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Healthy gut
beautiful skin and a healthy body
Skin problems are not just a skin thing
FIND OUT WHAT SHE NEEDS AND FOLLOW OUR NUTRITION GUIDE
FOR A HEALTHY GUT AND BEAUTIFUL SKIN
Acne in your mid-30s is not uncommon, nor is psoriasis, rosacea, dermatitis or dry and sallow skin. There are more women who suffer from skin problems than those who radiate with a perfect skin. Since we cannot hide our skin and especially our face, our psyche and thus our general well-being also suffers greatly from the skin problems that even make-up often cannot hide.
The solution is then often sought from the beautician, dermatologist or promising expensive products. Disillusionment and frustration are then all the greater when little or only short-term improvement occurs.
But then what is the solution?
From a holistic point of view, your skin is not only the mirror to your “soul” or psyche, but also to your intestines and thus to the health of your body, which in turn, since everything in our body is a cycle, is connected to your psyche.
Your intestine is, so to speak, the interface and basis for everything else in your body. It is the first starting point when it comes to general well-being, aging processes, lack of energy, your metabolism and strengthening your immune system. If it’s not doing well, you can experiment all you want in other places, there will be no long-term improvement, not even in your skin.
Connection of intestine and your skin
What do your gut and your skin have in common?
Quite a lot. Although invisible to the naked eye, a look under the microscope reveals that both tissues harbor amazing flora. With around one billion microorganisms per gram of intestinal wall, the colon is one of the most densely populated places in the world.
The surface of your skin is also full of life.
On two square meters of skin, there are about as many microbes as there are people on earth – virtually unimaginable for us. On closer inspection, it is therefore not surprising that there is a close connection between these two organs and their extensive microflora.
THE gut - brain - axis
When your gut is in trouble, your skin and overall well-being suffers as well.
“You are what you eat” – this statement is used almost inflationarily, and for good reason. Sensitive reactions in the intestine are reflected, among other things, in your skin. This connection has already been investigated in several studies and is nothing unknown in itself.
They show that people with skin problems often have weakened intestinal flora (e.g. too few lactobacilli and bifidobacteria) or attacked intestinal walls – problems that can be exacerbated by stress (hello, gut-brain axis)!
In addition to stress, medications such as antibiotics or laxatives, and an unhealthy diet deficient in key nutrients (see boxes) can also reduce the diversity of intestinal bacteria.
Studies have also shown that indigenous peoples have a greater diversity of microbial organisms in their gut than people from industrialized countries.
We have a full 40% less biodiversity in our gut than those closely associated with nature.
This reduction naturally affects the “cocktail” of substances produced by the bacteria, as well as the associated ability of our intestinal flora to absorb nutrients from our food and protect us from toxins.
That is why a healthy intestine is the basis for beautiful skin and your general well-being.
Healthy gut beautiful skin -
The scientific context
Your skin and your gut go hand in hand, as we noted above.
This may sound romantic at first, but the facts are rather dry. Skin and intestine are not only the human organs with the largest surface area and the densest microbial population, but they also develop from the same embryonic layer and thus have an extremely close connection as well as the same structure.
These two organs, with their extensive networks of nerves and blood vessels, are also connected via the immune system. No wonder, then, that these structures are in close contact with each other. Although there is still much to learn about it, the immune system also seems to play a special role in the gut-skin axis connection.
The intestinal flora, which weighs a total of one to two kilograms, plays a particularly important role here by constantly interacting with immune cells and thus stimulating the production of antibodies. This immunity-boosting exercise benefits both the skin and the gut.
Chemistry laboratory microbiome
Think of your microbiome is a powerful chemical laboratory that produces a variety of different substances – including for skin health, such as hyaluronic acid or the vitamin biotin. These, are important for the skin, but also to support the digestion and processing of food.
This “cocktail” of substances in our gut, thus affects our entire nervous system and metabolism, which also has of a lot of effects, also affects the blood flow to the skin.
