Apples are a great and easy addition to your clear skin diet. I’m a big fan of fruit. It’s healthy for you, tastes great, and most fruits require very little preparation to eat (always a plus for me). While berries and grapefruit are probably my top recommendations, apples rank just below them, and it’s easy to see why they are such a popular food among acne treatment diets.
Apples are often called “nature’s multivitamins” thanks to their containing almost every essential vitamin and mineral. And when you eat an apple, your body absorbs those nutrients much more readily than it would from taking a standard multivitamin supplement.
Among the vitamins and minerals best provided by apples are calcium, vitamin A and vitamin C. Since acne sufferers should be lowering their dairy intake, any extra source of calcium in your diet is always welcome, and those two other nutrients are among the most powerful skin vitamins out there. Vitamin A aids in regulating your oil glands, while vitamin C is a potent antioxidant that plays an important role in the growth and repair of your skin cells. Apples also provide bioflavonoids, which combine with vitamin C for an antibacterial effect.
Do apples-for-acne regimens work?
With benefits like these, it’s understandable that some people consider apples to be a power food when it comes to fighting acne. There are even e-books on the web that will promise you clear skin if you just stick to eating only apples for several days.
There’s no question that eating more apples is good for your skin, but keep in mind that in order to see the kind of dramatic results that some acne regimens promise, you would need to be eating upwards of 10-12 apples every day. That type of diet isn’t without side effects, notably the kind that involves very frequent trips to the restroom. And repeated detox-fasting like this is just not a realistic long-term strategy for clear skin.
I can easily recommend eating one or two apples every day, but there are better solutions out there than these extreme diets, and while apples may be nature’s multivitamins, sometimes taking a normal supplement is a more practical choice when it comes to getting high doses of certain vitamins.
What about sugar content?
Some may have concerns that apples are too high in sugar to be a good fruit for your clear skin diet. High-sugar foods are definitely something you want to mostly avoid if you have acne. However, the truth is that apples generally rank low-to-medium on the fruit-sugar scale, and they balance the sugar content they do have by being rich in fiber. That fiber helps your body maintain a healthy blood sugar level.
This should only really be a concern if you are drinking apple juice, rather than eating whole apples. With apple juice, you get all the sugar with none of the fiber, and that’s never as healthy. So eat whole apples, and don’t forget the skin! Some children may prefer them peeled, but there are a lot of good nutrients you miss out on if you peel that skin off.
There are many different types of apples, and while they’re all good for you, it’s worth noting that those green, Granny Smiths are among the lowest in sugar content. So if you like sour stuff, you’re in luck! Not that this should stop you from eating Red Delicious Apples is that’s your thing. They’re all better for you than what you would probably be snacking on otherwise 🙂
Apples make for a great, healthy and skin-friendly snack. And like all my favorite acne solutions, they’re an incredibly easy and practical addition to your lifestyle. Apples alone are probably not the answer, but with no fat and plenty of vitamins, it’s not a bad idea to always have some apples stocked for when you get the munchies.