Why Everything You Know About Healthy Eating Could Be Wrecking Your Skin

When you hear the word fat come up in discussions about food, what is your first reaction? If you’re like most of the American population, your reaction is likely negative. Fats are synonymous with the word, “bad” in our culture. When we are inspired to get healthy, the first thing we tend to do is cut out fat from our diet. We seek out low-fat alternatives and limit our fat intake as much as we possibly can.

But when we eliminate the fat from our diet, we are doing ourselves a huge disservice in terms of our health. Because contrary what we’ve become accustomed to believing, fat is actually good. Somehow along the way “being fat” got confused with “eating fat,” and the result is that in our efforts to avoid being fat, we simply refuse to eat large quantities fat.

Granted there is one kind of fat that is bad for us. That’s trans fats, found in processed and refined foods, but aside from these fats, the rest of them are vital to our health. And perhaps the most vital of these fats are known as Essential Fatty Acids (EFAs). They are known as essential because our bodies can’t produce them on our own. They MUST come from our diet. And the low fat fad diets are one of the primary reasons why 8 in 10 people are deficient in EFAs.

So big deal. We are probably deficient in all sorts of vitamins and minerals that are important, and nothing much happens as a result, right?

Wrong.

Without getting too much into the science of it, EFAs are vital for a whole slew of functions within the body. We need EFAs to maintain a healthy heart, to lubricate our joints, to assist with brain function AND to maintain healthy skin. EFAs allow our cells to protect themselves from damage and to regulate the nutrients that get through. And they also play a big role in hydration and maintaining the free water levels beneath the skin’s surface. When we are low on EFAs, our body adapts and sends whatever is available to the most important areas first. That means the heart and brain are at the top of the list. And what do you think is at the very bottom?

That’s right – the skin.

When the skin isn’t getting enough EFAs, it means that the skin cells can’t properly do their job, resulting in holding onto old cells longer than they should and the inability to flush out harmful toxins and waste.

For the skin, this means a flat, matte appearance, redness, breakouts that won’t heal, eczema and related dry conditions, capillary damage, premature aging, loss of resiliency, and a plethora of other unattractive conditions. If you’ve ever wondered why it seems like you’re doing all sorts of healthy skincare treatments, eating a low-fat “healthy” diet and still not seeing the results you hope for, EFA deficiency could be the cause.

Expecting your skin to look vibrant and healthy without providing it with EFAs, is like sending your kid to school without books, pencils and notebooks. They are in the right place, but don’t have the tools to achieve anything. Our skin is in the same situation when we don’t provide it with EFAs.

Menopausal women struggle with EFA deficiency the most. As menopause occurs, many women notice an increase in weight due to slower metabolism and hormone changes. Naturally, they combat this weight gain by eating less and cutting fat like we mentioned earlier. This usually doesn’t help their weight much AND leaves them short of EFAs and now struggling with their skin as well.

Supplying your body with EFAs is the first step to any successful skincare regimen. Lots of times when a specific course of action is not working at the salon level, it’s because a person is deficient in EFAs. That means no matter what we do in the spa bed, it will have little to no effect.

That’s why it’s vital to do your homework once you leave the salon. Eating enough EFAs through diet alone can be tricky and difficult to measure. But, not to fear - supplements can achieve the same effect as diet changes, as long as they are high quality and reputable. And we’ve made it incredibly easy to get your hands on these supplements by offering them at Beauty Journey.

If you’re wondering if you might be EFA deficient, ask your therapist at your next appointment, and we can steer you in the right direction. Of course, please understand that though we have lots of knowledge in this arena, we are not doctors. We can make helpful suggestions, but it's best to always run any supplement plans by your doctor just to be sure.

You can also peruse our line of EFA supplements HERE