There’s never been a better time to take steps to improve skin health. It’s estimated that over 7% of US adults (approximately 16.5 million) are affected by atopic dermatitis and of these, 40% experience moderate or severe disease (1).  What’s more, this doesn’t account for other skin issues such as psoriasis. It’s time to improve our nutrition and heal our skin from the inside-out.

Here are 5 Tips for Healthy Skin on Keto Zone.

5 Tips for Healthy Skin on Keto Zone

1. Eat a Variety of Healthy Fats

The Keto Zone diet is automatically a health-skin diet because it encourages a high intake of a variety of healthy fats. Unlike other keto diets, which ofter recommend any fat, Keto Zone stands above with recommendations of the best fats for human health, including skin health.  For healthy skin on Keto Zone, include:

• Omega-3 fats from fish and seafood, chia, flax, hemp heart seeds and more
• Omega-9 fats from olive oil, avocados, avocado oil, nuts, seeds, and more
• Medium Chain Triglycerides (MCTs) from MCT Oil Powder, MCT Oil, coconut oil, and more
• Small amounts of naturally occurring Omega-6 fats. Omega-6s fatty acids are essential in the diet in small amounts and are important for skin health. We get plenty by simply eating whole foods like nuts, seeds, vegetables, meats, and more. However, it’s important to avoid concentrated forms of cheap omega-6 oils like soybean oil and those in processed foods (2). Too much omega-6 (common in modern western processed diet) causes an overload and inflammatory reactions in the body.

It’s important to eat a variety of all of these fats (click on this link to find out how to increase fat intake), and not just the omega-3s and MCTs. Together, these fats work to enable healthy skin on Keto Zone, promote abdominal fat loss (3, 4), improve whole-body and brain health (5), and more.

2. Add Hydrolyzed Collagen

Collagen is an amazing food for the skin. In particular, Type I Collagen makes up 90% of our hair, skin, and nails. When you eat it, it can improve your skin’s health and appearance. How? It:

• Improves Elasticity and Hydration of Skin – The elasticity of your skin is very important as you age. Naturally, it decreases. But, a 2014 study of 46 women, ages 35-55, showed that 8 weeks of collagen powder supplementation improved skin elasticity within just 4 weeks (6), creating a youthful appearance.
• Reduces Wrinkles – Another 2014 study concluded that collagen supplementation reduced wrinkles after just 8 weeks of use (7). Additionally, a study published in the Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology concluded that collagen supplementation not only improved skin moisture but also produced younger-looking, less-fragmented skin (8).
• Improved Skin and Tissue Structure – Skin and tissue structure are vitally important to healthy skin. When the structure is healthy, less breakdown in skin layers occur. In a 2017 lab study, researchers found that 6 months of oral consumption of collagen increased the collagen content in the skin to improve the skin structure.

Type I Collagen is best from marine sources such as those found in Keto Zone Hydrolyzed Collagen Powder(5).

3. Stay Hydrated

There is a lot of misinformation regarding hydration and keto diet. However, one thing is clear: Hydration is very important for healthy skin on Keto Zone.

When you first start keto, hydration can be a bit difficult because of electrolye balance shifts. To avoid dehydration during the first phase getting into the Keto Zone, add Instant Ketones to your diet, drink 8 oz. of bullion or broth 3-4 times per day, and keep drinking water.

Then, once in the Keto Zone, simple:

1. Drink 64-80 oz. fluids per day. You can usually accomplish this by drinking to thirst. Older adults are typically more at risk for dehydration (9). Make sure to consume fluids throughout the day.
2. Then, unless you have high blood pressure, consume salt with meals and add a daily serving of Instant Ketones any time you are re-entering the Keto Zone or feeling dehydrated.
3. Make sure to eat a variety of high potassium, calcium, and magnesium foods. Most adults should also supplement with 200-400 mg of magnesium per day.
4. If you exercise and sweat, add 24-32 oz. fluid and 600-800 mg sodium for every hour of your workout. This does not need to be consumed during the workout, but before, during as needed, and after is fine. You can use a low-carb electrolyte drink like Nuun if desired.
5. Be diligent after any period out of the Keto Zone. You’ll go through the glycogen-depleting phase again, and need to supplement with extra electrolytes to avoid the Keto Flu.

4. Eat Lots of Anti-Inflammatory Foods

In addition to omega-3 fats, you can add anti-inflammatory foods for healthy skin on Keto Zone. In fact, reducing whole-body inflammation reduces inflammation in the skin. To increase anti-inflammatory foods, add:

• Turmeric: Study after study has shown that both ingested and topical curcumin turmeric formulations statistically and significantly improve skin disease severity and should be considered for therapeutic benefits (10).
• Ginger: One powerful active component in ginger is called 6-shogaol. In animal studies, 6-shogaol has been shown to inhibit free radicals and their pathways that affect skin inflammation. Further, it can alleviate allergic dermatitis skin lesions by inhibiting immune mediators and may be an effective alternative therapy for AD (11).
• Cinnamon, Cloves, Nutmeg, and other spices
• Vibrantly-Colored Vegetables and Herbs

5. Focus on Gut Health

The microbiome of healthy bacteria in your gut is vitally important to your immune function, overall bodily inflammation, and healthy skin on Keto Zone. In fact, your intestines house hundreds of trillions of bacteria. 

