TCM Nutrition Advice for Skin Imbalances

Feb 24

I’ve worked with many patients who feel like they’ve tried everything for their skin— eliminating foods, buying new skincare products, cold plunges, doomscrolling Reddit forums—and still feel confused about what’s going to make their skin improve.

I get it. I’ve been there with my own skin, and it’s incredibly frustrating.

Below is general guidance I often share in the clinic. This advice doesn’t replace individual care based on your constitution, but these are principles I’ve seen help over and over again.

General Advice

Traditional Chinese Medicine has some standard advice for improving an individual’s digestion. Time and time again, I’ve seen these recommendations be beneficial for people clinically.

These pearls of wisdom include:

Eating mostly warm, cooked foods. The theory goes that these foods are closest to your body temperature, and easiest for your body to digest.
Minimizing raw, cold foods (like leftovers straight from the fridge, salads, and iced drinks). These foods are more difficult for your body to digest.
Eating at regular intervals during the day (the digestive system loves predictability)
Eating until 80% full; minimizing overeating
Drinking warm water instead of ice water
Minimize multitasking while eating
Eating with the seasons

Some particularly beneficial foods for the skin include:

Fruits: Apple, pears, melon
Vegetables: Lettuce, radish, watercress, spinach, fennel, cucumber, celery, mushrooms, asparagus, Swiss chard, eggplant, spinach, cabbage, kale, broccoli, burdock, cauliflower, sweet corn, zucchini, bamboo shoots, olives, mint
Fish: Omega 3 rich fish such as sardines, mackerel, herring, trout
Legumes/Grains: Alfalfa sprouts, tofu, mung beans/sprouts, millet, quinoa, spelt, barley, lentils
Kelp/seaweeds
Seeds: flax seeds, hemp seeds (especially during late-stage skin healing)
Herbal teas like dandelion root, nettle, peppermint, and burdock

For people with skin imbalances, it’s recommended to minimize foods considered damp and hot while your skin is healing. Many of my clients say their skin feels worse while eating these foods.

Alcohol
Sugar
Deep-fried, processed foods
Oily foods
Shellfish
Chilis, Peppers, and spicy foods
Garlic
Warming Spices (ginger, cardamom, cinnamon, nutmeg, pepper, mustard)
Pork, lamb, goat, venison (all considered hot in TCM)

A Note on Elimination Diets

Generally speaking, I don’t offer elimination diets in my practice. Essentially, I’ve seen many people develop eating challenges that complicate their healing process. But if you choose to work together, I will support you however I can to help you eat the widest variety of foods possible. Sometimes this takes time, but I’ve seen this happen time and time again!

So the list above is for general guidance, not a set of rigid guidelines.

Yeah, this is kind of boring.

Sometimes when people come to my practice, they’re disappointed when I offer advice that seems a little…boring. Like eating whole foods, warm foods, cooked foods, at regular intervals, and minimizing sugar and alcohol. And yet, time and time again, this is what I see support my clients. Nutritional interventions should support your body for the long term and feel sustainable to maintain. And I believe this middle-road approach to nutrition is a really valuable, sustainable practice to maintain.

Educational Advice Only

And as always, this is not intended to replace medical advice and is for educational purposes only. If you are allergic to any of the foods presented, please do not consume them.