Want Healthy, Glowing Skin? Focus on Nutrition

It goes without saying that what you eat directly impacts your overall health. Many of these effects are pretty straightforward. Eat plenty of protein to support strong and healthy muscles. Increase your fiber and water intake to improve digestion. The list goes on. 

However, there are some connections that are a bit more subtle, but arguably just as powerful. One of these is the way your diet can affect your skin. Don’t believe us? Take a second and think back to a time when you binged your favorite sweet or salty treats. If we had to guess, you probably woke up the next morning to a new breakout or extra oily skin. 

How does this happen? The answer lies in something called the gut-skin axis. Let us explain. 

What is the Gut-Skin Axis? 

The gut and the skin have a lot in common. They both house a significant part of your immune system, which means they play key roles in helping your body protect itself against pathogens. They also both contain nerves that are vital to the functioning of your neuroendocrine messaging system. Essentially, this means that both the gut and skin are able to receive messages from the brain and pass them on to other systems in the body. Perhaps most importantly, the skin also has its own microbiome just like the gut does. Both of these microbiomes are made up of good and bad bacteria that help keep your body as healthy as possible. 

All these similarities help facilitate an important and complex connection known as the gut-skin axis. Put simply, this connection allows the gut and skin to interact with and influence each other’s health. This connection goes both ways, but the impact your gut can have on your skin is profound. 

How Your Gut Can Impact Your Skin

The health of your gut microbiome tends to have a ripple effect throughout your body. The healthier your gut is, the healthier the other systems in your body are likely to be. Thanks to the gut-skin axis, your skin is no exception. While there are a number of ways that your gut can impact the look and feel of your skin, many of them come back to two things - providing it proper nutrients and cleansing it of toxins. Let’s take a look at both. 

Providing Your Skin with Proper Nutrients 

Your digestive system is responsible for the breakdown and absorption of all of the important nutrients that your body needs. The skin is just one of the many organs that need this nourishment. Without important nutrients like vitamin A, vitamin E, zinc, and collagen, your skin will lack the softness and glow you are hoping for. When your gut is healthy, it is better able to break down the food you eat and transfer the necessary nutrients to the skin. Of course, a healthy gut isn’t the only thing you need here. The food you fuel your body with is equally important, but more on that later. 

Clearing Out Waste and Toxins

Every system in your body creates waste products as a result of its normal processes. In addition to that, you also come into contact with a variety of toxins on a daily basis due to environmental exposure. Your digestive system is basically the clearinghouse for all the waste and toxins in your body. When it comes to your skin, this important function of the gut is two-fold. First of all, any toxins that pass through your skin will be sent to your gut to be eliminated. Perhaps more importantly, since all the waste and toxins have to pass through your gut to be discarded, there is also a chance that some of them can pass through to your skin via the gut-skin axis if your gut is not functioning properly. Needless to say, having a healthy gut is a vital part of keeping unwanted toxins from harming your skin. 

Keeping Your Gut and Skin Healthy 

Now that you understand the connection between your gut health and your skin, you can take advantage of it to keep your skin as supple and glowing as possible. 

There are many habits you can start adopting that will support the health of your gut and skin. However, the best thing you can do is focus on fueling your body with plenty of whole foods and natural, gut-supporting supplements. Here are a few tips to help you get started. 

1. Cut Out Processed Foods

While convenient, processed foods often contain larger amounts of sugar, fat, and salt, which can all negatively impact your gut microbiome when consumed in excess. Of course, this in turn will affect your skin as well. Additionally, when foods are heavily processed they tend to lose some of their nutritional value. For example, heating or drying food can cause important vitamins and minerals to be destroyed, and a lack of these nutrients can be detrimental for both your gut and skin.  

2. Increase Your Fiber Intake

Fiber helps promote a healthy digestive system by nourishing the bacteria in the gut so they can thrive. A thriving colony of bacteria ultimately leads to improved digestion. This means your gut will be able to efficiently dispose of all the waste and toxins in your body that could otherwise wreak havoc on your skin.

3. Enjoy Foods Rich in Vitamins and Antioxidants

Your skin needs an array of nutrients to thrive, but vitamins and antioxidants are of special importance. Antioxidants help protect your skin from being damaged by free radicals. Meanwhile, various vitamins can help your skin maintain moisture, prevent collagen breakdown, and can help minimize the physical effects of sun damage. Some of the best foods for both of these vital nutrients are avocados, oranges and other citrus fruits, broccoli, tomatoes, bell peppers, and kiwis.

4. Stay Hydrated

A hydrated gut is a happy gut. Ensuring you drink plenty of water every day will make sure your digestive system is able to properly and efficiently digest food and remove waste. In addition, keeping your body hydrated will also help improve your skin elasticity and appearance. So really, it’s a win-win. 

5. Consider a Supplement for Gut Support

Sometimes, your body may need a little more than what you can provide through your diet. That’s where gut-support supplements come in. These supplements are designed to seed your gut with good bacteria and provide the nourishment those microbes need to thrive. With that being said, it’s important to remember that not all supplements are created equal. Make sure you choose a supplement that is made from natural ingredients that are known to support a healthy digestive system. 

Turn To Essentials To Keep Your Gut and Skin Healthy

Who would ever have guessed that the secret to healthy, glowing skin would be something as simple as taking care of your gut? 

Essentials from New Earth is created for this very purpose. These convenient daily packets include probiotics, prebiotics, and digestive enzymes that all work together to support a healthy gut microbiome. As an added bonus, Essentials also includes the near-perfect superfood known as organic Wild MicroalgaeTM to nourish your gut with a variety of macro and micronutrients. 

The best part is you can put it to the test risk-free with our 60-day money back guarantee.