Glowing skin is an ‘Inside Job’

Many people often want to know the secret to healthy, glowing skin. You may be surprised to know that it’s not necessarily about the lotions and potions that you apply to your skin. It’s actually more of an inside job! Yes, beauty really does start from within. Some studies have even reported that gut health plays a crucial role in skin health and the chances are, if you have an unhealthy digestive system, this is likely to present itself in your skin. Cue spots, redness, uneven skin and a lot less sparkle.

21st-century living has brought on changes in our food habits and stress levels, which has ultimately caused a dramatic decline in our overall health and wellness. Foods high in sugar and excessive consumption of alcohol can cause a feeding frenzy for bad bacteria within our digestive tract, meaning that the ratio of bad bacteria to health-promoting good bacteria is out of balance. This can cause a whole host of inflammatory health issues, including those dreaded skin breakouts!

Here are some essential lifestyle tips for you to focus on this month in order to get youthful, glowing skin, just in time for summer!

Ditch The Sugar!
First things first… say goodbye to sugary foods! Processed foods such as cakes, sweets and biscuits are laden with sugar, which is one of the biggest contributors to ill health. Sugar is a highly inflammatory carbohydrate that can contribute to bacterial overgrowth in the gut, causing digestive distress as well as weakening our immune systems. High sugar diets have been linked with a variety of dermatological issues, so if you are looking to calm down any skin irritation, reducing your sugar intake is a key piece to the puzzle. Remember: don’t forget the hidden sugars; these can be found in condiments, salad dressings, and pre-packaged sauces. Become an ingredients snob. It’s the key to success!

Monitor Your Stress
Monitoring your stress levels is absolutely crucial when it comes to reducing inflammation within the gut. Studies have linked stress with intestinal permeability, which is another term for a leaky gut. Doing too much of anything is bad, and it is important to recognise that when we are pushing ourselves too much, there are going to be consequences, both internally and externally (i.e. in our skin and our gut). Becoming mindful of our stress levels is increasingly important these days so that we can discover ways to achieve peace during our hectic lives. Try meditation, yoga, breathing exercises and learn to be okay with saying ‘no’.  It’s crucially important that we don’t take on more than we can handle. Getting a good night’s sleep is also a good idea since our bodies use that time to rest, recover and recharge our cells within.

Say Hello To Probiotics!
Start introducing natural probiotics such as coconut milk kefir, fermented cabbage juice and sauerkraut into your daily regime. These are all probiotic-rich foods, which feed the good bacteria within your colon. Taking some form of gut-supporting probiotics (either in supplement form or food form) is an important aspect of achieving gastrointestinal balance.

With love, Laura x

Laura Butler, Lifestyle Intervention Consultant, Health & Habit Change Coach to busy women. Founder of the welLBe Transformation Systems’ and my website www.laurabutlercoaching.co.uk