I have noticed a large amount of posts pertaining to vitamin B5 (pantothenic acid), with usually the same questions asked over and over agian. Therefore I have decided to make a thread with hopefully all the information someone would need to go on the supplement.

Dosage
First off, the thing that irks most people is the very high dosage that is needed of B5. In Dr. Lit-Hung Leung's study the dosage that was mainly used is 10 grams. This is ideally how much you should take to get the best results. However, do not begin taking 10 grams right away. Your body needs to get used to the high intake of B5.

Since you will be taking 10 grams a day, it is best to buy Vitamin B5 in capsules that are 500mg each. 1000mg (milligrams) is equal to 1g (gram). Therefore, 2 pills is 1 gram.

-For the first 3 days, you will want to take a dosage of 5 grams a day. This is a total of 10 pills a day. It is good to have it spread out throughout the day, so it might be good to take 5 pills in the morning, and 5 pills at night.
-When the 3 days are up, you will be moving up the full 10 gram dosage. This will mean 20 pills a day. Again, you will want to have a steady supply of B5 throughout the day, so taking it in intervals is important. You will be taking 5 pills, 4 times a day. It is very key to be as consistent as you can.
-Keep taking the vitamin B5 for 3 months. I saw results after the 1st week, some people see first results after 2 weeks. After 3 months you should hopefully have clear skin. Make sure you take the b5 consistenly and EVERY DAY for 3 months. (Note: Some people have an initial breakout. This can be caused from pre-existing pimples that are just pushing through. But keep with it, it WILL help you.)
-After your acne has finally cleared up, you will still want to continue taking B5, but not in such high doses. Maybe drop down to 5 grams a day. If you get more acne, increase your dosage immediately, and then adjust to a dosage where you do not break out. Overtime you can keep decreasing.
-Another point I would like to mention is to make sure you take vitamin B complex vitamins. Taking this much vitamin b5 might cause a deficiency in the other b vitamins. I just take 1 pill of the complex twice a day.

Possible Side Effects
The good thing about B5 is that it doesn't really have many side effects. Here is what most people have reported:

-Stomach irritation
-Mild or severe diarrhea
-Frequent bathroom visits
-Hairloss (rare) Some cases on message boards have reported hair loss but it isn't something I would worry about, and it definetly shouldn't keep you from taking B5.
-Increased appetite (I seem to always be hungry, I am eating lots more than I ever have before)
-Chapped lips

Personally, I had some stomach grumbling for the first few days. I went poop frequently, and farted a lot. But this pretty much went away after 5 days. It is VERY GOOD to take your B5 with food. This will minimize diarrhea or stomach troubles.

B5 is water-soluble, so it is impossible to overdose on it. It is very, very safe. I read that it might not be the best idea to take it while pregnant or breast feeding.

How it works
Basically what the high doses of B5 do is create high amounts of Coenzyme-A. People with acne are lacking in the metabolism of fats. This is because they do not have enough Coenzyme-A in the body. The fats do not break down, but get deposited in your sebaceous (oil) glands and get secreted as sebum (oil). The p.acne bacteria feeds off of this sebum, and creates acne.

With all of this extra Coenzyme-A, all these fats can be broken down, and you do not have oily skin. Since you have a minimal amount of oil on your skin, no acne is produced (Hurray). Accutane also minimizes oil production, but it does so by shrinking your oil glands. The pantothenic acid doesn't need to shrink your oil glands, because it causes there to not be oil there in the first place. An extra bonus from pantothenic acid (B5) is that is makes your pores smaller. This results in making your skin smooth and good looking.

Where to get it
This is a department that some people have trouble in. You probably won't find it in super markets, or stores like CVS. You will need to find it in shops that are specialized in drugs or vitamins. This means stores like GNC, Vitamin Shoppe, etc. I personally get it from a local Vitamin Shoppe. Many times it will not be under the name B5, but Pantothenic Acid. Here is a Vitamin Shoppe link of what their brand looks like. You can order it on their site if you want too. Note how it has 500mg capsules, and there are 300 of them. Make sure you buy a lot because they get used up quickly. Many people do not like the price, but it's worth it to get rid of your acne. So KEEP AT IT, clear skin is just around the corner.

I will probably update/edit this post where I see fit, or if I get asked to. Feel free to add any/all useful info.

Useful Links
http://www.clearskin.net/viewtopic.php?t=1907
http://members.bellatlantic.net/~vze3f978/B5.html
http://b5foracne.vze.com/
http://www.freewebs.com/krg/b5.html
http://www.b5supplements.com/General-B5-Qu...ne-Prevent.html
http://gmuntz.tripod.com/b5.html

This thread is under construction.

Previously titled Fish Oil Capsules, we've learned quite a bit since we've made this thread. Especially the effects and benefits of other oils in our diet. Also due to some mis-information, I've decided to re-make this thread. Keep checking back and I will have updated this thread as soon as possible. As you can imagine it takes a lot to write it up compiling everything we've learned.

It will be a separate page where you can navigate all the information in a concise order and will have pages setup for categories of information and research on particular nutrients/oils. Then of course a clear regimen and what it exactly does. It will only have information, no ads, no products, no links.

It will be like a thread, but with side pages for better organization.

So bare with me and I will have it ready after I work out a few kinks in the regimen.

Thank you!

Hi my fellow Acne.org members,

Acne.org has been working on a survey project for quite awhile, as you might have heard. The survey will pool the thousands of visitors who frequent the site daily. We hope that it will yield results that contribute to the research community and, of course, aid acne sufferers in their struggle. Currently, two doctors and a statistician have generously lent us their expertise to carry this project forward.

