I’ve always been allergic to diets. Atkins. Dukan. Vegan. Never tried them. I don’t like it when others tell me what NOT to eat (and why is that ALWAYS sugar? Can’t someone come up with a diet without broccoli and garlic for once?). This Italian has always eaten the Mediterranean way. Plenty of fruits and veggies, some meat and fish, lots of whole grains (pizza!) and a little (too much) sugar (girl has a sweet tooth 😉 ).
Until I came across “Future Proof Your Skin: Slow Down Your Biological Clock By Changing The Way You Eat” by Dr Stefanie Williams from Eudelo (damn my book addiction!). In the book, Dr Stefanie shares exactly what to eat for perfect skin (check out my interview where she dishes out the short version). She recommends a low glycemic diet. No sugar. Few carbs. Plenty of fat. Kinda the opposite of what we’ve been told so far it’s good for us.
For the past few months, I’ve put it to the test. It was hard (girl loves sugar). But, boy, was it worth it! I don’t get the odd pimple anymore. No, not even during that time of the month. My skin looks brighter. Words has it, the diet keeps fine lines and wrinkles at bay for a long, long time too. What’s the deal with this magical diet? Here’s all you need to know about the low glycemic diet for skin:
What Is The Low Glycemic Diet?
The low glycemic diet is an eating plan based on how each food affects your blood sugar level (glycemic means blood sugar or glucose). Each food is given a glycemic index (GI) number that can be compared to pure glucose (GI 100). The closer the number is to 100, the higher its GI. The closest to zero, the lower its GI. You want to stick to foods with a lower GI.
Here’s the kicker: the low glycemic diet isn’t some trendy new plan that just popped up yesterday. It’s been studied for decades, especially in relation to diabetes management, athletic performance, and now skin health. What makes it different is that it doesn’t ban entire food groups, it simply changes the emphasis: more slow-burning foods, fewer quick-burning ones. Think of it as eating for stability, not restriction.
How High GI Foods Affect Your Body
I’m gonna get a little sciencey on you here. I’ll keep it simple, I promise. There are three types of carbohydrates: sugars, starches, and fibers. Fibers get through your body undigested, whether sugars and starches are turned into glucose.
Glucose is your body’s main source of energy. It’s the fuel your brain uses to operate. When it has too much (and it ALWAYS has too much on the typical Western diet), the excess is stored in fat cells. It doesn’t matter if you get your carb fix from a pizza, a cup of blueberries or jacket potatoes. Whenever you eat carbs, your insulin level spikes up.
How fast this happens depends on the type of carbs you eat. That cup of blueberries will cause a very slow rise, while your soda drink makes your blood sugar and insulin levels spike super quickly. This is bad for you: high insulin levels are associated with diabetes, heart disease, hypertension and obesity. And this is just for your health. Too much glucose wreaks havoc on your skin, too.
PS. To add insult to injury, glucose isn’t even a reliable form of energy! That delicious pancakes breakfast doesn’t even keep you full for long! A couple of hours later, you get brain fog, horrible hunger pains, and feel so sluggish and tired. You eat more sugar to keep your energy levels up. Now, you’re stuck in a vicious circle when you have to feed your body sugar all the time!
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Why A Low Glycemic Diet Is Good For Your Skin
Back to skincare (that’s what you’re really here for, right?). Here’s the havoc high glycemic foods wreak on your skin:
- Wrinkles: Ever wondered why people affected by diabetes look older? Glycation. That’s a fancy way of saying that sugar hardens and cross-links collagen and elastin, the proteins that keep your skin firm and elastic. When they’re damaged, skin sags and wrinkles appear.
- Pimples: High levels of insulin trigger the skin to produce way more sebum that it needs. Hello, pimples!
- Inflammation: Too much sugar causes inflammation, which leads to wrinkles, dark spots and irritations.
- Weak barrier: Sugar spikes kick off inflammation inside your body, and that inflammation chips away at the fats and proteins that hold your skin cells together. Think of it like the mortar between bricks crumbling – once that glue breaks down, water slips out and irritants sneak in. Over time, all those sugar hits keep your barrier in repair mode instead of protection mode, so it never works at full strength.
Who knew a cookie could do all this, huh?
How Do You Follow The Low Glycemic Diet?
Throw your scale away! There’s no need to count carbs and all that nonsense. (Seriously, if a diet asks me that, I’m not gonna follow it. Too. Much. Work). There’s only one rule: eat more foods with a low GI and fewer foods with a high GI. Simple, huh? So, what are these foods? I can’t list them all, obvs, but here are some ideas to get you started:
Low GI Foods (0-55)
- Apples
- Artichokes
- Avocado
- Beans
- Berries
- Broccoli
- Chia seeds
- Citrus fruits
- Eggs
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Flax seeds
- Grass-fed beef
- Lentils
- Lettuce
- Nuts
- Pasture-raised poultry
- Salmon
- Spinach
- Virgin coconut oil
Medium GI Foods (56-69)
- Basmati rice
- Beetroot
- Blueberry muffin
- Fig
- Mango
- Oatmeal crackers
- Pineapple
- Sourdough bread
- Sultana
- Homemade pancakes
High GI Foods (70-100)
- Baked sweet potatoes
- Banana
- Mashed potatoes
- Processed foods
- Refined grains
- Sweetened beverages (ex: soda)
- White bread
- White potatoes
- White rice
Click here for a more comprehensive list of foods and their GI.
WARNING!
