221 replies to this topic

[handsbella]

In my own case, I am sure that diet has connection with acne or breakouts

[silverwrap]

Thought I'd add my experience... cheese is my enemy. If I eat anything with cheese in or on I'm guaranteed a horrendous acne attack in the next couple of days. It really is the worst thing for me! Maybe it's partly an allergic reaction, or something, but I've never had such bad acne as after eating cheese!! Strangely, it used to be ok up until my early 30s (I'm now 35), but then got steadily worse. It's the one and only thing that gives me really painful acne cysts... if I avoid cheese I avoid them. I haven't yet completely cured my acne, but as I know it is at least partly diet-related, I might try experimenting further...

[Nazario]

- QUOTE -Changing my diet has helped my acne a lot. Food can provoke such a wide range of reactions in people, so why rule out a connection between food and acne so easily? Your diet may be better than most people's, but that doesn't mean it's not terrible. Try eating nothing but whole, organic, unprocessed (as much as possible) foods for a month and see what happens. Also...

- Don't fry, roast, or microwave (buy a toaster oven for $25 to heat leftovers) anything because it changes the chemical structure of the food, making normally good foods carcinogenic.
- Avoid dairy because of the hormones, casein, zillions of allergens, etc.
- Avoid gluten (found in wheat, barley, etc.) because it's been implicated as a major problem for people with so many different disorders including acne.
- Avoid food that will cause your blood-sugar level to spike (white rice, potatoes, sugar, etc.), triggering an insulin (and insulin growth factor) response.

I've been doing all that since February 1 and I've seen very good results (starting in late February) with my acne. Here are some typical meals and snacks:

- Boiled quinoa, steamed mixed vegetables, and baked chicken (organic and not factory farmed--factory farming is horribly cruel)
- Baked fish and brown rice
- Salad with avocado, lots of fresh vegetables and seeds (sunflower, pumpkin, etc.), and with vinegar, olive oil, or Italian dressing.
- Boiled hominy grits
- Nuts of different kinds
- Fresh fruits (not too ripe)
- Soy milk or rice milk (plain, sugarless)

Are you thinking "I'd have to change everything...but I love that food...how am I supposed to eat at a restaurant now?...that's a little extreme don't you think?" Extreme relative to what? Our lame culture (I live in the U.S.) where advertising and propaganda breeds millions of ignorant people and doctors get payoffs from drug companies for writing prescriptions for your acne and ruining your health with antibiotics. Maybe some of us wouldn't have suffered so much if we had known better in the first place. I have learned over the years that I can acquire a taste for anything. Just think of how much good you're doing yourself while you eat healthy food, and it'll probably taste pretty good. -QUOTE -

This is very well said and informative! ibelieve diet does make a difference, foods including Vitamin F seem to be good, such as sunflower seeds and pecans. i am a bodybuilder and so watching acne friendly diet is quite hard, i try to have a high protein diet, very healthy foods and vegetables and will know take not of the very well said quote above. i will see if this helps.

[Apple_Blossem]

I've learned so much from reading this post.

[kikos]

I'm pretty certain that McDonald's burgers and fries (and maybe burgers and fries in general) contribute to acne formation on my face.

[amy m]

Unfortunately, cows milk is always full of hormones even if it's organic: cows secrete lots of hormones when they're lactating. So, of course, anything made from the milk (e.g. yogurt) will also be full of hormones.

This is very true...ancient chinese had mapping systems for skin breakouts, and those occuring on the sides of the chin are directly attributed to dairy. I had this problem, and was able to eliminate it by switching to all soy products. Best thing I have ever done, perfect skin now.

[cheaptricky]

I'm pretty certain that McDonald's burgers and fries (and maybe burgers and fries in general) contribute to acne formation on my face.

Hmmm.You don't say! Trans Fats R Us shoule be their new name.Please Do avoid in future.Good quality, lean meats with small portions of fruit and veg keep mereasonably clear all year round.