The survey will address many factors: diet, family and medical history, product usage, and lifestyle. But we have decided to begin by concentrating on the impact of diet on acne -- more specifically, the effect of dairy consumption on acne. The reason is that the dairy-acne connection has already been hypothesized and studied to some depth; and that Dr. William Danby -- a strong proponent of this hypothesis who has co-authored several relevant studies -- is a collaborating physician.

But, to get things started, we first need some feedback from you guys. So what follows are a few questions. If you can, please take the time to answer them; your responses will be extremely helpful as we refine the survey over the next few months.

From everyone at Acne.org, we appreciate your time and support, as always. You guys will help make this survey happen.

(If I have not been clear enough, the questions below are not the survey questions. They are questions to help us design the survey.)


General Questions:

1. Would you be willing to fill out a survey for Acne.org?
2. If so, how much time would you be willing to devote to carefully filling out the survey? 10 minutes? 20 minutes? 30 minutes? As long as it takes?
3. What issues--dietary, lifestyle, topical, family history, ie--do YOU feel we need to address in our acne survey?

Questions about Prospective Dietary Trial

(The prospective trial will ask you guys to make dietary changes, and we will track how these changes affect your acne. We do recognize that this request is a bit of a stretch. That said, we also recognize that many of you may be willing to help out. The helpful community at Acne.org is what has sustained Acne.org for so long.)

1. Would you be willing to restrict your dairy intake for a 8-12 weeks and report to us any changes in your acne condition, at set time intervals?

2. Would you be willing to modify your diet to a Paleolithic style of eating for 8-12 weeks? If you are not familiar with this diet, skip this question.

3. If you answered "no" to question 1 and 2, what would convince you to say "yes?" Free products? Monetary compensation? Anything?

4. Would you be willing to take pictures of your acne at certain periods of time during your dietary modification?

****If you answered "yes" to either questions 1 or 2, we may contact you when the time comes to hold the prospective trial.

Questions about Retrospective Dietary Survey:

(The retrospective survey will ask you to recall your past dietary habits, and we will determine whether those habits are associated with the severity of your acne )


1. If we asked you to report how often you ate certain foods when your acne was at its worst, or when it first developed, how accurate do you think your reports would be? This implies that you may have to think back to 5 or even 20 years -- to whenever your acne was at its worst or first began to develop.

2. To assess your acne condition, we will first provide a little lesson in acne lesion identification. Then we will ask you to determine the number and type of lesions you have. Would you be willing to take the time to count the number of lesions you have in front of the mirror?

Index to recipe and nutrient discussions and websites.

Because there's been hundreds of good threads and they are always too hard to find. In fact, I can't find the threads I had in mind right now. These are what I find when I search. Feel free to post suggestions. But,

Please add recipes to the existing threads. Or, if none exist that suit your topic, start a new thread. Make it a good one and it'll get added here too.

Also, not everything here is going to be suitable for you. You need to figure out what intolerances you may have and how strict you need to be.

Acne.org recipe threads:

Cooking for Newbies - recipes, tips and tricks, what, how, when...

Really Super Nutrient Dense recipes - with nutrients known to benefit acne.

Fabulous Green Smoothies - Great way to get those superfoods. Especially for the veggie phobe.

Breakfast foods - For those that can't figure out what to eat when giving up cereal.

Sweet potatoes rediscovered They are what's for breakfast!

Gluten Free Recipe books

Gluten-Free Times

Holiday Meal recipes

Acne Free Recipes

Simple Ideas for Chicken

Healthy food ideas

Veggies

More fruits and veggies

Salad Ideas

Dessert ideas and recipes - deal with cravings with something good for you

Drink Recipes - milk substitutes, ginger ale, cocktails and more.

Healthy Recipes (links to recipes posted by Danny our resident Italian, plus a few other suggestions)


Offsite:

whfoods.org, where all the recipes prepare foods in the best way possible to preserve nutrients. Which, in the case of veggies, mostly means steaming or what they call healthy saute (in water) and topping them with what they call Mediterranean dressing (olive oil, garlic, lemon juice, S & P).

Eric Ripert's 'Get Toasted' blog
Famous French chef posts recipes using a broiler/toaster oven. Fast, easy, healthy, simple, but with the little extra touches a French chef would add. The broiled fruit is really good desert substitute. Or breakfast. I used nectarines. I tried the mangos, but didn't like it. Mangos have an aftertaste that got worse with cooking.

Low carb blog - Link goes straight to the cauliflower pizza crust recipe. Try it. It's life changing!!!

Just Cook This/Sam the Cooking Guy - FitTV/DHC cooking show. Most everything I've seen is fast and healthy. Although a few times, I have seen him use some processed convenience foods I don't approve of. Use your judgement.
http://www.thecookingguy.com/cookbook/recipes.php
http://health.discovery.com/fansites/sam-z...ipes/index.html

Other TV shows that have simplified recipes, just avoid the processed/high GI/nutritionally void ones:
America's Test Kitchen - experiments to find great tips/recipes to help you get great results. Also tests gadgets, cookware and appliances.
Everyday Food - PBS series that goes along with Martha Stewarts Everyday Food magazine



Allrecipes.com - gluten free

healingnaturallybybee.com Anti-candida recipes and info

French Women Don't get Fat recipes

Cookie Magazine's Sneak it In recipes of kid friendly foods filled with veggies great for those that think they don't like veggies. The veggies in these are not invisible, though, like in the two sites below:

Deceptively Delicious - cookbook in which veggie purees are snuck into meat loaf, brownies, chicken tenders, etc. Free recipes on this site. You'll need to reduce the sugar. I can vouch for cauliflower in scrambled eggs, I tried it accidently when trying to make the cauliflower pizza crust on a griddle on the stovetop rather than in the oven. It wouldn't hold together so I scrambled it. Only 1 egg and a lot more cauliflower, but it tasted like eggs.

