If you adopted a healthier lifestyle, have you seen an improvement in skin & hair?

E

e_nmn_m

O.G.
Jan 4, 2006
597
4
#1
I need an incentive to eliminate chocolate pastries from my diet.

After a week of playing with makeup, I am wondering if I will notice a change in my skin. I have clear skin, but it tends to be dull. If I take my vitamins, do pilates, and eat more fish...will I notice a difference?

I'm slender, so I have never had an obvious incentive to watch my food intake or do any activity that results in sweat. But I would rather have a natural healthy glow than one that comes from a bottle.

Opinions? Comments? Advice?
 
#2
e_nmn_m said:
I need an incentive to eliminate chocolate pastries from my diet.

After a week of playing with makeup, I am wondering if I will notice a change in my skin. I have clear skin, but it tends to be dull. If I take my vitamins, do pilates, and eat more fish...will I notice a difference?

I'm slender, so I have never had an obvious incentive to watch my food intake or do any activity that results in sweat. But I would rather have a natural healthy glow than one that comes from a bottle.

Opinions? Comments? Advice?
Click to expand...

For one, eating healthy delays the aging process. Sugar causes wrinkles and reduces elasticity over time as we age. Fruits and vegetables will also help your skin glow more, especially leafy greens and foods like tomatoes and carrots, sweet potatoes, and other foods rich in vitamins. Fruits like blueberries contain antioxidants which help with sun and environmental damage. It is a better and more direct way to get nutrients to your skin by eating. You will likely notice a difference in your skin, but even if not immediately, your skin will thank you over time when you are older. A friend my mom worked with who RETIRED, I was convinced he was late 30s early 40s max, and it turns out he was 60!!!! He ate super healthy.
 
#3
e_nmn_m said:
I need an incentive to eliminate chocolate pastries from my diet.

After a week of playing with makeup, I am wondering if I will notice a change in my skin. I have clear skin, but it tends to be dull. If I take my vitamins, do pilates, and eat more fish...will I notice a difference?

I'm slender, so I have never had an obvious incentive to watch my food intake or do any activity that results in sweat. But I would rather have a natural healthy glow than one that comes from a bottle.

Opinions? Comments? Advice?
Click to expand...

I'd love to know the same thing. I've always been thin, so never bother to watch what I eat or do all that much exercise, but I am starting to think about the general health benefits and the benefits for my skin and hair.

I take vitamins, but they don't seem to make all that much difference.
 
#5
I'm really curious about this too. For the past 6 months I've been suffering from adult acne after having pretty much clear skin before then. It's been really upsetting for me. I'm going to a derm for the first time in my life in two weeks. I'm slender as well but I would like to be more toned, so I'm going to go on a diet and exercise regime as well. I'm hoping this holistic approach will not only help my body but my acne as well.
 
#6
I notice a ridiculous difference when I eat healthier. The more fish, green tea, leafy greens, and berries I ingest, the brighter my eyes get and the clearer my skin looks. I do try to eat a mainly vegan diet (try being the operative word) and when I cut out dairy and sugar I find the less bloated and dull my face is, not to mention my body is less bloated.
 
#7
Long post, sorry if I bore everyone!

I've always eaten pretty healthily, but in the past few months I've kind of kicked it up a notch, after experiencing a couple of breakouts after starting my first job. I've been really strict about sticking to unprocessed, organic, low fat foods, and have drastically lowered my carb intake, sticking to proteins (and tons of fish & vegetables!) instead. I work out with my trainer at least twice a week, and try to get to the gym as many evenings as possible (work permitting). I'm also drinking water like crazy - probably averaging about 3 litres a day.

I have noticed HUGE changes to my skin, and my well-being in general. I don't really have any proof of this, but I kinda feel that it's the reduction in my carb intake that's helped most. The texture of my skin has improved a great deal, it is much more fresh-looking, and much less dull than it used to be. I've had quite a few compliments on how "healthy" I look, too, which is always nice!