[Kev07]

I think that chocolate makes me break out, i stay clear away from it.

an incident that happened in the past:
Halloween night.

went trick or treating all that good stuff got back to my friend's house, started trading away all my chocolates.

next day went to his house again and they literally stuffed me with chocolate.(mean joke lol they know it'd make me break out)

I took in about 2 fun size snickers and some other stuff..

next day i got 2 new white heads


Also, lucky for me, with the exception of pizza, oily foods tend to have almost NO effect on my acne, i can eat hours on ends of chips, fries whatever i probably won't get a pimple from it.

but one way or another, i stay away from oily foods since i'm trying to lose weight i condemn mcdonalds

Now something is wrong with pizza.. it kills my face..


Finally, stress can definetely make break out, and i'm still experimenting with late nights. I've found that staying up too late might cause me to break out, thought i'm not so sure on this one yet

[Pushing Up Roses]

I don't know if this has been said or not (because I don't have 2 hours to go through ALL the posts on this topic) but I will say this. I believe eating non processed foods, a lot of fruit, and drinking a lot of water DOES help the condition of your skin. If anything, it definately won't harm it! So if you think your diet is related to your acne, try eating more fruits and veggies and non processed foods. Non-processed foods are a bit pricey, but they are well worth it for health reasons.

[amayzak]

I'm new to this site and haven't had time to read through all the previous postings, so forgive me if this is all repeat information. But this worked for me; it might work for you.

1. Quit drinking milk. Organic or loaded with hormones, the stuff is basically cow baby formula. I'm not a cow and I'm not a baby, so there's no reason I should be drinking it. I switched to 8th Continent Soymilk which is less grainy and tastes better than any other brand I've tried.

2. Only eat dairy products with live cultures in them. Cheese, cottage cheese, and yogurt are all good to go because my body doesn't have to produce as many enzymes to break them down. However, I still miss ice cream...

3. Switch to only whole grain breads, preferably sprouted whole grains. Sprouted whole grain bread (usually called Ezekiel 4:9 Bread), like yogurt, has already started breaking itself down with its own enzymes. So again, my body isn't working as hard to digest it and my skin isn't breaking out as much.

4. Try to avoid food that comes in boxes or cans. Preservatives suck. Growth hormones I can understand, but it's downright unnatural for food to be good for years. I try to buy raw materials and stuff that needs to be eaten quickly before it spoils. It makes for more trips to the grocery store and a lot more time cooking, but the health benefits are amazing and I've become a better cook since then. It's also MUCH cheaper.

5. Increase your meat intake. In anthropology, I learned that humans as a species are designed to have about 1/3 of their diet comprised of lean red meat. About 50% should be complex carbs like breads & vegetables and 20% should be fruits and simple sugars. Think about your diet: is one bite in every three made up of meat? Probably not. I'm not saying switch to Atkins, but some bacon in the morning, a tuna sandwich for lunch, and a small steak at night are very doable. For my vegan friends, this meant a soy protein shake in the morning, mixed nut snacks during the day, and some high powered tofu dishes for dinner.

6. Water water water. A good rule of thumb is to drink it until your urine runs clear, then drink some more. I ended up using less moisturizer because of it, plus it became easier to cut out things like soda, alcohol, milk, and coffee. I still have cocktails and an occasional cup of coffee, but once I made time to sleep better, my need for caffeine disappeared. And when I started exercizing again, I felt better about myself and didn't need booze to have fun.

6. 86 things with little nutritional value like desserts, candy bars, iceberg lettuce, white bread, and soda. If I need something sweet, I drink orange juice instead of chocolate <fill in the blank>. For something salty, a glass of V8 instead of potato chips.

Sounds like a lot of work, but it's not. At the grocery store, just think about what a caveman would recognize as food. Certainly not Hamburger Helper and Diet Coke...

[cheaptricky]

I'm new to this site and haven't had time to read through all the previous postings, so forgive me if this is all repeat information. But this worked for me; it might work for you.

1. Quit drinking milk. Organic or loaded with hormones, the stuff is basically cow baby formula. I'm not a cow and I'm not a baby, so there's no reason I should be drinking it. I switched to 8th Continent Soymilk which is less grainy and tastes better than any other brand I've tried.

2. Only eat dairy products with live cultures in them. Cheese, cottage cheese, and yogurt are all good to go because my body doesn't have to produce as many enzymes to break them down. However, I still miss ice cream...

3. Switch to only whole grain breads, preferably sprouted whole grains. Sprouted whole grain bread (usually called Ezekiel 4:9 Bread), like yogurt, has already started breaking itself down with its own enzymes. So again, my body isn't working as hard to digest it and my skin isn't breaking out as much.

