It’s the salt on those fries. Yes, it is salty foods and food high in iodides that are the culprit in making acne worse. Below is a list of foods typically high in iodides. We tell people to not go crazy around eliminating these foods, just be aware of eating too much of them.

For example, we had a client who was almost clear. She then came into our clinic all broken out and we couldn’t imagine what was going on – I asked her if she was eating a lot of seafood or seaweed. She said, “why yes, I’m sprinkling kelp on my food every day.” As you can see by the chart, kelp has the most iodide of any food . We got her off the kelp and helped her get rid of her acne again.

Milk (and cheese) is another BIG culprit – not only does it have iodides, it also has hormones in it that contribute to acne. Many teenage boys love to drink gallons of milk which is contributing to their cystic acne.

Health foods and supplements are not immune – vitamins almost always contain some form of iodide and/or biotin – it could be in the form of iodine, iodide, potassium iodide or kelp. Be careful with protein bars – the often have potassium iodides in them. Whey and soy protein powders for smoothies can be bad for problem skin – try hemp or pea protein powder instead.

You will notice that asparagus and broccoli are on the list. We are not saying to not eat these vegetables… just don’t eat them every day. This chart is meant to give you an idea of what foods are higher in iodides than others.

We want you to be informed what could be making your acne worse – these foods are not the “cause” of acne. The cause needs to be addressed by using the right products in the right way. But it’s good to know what can contribute to your breakouts.

Iodide Contents in Food (parts per million of iodide)

Salt
Iodized Salt (1/4 tsp) – 100
Seasoned Salt – 40
Sun Evaporated Salt – 30
Uniodized Salt – 19

Meat/Poultry
Beef/Liver – 325
Turkey – 132

Seafood
Kelp – 1020
Cod (3 oz) – 87
Squid – 39
Crab – 33

Vegetables
Asparagus – 169
Broccoli – 90

Dairy
Cheddar Cheese Spread – 27
Milk – 11
Butter – 26
Mozzarella Cheese – 13

Miscellaneous
Tortilla Chips w/ salt – 80
Potato Chips w/ salt – 40