March 03, 2025

Anti-Inflammatory Foods For Skin Health

The skin is a reflection of our internal environment, therefore skin conditions are often indicative of an underlying issue and can tell us a lot about what is happening in the body. Inflammatory skin conditions therefore, such as acne and peri-oral dermatitis, indicate a level of internal inflammation. 

A whole food diet, diverse in plant foods and rich in skin loving nutrients is the foundation of healthy, balanced skin. Reducing inflammatory foods and including an abundance of fresh, unprocessed whole foods is a good place to start. The main inflammatory food groups include gluten, dairy, sugar, caffeine, alcohol & seed oils, therefore reducing your overall intake of these foods and finding high quality anti-inflammatory alternatives is incredibly supportive of skin health. 

On the flip side, we also have foods that work to reduce systemic inflammation. Anti-inflammatory foods to include in abundance are garlic, ginger, turmeric, berries, nuts & seeds, oily fish and dark leafy green vegetables. 


Specific skin-loving nutrients that help to reduce inflammation include:

  • Omega 3 – omega 3 fatty acid are anti-inflammatory and supportive of a healthy skin barrier. Deficiencies in omega 3 often manifest on the skin as irritation, rashes & acne. Unfortunately the modern diet is heavily skewed towards omega 6 foods, so it is important to ensure balance.

  • Antioxidant rich foods reduce inflammation in the body and support glowing skin. Antioxidants are found in brightly coloured fruit and vegetables (eating the rainbow is key!) such as berries, turmeric, sweet potato, red capsicum, beetroot, pumpkin & leafy green vegetables.

  • Other nutrients that help to dampen the histamine (aka inflammatory response), specifically to environmental triggers (hello Spring) include vitamin C (found in citrus fruits, Brussel sprouts, kiwi fruit & papaya), zinc (found in pumpkin seeds, oysters & wholegrains), quercetin (found in capers, berries & apples), and vitamin A (found in organic liver, pumpkin, sweet potato & dark leafy green vegetables)

 

Words By Clinical Naturopath - Alice Flannery.