When it comes to eliminating acne, most people focus solely on topical treatments and skincare routines. However, one of the most powerful ways to eliminate acne is by changing what you eat.
Many people don’t notice their diet because they don’t like to cook—they eat just to stop being hungry and then go back to their lives. Unfortunately, a lot of the foods most people rely on are quietly worsening their acne, and they never make the connection. We must lay some groundwork before we can move forward, so in this first step, we must reduce or remove a few types of foods that have been scientifically shown to increase the prevalence of acne in everyone. Remove these foods from your diet as much as possible—preferably entirely—because the better you are with this step, the better the results will be from the other steps. This isn’t easy—we all have habits, social events, and food traditions—but you simply need to be firm in your decisions. Your skin’s clarity starts with your choices.
High Sugar Foods
Cut out added sugar—completely, if you can.
As a starting goal, aim for under 25 grams of sugar per day from food—and the closer you get to 0 grams, the better your skin will respond. Why? Because sugar affects far more than body weight. Frequent consumption of sugary foods and beverages can contribute to blood sugar spikes, increased insulin levels, hormonal changes, and inflammation—all factors that have been linked to acne development.
A 2018 study revealed that women who drank sugary beverages had 56% higher inflammation markers in their blood. Chronic inflammation is believed to play an important role in acne, making dietary habits an important consideration for those seeking clearer skin.
For this reason, reducing or eliminating foods and drinks high in added sugar may help create a healthier internal environment that supports calmer, clearer skin over time. Every step you take to reduce added sugar is a step toward lowering inflammation and improving your overall health.
Take a look at the nutritional labels on the back of packaged foods. If you see sugar, high fructose corn syrup, honey, maple syrup, agave nectar, or any ingredient ending in “-ose” (like dextrose, fructose, or sucrose), avoid it. These are all forms of added sugar—even “natural” sweeteners like honey and maple syrup still spike insulin and trigger sebum production. Fruits are an exception to this rule. The fructose in whole fruits comes packaged with fiber, water, and antioxidants, which slow digestion and reduce the glycemic impact. So don’t avoid fruits—just avoid processed foods that add sugar to them (like fruit-flavored yogurts or fruit snacks).
For those who enjoy sweet flavors, replacing sugar with low- or no-calorie alternatives may make the transition easier. Natural sweeteners such as stevia and monk fruit extract have little to no effect on blood sugar levels and are commonly used as substitutes for sugar in beverages, desserts, and homemade recipes. Some people also use sugar alcohols such as erythritol, although these may cause digestive discomfort in sensitive individuals. While more research is needed on the long-term effects of various sweeteners, using them in moderation may help reduce overall sugar intake and make it easier to maintain healthier eating habits. As with any dietary change, pay attention to how your body responds, since individual tolerance can vary.
Whenever possible, it is best to gradually retrain your taste buds to enjoy foods with less sweetness rather than simply replacing sugar with large amounts of alternative sweeteners. This approach may help support long-term dietary habits and overall health.
Avoid anything that has added sugar as much as possible.
High Oil/Fat Foods
To eliminate acne effectively, removing added oils and fats from your diet is an important step—not something to simply cut back on. This means avoiding cooking with vegetable oils, olive oil, butter, margarine, and other added fats, as well as limiting foods that are prepared with large amounts of oil.
That means no fried foods, buttered dishes, creamy sauces, oily dressings, or foods cooked in added fats. Even when an oil is considered a “healthy” oil, it is still a concentrated source of fat. When you’re trying to identify and eliminate dietary factors that may be contributing to acne, removing added oils makes your diet simpler, less calorie-dense, and easier to control.
The 2015–2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend that 20–35% of daily calories come from fat. However, if your specific goal is to eliminate acne, don’t interpret this as a reason to deliberately add oil or high-fat foods to your meals. You can obtain the fat your body needs from whole foods without adding concentrated oils to your cooking.