Your skin - strong and sensitive at the same time
Your skin is your shield from outside influences and sometimes it’s amazing what it can’t take them all. At the same time, it is also sensitive and delicate.
Your skin has its own language and, it uses it to tell you something about your habits, feelings or your physical and mental balance. Redness, irritation, feelings of tightness or skin impurities, for example, quickly make us feel uncomfortable in our skin. But what disturbs this sensitive organ?
In addition to the natural, genetic process of skin aging, there are other factors that can present your skin with additional challenges. These include excessive sun exposure, certain medications, or improper skin care. An unhealthy lifestyle also leaves its mark on the skin: alcohol, nicotine, lack of sleep, stress, dehydration and, last but not least, a poor diet can negatively affect your skin appearance.
Intestinal bacteria for beautiful skin
If you, like many others, are struggling with skin issues or simply wish your skin would come back to its energy, we’ve found that you should focus not only directly on your skin, but also especially on your gut.
Because a healthy gut means beautiful skin and therefore more overall well-being, which is reflected in your overall radiance and energy.
An important step here is to support your gut microbes – especially lactobacilli and bifidobacteria. Because these must be supplied with the right food.
Nutrition guide for a healthy intestine
The first steps
Besides the fact that our intestines need the right nutrients for a healthy intestinal flora, it is often a matter of rebalancing the intestines in advance and ridding them of inflammation that strongly affects them.
Only then can it properly absorb the nutrients that its intestinal flora needs. Therefore, an anti-inflammatory diet, primarily based on avoiding gluten and dairy products as well as incorporating certain anti-inflammatory foods, is the first step towards a healthy gut and therefore beautiful skin.
You can find out how to take this first step in our articles:
10 ANTI-INFLAMMATORY FOODS FOR LONGEVITY
GLUTEN AND DAIRY FREE DIET – FOR A YOUNGER LOOK + RECIPES & SHOPPING LIST
Dietary fiber & bitter substances and their importance for skin and intestine
These bacteria like to feed on soluble fiber, which is especially abundant in plant foods such as fruits, vegetables, legumes and (gluten-free) whole grains. Foods such as artichokes, apples, berries or potatoes are particularly high on the list here.
Herbs like milk thistle and artichokes are also high on our popularity scale. They stimulate the liver and gallbladder, thus actively supporting intestinal digestion. But not only that, the right foods and herbs also promote detoxification of the liver, which at the same time relieves the skin, which it is one of our largest organs of detoxification.
Important vitamins for intestine and skin
Both the skin cells and the mucosal cells of your intestines require an optimal supply of nutrients due to their particularly active metabolism. Each metabolism and organ in our body has its own requirements. This also applies to the intestines and the skin. Important vitamins for them are vitamins A, E and C, as well as B2, niacin and biotin.
Vitamin A, B2, niacin and biotin have been shown to support mucosal health. Vitamins C, E and biotin strengthen your skin from the inside in various ways. Biotin provides your skin with protective lipids via the sebaceous glands, while vitamin C supports the production of collagen. Vitamin C and vitamin E work closely together to protect cells from oxidative stress, which can be caused by UV rays, among other things.
DAs Mag your intestine
- Soluble fiber from fruits, vegetables, legumes, and (gluten-free) whole grains
- bitter plants like milk thistle and artichokes
- fermented foods, such as sauerkraut
- Vitamins A, B2, niacin, biotin
- Sufficient liquid (water, unsweetened herbal tea, fresh vegetable juices)
- Preparation methods that are gentle on nutrients
WHAT YOUR GUT DOESN´T LIKE
- Not enough fiber
- Sugar
- unhealthy fats to high protein content
- Alcohol
- Food additives (found in highly processed foods such as prepared meals, ready-made sauces, etc.)
- Medications (antibiotics, laxatives, contraceptives, hormone preparations, etc.)
Summary
Now that we have found out that skin problems are not just a skin thing and a balanced gut microbiome is important not only for your gut but also for other organs like the skin as well as your overall well-being, you should take good care of its microbes. So then your intestinal bacteria are part of your natural beauty care from the inside.