In Part 2 we discuss what foods regularly eaten in India are bad for oily skin and cause blackheads. In case you missed Part 1, click here to learn about Indian foods you should have to promote oil control and prevent blackheads.

The Indian diet is extremely heavy. Our snacks are fried - we love deep frying vegetables in flour, sometimes we deep fry bread covered in flour. Don’t forget namkeen. Samosas, vadas, theplas and the list goes on. Desi sweets are extremely heavy too, just like our chai and coffee. And who doesn’t have a few biscuits with their tea? In this article, we’re going to tell you what not to have to avoid oily skin, the main reason for your blackheads!

High Sugar Foods
To keep blackheads at bay, reduce your sugar intake. High sugar foods increase the production and circulation of hormones like IGF-1 and insulin in your body. As we’d mentioned in our previous blog, an increase in your body’s hormone levels trigger the production of sebum, a natural oil produced by our bodies’ sebaceous glands. These glands are located on your T-zone, and when they work overtime because of spiked hormones, you’re bound to get excessively oily skin. Now as if that weren’t enough, high sugar content in food can be dehydrating, causing your skin to dry up, which again causes your sebaceous glands to produce excess oil to combat the dryness, creating conditions conducive for blackhead formation. 

Refined carbohydrates
We'll stick to refined carbohydrates for now, but if you’d like a better understanding of good and bad carbs, check out this article by Harvard Health Publishing and decide how simple or complex the subject really is. Refined carbs like refined flour (maida) and white rice are stripped of fibre and nutrients. These carbs are broken down into glucose very quickly, causing a spike in your blood sugar levels, and you’ll experience oily skin for the same reasons mentioned under the “high sugar foods” section of this article.

Dehydrating foods
Foods high in salt and sugar, excess caffeine, and alcohol can be dehydrating. Dehydration causes dry skin, and dry skin is compensated for by the overstimulation of your sebaceous glands, which produce more oil than normal. When this happens, your pores are more likely to be clogged, trapping dirt and bacteria inside them and leading to inflamed skin and blackheads! Drink lots of water and avoid overindulgence, reduce the amount of pickles and achaar you have with your meals, don’t drink excessive amounts of alcohol and coffee or tea. Ensuring your skin isn’t left dehydrated but what you eat will go a long way in preventing breakout, blackheads and oily skin.

Food Ranked High on the Glycemic Index
A great way to track which foods will affect how oily your skin is through the glycemic index. The glycemic index scores food by how it affects your blood sugar levels. The lower a food is on the index, the less your blood sugar will rise after eating it. Some foods turn into glucose much slower than others, and will not cause a drastic rise in blood sugar. Ideally, your aim should be to find foods that are low on the glycemic index and also contain lots of fibre or release sugar at a much steadier or slower rate. For example, blueberries are high fibre fruits that are slow to release sugar into the blood stream as opposed to maida barfi which contains simple carbs and sugar. Foods higher on the glycemic index will lead to oily skin for a combination of the reasons mentioned above! It is also understood that high glycemic index may change the make-up of our sebum, making them more adhesive and likely to clog your pores. The glycemic index is supplemented by an understanding of the glycemic load, which tells you how quickly the food you’ve eaten will affect to blood sugar. Keep it simple, the lower the food on the glycemic index the better. Here’s a link to 100 foods ranked on the glycemic index, have a look!

We’ve prepared a table of foods you should avoid to keep your skin clear and blackhead-free:

If you’re looking for men’s grooming products designed to control oily skin and prevent blackheads, check out Spruce Shave Club’s Activated Charcoal Facial Kit! It’s got everything you need for clearer, brighter, blackhead free skin!