By Vaughn Gray

1. Avoid Sugar, White Bread, and Other Processed Carbs.

Your skin reflects the health of your whole body, and nothing undermines health like processed carbohydrates. Not only do these non-foods destabilize blood sugar, starving your cells for nutrition; they actually promote chemical reactions in your skin that lead to dryness and premature aging. Further, processed carbs feed bad bacteria, fungi, and other evil microorganisms in your gut. An unhealthy gut leads to a build up of toxins in your system, and some of these toxins end up coming out through your skin, leading to breakouts. When it comes to carbs, stick to beans, whole grains, and fruit, and your whole body – your skin included - will thank you for it.

2. Make a Friend of Your Liver

Your liver performs many functions, but one of them is cleaning house. All of the pollution that we eat, drink, and inhale has to be cleaned up by the liver, or it would soon poison us. In these overly polluted times, many people’s livers are overwhelmed with toxins. When the liver is overwhelmed, higher levels of toxins circulate freely in the blood, and many of these end up leaving the body through the skin, leaving skin blotchy and prone to breakouts. To clean up your liver, avoid processed foods (frozen meals, snack chips, and anything containing dyes or preservatives) and think about taking a liver cleansing supplement – milk thistle and dandelion are good choices. Alternatively, start eating dandelion greens in your salads. Finally, consider trying our One Week Detox program.

3. Exercise

Exercise is great for every system in your body, and you skin is no exception. Exercise increases circulation to the skin, riding it of damaging toxins and brining in oxygen and nutrients that make skin cells healthier. Exercise also helps get rid of subcutaneous fat deposits that can leave skin looking dull and uneven.

4. Hydrate

One of the fastest way to damage your skin cells is to let yourself get dehydrated. Most people should be drinking at least 3 to 4 liters of high quality water per day. Quality water means pure water with plenty of electrolytes. A small pinch of sea salt – not enough to taste – added to filtered water will supply electrolytes and help your cells get hydrated. This is why Gatorade and other sports drinks have salt in them. Without salt, filtered water goes right through you. A number of bottled waters, including Fiji, Voss, and Smart Water, have a good supply of electrolytes as they are.

5. Eat Healthy Fat

A healthy body and healthy skin require a good supply of healthy fat in your diet. Omega 3 fats from fish or fish oil and Omega 9 fat from olive oil are both wonderful for skin health and general health. Alaskan salmon is the best source of Omega 3 fat, plus it contains a chemical called DMAE that many people believe firms skin and also improves thinking and memory. A little saturated fat is an important part of a healthy diet as well. Consume grass fed beef, organic pork, or organic butter, yogurt, or cheese in moderation.