Foods causing oily skin

Do you love hamburgers, pizzas, french fries or doughnuts? It's no surprise to know that all these oil-laden food items have a massive effect on your overall health, mood and even your skin!

As the old saying goes "You are what you eat."

What are 10 foods that could be causing your oily skin?

1. Salt

Consuming an excessive amount of salt can lead to dehydration in the skin. When your skin loses water and becomes dehydrated, it overproduces oil to counter dehydration.

2. Red meat

Your favourite sausages and bacon in your big breakfast might also be one of the contributing factors to oily skin. Red meat increases inflammation in the skin, which causes excess oil to be produced. 

3. Sugar

Sugary food spikes your blood sugar level and activates hormones in the body which stimulates oil production. 

4. Refined Carbohydrates

Switch to whole wheat pasta or rice to reduce your intake of refined carbohydrates. As you consume refined carbohydrates like white rice, your blood sugar increases tenfold, which also increases the release of insulin. 

5. Dairy products

It is no surprise that dairy products are interlinked with breakouts as there is a high content of hormones present in it, causing a clog in your pores. Try switching your full cream milk with oat, almond or soy milk!

6. Alcohol

 As a diuretic, it flushes out more salt and water than usual. This could lead to dehydration and causing the sebaceous glands in the skin to produce excess oil. 

7. Peanut butter

Your favourite morning spread might be the reason for your oily skin! Peanuts are known to contain an androgen, increasing overall sebum production.

8. Fried food

Yes, yes...fried food is an obvious cause of your oily skin. It contains a high amount of saturated and trans fats, which causes your oil glads to rev up.

9. Meat substitutes

Heard of Impossible or Beyond meat? Yes they are indeed the perfect meat substitute as they are made with soy by-products. However, these meat substitutes are highly processed, which might lead to excess sebum production. 

10. Soft drinks

Due to its high glycemic index level, soft drinks like Sprite, Coke, Pepsi creates an inflammatory response in the body. This essentially leads to increased production of oil content.