339 replies to this topic

[Dan]

I decided to look into the diet and acne connection and have a go at the Paleo diet. Dr. Cordain, the University of Colorado professor and pioneering researcher in this area was cool enough to give us 10 copies of his book so we could try it out. The diet involves ONLY fruits, veggies, lean meats, fish, and seafood. Here is my first day of the diet:

breakfast: 3 omega-3 enhanced eggs with no salt and a mango

lunch: big piece of salmon and a big salad with no dressing

dinner #1: slow cooked pork tenderloin and spaghetti squash with steamed kale

dinner #2: grass-fed beef patty with lots of veggies

snacks: 3 pieces of fruit throughout the day which has caused some (cough) issues today. Gonna cut down.

supps: I'm taking 4-6 fish oil pills a day from now on, 50mg of zinc gluconate/picolinate, and vitamin D if I don't get sun.

(My skin is completely clear because I'm on the regimen. So I won't post pics since there will be no change. I am not going off the regimen for another couple of weeks when the diet will hopefully kick in.)



My baseline diet, before starting to eat this way looked something like this:

breakfast: oatmeal with sour cream and splenda, 3 regular eggs with salt and pepper.

lunch: sandwich with small side salad

dinner #1: pasta with chicken and kale, olive oil and parmesan

dinner #2: (I don't know how people only eat one dinner. lol) Stoffer's entree, or leftovers.

snacks: a smoothie after a workout at the gym sometimes. lots of cashews at other times, lightly salted. fruit here and there.

[Mandy Ann]

Good luck Dan !!

This is still strange to me seeing Dan making a personal regimen log that doesn't even have to do with the CSR regimen! haha

[Dan]

I've eaten exactly the same so far today. Quite frankily it is gross eating this way. It is pretty tasteless and boring. Also, I'm not used to eating so much meat meat meat. I also feel like I can't leave the house for too long because it is impossible to eat perfectly when you're out of the house. So...I called Dr. Cordain's business person who is also extremely knowledgable and told him this diet is too hard for the average person. Heck, it's too hard for pretty much everyone I think. "So how can we eat this way and stay sane and be able to lead a normal life?" I asked him.

He said I can go ahead and add in some salt if I really like salt. I think I'll do that a little bit. He also said splenda is probably ok for sweetener. Evidently some artificial sweeteners cause an insulin spike, but he was pretty sure splenda doesn't. I also told him I hate fish and can I just take more fish oil supps if I end up eating too much of the omega-6 type fats and he said "absolutely". So I'll probably throw out the salmon I have in the fridge and just take more omega-3 supps. I just don't like salmon. He also said I can keep drinking green tea which I had given up. I'm putting that back in as of today.

I mentioned that the "lean meat" was tastless as well and he said go ahead and put in some bacon and fattier meats if I'd like. He said you're way better off eating bacon rather than toast. We're trying to control insulin as our #1 goal with this whole thing.

I asked about sweet potatoes, and he said, well, it's up to you how perfect you want to be for the first month, but the better I can be the better I'll be able to tell how it's working, and I agreed. So I will try to be as good as I can with the above changes only. I'll keep you posted.

[Adam82]

The start is the worst. I agree, it is too strict but every diet starts out narrow and then expands by including more foods later on.

[Dan]

Day 3:

breakfast: same but with a grapefruit and pinch of salt

lunch: grass fed beef patty with big salad. put splenda in dressing.

dinner #1: isopure protein shake after workout. It has zero carbs.

dinner #2: almost half a rotisserie chicken (man I was hungry) and a green pepper.

snacks: banana, apple


People are telling me I look thinner in the face. Already? I dunno. I feel pretty good though. Energy is consistent.

[answerme]

People are telling me I look thinner in the face. Already? I dunno. I feel pretty good though. Energy is consistent.

in wai's diet, they use the term "swollen skin" for skin that contains excessive protein due to eating of the wrong foods. you must be doing great then.

i wish you more luck and perserverance. i know how hard it is (tried wai's diet for two weeks many months ago).

