Summer 2025 has been a journey to rediscover my body. After being in the hospital at the beginning of May and basically having my entire gut microbiome wiped out, I have had the opportunity to start from scratch and build the healthy body of my dreams from the inside out.
One of the key changes I’ve noticed this summer is that my skin is really trying to figure itself out. Some days I wake up with clear glowing skin, and then the next day I’ll have break-outs all along my forehead and my cheeks in places I haven’t had breakouts since I was a teenager.
As part of my research to figure out what, internally, could be causing these external reactions, I have been learning a lot about the connection between the gut microbiome and the liver, and how they impact the skin on our face.
For this blog, I’d like to share some of the things I have learned about this connection and share with you the 5 foods I am focusing on to get my skin glowing again!
The Gut-Skin Axis
Before I jump into the 5 foods, I just want to quickly give some background to how your gut microbiome is connected to breakouts on your face. As I’ve shared in a few of my other blogs about the gut microbiome and the supplements I use to support it, the collection of gut-bugs in our digestive system are interrelated with many other systems in the body.
Specifically, the gut-skin axis is something that continues to be followed closely and researched heavily by the scientific community. From this research they’ve come up with a hypothesis to explain why a compromised gut microbiome (gut dysbiosis) could lead to more instances of breakouts.
Gut dysbiosis weakens the intestinal barrier, allowing tiny bacteria, toxins, and inflammatory molecules to leak into the bloodstream. This triggers systemic inflammation and impacts your immune system, which can upset the skin’s natural balance.
This cascade of consequences promotes conditions like acne and breakouts. In short, when your gut ecosystem is off, it can prime inflammation that finds its way to your skin and ends up showing up as blemishes.
This is why part of my plan to get my skin glowing is to focus on supplements and foods that support is diverse and healthy gut microbiome. But the gut isn’t the only major system that can impact the health of your skin.
The Liver-Skin Connection
Another vital system in your body is your body’s filtration system, led by the liver and supported by the kidneys. The liver is that first filter for everything that’s going to be distributed throughout the body.
This means that when my body was being pumped with 3 different kind of antibiotics, steroids, and hydration packs, all of that had to pass through the liver. My running theory is that this “exhausted” my liver, compromising it’s regular function.
Turns out there is some science that can support this theory! There are 3 key areas that science believes could be the reason why a compromised liver could indirectly cause breakouts:
- Toxin buildup & secondary detox through skin When the liver’s detox pathways become overloaded from medications like antibiotics or steroids, certain toxins may be expelled through the skin. This can irritate pores and trigger breakouts.
- Hormonal imbalance The liver plays a key role in regulating hormones like androgens (testosterone) and estrogen. When its function is compromised, these hormones can accumulate and boost sebum production, which in turn can clog follicles and lead to breakouts.
- Chronic inflammation & immune dysregulation The IOSR journal reports that Impaired liver function is associated with low-level systemic inflammation and immune imbalance, both of which may worsen or trigger inflammatory skin conditions, including acne.
Understanding how these two major systems in the body can impact the health of my skin has been really interesting to dig into. If you’ve been reading my blog for some time, you’ll know that I am a big supporter of feeding your body beautiful, nutrient-rich, whole foods and then any areas where you feel you may not be able to get nutrition from food, you introduce high-quality supplements.
So these are the 5 foods I am going to be consuming as often as possible to get my skin glowing from the inside out!
1. Dark Berries
Berries are packed with fiber and polyphenols which act as prebiotics. Prebiotics feed the beneficial gut bacteria and boost microbial diversity. They also reduce gut inflammation and promote regularity, which supports both digestion and immune resilience.
My favourite fruit is strawberries, but I’ll be keeping a variety of berries in the fridge so I am supporting a diverse gut microbiome. This will include:
- blueberries
- blackberries
- raspberries
- strawberries
2. Beets
Beets provide antioxidants such as betalains and nitrates that support the detoxification of the liver, stimulate bile production, reduce oxidative stress, and improve blood flow to the liver. Their fiber content also gently supports gut health and digestion.
I am a big fan of beet juice, but I have also been enjoying homemade beet salads and a beet and yogurt dip that’s great with pita bread. They are not as easy to work into everyday meals, but on the days where I don’t feel like a beet salad or dip, I can always reach for a beet juice.
3. Electrolytes with Milk Thistle, Choline & NAC
I have always had some kind of electrolyte supplement as part of my supplement stack, but I recently came across Organika’s Liver Care electrolytes and decided they’d be a good thing to try as I work to support a healthier liver.
In their Liver Care electrolytes, they of course include electrolytes, but they’ve added milk thistle, choine and NAC (N-acetlyl-C-Cysteine) to target the liver.
- Milk thistle (silymarin) supports liver cell repair, reduces oxidative damage, and improves liver enzyme activity—especially helpful under stress or toxin exposure
- Choline promotes fat metabolism, alerts liver detox, and prevents fat buildup
- NAC boosts glutathione synthesis, a master antioxidant for liver protection and inflammation balancing
4. Kefir
As a fermented product, kefir is rich in probiotic cultures that help balance the gut microbiome, enhance beneficial bacterial populations, support digestion, and reduce gut inflammation. It also helps strengthen the gut barrier and immune function.
I’ve been drinking kefir since I got out of the hospital and always buy a plain, and organic kefir (if possible). When you purchase a flavoured kefir, the bacteria in the drink will eat the sugars, which compromises the efficacy of the beneficial bacteria.
So if you try kefir, be sure to go with a plain version. If you need to sweeten it, use a natural sweetner like honey or maple syrup right before you drink it so you don’t kill off the bacteria.
You can also drink something like kombucha, which I am mixing into this routine, but I am only drinking this sparingly because it can be difficult to find a kombucha with a low sugar content (mainly because they typically sell out before the other varieties!).
5. Dark Leafy Greens (spinach, kale)
These are rich in polyphenols, fiber, beta-carotene, and chlorophyll, all shown to nourish gut bacteria and fuel microbiome diversity. They also stimulate liver detox enzymes and support bile flow, assisting with elimination and overall liver health.
I had mentioned in a previous blog that I really want to incorporate more dark leafy greens in my diet. Up to this point, I’ve been relying on a greens supplement. However, after spending some time at my sister’s place, where she eats a salad almost every night, I realized it was much easier to just eat the full leafy greens.
Especially in the summertime when it is so hot and all I want to do is eat light, whole food, fresh meals.
Similarly to my berries, I’ll be rotating through a variety of leafy greens. From spring mixes, to spinach to good ol’ fashioned kale. Knowing how I like to eat my greens, they’ll be used in fresh, summer salads (like the beet salad mentioned above) and green smoothies.
Why These Foods Are a Great Daily Combo
- Gut support: Berries, kefir, and greens provide complementary prebiotic fibers, probiotics, and antioxidants that support a balanced, resilient microbiome.
- Liver support: Beets plus the trio of milk thistle, choline, and NAC offer both nutritional and supplementary support to reduce liver oxidative load, support detoxification, and maintain healthy metabolic function.
I’m looking forward to seeing how simply focusing on including these 5 foods in my diet every day will improve the quality of my skin. I’m curious if there are any foods that you’ve found have really helped your skin improve? Do you struggle with breakouts? If so, what steps have you taken that has improved the situation? Let me know in the comments!
Riley Pearce 
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