Sneaky Chef - Similar to the above. With even more free recipes and tips.

Note there are also recipes in the What to Eat threads below.

Here are some links to clinical studies on the diet - hormones - acne connection.

Many thanks to Rubbish for passing these along, complete with descriptions, and for suggesting that we create a pinned topic.


http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18496812 Low GL diet increased SHBG and increased IGF-1 and reduced free androgens and thus acne and sebum.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17448569 Similar to above.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17616769 Low GL diet and markers.

(Mann's studies are cited by Cordain in his interview with Dan. These studies have resulted in dermatologists re-evaluating diet's role in acne.)

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14527633 A non-Mann study on Insulin Resistance showing important hormonal markers with acne.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15202836 Importance of binding proteins yet again in acne.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11334899 Again.



NOTE: I am closing this thread to keep it clutter-free. If you would like to pin more links to other clinical studies relating to the diet-acne connection, please PM me (or one of the other moderators) to have a new post added to this topic.

To All,

I've grown tired of the cynical debates, enjoyed the positive discussions, loved the research, heard the questions, sympathized with the confusion, felt the pain, and finally decided to compile a Resource Guide.

I hope that for those of you with questions, especially the Newbies, you will look to this guide as one of your references.

Now first of all, this is a guide dealing with the development of acne, how diet can play a role, and how leaky gut syndrome (intestinal hyperpermeability) may be at the base of it.

This is NOT a guide discussing or debating "healthy" or why there "isn't enough supportive evidence" to make this a valid form of treatment!

This guide will provide information, tips, support, options, and other resources and tools necessary in order to make following an individualized Acne Diet and/or healing your Leaky Gut a less confusing, HEALTHY, and fun transition.

Furthermore, aside from a few key threads, this will be a predominantly focused on solutions . Answers to what foods to eat, what diets to follow, what tests to take, gut healing regimens etc. There will also be a links section for anyone searching for more in-depth information on this board or elsewhere.

Of course I would greatly appreciate it if any of you (especially you cleansing & healing gurus) that are currently following a specific diet or holistic regimen, that has not been mentioned yet, to chime in and share the following:

Dos & Don’ts of the Diet
(Brief History of the diet)
Customized Diet Regimen
Gut Healing Regimen
Personal Testimony
Etc

As a forewarning, negative comments and arguments about these methods may be edited or removed! This is a positive energy and supportive thread, A Safe Haven, and ALL are welcome to participate if keeping the above in mind. This thread will deal in the possibilities and capabilities of a new improved lifestyle instead of continually focusing on the cants.

I acknowledge that there are different levels of "healthy", but for reasons of sanity and affordablity this thread will be focused on a certain level of healthy in regards to obtaining the proper amount of nutrition & variety while keeping in mind an individual’s diet. Please be aware when speaking of your own diet or holistic regimen that you don’t downplay what works for someone else.

Finally, I’ve come to realize that one of the biggest obstacles regarding an improved lifestyle is that a percentage of us have no clue what’s sold in the produce isle! No clue as to how to pick produce, let alone how to properly prepare them and cook them. No clue just how many different kinds of food exist in the world in comparison to what their current diet consists of. Nor do people FULLY realize that when one door closes several more open. Hopefully this thread will awaken more of you to just how much more you really DO have as a result!


Peace & Love!

I tried to drink apple cider vinegar in the past, but it hurt my teeth and i couldn't handle the taste. But recently I bought some apple cider vinegar chewable pills (they actually taste good too), and I've noticed some improvements. Has anyone else tried this? Is it as beneficial for acne prevention as the drink, or is what I'm experiencing a fluke?

To start, I was once one of those people who completely refused the notion that diet had anything to do with acne. I went on the regimen, and started putting four pumps of BP on my face a day, and then six when four wasn't enough. That got rid of all my acne on my face, but I still had some acne along my chin, including a cyst every blue moon.

Very recently, I got fed up with my chin acne. To get myself clear, the first thing I tried was ultra-loading it with BP. At one point I was putting six pumps of BP on my face, and another 2 pumps JUST on my chin. But no matter how much BP I put, the chin acne wouldn't go away.

So, very recently, I looked into diet. I had always avoided milk, but then I realized I was having milk in so many ways I wasn't aware of; cream for coffee, cheese on pizza, etc. I stopped eating all those. I stopped eating whey protein. I stopped eating anything with soya. I went on a completely low glycemic load diet. Well, it worked, basically. All the acne along my chin went away, and only several small whiteheads remained.

I realize now how much diet has to do with acne. Very recently, I went on a vitamin research frenzy, and I discovered zinc, and vitamin B5. Overdosing on B5 (~10g/day) is supposed to dramatically reduce skin oil. You don't have to take the high levels of B5 forever; eventually you can go down to ~4g or so after a couple of months, which is the maintenance level and still keeps you clear. There are no real side effects; the only documented one is diarrhea.

In any case, I was thinking, why don't we COMBINE the B5 and BP treatments? In other words, for many people BP doesn't work fully, and for many other people B5 doesn't work completely. What I'm going to do, is continue putting my usual 6 pumps of BP on my face. But I'm also going to start this B5 10g/day treatment. I'm hoping that this will clear up my whiteheads, AND that I'll be able to go back on whey protein, as that is a real handicap on my weight lifting progress. Eventually, I hope to go down to 4 pumps of BP a day, and ~4g/day B5 as maintenance, but that is many months in the future.