[D.T.A]

Two dinners? Dan, your one hungry man. I love meat and all, but I could never overabuse it in that fashion. Let me know how this new eating regime is going for you... I am following my own right now... its quite different from this Dr. Cordain's. Keep us posted.

[mj's9eleven]

What is the title of this book?Whaere can I buy it?
Is it anti-acne diet or just for healthy body&skin?

[Dan]

Yeah, I am eating hella meat. lol. I have a different view on meat than I used to though. When I read about this diet and realize that human beings only started cooking grains 10,000 years ago it makes sense to me that we are more biologically programmed to be hunting and gathering animals and plants than we are to be farming and milling grains. I am actually interested in going hunting now too, which might be controversial. But I feel like if I eat meat I should know what it's like to go through the entire experience and honor the animal and all that. I think it might put me more in touch.

Anyhoo...this diet is getting easier for sure. I'm actually starting to like it. I can tell my blood sugar is even steven. I don't get "hungry" anymore. I get ready to eat, but I don't get "starving" which is very cool. My mood is pretty even too. Now, if it helps with acne, we shall see...

Day 4 was pretty much the same. I added in bacon though. That may have been what made all the difference in my ability to like this diet. Dr. Cordain talks about how fattier cuts of meat don't do anything bad for acne, but cautions against too much 'cuz they're not good for heart health. So I'm like, "gimme tha bacon yo".

[colorcoded]

Hi Dan, I've read through the book but now have a couple of questions.
Firstly, do you know if we can have seasonings/spices? I have an all-purpose sort of seasoning that I put on chicken sometimes and it makes it a lot better tasting. I'm sure it probably has salt in it, but do you think it's still okay to use?
And secondly, does it matter how we cook foods? Like, grilling opposed to sauteeing?
Let me know what you think!

Casey

[willow569]

Yeah, I am eating hella meat. lol. I have a different view on meat than I used to though. When I read about this diet and realize that human beings only started cooking grains 10,000 years ago it makes sense to me that we are more biologically programmed to be hunting and gathering animals and plants than we are to be farming and milling grains. I am actually interested in going hunting now too, which might be controversial. But I feel like if I eat meat I should know what it's like to go through the entire experience and honor the animal and all that. I think it might put me more in touch.

I am guessing this particular acne cure diet is not a good one for those of us who are vegetarians?

Yes, we have gotten very far away from what humans used to eat. But, even when people were all hunter/gatherers - they did not eat meat on a daily basis. Meat was often very difficult to get, so they might have had it a couple of times a week at the most. They would often go weeks without having any meat, if the hunting wasn't successful. I am also wondering how similar this acne cure diet is to the high protien Atkins diet that was in vogue a few years ago (which has since fallen out of favor, as its impacts on health are somewhat questionable). I just think that our bodies were just not meant to digest and process this much protein.

And hunting? All I can say is,

I do hope this diet works out for you and anyone else who tries it though!! Good luck with it.

[colorcoded]

I am guessing this particular acne cure diet is not a good one for those of us who are vegetarians?

Yes, we have gotten very far away from what humans used to eat. But, even when people were all hunter/gatherers - they did not eat meat on a daily basis. Meat was often very difficult to get, so they might have had it a couple of times a week at the most. They would often go weeks without having any meat, if the hunting wasn't successful. I am also wondering how similar this acne cure diet is to the high protien Atkins diet that was in vogue a few years ago (which has since fallen out of favor, as its impacts on health are somewhat questionable). I just think that our bodies were just not meant to digest and process this much protein.

And hunting? All I can say is,

I do hope this diet works out for you and anyone else who tries it though!! Good luck with it.

It all depends on how you're going about this diet. When I went shopping today I picked up mostly fruits and vegetables, along with a carton of omega-3 enriched eggs. The only meat I bought were two salmon fillets, and a bag of boneless, skinless chicken breasts. I'm not much of a meat eater myself and I don't plan on having a ton of meat everyday-- maybe just for dinner, along with some veggies.
I was thinking that this diet is similar to the Atkins (or even South Beach) diet as well, but neither of those diets let you have fruit, which is pretty major. At least with this, there's something to munch on when I get a sweet tooth.

