Natalie Olsen, RD, a registered dietitian and exercise physiologist specializing in disease management and prevention in Austin, Texas believes that although the Paleo diet may benefit the skin because it eliminates processed foods, more research needs to be done to determine how the Paleo diet affects the skin.
Your Skin Without Sugar: Why These 8 Popular Diets May Clear Your
Medically reviewed by Natalie Olsen, RD, LD, ACSM EP-C
Written by Kate M. Watts
Updated on March 20, 2020
Does paleo and clean eating work for better skin?
Even more popular than the keto diet, the paleo diet has been trending hard the last few years, with fitness and foodie bloggers alike following the craze. The concept is simple and attractive: Eat what your ancestors ate, returning to prehistoric hunter-gatherer fare full of clean protein, unrefined whole carbs, and fresh foods.
The modern problem with paleo: It seems there’s no single agreed-upon method, or definitive scientific research, when it comes to paleo and healthy skin. The modern interpretation of what a paleo diet would be tends to feature a lot of meat, with vegetables, nuts, and fruit as complementary. That’s not necessarily a good thing: Diets high in meat can increase the risk of skin cancer, and may negatively affect skin aging.
While the process of eliminating refined and processed foods may be impactful, more research needs to be done.
“Clean eating” is too vague: Similar to the Whole30 diet, clean eating focuses on unprocessed, fresh foods while eliminating processed foods, refined ingredients, and artificial additives. It also has a long list of restrictions, which aren’t necessarily backed by science, and may be challenging to follow.
While this elimination, as mentioned above, is recommended as a broad dietary change to benefit skin healthTrusted Source, it doesn’t mean you have to follow the clean eating diet to see results.
Overall, eating cleaner and more balanced foods, as a generalized approach, can benefit your health generally and your skin specifically.
Preliminary findings suggest a diet rich in vegetables and unsaturated fats and low in dairy and sugar may lead to healthier skin. So parts of the clean eating diet may result in better skin, but to attribute it completely to the diet needs more research.