In any case, I will continue updating this thread of my progress once a week or so. And I'm putting this idea out there. If BP or B5 isn't working individually for you, try combining them, and see what happens. I, for one, am sick of dealing with this acne problem, and I'm postitive this will fix it.

Has anybody here tried it? I'm at the point where I'm willing to do anything for clear skin. ANYTHING.

QUOTE

MODERATOR EDIT by Jess on 4-27-06

There's a lot more to this than meets the eye, so how about we all keep an open mind. http://www.all-natural.com/urine.html

If anyone has a question or statement about urine therapy, then why don't we refrain from making snap or judgemental comments along the lines of "that's just disgusting! you're insane" etc. I would appreciate it if we could all be adults and allow intelligent conversation without a bit of ignorance impeding the discussion. If you do want to question validity then please do a bit of research first before making any "this can't possibly work" statements.

It's my personal belief that no one could spend ten minutes googling the subject and continue to believe that it is all a hoax. There is overwhelming evidence to the contrary.

I get this huge feeling that beginning the classic "acne diet" (i.e no processed foods, refined sugars, dairy, etc. etc.) is my only hope of clear skin. I've tried a whole bunch of topical stuff, drugstore to organic. But the second I think about starting to restrict the foods I eat and replace it with ones that I tend to never reach for (i.e healthy foods) I want to cry. Never eating a slice of pizza for the rest of my life? No scoops of ice cream? I can just imagine my family or friends wanting to go out and get fast food and I couldn't have any of it. It seems so impossible. You're basically cooped up with options you can only buy at a health food store. I'm afraid of never eating anything when I'm out. For example, there's not many options at a movie concession stand other than nachos and pretzels.

It all sounds really harsh. I am fed up with my skin and I do want to change. I'm taking a multi-vitamin now which I've never done (I do not swallow pills, so I take a powder mixed in milk).
And another ironic thing is, I'm going to cosmetology school in the spring to become a skin care specialist. How weird would that look, a facialist with broke out skin? Sometimes I just get angry that so many don't even THINK about what skincare products they use or what they eat in correlation to their skin.

Back on topic... How hard is it? What do you eat everyday? What do you do when you're traveling? How often do you feel 'left out' or are put in an awkward situation? Has anyone ever made you a meal you had to decline? Where do you shop for your food (lord knows Walmart can't carry me too far)?

Hello all,

What can you all tell me about the results of allergy tests you have all taken?

I had one recently, and only tested positive on 'real world dust mites,' the millions of bugs living in our pillows, beds, etc. I was told to pick up an allergy casing-type pillow, which I did. They also recommend wrapping the duvet, and mattress in this material as well. The latter 2 were very expensive, so I only picked up the pillow recently. My question is, with everything else on the allergy test coming back as a non-allergen (dairy, etc etc etc), should these common 'triggers' still be avoived?

I am having a REAL tough time pinpointing the cause of my moderate acne. I have avoided dairy for awhile before, and now with the results coming back as a non-allergen, I am even more confused. What are all your thoughts on allergy tests/nutrition/etc.

Thanks!!!

JT

In the process of trying the many suggested forms of help on these forums and elsewhere im getting around to Diet as something I haven't tried yet but really should.

A run down of main things I eat:
Bacon
Sausages
Minced beef/lamb
Lots of pepperoni/ham pizza's
Lots of chips (fries)
Various canned vegetable soups
Canned spaghetti (Heinz)
Lots of white bread
Freeze dried noodles
A fair bit of sweets/chocolate/dairy stuff
Lots of full fat milk (organic at least)
Lots of fruit juice from concentrate

Thats pretty much what I eat and almost entirely because pretty much everything not on that list I do not like.
I have tried many times over the years to expand my diet but the physical (retching, gagging, nausea) and psychological (my mind decides in advance when looking at a new food that it doesn't like it and then drives me to distraction when chewing new food and processing the flavours/textures) hurdles have overcome me everytime.

So I come here looking for advice on a small number of dietary changes I could make that would have the most benefit. Given my diet there's a fair chance my acne is in part exacerbated by it so this is something I really need to try.

Thanks in advance.

I feel like I have been seeing a lot more weightlifting/bodybuilding posts recently, so I thought I'd post this.

I've been using the NOW brand whey isolate for months now and love it. It has been a crucial component of my overall lifestyle/diet overhaul.

I recently discovered a brand called Muscle Gauge Nutrition, I think they are pretty new company. I just ordered a couple of tubs of their whey isolate (they also have a concentrate and a blend). The ingredients are only: pure whey isolate, natural+artificial flavor, xanthan gum and stevia. There are a ton of flavors to choose from, I got cake batter and cinnamon bun. I tried the cake batter and OMG it is incredible. They are having an insane deal at http://www.muscleandstrength.com/store/man...-nutrition.html

They are out of stock of a bunch of them right now, but I talked to their customer service and hey are getting a new shipment this week. This stuff is killer!

I used to really be into bodybuilding and I am still... mentally. I used to train 6 times a week and eat over 3000 calories a day with a lot of protein and carbohydrates. I would generally eat at least 6 meals a day.

I haven't trained in 2 months. Now I barely eat 3 meals a day and I'm on a ketonic diet, which is basically the same thing as the Paleo diet. No carbs, mostly protein, some vegetables and fruits, a bit of nuts here and there.

I have stopped Benzoyl Peroxide. Now I just wash my face with soap and water in the morning and before I go to sleep. I have stopped breaking out other than very very small, shallow pimples.

