We all know that regardless of how many different facial products we use (cleansers, toners, masks, scrubs and we could go on for a whole day) our skin is most affected by what we put in our body and not just on the surface of it. Staying away from fatty oils, drinking a lot of water and eating greens are prerequisites to not only healthy looking skin but also to a healthy body. However if you’re still struggling with skin issues, then maybe there is something else in your diet you should think about switching up.

During the past decade the conversation about the effects of consuming dairy on your skin, has had everyone reaching for a soy latte here and there, but read ahead to get a good understanding as to why cutting or minimising the dairy intake from your diet can be the best thing for your skin.

Hormones in cow milk

Milk from cows contain intensely large amounts of hormones which are produced in order to benefit baby calves who need to grow from being 30kg to 700kg. However for us humans it means that we end up having excess sebum (oil) production, clogged pores from the binding of dead skin cells and triggered breakouts.

Furthermore, the production of milk nowadays is seeing an increased amount of synthetic modification by which cows are injected with more hormones in order to be able to produce milk even when they aren’t pregnant and at a faster pace. These excess hormones all cause your skin to react in a negative way.

Proteins in cow milk

The protein within milk, known as casein is probably the reason why you have stopped ordering the regular margarita pizza and are now going straight for the three-cheese with a cheesy crust. The casein found in dairy (e.g. cheese), has several addictive properties and so often we eat it in excess which is concerning because it is one of the most inflammatory foods you can eat, accounting for why your skin freaks out every time you demolish a block chocolate.

Digestive issues

The skin is the body’s biggest organ and so often whatever our body can’t digest or struggles to, it releases through our skin and this can be in the form of acne as an example. The casein found in cow products is a coarse mucus-forming substance, which is a contributing factor as to why dairy products can cause you to feel bloated because they are clogging and irritating your respiratory system. This inability to be digested easily, distorts your bodies ability to break down the substances of what you are eating, making you break out from the excess oils and hormones.

Obviously having healthy skin is a combination of ensuring you are eating the right stuff and having the ability to remove dirt and bacteria from your face on a consistent basis. However sometimes that isn’t enough. The only way to know if whether consuming dairy has a correlation with the appearance of your skin, is by eliminating it from your diet. Try and do a dairy detox, even if it’s just for a week but for a more effective result try it for a month, and through that you will be able to see, if whether the appearance of your skin is sensitive to your consumption of dairy.

If you do plan on taking a dairy free route and don’t know how to go about it here’s a handy list of dairy alternatives that can still fulfill those ice-cream cravings while satisfying your calcium levels.

• Replace cow milk for almond or coconut milk in your daily coffee
• Try a dairy free ice-cream or even better skip the ice-cream altogether and grab a refreshing sorbet
• Swap out regular cheese, for goats cheese, we promise it tastes just as good and does not have as many hormones
• Ensure you are still sourcing calcium from various nuts, greens and sardines.
• Use nutritional yeast in replacement of parmesan cheese, you will still get all that flavour but none of those digestive problems.