6. Dairy – Milk & Yogurt

We know that dairy products are a rich source of essential nutrients like calcium and protein, but there are a few other properties in milk that can be the enemy in your fight for clear skin. The main one of them is the hormone IGF-1. This hormone might be good for baby cows, but in humans, it cause breakouts. Yikes!

Dairy products increase the body’s insulin levels. Furthermore, it also increases the skin’s production of serbum (oil), which can clog pores and cause bacterial growth. Milk can also cause inflammation of the skin, and make the dead skin cells in these enlarged pores to stick, meaning that they do not clear out naturally. Certain dairy products like Greek yogurt are also manufactured using hormones that increase estrogen production in women.

All of this leads to – you guessed it – acne!

One of the main reasons why people experience acne from dairy is because of a lack of Vitamin A, which would help balance the properties in milk and yogurt. So you don’t have to give up the good benefits of dairy completely, just make sure to balance it out.