I suspect that first starting training at a young age (I have been training for about 3 or 4 years and started when I was only 15 or 16) made me produce excess male hormones and androgens. The fact that I was eating over 3000 calories a day and a lot of protein and carbohydrates and fats didn't help either. I remember when I would always eat right before bed to help me gain weight because I was so skinny. I would usually down 50 grams of Whey protein and maybe 20 cashews/almonds.

I've stopped all that and I've stopped breaking out. I'll miss working out, however. I'll probably start again when I can be sure that I have grown out of acne, perhaps some time in my mid 20s. As long as I know how to train smart and eat smart that's all that matters. I can go back whenever I want. In the meantime, however, I've lost a lot of muscle and weight...

Ok firstly I just want to say this doesn't apply to people who have a canida connection or trying to lose weight.

Carbohydrates are good for you!! Please don't avoid them completely. I have seen people who are trying to gain weight and are running out of ideas, that is because they are avoiding carbs and it's common sense that they help weight gain.Saying this I don't mean go eat refined, artificial carbs in an excess, or any carbs for that case. Just eat a healthy amount.

I was avoiding all carbs and I lost so much weight, my face was so pale, I had no energy and my acne was worse. I altered my diet adding very healthy wholegrain carbs and my acne started clearing. I ask you to try it before you judge it helped my acne.

I just came across this product while trying to look for something else that alternativista uses.

I tried to look up reviews for this product, but couldn't find anything maybe that's a bad sign? If it's worked for so many then why aren't there reviews raving about the product?

The product is found on a bodybuilding website, because of how many of them suffer from acne. The website claims that it works fast (improvements in 6 days) or you get your money back.

I would post the link, but aren't the mods deleting links now?

Anyway, has anyone tried it? Just look it up the product name is Acnessential.

Even though this is a cream, it says it's natural which is why I posted this in the holistic forum.

sorry if I put this to the wrong section but I am new to this blog website

I am going out right now to buy some EVOO to try as a moisturizer on my face....unlike many ppl i am not going to go straight to bed and lather it on my face and wake up to a horrible mess....

ppl when you try new products or regimins dont go throwing them all over your face and complain about breaking out....its called spot treatment...

i have a pimple i have chose on my face...its close to my hair line so i can hide it with hair if it goes out of control from the EVOO....

tonight i will wash my face and apply EVOO generiously in that area for the next 5 days....if nothing appears i will try a larger section of my face....still a place i can hide if everything goes horrible....

if it works with and not against my skin i will continue till i have covered most of my face.....


sigueme si kieres!
follow me if you want!

<3
La Peruana

What are Green Smoothies and Why are They Fabulous?
Green smoothies are basically leafy greens mixed with fruit smoothies, and the great part is that because you’ll be mixing the greens with fruit, the fruit covers up the taste of the greens! (If you don't like fruit, please see the recipes for the veggie based smoothies and soups below). This is one of the quickest, easiest, tastiest, most nutritious ways out there to get in your daily leafy greens and fruits! ** For more information, search "green smoothies," or, click here: Most Popular Green Smoothie Questions Answered by Victoria Boutenko


Why Do Them:
After consuming "blended leafy greens" on a daily basis for about 6 weeks, by making quick and easy "green smoothies," I noticed a huge difference in my skin. My skin doesn't break out like it used to, and it now has a healthy glow.

If you’re suffering with acne, there’s a very good chance that the smoothies will greatly help due to their high carotenoid content. You’ll be getting tons of nutrition (blended greens give you 4 TIMES the amount of nutrition compared to eating them, because the blender is able to more thoroughly break down all the cell walls in order to release nutrients. So, drinking 1 cup of blended greens is like eating “FOUR” cups of greens!!), you may notice your appetite going down (because your body will be getting so much nutrition), you may find that you feel calmer and happier (greens are great for this), have more energy (the most common reaction I hear about) and a host of many more health benefits! Click here: Green Smoothie (Original) by Sergei Boutenko.


Tips to Keep in Mind:
To jump-start the benefits, I recommend using 2 handfuls of greens a day in your smoothie, until you see improvements. You can then do just one handful a day if you like. Please keep in mind that it's very important to get at least a few servings of your greens every week from hormone balancing cruciferous greens, like spinach, kale, collards, bok choy, etc., otherwise, you may not see the results you hope for. If you have a juicer, drinking juiced greens will give you even more nutrients than blended greens, so do those as well, but it's also a good idea to do the smoothies for added fiber.

Please give the smoothies at least a 12 week try. If you are not improving, you might also consider supplementing with DIM, which is naturally found in cruciferous vegetables (mentioned above), but the supplement can give you more than you could consume through vegetables in a day. You can read about it here.

Diet Tips:
For best results, consider eating at least a 90% healthy diet by cutting out things like sugar, hydrogenated oils (trans fats), processed foods, eating less animal products, etc. Focus more on eating vegetables, fruit, leafy greens, nuts/seeds, beans/legumes, and whole grains. See Dr. Fuhrman's Library for advice on a healthy diet. Also, www.goveg.com has lots of good information on vegetarianism/veganism for those interested.

