101 replies to this topic

[alternativista]

A good acne diet in brief summary:

What you want is blood sugar stabilizing diet habits, consisting of real, whole, nutrient dense foods, and more anti-inflammatory than inflammatory foods. That doesn't include anything you have an intolerance for.

The most inflammatory are sugar and refined high GI carbs, hydrogenated or trans fats, anything you have an intolerance for and any meal/drink/snack that spikes blood sugar. Other inflammatory foods are omega 6 sources like seeds, especially grains and oils from grains.

The most anti-inflammatory are fish, especially fatty high omega 3 fish, and just about any plant food/herb/spice/tea that isn't a seed or a high sugar fruit. If it's colorful or strongly flavored, then it's probably at the most anti-inflammatory.

In the Middle:
Animal products that aren't fish are in the middle but mostly lean to mildly inflammatory to very inflammatory. Their omega 3/6 ratio is big factor in that. Products from grain fed animals is going to be worse than pastured or wild game. Try to get eggs from pastured chickens . Almost everyone is going to feed them some grain, but access to greens and insects increase their omega 3 content and hopefully, they also feed them flax seed which increases omega 3s.

Seeds that aren't grains, like nuts and legumes are also usually mildly to moderately inflammatory. Some have more anti-inflammatory omega 3 EFAs than others like walnuts and flax seed. Cook the legumes, after soaking at least overnight, with anti-inflammatory veggies like onions, garlic, carrot, greens, etc.

What to eat most, ideally:
Eat a lot of greens, cabbage, broccoli, sweet potatoes, berries, fish. Drink only water, teas or things like water with lemon, ginger, berries or splash of juice. Buy only small high sugar fruits or have only small amounts or in combination with fat to lower the glycemic impact.

Also, sleep, physical activity, muscle/body fat, light/dark exposure (circadian rhythm), nutrients and stress are all important factors in how your body functions and affects how strict your diet needs to be.

Edited by alternativista, 28 August 2011 - 02:35 PM.

[wshewfelt]

Alternativista, I would be grateful if you could provide me some direction on my skin right now. I'm 16, male, and have extremely oily skin with maybe about 1 new pimple a day which usually gets sore before turning into a whitehead and going away. My primary concern is my oil though because it's getting waay out of control. I just started taking saw palmetto, beta-sitosterol, calc/mag/zinc, B complex, Vit C, EFA's, cod liver oil, fish oil, probiotics, and a fiber supplement. Is there anything that you would recommend or anything that I'm using which you think I don't need? I'd rather take less supplements...this is too expensive to keep up. I think my acne and oil are primarily caused by hormonal imbalances. Skin problems started at 12 and have only gotten worse. Any advice would be very much appreciated:)