 2019

For people who are concerned about the right way to design a healthy diet and who value eating healthy, staying in good shape is just one part of the process of eating the right foods; a lesser known fact about unhealthy diets concerns the effect that poor eating habits can have on our appearance, particularly when it comes to our skin tone. Indeed, the key to a good skincare regimen often starts with the development of a healthy pattern of eating. 

Poor-Quality Diets and the "Disease of Kings" 

Until well into the 20th Century, unhealthy eating was the norm, and people were affected by their diets in ways ranging from how they felt (sluggish) and looked (likely pale and blemished). Vegetables were often excluded from the tables of all but the poorest eaters because, having come from the ground and grown from manure, they were seen as dirty, and diets based almost exclusively around meat and alcohol consumption (Henry VIII was said to have spent the equivalent of over $15 million per year on alcohol and meat, for example) often left eaters with debilitating diseases such as gout. In fact, diet-based diseases were such a problem prior to the 20th Century that gout was commonly referred to as the "Disease of Kings" due to the fact that meat-and-alcohol-heavy diets favored by the upper classes created an epidemic of the condition among the aristocracy of Europe. Poor diet didn't just affect aristocrats, however; life expectancy rates for the general population of countries such as England and the United States as recently as the 1910s was 49 years for men and 52 years for women. 

Negative Effects of Poor Diet on Health and Appearance 

In addition to the health effects wrought by poor diets, previous generations would have also experienced problems with their appearance; more than being overweight, suffering from diseases such as gout, and relying on alcohol in place of water due to lack of potable water supplies, eaters of the past would have struggled with poor skin complexion and regular acne breakouts due to vitamin deficiencies, dry skin, and constant sweating and overheating due to dehydration, a lack of nutrients, and excessive red meat and alcohol consumption. Even 100 years ago, and despite a culture that prized exercise as a foundation for well-being, healthy living was not properly understood in relation to food consumption. 

Living in a Fortunate Age 

Fortunately, our own time offers a much healthier selection of foods to choose from that will not only give our immune systems a boost but will also leave our skin looking bright and clear. Of course, proper water consumption is an essential facet of a healthy diet, and getting a healthy amount of H20 should be high on anyone's priority list when creating a new diet along with getting the right amount of fruit and vegetables per day. A visit to a day spa for a facial can also add to the benefits of a healthy diet, so be sure to reward yourself now and then with spa treatments to keep your skin looking great.  Above all else, be conscious of the food you put into your body and the effects such food can have. As history has shown, an unbalanced diet will not only have a negative effect on one's physical appearance but may just affect one's health as a whole. Remember, creating a healthy diet and a great experience is a journey, so enjoy the process!