Does this sound familiar?

You need an afternoon pick-me-up so you grab the first snack in sight like cookies or a muffin. After you eat it, you get that instant energy you were looking for. But soon after, you crash and feel just as tired as you did before the snack. So what do you do? You end up going down a rabbit hole and have another snack that causes the same thing to happen.

Overtime, this bad habit of consuming blood-sugar-spiking refined foods can take a toll on your insulin levels leading to hormonal imbalances and then acne.

So if you want to clear your skin for good, one of the many things you need to focus on is stabilizing your blood sugar levels.

That’s why I give my clients in The Clear Skin Solution healthy and delicious snack ideas like these crunchy roasted chickpeas. They’re perfect to snack on alone or to throw on top of a salad or in a stir-fry.

Blood Sugar-Acne Connection

Insulin is a blood-sugar-regulating hormone that the pancreas secretes. It helps to move glucose, a form of sugar broken down from the digestion of food, from the blood into the body’s cells and convert it to energy. Every time you eat or drink, blood glucose levels rise and the pancreas releases insulin into the blood.

Meals high in processed sugar and refined carbohydrates (known as simple carbs) rapidly increase blood glucose and insulin levels. Regular consumption of those foods can lead to chronically elevated blood-insulin levels over time and spike the production of androgen hormones. Excess androgen hormones promote more sebum (oil), which results in clogged pores and then inflammatory acne.

Moral of the story: Unhappy blood sugar levels = big contributor to acne.

This is why it’s important to consume complex carbohydrates like chickpeas that digest slowly and stabilize blood glucose levels.

Benefits of Chickpeas for Blood Sugar Levels

Chickpeas support optimal health in a number of ways from improving digestion to helping with weight loss and protecting against heart disease. In relation to acne, though, chickpeas keep your blood sugar levels happy and in turn, support clear skin.

The reason why is that chickpeas are a slow-releasing carbohydrate because they contain starch. This means that after you eat chickpeas, your blood glucose levels will not spike quickly. Rather, this complex carbohydrate will take longer to break down and provide sustained fuel.

This is the opposite of what happens when you eat those simple carbohydrates I mentioned earlier such as bagels, cereal, and muffins.

So put down those blood-sugar-spiking refined carbs and choose whole food options like these crunchy roasted chickpeas to help support clear skin.

Crunchy Roasted Chickpeas

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Author: Katie Stewart Wellness

Ingredients

• 1 can chickpeas drained and rinsed
• Avocado oil
• Sea salt
• Spices of choice I used Primal Palates Meat & Potato Seasoning with extra garlic powder

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 400F.
• Pat chickpeas dry with a clean towel.
• Scatter on unlined baking sheet.
• Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt.
• Bake for 20-25 mins or until golden brown. Shake the pan every 10 minutes to move the chickpeas around.
• As soon as you take the chickpeas out, sprinkle with desired spices and toss well.