The good bacteria therein, known as probiotics, help digest your food, produce neurotransmitters, and modulate your immune system.

As long as they are healthy and abundant, they can decrease overall inflammation and reduce autoimmune skin conditions such as eczema, psoriasis, or dermatitis.

Want even more Healthy Skin of Keto Zone Tips? Check out these, specifically for dry winter skin.

Bottom Line

You’ve got an incredible opportunity for healthy skin on Keto Zone. Follow these 5 tips for your best skin and improve its health and appearance today!

The post 5 Tips for Healthy Skin on Keto Zone appeared first on Keto Zone® | Dr. Don Colbert, MD.

If so, you probably feel like you have tried everything to heal your skin only to be frustrated with the lack of results. After going from doctor to doctor you may feel like giving up.

This is a common experience for those with inflammatory skin conditions. Conventional dermatologists will typically prescribe an array of pills and creams. While these pharmaceutical remedies may offer temporary symptomatic relief, they do not get to the root cause of the condition.

Luckily, there is good evidence to suggest that a healthy ketogenic diet can help you heal your inflammatory skin condition from the inside out. A low-carb diet can address the root cause of skin issues so that you can move on with your life.

Eczema, Psoriasis, and Dermatitis: The Root Cause

While many physicians may claim that we do not know the cause of these inflammatory skin conditions, there is strong evidence to suggest they begin in the digestive tract. These inflammatory skin conditions are considered to be autoimmune in nature. Autoimmunity is when your body’s immune system begins to attack your own tissues, in this case the skin.

Your Internal Skin

The tissue that lines your digestive tract can be thought of as your “internal skin.” Being specialized in assimilating nutrition, it has a vital role in your overall health.

As a result, your internal skin’s health is reflected on your external skin. Inflammation of your internal skin cause inflammation of your external skin.

So what determines the level of inflammation of your internal skin? Your microbiome.

The Microbiome

The large intestine is at the end of your digestive tract. Most commonly referred to as “the gut,” this section of your digestive tract houses hundreds of trillions of bacteria. Some of these bacteria are good, some are bad, and some are neutral.

The good bacteria, known as probiotics, serve many functions in the body. They help digest your food, they produce neurotransmitters, and they modulate your immune system.

But when these good bacteria become outnumbered by bad bacteria, inflammation is the result. Your immune system recognizes the bad bacteria as invaders and begins to mount a defense. When this defensive reaction persists for too long, your immune system can become overactive. The overactive immune system then begins to attack your external skin because the tissue is similar to your internal skin.

Thus, you get an autoimmune skin condition such as eczema, psoriasis, or dermatitis.

How the Keto Zone Diet Can Help

The Keto Zone Diet is an anti-inflammatory diet. When you eat low-carb, you minimize the inflammatory process of sugar metabolism. Additionally, most of the bad bacteria in your gut feed off sugar. By reducing your sugar consumption, you can starve out the bad bacteria and bring your gut back in to balance.

What to Eat

A healthy ketogenic diet includes lots low-carb vegetables. This includes cruciferous veggies, leafy greens, herbs, and alliums. Eat your vegetables cooked for easier digestibility. You also want to include lots of healthy fats from olive oil, avocado oil, coconut oil, and grass-fed butter. Eat moderate protein from chicken, turkey, fish, and grass-fed beef, bison, and venison.

In addition to a standard ketogenic diet, you will want to make some minor changes to help with your inflammatory skin condition.

Remove:

Add:

Probiotics are good bacteria that will help crowd out the bad guys and reduce the body’s inflammatory reaction.

Additional Tips

Try to get the affected body part exposed to the sun for about 15-20 minutes per day. UV light exposure has been shown to have a positive effect on inflammatory skin conditions. Make sure to get around 8 hours of sleep per night so your body can heal and regenerate. You can also use extra virgin coconut oil topically on affected areas to help soothe the inflammation and nourish the skin.

The Bottom Line

You do not need to suffer with the embarrassment and frustration of your inflammatory skin condition for the rest of your life.

Eczema, psoriasis, and dermatitis are all manageable conditions that can be largely resolved with the proper diet and lifestyle interventions.

Now that you can stop worrying about your skin, you can go out and enjoy your life!

The post How to Heal Your Skin With the Keto Zone Diet (Eczema, Psoriasis, and Dermatitis) appeared first on Keto Zone® | Dr. Don Colbert, MD.