According to Dr. Fuhrman, it's vital to up your carotenoid content if you have acne. Click here: Carotenoids. This can easily be done with green smoothies, green juices, and cruciferous based soups (see recipes below). For those with acne, be sure to use lots of cruciferous greens (mentioned above), limit fruit to 4-5 pieces a day (don't eat all 4 pieces at once though, and chose (click here-->) low-glycemic foods, so you might want to opt for low-sugar fruits, like green apples, even though the leafy greens do help to balance out the fruit sugar), avoid all dried fruit, fruit juices, and dairy. Limit nuts and seeds to no more than two ounces with one meal, and opt for more seeds over nuts (if you're a plant-based eater and are worried about weight loss from eating less nuts/seeds, add in more beans and starchy (but low-glycemic) vegetables, like yams and squash.). Exercise (enough to sweat), avoid alcohol, don't overeat, and don't smoke. If you would like help incorporating more nutrient-rich plant foods into your diet, please send me a PM.

The following article talks of how many dermatologists have noticed improvements in their patients' skin when dairy is removed and a low-glycemic diet is followed. Perhaps soon they will also add "when green smoothies are added." Click here: A Clear Connection? Most dermatologists tell their patients diet plays no role in acne. New research suggests that's wrong.


What You Will Need:
A blender - preferably a high-powered one, fruit, frozen fruit Optional (Frozen fruit is great for a flavor kick - especially frozen pineapple, and often, you can find certain frozen fruits, like strawberries, raspberries, etc., cheaper than fresh. Whole Foods has a wonderful selection), leafy greens (For simplicity, I recommend pre-washed greens. Baby spinach is mild in flavor and great to start with, but be sure to eventually use a variety of greens!), flavoring Optional (cinnamon, honey, stevia, blueberry concentrate, etc), and water. Fat can help with nutrient absorption, so you might want to consider adding in a small amount of nuts or seeds. I add 1 tbs of ground flax seeds.

You can disguise the green color of your smoothies by using dark colored fruits like blueberries, raspberries, etc.

If you don’t like the noise of your blender (or if it’s over 90 decibels), you can use earplugs, ear protection from Hope Depot, or just figure out some way to cover your ears. We DO want to protect our hearing!







• Cut up 2 pieces of fruit (apples, pears, bananas, plums, etc) into 8ths
• Throw in 1 large handful of greens (romaine, spinach, kale, chard, etc.)
• Add about 1/2 a cup of frozen fruit Optional (tropical fruit mix, pineapples, mangoes, raspberries, etc.)
• About 2 cups of water (Be sure to add enough so it’s drinkable).
• Fats Optional (Nuts or Seeds - I use 1 tbs ground flax seeds)
• Add flavorings Optional (Cinnamon, honey, stevia, cocoa powder, etc.)
• Blend ingredients (Use ear protection if blender is loud.)
• Immediately rinse out the blender with water (or blend with hot, soapy water, then rinse), and let it air dry.
• You’re done! Enjoy your smoothie.
• Note: If you're new to smoothies, be sure to use plenty of fruit (*sweet* fruit, like the kind mentioned above, unless your acne is severe, in which case chose lower sugar fruits, like green apples) and only use a small handful of greens (preferably baby spinach, as it has a mild flavor). If your first smoothie isn't a hit, be sure to experiment with different fruit and leafy green combos until you come up with something you like!! Also, for the most benefit, please be sure to get in several servings a week of blended cruciferous leafy greens like spinach, kale, collards, bok choy, etc, as these will have the most powerful effect for clearing your skin.
• Tip: Smoothies can be stored in the fridge for up to 24-48 hrs, allowing you to make your smoothies every other day or third day if this better fits your schedule. Nutrition wise, fresh is always best, but you will still get enough nutrition to reap the benefits... I know this from experience, as for quite a while, I used to make mine every other day.
• Be sure to eat a variety of greens!! This is very important, because not all greens are alike, and they must be balanced! Also, some of you were getting confused about leafy greens being vegetables, like broccoli. Basically, if it's not a leaf, then it's not a leafy green.



Examples of other fruit-based smoothies:

Peach-Pear Delight
 1 pear
 1 cup frozen peaches
 1 handful baby spinach
 2-3 cups water
 1 tsp vanilla extract

Pineapple-Raspberry Paradise
 1 apple
 ¾ cup frozen pineapple
 ½ cup frozen raspberries
 3-4 flat kale leaves (de-stemmed)
 2-3 cups water
 ¼ tsp cinnamon

Heavenly Chocolate Smoothie:
 1 banana
 1 cup frozen mango
 ½ cup frozen raspberries
 1 handful spring mix
 2-3 cups water
 2 tbs cocoa powder





• ½ bunch parsley (gives a wonderful *fresh* taste to the smoothie!)
• 1 handful spinach
• ½ cucumber
• 2-3 stalks of celery
• 1 or 2 pieces of fruit (an apple or a pear)
• 1 lemon (peel, cut in half, discard large seeds, add to blender)
• 2-3 cups water
• Blend
• Note: It’s important to add at least one fruit and the lemon, otherwise, the smoothie may taste a little bitter. However, with these ingredients added in, it tastes very refreshing! Feel free to experiment with different veggies!



Examples of other Vegetable-Based Smoothies:

Fresher than Fresh Green Smoothie:
 1 bunch parsley
 ½ cucumber
 2 pears
 1 lemon (Peel away skin and remove large seeds before adding)
 3 cups of water


Blended Salad Recipe:
 3 stalks of dinosaur kale (flat, dark, kale)
 1 cucumber
 ¼ to ½ cup baby carrots
 1 tomato
 ¼ of an onion
 ½ avocado (adds a wonderful creamy flavor!)
 ¼ stalk of parsley
 1 lemon (Peel away skin and remove large seeds before adding)
 ½ apple
 3 cups water



Although not a smoothie, this is another great way to get "blended greens" into your diet. Simply blend some greens up with water, veggie or chicken broth, carrot juice, etc, and add to vegetable soup as your soup base, or, follow a version of the recipe below (a variation from Dr. Joel Fuhrman’s book, Eat to Live, my favorite book on nutrition), which is very quick and easy to make! This makes a creamy, “comfort food” soup.

