Foods High in Iodine to Avoid With Acne
Finding a solution to your acne breakouts is no easy task. Often, the root cause involves many things, from environment to heredity. However, in some cases, the foods you eat may actually be contributing to your acne, encouraging new breakouts and making current ones last longer. In fact, foods high in iodine are known to trigger acne. Avoid these iodine-rich foods and you'll be maintaining a diet that's healthy for you and your skin. Does this Spark an idea?
-
What Is Iodine?
-
Iodine is an essential element for the body. It's often included in various medications to treat several different conditions related to a lack of iodine. These include hyperthyroidism, skin infections and respiratory congestion. It's also used as an antiseptic for wounds and during surgeries. Iodine is naturally found in numerous foods as well.
How Iodine Causes Acne
-
Iodine causes acne because we simply get too much of it. While you need iodine for a healthy thyroid and growth development, you only need 150 mcg. a day. Since a cup of milk has 88 mcg, you can see how easy it would be to get too much. Fast foods can contain up to ten times the daily allowance of iodine, just in one meal.
-
Foods High in Iodine
-
Some foods contain very high amounts of iodine. If you have acne, you'll definitely want to stay away from iodized salt, egg yolks, seafood, dairy, cured meats, canned vegetables, broth, chocolate, soy, molasses and FD&C red dye #3, which is commonly found in brown sodas.
Foods Moderately High in Iodine
-
Other foods don't contain quite as much iodine, but still may cause an acne flare up when eaten in large quantities. These include fresh meat, bread, egg whites, unsalted peanut butter, coffee, popcorn, sorbet, canned fruits, clear sodas and frozen vegetables.
Caution
-
If you really struggle with acne, it may be tempting to just chuck everything with iodine in it out the window. This would be a bad idea. Your body needs iodine to function. Without it, you could develop goiter, a condition that causes the thyroid gland to enlarge. It could also cause cretinism--the root cause of mental retardation and dwarfism. Eliminating foods high in iodine is great to clear up your skin, just remember that 150 mcg. is your daily allowance and embrace it.
-
