The Breakfast Habit That Changed My Skin, According To An Aesthetic Practitioner

People are usually slightly alarmed when I tell them I eat broccoli for breakfast.

Not every single morning, but often enough that it has become one of those habits that now feels completely normal to me, usually stir-fried broccoli alongside eggs. It all started because of acne.

A decade ago, I began experimenting with supplements targeting hormonal acne, including Skin Accumax, which contains DIM, a compound derived from cruciferous vegetables and often discussed in relation to hormone metabolism. I found it somewhat helpful, but I also knew that relying on one expensive supplement long term was not really how I wanted to approach my health. That was what first led me to explore whether I could support the same pathways more consistently through food instead.

DIM comes from compounds naturally found in cruciferous vegetables like broccoli, kale, cauliflower and Brussels sprouts. Research suggests these compounds may help support a more favourable pathway of oestrogen metabolism in the liver, particularly by encouraging metabolism down the 2-hydroxylation (2-OH) pathway, which produces less biologically active oestrogen metabolites. ¹ ² These compounds then need to be properly processed, conjugated and excreted through the liver and bowel, which is one reason whole vegetables may offer broader support than isolated supplements alone.

Hormonal acne is complex, and it is not simply a matter of having "too much oestrogen". Hormones, inflammation, stress, gut health, sleep and genetics all play a role. But what we eat can absolutely influence many of those systems. Blood sugar regulation, inflammation, gut health and nutrient intake all impact the skin, which is why nutrition often becomes part of the conversation in hormonally influenced acne.³

What also interested me was that broccoli seemed to offer far more than just one compound linked to hormone metabolism. Cruciferous vegetables contain fibre, folate, vitamin C, sulfur compounds and antioxidants, all of which support processes involved in detoxification, inflammation and overall metabolic health, and many of those same processes are closely linked to skin health. Fibre helps support the gut microbiome and blood sugar regulation, both of which can influence inflammation and breakouts. Vitamin C is essential for collagen production and skin repair. Sulfur compounds are involved in detoxification pathways in the liver, while antioxidants help reduce oxidative stress, increasingly linked to both skin ageing and inflammation. Fibre also plays an important role in helping eliminate conjugated oestrogens through the bowel, reducing the likelihood of them being reabsorbed and recirculated.¹

Broccoli is also one of those foods that quietly delivers an extraordinary amount nutritionally for very few calories. It contains vitamin K, folate, potassium, carotenoids such as lutein, and compounds like sulforaphane, which has attracted significant research interest for its potential anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects. Some early research has even explored sulforaphane in relation to UV protection and skin ageing. More broadly, diets consistently rich in vegetables are associated with better health outcomes across the board, from cardiovascular and metabolic health to longevity.⁴ ⁵

The challenge, of course, is practicality. Most of us eat around 21 meals a week. If vegetables are missing from breakfast every day, that is seven opportunities already gone, and getting enough in suddenly becomes much harder, particularly if you also want a social life and meals that feel normal and enjoyable.

Breakfast became the easiest place for me to anchor vegetables into my day because it removed the pressure of trying to compensate later. It also made healthy eating feel less performative and more automatic. Interestingly, people at the extreme end of the longevity and optimisation world, like Bryan Johnson, have also popularised vegetable-heavy breakfasts for similar reasons: consistency, nutrient density and blood sugar stability early in the day.

There may also be something specifically beneficial about eating vegetables earlier in the day. Starting the morning with fibre, protein and micronutrient-dense foods tends to support steadier blood sugar levels compared with the typical refined breakfast many of us are used to. Given how closely blood sugar fluctuations and inflammation are linked, this may be another reason vegetable-heavy breakfasts work well, not just for energy and satiety, but potentially for skin health too.

None of this means broccoli is a cure for acne, or that everyone needs DIM supplements. Skin is always multifactorial: hormones, inflammation, stress, sleep, gut health and genetics all play a role. But it did shift my perspective away from looking for isolated skin supplements and towards building meals and habits that support overall physiology more broadly.

We all have habits that become second nature because of the difference they make to how we feel or look. Mine just happens to involve broccoli before 9am.

References

1. Michnovicz JJ, Adlercreutz H, Bradlow HL.
   Induction of estradiol metabolism by dietary indole-3-carbinol in humans. Journal of the National Cancer Institute. 1990;82(11):947–949.
   
2. Michnovicz JJ, Bradlow HL.
   Altered estrogen metabolism and excretion in humans following consumption of indole-3-carbinol. Nutrition and Cancer. 1991;16(1):59–66.
   
3. Baldwin H, Tan J.
   Effects of Diet on Acne and Its Response to Treatment. American Journal of Clinical Dermatology. 2021;22(1):55–65.
   
4. Wang DD, Li Y, Bhupathiraju SN, et al.
   Fruit and Vegetable Intake and Mortality: Results From 2 Prospective Cohort Studies of US Men and Women and a Meta-Analysis of 26 Cohort Studies. Circulation. 2021;143(17):1642–1654.‍
5. Aune D, Giovannucci E, Boffetta P, et al. Fruit and vegetable intake and the risk of cardiovascular disease, total cancer and all-cause mortality—a systematic review and dose-response meta-analysis of prospective studies. International Journal of Epidemiology. 2017;46(3):1029–1056.