Does chocolate cause spots?
The answer's not what you think!
Okay, so there’s a big fat finger of suspicion and it’s pointing right at chocolate.
But the answer’s ‘no’ – chocolate is completely innocent (at least on this charge).
Chocolate doesn’t cause spots. Fry-ups don’t cause spots. Fish ‘n’ chips don’t cause spots (just don’t touch your face with grease-laden fingers after bingeing on them).
In fact – get ready for it - spots aren’t caused by any food whatsoever. FULL STOP. EXCLAMATION MARK!
So is it case closed? Eat what you want?
Not exactly.
Whilst poor diet doesn’t cause spots it doesn’t exactly do your skin any favours. So if you want healthy, happy, glowing skin you better sort out what you eat (and drink).
Here’s how:
1. Become a water baby
Feeling thirsty? No? Well drink some water anyway! By the time you’re thirsty you’re already slightly dehydrated. So don’t wait for your body to start nagging you – give it what it wants before it has to ask! And what it wants is a minimum of eight glasses of water a day to carry essential nutrients around the body and help flush out toxins. And, no, you can’t get out of drinking water by saying you drink loads of tea and coffee. They’re diuretic which means they dehydrate you so DON’T COUNT!
2. Stand up for your fat friends
Omega-3 and omega-6 are fatty acids. Sounds pretty disgusting, we admit, but your skin absolutely loves them. After all, if you were skin wouldn’t you like to be gorgeously firm, smooth and healthily hydrated? Thought so! And if you knew that omega-3 and omega-6 would help you get that way, you’d love ‘em too! So be nice to your skin… introduce some omega-3 and omega-6-rich foods like salmon, olive oil, seeds and nuts into your diet and watch it glow with happiness.
3. Become an A student
Your skin also likes to hang out with antioxidants, like Vitamin A, because they’re really nurturing. Antioxidants are a shoulder to cry on for your skin: a shoulder to cry on that wipes away all the tears. That’s because antioxidants help counteract the damaging skin-ageing effects of pollution, sun exposure and smoking. Vitamin A, in particular, helps your skin when it’s a friend in need by helping to keep your skin cells intact. It also reduces the production of sebum – the oil that can clog pores and lead to spots. Lovely, jubbly! I think I’ll be having some sweet potatoes, orange, grapefruit, cantaloupe melons, papaya, carrots, spinach, kale, liver and fish liver oil then! Just take care if you’re pregnant since it’s the sort of friend you can only take in small doses.
4. Get a C-eason ticket
Vitamin C is another antioxidant, so another of your skin’s great mates. It helps the body produce and maintain collagen – the glue that holds cells together and keeps your skin firm, smooth and as delicious looking as a peach. It’s found in citrus fruits, cherries, red and green peppers, broccoli and bean sprouts. So get eating!
5. Hang out with Zinc-y baby!
Vitamin C is most on form when it’s hangin’ with zinc. So if you want your collagen looking good and your cells all happy, don’t keep these friends apart. Whilst you get a Vitamin-C fix, get in your zinc too by gobbling up some pecans, pumpkin seeds, whole-wheat flour, rye flour, oat floor, oysters or red meat.
6. E-asy does it!
Vitamin E is another antioxidant – and, again, your skin loves it. It helps your skin retain moisture and helps minimise the damage caused by the sun. The result? Vitamin E helps keep cells younger, healthier and all-round fabulous. No wonder Vitamin E is so popular and you see it everywhere in skin creams that reduce scarring and heal dry patches. Vitamin E is found in many cereals (check out the vitamins listed on the pack) and in vitamin supplements. Couldn’t your skin do with a bit of TLC? Thought so!
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