The moment I saw what college dining hall food was doing to my skin over 3 months

Started freshman year with pretty clear skin. By November I had breakouts along my jawline that wouldn't quit. Realized it was the dining hall pizza and pasta every single day - way too much oil and salt. Swapped to the salad bar and grilled chicken station for two weeks and the difference was night and day. Anyone else figured out their campus food was the problem with their skin?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_vera1mo ago

Honestly the jawline breakout thing is such a dead giveaway for diet related acne. I had the same issue with my campus dining hall and it took me way longer than 3 months to figure out. The salad bar trick is solid but watch out for the dressings because they load those up with sugar and oil too. What really helped me was swapping my afternoon pasta for the grilled chicken and steamed veggies they always have in the corner. It sounds boring but I started adding a little hot sauce or lemon and it actually hit the spot. Also drink a ton more water because the dining hall food is so salty it messes with your skin. I bet if you keep up with that swap you'll see even more improvement in another couple weeks.

gonzalez.anna1mo ago

The salad bar dressing tip is good but actually most campus dining halls use low sugar or vinaigrette options if you ask. The real hidden problem is the dining hall bread. A lot of campus bakeries use cheaper enriched flour that can spike your blood sugar and trigger breakouts just as bad as the pizza. I swapped my toast at breakfast for oatmeal and that helped more than the salad bar change. Hot sauce is a solid call though, that stuff has vinegar which is good for digestion. Have you noticed any difference with dairy too? The milk and cheese in the dining hall were wrecking me way more than the oil.