Eliminate Added Oils, Not Just Fried Food
Check ingredients and preparation methods carefully. Salad dressings, sauces, roasted vegetables, restaurant meals, baked goods, hummus, dips, spreads, and packaged foods can all contain added oils or fats.
Instead of cooking vegetables in oil, try water, vegetable broth, soy sauce, garlic, herbs, spices, or other oil-free seasonings. For salads, use an oil-free dressing made with ingredients such as vinegar, lemon juice, mustard, herbs, or spices.
The goal is to make oil-free cooking your default, rather than something you occasionally try.
What About Nuts, Seeds, and Other High-Fat Foods?
Whole foods such as nuts, seeds, avocado, and other naturally high-fat foods are different from extracted oils because they come with fiber, protein, vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients. However, if you are following an elimination approach specifically to determine what is contributing to your acne, it can also be useful to pay attention to your total intake of these foods.
In particular, nut and seed butters can make it very easy to consume a large amount of fat in a small serving. Rather than eating them freely, keep portions modest and observe how your skin responds.
If eliminating added oils and fats leads to a noticeable improvement in your skin, that is valuable information. The goal isn’t to follow a low-fat diet forever simply because fat is inherently bad—it is to remove a potential dietary trigger, observe what happens to your acne, and build your diet around the foods that consistently support clear skin.
If you’re serious about eliminating acne, stop adding oil and fat to your food. Don’t cook with vegetable oil or butter, and avoid foods made with added fats.
High Calories
Eating more calories than your body needs doesn’t just contribute to weight gain—it may also worsen acne. Consistently overeating can place metabolic stress on the body, increase inflammation, and disrupt hormonal balance, all of which may contribute to breakouts.
To eliminate acne, you don’t need to starve yourself or severely restrict your food intake. Instead, aim to eat an appropriate amount of calories for your body and activity level. Calculate your daily calorie needs based on factors such as your age, activity level, and goals. While many adults fall somewhere between 1,800 and 2,500 calories per day, individual needs can vary significantly.
Focus on nutrient-dense, high-fiber foods that keep you satisfied without providing excessive calories. Vegetables, legumes, whole grains, and plant-based proteins such as lentils, chickpeas, and tofu can help you feel full while providing the nutrients your body needs.
The goal is not to eat as little as possible, but to avoid consistently eating more energy than your body needs. By eating around your maintenance calories—or a modest deficit if weight loss is appropriate for you—you can provide your body with the energy and nutrients it needs without regularly overloading it with excess calories.
High Glycemic Foods (Extra)
Beyond added sugar, high glycemic index (GI) foods are another major acne trigger. These are foods that cause rapid spikes in blood sugar, even if they don’t taste sweet. White bread, white rice, potatoes, instant oatmeal, and most breakfast cereals all have high GI scores. When you eat them, your body releases insulin to manage the glucose surge—this increases sebum production and androgen activity, both of which worsen acne. To eliminate acne, replace high GI foods with low GI alternatives: swap white bread for whole grain, white rice for brown or wild rice, and instant oats for steel-cut oats. Add more non-starchy vegetables, legumes, and plant-based proteins to your meals. These choices stabilize blood sugar, reduce inflammation, and support long-term acne elimination.
Some Extra Tips
To make this step stick and truly eliminate acne, start small. Pick one category to tackle first—maybe sugar or fried foods—and master it before moving on. Meal prep on weekends to avoid temptation during busy weekdays. Keep healthy snacks like nuts, carrots, or hummus on hand. Drink plenty of water—it helps flush toxins and reduces cravings. Track your progress in a journal: note what you eat and how your skin responds. Be patient—dietary changes take 4–8 weeks to show visible results. And remember: this isn’t about perfection. It’s about consistency. Every clean meal is a step toward clearer skin. When you eliminate acne by nourishing your body from within, you’re not just treating your skin—you’re transforming your health.
This is just Step 1. Once you’ve mastered this foundation, you’ll be ready to move to Step 2—and continue your journey to permanently eliminate acne.
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