Want glowing skin? Avoid red meat, alcohol in summer

If you have oily or dry skin, be wary of the foods you intake, warns Dr Vandana Punjabi.

Summer, we all know, brings along a whole new set of skin problems.

From breakouts to sunburn, those with dry and oily skin are the worst hit.

If you want your skin to glow in the summers, here are some foods you should absolutely stay away from:

Unsaturated fats

The grease and oil in foods you consume can also lead to oily skin. If you love snacking on deep fried food or junk food, your skin is bound to be oily.

The saturated and trans fats that you eat, push your skin glands to secrete more oil, making your skin oily.

Foods that are cooked in heavy oils such as burgers, French fries and chips have a large ratio of omega-6 fatty acids that can wreak havoc on your skin.

Dairy products

Dairy products contain high levels of hormones that clog pores and trigger breakouts.

If your skin is sensitive to the hormones in the milk, dairy products too can make your skin oily and increase your risk of acne breakout.

Dairy products contain hormones that tend to clog pores, making the skin more oily.

Alcohol

It not only dehydrates your skin but also, makes it more prone to breakouts.

Alcohol causes your body to lose vital minerals like vitamin A and electrolytes, which can leave your skin looking dull, gray, and even puffy.

It also makes your skin look rather red, especially in the cheek and nose area, after a late night party.

Refined carbohydrates

Foods such as white bread, white rice, and other refined carbohydrates are high on the glycemic index, which means they cause a sharp rise and drop in your blood sugar.

Cereal, pasta and other products made from refined flour can make your skin oily.

Studies have shown that high glycemic foods can cause increased oil production as well as acne, so stick to foods low on the scale such as whole grain foods and non-starchy vegetables for less oily skin.

All these foods have a high glycemic index that tends to increase oil production in the skin.

Sugar and sugary drinks

Sugar can cause a variety of health and mental issues, so it's no surprise that the sweetener also does damage to your skin.

Sugar is not only hard on our waistlines, but it also promotes oil glands to produce more oil.

Eating sugar drastically raises your insulin levels, which causes rapid inflammation in your body, affecting your skin as well. These include candy, beverages, flavored milk, sodas and packaged fruit juices.

Red meat

Red meat is also rich in trans fat that increase oil secretion in your skin, making you more prone to breakouts.

It also increases body heat which may not be a good thing.

Besides it stimulates testosterone and higher level of hormones lead to more skin cell growth and more sebum being produced which results in blockage of pores.

So, the key is to have a balanced diet and manage the intake of foods that produce heat, oil and foods that dehydrate your skin.

Lead image used for representational purposes only. Photograph: Michael Dalder/Reuters

The author Dr Vandana Punjabi is consultant dermatologist, cosmetologist and trichologist, Nanavati Superspecialty Hospital, Mumbai.