Bloat, Skin Issues & Hair Loss: What Your Body's Telling You

The good news is that the combination of bad skin, thinning hair, and a bloated belly often has one unifying cause, and treating it may improve all three conditions.

Rosacea has also been linked to inflammation and bacterial imbalance in the gut2, and it's one of the most common skin conditions I see in my bloated patients.

If you have lustrous tresses, you may have been lucky in the gene pool, but you probably eat lots of deeply pigmented fruits and vegetables, too. Green fruit like avocados and grapes provide nourishing B-complex vitamins, while oranges are rich in vitamin C that helps reduce free radical damage caused by sun exposure and pollution. (Free radical damage is a leading cause of hair aging and loss3.)

This imbalance doesn't just lead to digestive problems; it can also show up on the skin and scalp, where it can profoundly affect your appearance.

These tips can help you glow from the inside out while banishing your bloat at the same time:

Dark greens are arguably the single best food group for promoting healthy skin via healthy blood flow. No other food group can match the pound-for-pound nutrient density of dark green vegetables. Shoot for one head of romaine lettuce or three stalks of kale every day.

Both groups of nutrients are strongly associated with healthy blood vessels, which are essential for maintaining optimal blood flow to and from your skin cells. Healthy foods naturally rich in omega-3 fatty acids include dark green leafy vegetables, raw walnuts, wild salmon, flaxseeds, and free-range eggs. Healthy foods naturally rich in flavonoids include lettuce, cherries, citrus, cabbage, kale, spinach, Goji berries, asparagus, lima beans, and raw cacao.

Vitamin A is one of the most important micronutrients for healthy skin since it's needed to maintain the integrity and function of your skin cells. Your body synthesizes vitamin A from carotenoids found in dark green, yellow, and orange vegetables like spinach, carrots, and sweet potatoes.

Prevent dysbiosis and yeast overgrowth in your gut and on your skin by keeping sweet treats that yeast thrive on to a minimum. Sugary foods also promote insulin release, and high circulating insulin levels are associated with inflammation throughout the body4, including the GI tract and skin.

Adding salt to food causes water retention, making you bloated and puffy all over, especially in your face and eyes. Food manufacturers add salt to packaged food to preserve its shelf life, so even if you put away the salt shaker, you still need to read labels to keep your salt intake in check. Aim for 1,500 mg or less per day.

The gluten-containing grains of today are a modified version of what our ancestors ate and have been associated with lots of different symptoms, including bloating, rashes, and hair loss. Even if you don't have celiac disease, you may be gluten-intolerant and not know it. A six-week trial of a gluten-free diet that excludes wheat, rye, and barley may do wonders for blemished skin, thinning hair, and bloating.

Alcohol is metabolized to acetaldehyde, a cousin of formaldehyde and a substance that's toxic to practically every organ system. And did I mention it can cause bloating, blotchy skin, make your hair fall out, and age you?

Many studies show an increase in acne incidence and severity in people who consume lots of dairy5. It's also a major cause of bloating since more than half the world's population is lactose-intolerant.

Water helps to move the products of digestion through the colon, avoiding backup, which can lead to bloat. It also helps the skin by supporting the dermis: Studies show that drinking adequate water levels actually thickens the dermis6.