• 1 lb bag of frozen broccoli (or a head of greens, like Bok Choy)
• 1 lb bag of frozen mixed veggies
• 1 cup almonds
• 1 quart chicken broth (or veggie broth)
• 1 ½ cups lentils (uncooked)
• 2 tbs turmeric
• 4 tbs cinnamon
• 2 tbs nutmeg
• 1/2 cup dried onions (gives an onion soup flavor)

Instructions: In a high powered blender, blend the frozen broccoli, almonds, chicken broth and dried onions until thoroughly pureed (if you do not have a high powered blender, you may need to cook the veggies first in the broth in order to soften them, and then cradle the veggies and broth into the blender). Pour mixture into a big pot. Add frozen mixed veggies to the pot (you may pulse the veggies on low power in the blended to dice them into smaller pieces if desired – only pulse 1/3 of the bag at a time for best results), and add lentils and seasonings (I guessed on the measurements for these, so you may need to tweak these a bit). Cook on low heat for 1- 1 ½ hrs until everything is cooked. If mixture gets too thick, you might need to add a cup or two of water. This can be made every week if you like and simple re-heat it throughout the week (a great *fast* food!). It makes a *big* pot of soup and will keep refrigerated for 4-5 days. Total Prep Time: Less than 20 minutes.

• Note: You can vary up the ingredients in this soup to make all sorts of combinations. For example, instead of the chicken broth, you could use tomato juice, and then add some diced tomatoes, cilantro, pinto beans instead of the lentils, and add seasonings such as chili powder, cumin, onions, garlic and lemon juice for a great chili soup. Carrot juice makes a great base as well. You could also add things like pumpkin puree or butternut squash puree and use different veggies with the liquid soup base. I like using frozen because it’s quick and easy. Sometimes I blend a head of leafy greens, like kale or bok choy into the liquid base as well for extra nutrients. You can also use other nuts besides almonds. Walnuts pulsed on low will give a meat texture to the soup and is really great in chili type soups.

Enjoy!






** For those who really want to get serious about improving their skin, the following is a recommendation from Dr. Joel Fuhrman:

Green Smoothie Videos:

Green Smoothie (Original) by Sergei Boutenko
This is more of a "grass smoothie," but it's a really cute, fun and happy video.
Jenna's Healthy Kitchen - Green Smoothie Video
GreenSmoothieGirl's Healthy Green Smoothie Demo
Trev4Raw's Blended Greens Raw Soup Video

Please post or send me a private message if you have any questions! I am happy to help!

Hi all, this is my first time posting in the Nutrition & Holistic Health forum, so hopefully this topic is in the right place. Recently I decided to stop dairy products to see if it would help with my acne. Except for a little butter & cheese I have stopped consuming dairy altogether. I have also stopped eating chocolate... (I do miss those reeses' & snicker bars though! Lol. ) And I have noticed significant improvement... my acne seems to have lessened considerably since. However dairy was a major part of my diet, and although I am switching & adjusting foods, it is still difficult and I do miss the dairy products. I have tried the Silk Soymilk, plain organic, and it's okay but the taste isn't so great.

So what I am asking is if any one could recommend substitutes for 2% percent milk? Any substitutes for other dairy products would be helpful as well... I've loved cheese, sour cream, & cottage cheese.

Thanks in advance,
-HomeBoundGypsy

Yep, no longer am i going to wash my face. I have had great success with the caveman diet in the past but my skin was still flakey/little dry at times..I think it was the water or something.

I'm now back on the diet and starting my new "regimen".

When i was clear, i NEVER washed my face (even with water!). It's time to make my skin normal again.

Let the healing begin!

Disclaimer (writing over a year later):

It appears that many people have had success with this approach. People have tinkered this approach in various ways (some with water, some without etc etc) with varying success.

Not washing with water at all, whilst liberating, did not work for ME. I am convinced that the use of steroid creams (years ago!) have damaged my skin to a degree whereby 'simply doing nothing' is not enough to heal my skin.

I don't have acne anymore. I haven't for ages. I do get zits from time to time but no big deal. At the moment, I am trying to heal my chin. It occurred to me that my skin has been flakey and dry for years and I havent touched a cream for years! Ridiculous.

I am a stubborn person. I have refused to use moisturizers in the past. And whenever I did use them, I found them difficult to apply. I think that this was because of the flakiness. Applying moisturizer when my skin was flakey created the biggest mess. However, I have read that it is best to exfoliate the skin prior to moisturizing (note: this is conventional wisdom so yes I am naturally skeptical). I think that moisturizers have been ineffective for me in the past because the new skin needed moisture, and the outer 'dead layer' of the skin was not allowing the cream to get where it needed to go.

I have learnt that manuel exfoliation of my skin does not give me acne (I have been doing this for months). However, it does give me temporary redness.

My current approach has been to gently exfoliate the outside layer of my skin then moisturize the new skin. I am hoping that this will heal my skin.

So yeh, there it goes. I still do believe in this 'caveman regimen' but only to an extent. In my case, I think that my skin has been damaged to a degree that it cannot simply heal on its own. I am now using chemicals to help my skin repair itself from chemical damage in the past. The irony hurts a little but whatever. I keep an open mind.

All the best,
Ads

Do anyone know the daily dose for Brewer's Yeast (I brought the 500 mg capsule) ? I read it can help.

Thanks!

Am I going to far by restricting my diet to the following?