[Dan]

I can't imagine you could eat enough on this diet without eating meat regularly. You can only eat a few pieces of fruit a day without having bathroom problems, let's be blunt. And veggies don't contain a lot of calories. So meat or eggs or fish is necessary pretty often. I don't think a vegetarian could do this diet at all really. It opens the whole question for me of whether we are designed to be vegetarians though. I don't think so.

Hi Dan, I've read through the book but now have a couple of questions. Hi Dan, I've read through the book but now have a couple of questions.
Firstly, do you know if we can have seasonings/spices? I have an all-purpose sort of seasoning that I put on chicken sometimes and it makes it a lot better tasting. I'm sure it probably has salt in it, but do you think it's still okay to use?
And secondly, does it matter how we cook foods? Like, grilling opposed to sauteeing?
Let me know what you think!

Casey

Yup, seasoning are fine. I asked Dr. Cordain personally. All purpose seasoning probably has a lot of salt in it though. As far as salt goes, we're supposed to not really use it, but that's not possible if you want to eat a diet that has any taste to it in my opinion. So I use it sparingly. I also asked Dr. Cordain's business person about this and he said go ahead and add a little salt in. As far as cooking goes, slow cooking is best. I got a crock pot and use it. As far as stove cooking goes, we're supposed to use lower temperatures, so that's what I do.

day 5:

pretty much the same except I went out for dinner: prime rib and lobster tail with asparagus. Everything was very salty and the asparagus was loaded with butter. But mmmm...it was good. I also had a salad beforehand which I realized had sugar in the dressing, but I ate it anyway. So this was my first real cheat I guess, but I was like, "well, in the real world I will need to eat a salad from a restaurant once in a while, so I don't want to beat myself up about it".

Still feeling really good. Even moods, things aren't getting to me that much which is very cool. I definitely wonder if doctors recommend this diet to people instead of mood meds. I think they might want to if they don't.

[Brandy]

Dan, I assume peanut butter is a no-no on this diet?

[Guardian]

I'm still waiting to try the diet...my access code key didn't work.

[Dan]

Guardian, I sent you another one which should work. Sorry about that.

Brandy, peanuts are legumes, so they're not allowed. However, as the author states, this is not about depriving you of your favorite foods forever. He asks that you try to be precise for a month and then you can add in your favorite foods one at a time. He specifically uses the example of peanut butter because I guess he knows how much people love it. But he's not a fan and that comes through pretty clearly.

[Spott]

I just got off the Paleo diet today, after approximately 12 days on it. It didn't do very much for my acne, but I did feel somewhat better. I have decided to go back to eating my favorite foods while cutting out processed sugar and most dairy, which is a common sense diet anyway. I'm taking B-Stress Complex, Omega 3, Omega 6, and an acidophilus supplement. Going to the derm in a few days for the first time, which should be the only way to solve my acne.

[Elsewhere]

Wow, Dan's doing the Paleo diet? Wow!

Keep us posted!

[Dan]

According to Dr. Cordain it takes the skin a full month, and sometimes a little longer to completely renew itself. That's how long it takes for the basal keratinocytes (a fancy name for the bottom skin cells) to migrate to the top, become corneocytes (top skin cells), and sluff off. So that's why it's important to strictly do this diet for a month. If your bottom skin cells were hyperproliferating (growing too fast) because of your diet 2 weeks ago, those skin cells are still in the middle, becoming too many corneocytes and sticking together, blocking the pore.

Having said that, he does mention that you should see results within the first week. Anyway, I'll stick to this for a full month and report back.

Yesterday's diet was the same as always which is why I am not posting it every day. The only thing I did differently was I had eggs and bacon twice. woops. lol. I love that meal. I had a book club at my house and the whole place smelled like bacon. Anyway, because eggs are not the optimal fat ratio I made sure to take 3 fish oil pills with each egg meal.

I also discovered that a bunch of veggies cut up with olive oil and a healthy dose of fresh lemon juice is kinda good.

[Brandy]

I could probably do this diet, I love bacon and eggs!