Quick pro tip: don’t just look at the GI number, look at your whole plate. A baked potato on its own will hit your bloodstream differently than a baked potato eaten with salmon and a pile of green beans. Pairing foods is where the real magic happens.
Also, the way you cook and prepare your food can raise its GI! For example, oatmeal has a GI of 55 while instant oatmeal 79! A raw orange has a GI of 45 while unsweetened orange juice 50 (it goes up if you add sugar). Even raw carrots or onions have a higher GI if you cook them before you eat them!
Glycemic Index VS Glycemic Load
Good news: just because a food is on the high GI list, it doesn’t mean it’s banned. Huh? It will all make sense as soon as I introduce you to glycemic load, the last piece of the puzzle.
Glycemic index measures how a food affects your blood sugar level. Glycemic index takes into account how a food affects you blood sugar level when eaten in average portions (rather than only in 100g servings).
A lot of the veggies that are high on the GI index score lower on the glycemic load scale. For example, boiled white potatoes have a GI of 81 but score only 21 on the glycemic load scale. In other words: it’s all about moderation. You can enjoy a small portions of “bad” foods as part of a meal high in low GI foods. Just don’t make them the bulk of your diet.
GI is just about speed, how fast sugar hits your blood. GL is about the load, how much sugar actually lands. High GI doesn’t always mean a disaster if the load is small, but together they show you the real picture.
A Few Tips To Get You Started On The Low Glycemic Diet
- Eat less processeds foods: As a rule, raw foods have a lower GI than foods that have been cooked or processed. The more refined a food is, the quicker it will make your sugar level spike.
- Combine carbs with fats and proteins: Pairing low GI foods with proteins and healthy fats (ie avocado or salmon) helps manage your blood sugar levels, reduces hunger and increases energy. Try to include all three food groups in every meal.
- Eat more fiber: Fiber slows down digestion, prevents the rapid absorption of sugar and starch and helps you stabilize blood sugar levels. As a rule, the more processed a food is, the less fiber it has. The foods highest in fibers are green leafy vegetables, avocado, chia and flax seeds and cruciferous vegetables.
- Have a cheat day: I follow the Slow Carb Diet, a version of the low glycemic diet promoted by Tim Ferris (if you don’t know who he is, check out his books – they WILL change your life). It’s about eating a low glycemic diet 6 days a week and have a cheat day on the 7th. Because you’re much more likely to stick to a diet if you plan for the cravings and relapses in advance. 🙂
Common Questions About The Low Glycemic Diet
Can I still eat fruit?
Yeah, you don’t need to cut fruit out of your life. The trick is knowing which ones hit your blood sugar fast and which ones are slower. Berries, apples, pears, cherries – those guys are slow burners and totally fine to eat pretty often. Bananas, pineapple, and watermelon? They shoot sugar into your system way faster, but that doesn’t mean they’re evil. It just means don’t eat three bananas in one sitting and call it breakfast. Pair them with something that slows digestion down – like nut butter, Greek yogurt, or even just a handful of nuts – and you won’t get the same crazy spike. So yeah, fruit’s still on the table. Just mix and match smartly instead of inhaling it solo.
Is this just another version of keto?
Nah, not even close. Keto basically tells you carbs are the devil and forces your body into this whole “ketosis” mode where it runs on fat instead of sugar. That’s super restrictive – you’re saying goodbye to bread, pasta, rice, beans, even some fruit. Low GI isn’t about cutting all that out. It’s more like: eat the carbs that don’t mess you up, keep them balanced with fats and protein, and you’re good. You can still have bread (just better bread, like sourdough instead of white sliced bread), rice (basmati or brown rice instead of instant white), potatoes (just watch how you cook them). It’s not about living carb-free, it’s about living carb-smart.
How long before I see changes in my skin?
If you’re thinking overnight glow, sorry – not how it works. Skin takes time to renew itself, so give it at least a month before you start judging results. A lot of people notice their skin feels less greasy and they’re breaking out less in about 4-6 weeks. That’s usually the first win. Wrinkle stuff is slower because that’s about long-term damage control – you’re basically slowing the “sugar aging” process, which you can’t really see day by day. But stick with it, and a year from now you’ll look fresher than someone who’s still downing frappuccinos every morning.
Can I combine this with other diets?
Totally. Low GI is flexible – it’s not like keto where you’re locked into bacon and butter forever. If you already eat Mediterranean-style, you’re practically halfway there (lots of fish, olive oil, whole grains, veggies). If you’re more into Paleo, just swap out the higher GI stuff and it works. Even plant-based eaters can do this – lentils, beans, quinoa, veggies, nuts… all great low GI options. Basically whatever diet you’re on, you just tweak the carb choices and cooking methods so you’re not spiking your blood sugar all day.
The Bottom Line
Skincare helps, but it’s not a miracle worker. If you don’t address the root cause of your problems, you’ll never get rid of your acne, heal your dry skin, or reduce inflammation. A diet rich in fried, processed food and sugar will give you all that and then some. The low glycemic diet will fix it all, give you great skin, banish zits and amp up your energy. Try it to believe it.
About Gio
Hi, I’m Gio. I’m a no-nonsense, tell-it-like-it-is skin coach and writer on a mission to help you achieve your best skin day ever – every day. I bust skincare myths and debunk marketing jargon to help you figure out what’s worth the splurge and what’s best left on the shelf – using science, not hype. I also offer skincare consultations to help you create the best skincare routine for your unique needs.
