A non-hot curry from our book Flatten Your Curve

This non-heating recipe is from Flatten Your Curve.

Heating & Congesting Foods

Understanding how food impacts your skin: What we eat has a direct impact on our skin. At Bestow, we help you identify foods that may be unknowingly contributing to redness, breakouts, congestion, and inflammation, and show you how to replace them with delicious, skin-friendly alternatives.

What Are Heating Foods?

Some foods act as vasodilators, increasing blood flow to the skin’s surface. For those with conditions like rosacea, flushed cheeks, or reactive skin, these foods can make symptoms worse - triggering redness, sensitivity, and flare-ups.

Common Heating Foods:

  • Coffee and caffeine (including energy drinks)

  • Alcohol

  • Chocolate

  • Peanuts, cashews, and nut butters made from them

  • Spicy foods (chilli, paprika, hot curries, wasabi)

  • Oranges and strawberries (including juices)

  • Very hot or very cold foods

Skin-Friendly Alternatives:

  • Coffee: Try water-processed decaf, herbal teas, or lattes made with beetroot, turmeric, dandelion, or matcha

  • Alcohol: Opt for kombucha, soda water with citrus, or a lemon-lime and bitters

  • Chocolate: Snack on medjool dates, figs, or treats from the Bestow recipe books

  • Nuts: Choose raw, unsalted almonds or brazil nuts

  • Spices: Use warming, non-inflammatory options like ginger, cardamom, cumin, cinnamon or coriander

  • Fruit: Replace oranges and strawberries with any other seasonal, fresh fruit

  • Juice: Choose diluted apple, grape, or lemon juice

Vegetarian pizza with a tomato sauce base, topped with sautéed kale, chopped carrots, and fresh basil leaves, with four soft-cooked eggs broken on top, on a wooden cutting board. Hands are seen lifting a slice. In the background, there is a bowl of sautéed carrots and a small bowl of crushed red pepper.

This cheese-free pizza is from Flatten Your Curve.

What Are Congesting Foods?

Healthy sebum keeps skin smooth and protected. But for those prone to breakouts or bumps, certain foods can thicken sebum and block pores—leading to congestion and skin issues like acne and blackheads.

Common Congesting Foods:

  • Full-fat dairy (excluding yoghurt), cheese

  • Chocolate (even vegan/organic)

  • Ice cream, chocolate drink powders

  • Mayonnaise, fried foods, takeaways

  • Meat fats (sausages, mince, fatty cuts of pork or chicken)

  • Protein powders and bars (including plant-based)

  • Coconut oil (for very congested skins)

  • Peanuts and cashews

Skin-Friendly Alternatives:

  • Cheese & Dairy: Swap for ricotta, feta, goat’s cheese, or avoid cheese completely. Try hummus, avocado or nutritional yeast for savoury flavour

  • Chocolate: Stick with carob-based treats or fruit-based desserts

  • Ice Cream: Blend frozen fruit or try gelato

  • Mayonnaise: Use Bestow French Dressing, pesto or hummus instead

  • Fried Meats: Choose grilled or baked lean meats like chicken, turkey, or fish

  • Protein Powders: Use whole foods like eggs, seeds, nuts, white beans or Brewer’s Yeast in smoothies

  • Chips & Fried Food: Make homemade sweet potato fries or kale chips with olive oil

  • Oils: Swap coconut oil for olive or avocado oil

  • Nut Butters: Use tahini or almond butter