I've found it fairly easy for the most part, but remembering the amazing changes I've seen to my skin keeps me on track. The morning chocolate croissant and espresso are sooooo tempting at times, especially after a crazy late night at work, but I've tried to find healthy substitutes for the things I love - and I still do treat myself with 90% cocoa solids chocolate. And most importantly, I still get to eat as much sashimi as I want!

I'd really recommend giving it a go. It does involve making sacrifices, but to me, the results have definitely been worth it.
 
#8
I agree- and cutting out dairy is amazing for skin too- I've heard plenty of people say their skin changed after cutting out dairy. Another good tip is to eliminate all white and beige foods from your diet if you want to see these changes. If you can't give up carbs the switch from white bread to whole wheat, white rice to brown, etc. Dark chocolate is good if you have a sweet tooth- not Hershey or processed chocolate, but true dark chocolate. If it's wine you love, there are plenty of organic choices and Pinot Noir is actually considered a super food although like everything should be consumed in moderation.
 
#9
LovesYSL said:
I agree- and cutting out dairy is amazing for skin too- I've heard plenty of people say their skin changed after cutting out dairy.
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Absolutely agree with this; switching to soy/almond milk products has been a big part of my diet change. I now seem to break out when I eat anything with more than a tiny bit of cheese, although I never noticed it making a difference to me before - which really, really sucks, because I love cheese so much!

I've also added some supplements - in particular, spirulina and chlorella, as well as a multivitamin + omega 3 supplement. And on top of all this, I've started drinking a mixture of pure acai juice and pure pomegranate juice every morning, which is tasty and really good for the skin.
 
#10
Absolutely.

I eat way too much junk/fast food and there's a direct correlation between that and my skin. I tend to get under-the-skin comedones and they're drastically reduced when I eat healthier, unprocessed foods.
 
#11
It will definitely make a difference if you replace the junk food with good food, but also keep in mind if this process stresses you out it will basically negate any of the healthy effects the changes will bring to your diet. Stress tends to break people out and keeps weight on. I think cold-turkey processes are stressful so keep that in mind; maybe opt for cutting back on chocolate/pastries instead?
 
#12
i used to have the best skin ever. ppl would come up to me to ask me if they could feel my face. and then i started exercising and eating healthier and my skin is the worst its ever been in my life :sad:
 
#13
monstar said:
i used to have the best skin ever. ppl would come up to me to ask me if they could feel my face. and then i started exercising and eating healthier and my skin is the worst its ever been in my life :sad:
Click to expand...

Did you ever think you might be consuming something you have an intolerance to? Or that other factors may be to blame?
 
#14
What do you mean, no dairy?? I love a piece of cheese after dinner. And mac 'n cheese. And egg nog. And cream based pasta sauces (though I do eat those in extreme moderation.)

A chocolate croissant sounds like the ideal breakfast. :smile: OK, not every day, and not the big American "croissants" but yum, yum...on a snowy Saturday morning = heaven.

All right, folks, what I'm really asking is, how LONG do I need to wait until I notice any difference? I thought a month, enough time for a complete skin cycle.
 
#15
I felt my skin was noticeably better after just one week. I really didn't have "bad" skin, by any stretch of the imagination, but it became much smoother and fresh-looking a matter of days after I cut out dairy and slashed my carb intake. I do cheat occasionally....and it's always cheese that gets me. But I sat down for a while to work out some healthier substitutes that I enjoy enough to keep me from feeling like I never get to eat the foods I love, and it's worked pretty well for me so far.

In my opinion, it's definitely worth giving it a try - but I'd recommend that if you decide to go for it, really be strict with yourself at first - for about a month. That way you can best evaluate whether the sacrifice is worth it based on the results you are seeing/feeling. Everyone's body is different; if there are only minor changes, you might not feel it's worth giving up all that dairy goodness! Equally, if you see a huge improvement in your skin, it will motivate you to keep it up. Take some before/after photos if you think it will help!

However, do remember to watch your calcium intake if you're considering cutting out dairy....
 
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