Rice
Beans
Fish
Meat
Eggs
Fruits
Vegetables

I mainly want to avoid dairy and gluten/grains but it feels like I can't eat anything at college because everything needs to be wrapped in bread or covered in cheese.

Right now I have Tuna, Apples, Chili, and Rice in my dorm that I can make. I also have options at the cafeteria but like I said it is hard to find foods that fit in that list. Any suggestions?

I read some things on Curezone that lead me to beleive my acne is caused by liver disfuction. so I did a liver flush that I found online, the one with epson salts and olive oil. and I passed thousands of stones. But now I have a huge breakout . So I figured I would ask on here and see if anyone has had success doing liver flushes.

Im also interested in doing colon & kidney cleansing?

I've been having jawline/neck pimples forming these past few months but I can't pinpoint the reason. Two weeks ago, I became ill and ended up eating lots of bread and soup. Last week, I noticed my jawline looked a lot better. However, this week, my left jawline has been breaking out like crazy! I've been cleaning it/doing the ususal, but for some reason, literally 5 pimples are flamed. Sad part is, I'm ONLY struggling with jawline acne and no where else (forehead, chin, nose) is clear. I've been dealing this for 2 years now and it's so frustrating because my jawline WON'T GET better. Could it be possible that the stuff I'm eating is causing an "allergic" reaction? Should I get an allergy test? (isn't it pretty expensive sending in the blood work to get tested?) I really don't know what to do anymore. I even tried taking zinc 50mg but that didn't help either.

Hey everyone im new here. But i am just starting a new diet because i believe thats the only way my acne will diminish.
So what im eating at the moment is as much Bananas, apples, mandarins, kiwifruit and pretty much any fruit. Im also eating Pumpkin seeds , brazil nuts, and almonds, and for breakfast i hardboil 4 eggs and eat them plain. And when i can i will eat chicken, meat, salmon.
I am not sure though if this diet is going to affect my health , please shed some light on what i should add or remove from this.
Thanks

When your craving something naughty I ussually eat these instead since they dont break me out and taste really nice and easy to make.

http://www.the-gi-diet.org/recipes/banana_cookies/ thats where I got the idea however I changed the recipe a little to make them lower GI. Use the instructions on the site - they are really easy to make aswell!

4 ripe bananas
230g Soya flour (can use rice or potatoe but increases the GI)
2 eggs
3 tablespoons olive oil
½ teaspoon baking powder (gluten free pref)

Now I add a ton of linseed and flaked almonds into the mix to increase the amount of fat.

I also add chopped prunes since prunes are very low GI aswell and taste really nice.

190°C/380°F/Gas Mark 5 for 15 mins or 20 - 25 if you prefer them a little less "cakey".

Then stuff your big fat face. Enjoy nom nom nom.

A little over a week ago, I started eating a sufficient amount of green vegetables daily. Prior to that, my diet was very deficient in green vegetables, albeit otherwise my diet was fairly healthy. The addition to green vegetables was the only modification I have made towards what I'm eating, and yet since I've begun consuming these new foods my skin has worsened. I am doubtful that these wholesome veggies would be causing damage to my skin, which has resulted in myself pondering why I would be breaking out over eating such nutritious foods. Can anyone care to explain why this problem is occurring? I'm quite perplexed here so any help would be appreciated.

Recently I had a day where all I ate, all day, was just tangerines. Nothing else. No rice, no meat, nothing. Just tangerines. I probably had at least 50 tangerines all day.

I thought that the next day my acne would be worse because of all the sugars I was taking in from this very sweet fruit, but my acne actually got better.

Also, these days I haven't been putting anymore chemicals on my face.

Maybe all we need to do is just stop consuming animal fats/cholesterol? Sebum is, afterall, made from those fats and cholesterols and can only get those materials from the foods we put in our bodies.

A tangerine is basically just water and sugar and a little thin sac and vitamins. No way the body can produce sebum from that. Plus, all that vitamin C will boost the immune system and help fight acne. Also, tangerines are rich in many other vitamins and minerals, such as Vitamin A, B5, Niacin, Riboflavin, etc.

One tangerine contains nearly 100 percent daily value for vitamin C and 30 percent daily value for vitamin A.

Hey guys!
I made a few posts a while ago, but I haven't been on much recently due to working, friends, and the many other joys of moving out of home hehe.

My situation: I'm an eighteen year old female vegetarian with a limited intake of dairy products. I consume a lot of nuts, drink soy milk (in moderation), eat lentils and some other legumes, red quinoa (a complete protein source high in iron), brown rice, pumpkin seeds, tahini, am trying to include tofu in my diet, few eggs (I sometimes feel a bit queasy eating eggs, so I'm only trying to incorporate them into my diet slowly again).. etc.. so I'm doing okay.

My problem: Even these 'protein filled' vegetarian foods can actually be pretty low in protein. I don't think I'm deadly deficient of course, but I doubt I get the 50-90g I need (if the RDA is different to this let me know!!) I have been experiencing extra hair loss lately, which is apparently a sign of low protein. And I plan to start excercising more soon, so I think I need a booster.

My question: What protein supplements would you advise me to take, that wont effect my skin too much?
I'm not going to buy a sugar loaded or flavoured 'protein shake' mix, ew haha.
I'm considering either a soy protein isolate or a whey protein isolate, and putting a spoonful into a fruit smoothie or something. Taking it with real food, you know??

I know there are a lot of gym junkies in here, so what would you recommend??

(I'm NOT trying to bulk up, a more toned body would be nice but I'm not planning on hitting the gym daily or anything. I'm just looking to help my body)

Thanks guys!!!