It’s safe to say that most people turn to vegan lifestyle and plant-based nutrition either for ethical reasons (animal rights, climate change, planet protection) or for health reasons, as it’s proven that this kind of nutrition can protect us from cardiovascular diseases and certain types of cancer, it can help with autoimmune diseases and it can offer gut microbiome balance and immune system support. Some for both. None of them (I think) tried veganism to be more beautiful. But what if it comes on the way? Why say no to one more benefit?
One of the first things I noticed in myself when I made the transition to a vegetarian diet at first and then to a balanced vegan diet, avoiding processed foods, was that besides feeling more energetic, I felt a kind of freshness on my skin. Like those times when you get out of bed and had a good sleep or feel happy and everyone tells you you’re glowing… Something like that but on a more permanent base. So what exactly happens and how can a vegan, plant-based diet, affect our skin and beauty?
The first thing we need to emphasize on is that according to research, the worst enemy of our skin, that is proven to activate acne and cause skin problems and wrinkles is dairy. According to research published in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics dairy and foods with high glycemic index are considered a primary cause of acne. The reason for this is that cow milk contains IGF-1 (insulin-like growth factor-I), a hormone that manages the effects of growth hormone and seems to cause acne.
Furthermore, lactose intolerance which gets more common as we get older, can also play a role in acne cases. As far as wrinkles are concerned, dairy can be blamed in some cases, as they may increase inflammation in the body. Inflammation is the main cause of oxidative stress which can cause premature aging. On the other hand, calcium, which is found in dairy, is essential from skin health. But we can also get it from plant sources like broccoli, almonds, beans, figs, leafy greens so no harm no foul.
Being vegan, apart from keeping you away from animal products, makes you fill your plate with colorful fruits and vegetables which is a double benefit: not only do you stay away from processed foods and saturated fat, but also you get more antioxidants, fiber and vitamins. Automatically, this affects your skin by giving it light and glow and by reducing swelling –the power of antioxidants that fight free radicals. I’ve noticed myself that a lot of my patients that make the transition tend to glow in their next visits. On the one hand we have the nutritional value of fruit and vegetables that keep us hydrated, give us a lot of different vitamins with C being one of them (vitamin C helps in the production of collagen), fight free radicals dut to their antioxidant content. On the other hand we have the feeling of wellness and rejuvenation you get when you get rid of fatty, non nutritional foods, which give their place to high nutritional value foods. This is easily reflected on our skin and face, with a sense of glow that makes you more beautiful without make up or extra care.
Furthermore, those who go from vegetarian to vegan are mostly people who are more likely to change their everyday life focusing on health and balance. This may mean more exercise and motion, better sleep, lower use of alcohol, no smoking, more stretching, meditation and a tendency for more alternative types of medicine like acupuncture and homeopathy, better selection of self-care products. In general, all these are truly important for gut microbiome, general health, mood and immune system, which can’t but be shown also in our face.
Another big chapter in vegan nutrition, besides fruits and vegetables is the consumption of many nuts and seeds. These foods are also rich in antioxidants and at the same time they provide us with good, healthy fat that help our system absorb fat-soluble vitamins that are linked to skin, hair and nails health. Antioxidant vitamin E and omega-3 fatty acids we find in nuts and seeds like almonds, flaxseed, nuts, chia seeds, offer hydration to the skin, protection from free radicals and also serious protection from UV rays.
Deficiencies can definitely have a negative impact on your skin, so it’s absolutely important to have guidance from an expert that will ensure you get all the right amounts of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants from a variety of plant sources. If turning vegan means bread, fries and pasta to you, you are most likely to have deficiencies and see your skin stay the same or even deteriorate, with black circles under the eyes, thin hair and nails pale skin, bad complexion, even hair loss. A balanced vegan diet with a variety of colorful plant foods is essential for our health and skin to glow and you’ll probably need the guidance of a nutritionist so as to get adequate iron, B12, calcium, good fat from foods. This shouldn’t scare you as deficiencies are common in every type of nutrition that is not balanced, not just plant-based.
But even if you’re not ready for this step, you can go ahead with smaller ones. You can, for starters, avoid cow milk and processed foods for a while, until you get to the next level. The changes you will see and feel will give you the urge to move on, even healthier and glow-ier!
Resources
https://jandonline.org/article/S2212-2672(12)01923-5/fulltext
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7380694/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3583891/
