Which fermented foods help acne? What should I look for in a probiotic supplement?
Fermented foods contain friendly bacteria that are part of our bodies’ microbiome. These bacteria live on your skin and in your gut. Recent research shows that your body’s microbiome may help regulate your immune system, serotonin production, inflammation levels, among other things. When our bodies’ systems are balanced, our skin may be less likely to produce acne.
Fermented foods that contain these friendly bacteria include Kombucha, fermented pickles (look for ‘live active cultures’ on the label), fermented sauerkraut, Farmhouse Culture brand Gut Shots, yogurt, kefir, and fermented kimchi (again make sure it contains live active cultures on the label). Read the labels to check that these products are not pasteurized or cooked, ask this kills the probiotics in them.
Some fermented foods can be acquired tastes. It took a while for you to develop a taste for beer and wine right? After a little while though, you may just start craving the unique taste of the organic acids and probiotics that are in fermented foods & drinks!
If you can’t develop the taste for fermented foods, the next best thing is a supplement. Choose one with more of strains of beneficial bacteria. To me, the number of CFU is not as important as the number of strains, and I explain why in this video. Look for one like NewRhythm Probiotics, which contains 20 bacterial strains.
This is video 10 in my series on How to Get Clear Skin. Watch previous videos by clicking on the playlist here:
