Foods that Cause Pimples:Stop Eating Them Right Now

Well, contrary to what we may want to believe, diet is a likely culprit in causing acne. A 2002 study published in the Archives of Dermatology shows strong evidence to prove that certain foods can cause breakouts. The theory is that refined carbs cause your insulin levels to spike, which in turn leads to increased sebum production and clogged pores. 

So, now that you know that the food and acne relationship is not a myth, you must also know the common foods that can cause pimples.

Chocolate

We do know that a high-sugar diet like chocolate can increase sebum production and promote inflammatory responses in the body, which can lead to acne. In fact, milk and white chocolate overall have more dairy, sugar and other additives than dark chocolate.

Spicy Foods

Foods with too much spice especially affect your skin if you use sauces bought from stores. Homemade chilli sauce with fresh peppers is not that bad. It’s not necessary that spicy foods will affect your skin condition but if you ask an expert what food causes pimples, spiced ones will sure feature in the list.

Cheese

A 2005 article in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology examined the diets of 47,355 women and found a strong connection between milk and milk product (like cream cheese, sherbet, instant breakfast drinks and cottage cheese) intake and breakouts. Now you know why you need to go easy on that pizza.

Nuts

Many people have experienced that eliminating nuts and products that made with nuts, such as peanut butter helps in managing and preventing their pimples. This may not be true for everyone but who knows this might just work for you.

Sushi

Shocked? Well, we too were when we found that out. But, take our word and avoid eating sushi rolls, sprinkling kelp on your salads and adding spirulina to your smoothies--all of these contain enough iodides to cause an acne cyst to erupt within the week.

Milk

Okay, so the logic behind avoiding cheese applies here; in fact it applies to all dairy products. Study of 4,273 teenage boys also found an association between milk and acne flare-ups. Much of the milk that we drink is produced by pregnant cows and contains high levels of hormones that can send oil glands into overdrive. Dairy products rate high in the list of foods that cause pimples.

French Fries

Of course, you knew that always but never left eating them. The fact that it’s not the fat in fast food that seems to cause breakouts; it’s the processed carbs should be novel to you. Science is finally catching up in finding the real reason behind what causes negative effects on your skin.

Soda

Soda is loaded with refined sugar—and eating or drinking high glycemic foods (such as soda) can lead to increases in blood sugar and fat levels. To battle the spikes in blood sugar, the body will then produce more insulin and testosterone, which can lead to skin inflammation and clogged pores.

The consensus seems to be that there are no common foods that have the same effect on every person. For example, chocolate may cause breakouts in one person but cheese may spark acne in another. Each person responds differently to certain types of foods, and abovementioned are specific foods that cause pimples.