4. Try to avoid food that comes in boxes or cans. Preservatives suck. Growth hormones I can understand, but it's downright unnatural for food to be good for years. I try to buy raw materials and stuff that needs to be eaten quickly before it spoils. It makes for more trips to the grocery store and a lot more time cooking, but the health benefits are amazing and I've become a better cook since then. It's also MUCH cheaper.

5. Increase your meat intake. In anthropology, I learned that humans as a species are designed to have about 1/3 of their diet comprised of lean red meat. About 50% should be complex carbs like breads & vegetables and 20% should be fruits and simple sugars. Think about your diet: is one bite in every three made up of meat? Probably not. I'm not saying switch to Atkins, but some bacon in the morning, a tuna sandwich for lunch, and a small steak at night are very doable. For my vegan friends, this meant a soy protein shake in the morning, mixed nut snacks during the day, and some high powered tofu dishes for dinner.

6. Water water water. A good rule of thumb is to drink it until your urine runs clear, then drink some more. I ended up using less moisturizer because of it, plus it became easier to cut out things like soda, alcohol, milk, and coffee. I still have cocktails and an occasional cup of coffee, but once I made time to sleep better, my need for caffeine disappeared. And when I started exercizing again, I felt better about myself and didn't need booze to have fun.

6. 86 things with little nutritional value like desserts, candy bars, iceberg lettuce, white bread, and soda. If I need something sweet, I drink orange juice instead of chocolate <fill in the blank>. For something salty, a glass of V8 instead of potato chips.

Sounds like a lot of work, but it's not. At the grocery store, just think about what a caveman would recognize as food. Certainly not Hamburger Helper and Diet Coke...

Oops.

Excellent post, Amayzak.I endorse your remarks!

[xtr3m]

Today I found an interesting site of a guy that had a very severy form of acne that lasted for 40 years. He was finally able to find his kulprit: sugar.

* I have been personally afflicted with acne for over 40 years.
* My case was very severe.
* For the first 17 years I had no answers; I found no remedies or over-the-counter medications that would prevent new acne.
* At age 30 I began a serious search for answers with the help of a dermatologist.
* The positive effect of antibiotics on lessening the severity of new outbreaks proved bacteria were part of the cause.
* By varying the use of antibiotics and recording everything I ate and drank, I was able to correlate a pattern between acne outbreaks and certain foods.
* I found my acne was caused by refined sugar in my diet.
* I found I could avoid new acne by avoiding sugar-containing foods and drinks.
* The most significant finding was that new acne would result from extremely small quantities of sugar intake, as little as 1/16 teaspoon (1/4 gram).
* I developed a 2-week test I could use now and then to reconfirm the effect of sugar on new acne.
* The difficult part of controlling my acne was changing my diet and disciplining myself to be constantly aware of the staggering number of foods that contain sugar, many in very small hidden amounts.
* A number of very positive side benefits resulted, such as acquiring a rather healthful diet.

He also provides some meal ideas.

http://www.thiele.fptoday.com/ta/acnehome.htm

[skinkim]

Acne Myths: Chocolate and Sex Causes Acne!

Have you been told that you shouldn't eat chocolate because it causes acne?

Or how about French fries? Pizza?

Wrong! That's just a myth, and while certain foods can make acne worse for some people, researchers have found that it does not cause it!
Read more myths about Acne...

Click Here to read about some aggravating factors for Acne on AcneGuide.

[mariangelis]

I realize that my acne has gotten better since I stopped eating certain foods, but one thing doesn't work for all. I got an allergy test (which was very expensive) and I found out that I am allergic to eggs, bananas, and pineapple among other things. It's the 96-Food IgG Elisa Food Intolerance Kit. My skin looks radiant and I feel a lot better BUT my acne did not completely disappear; it simply improved. Before you make generalizations about milk is bad for you or eggs are bad for you or soy is bad for you or gluten is bad for you, just get a test if you are serious about knowing. It's a big investment but it could change your life. Trying to figure out what you are really allergic to on your own would be very difficult. Cheers and I bid good skin for all!

[SweetJade1980]

I realize that my acne has gotten better since I stopped eating certain foods, but one thing doesn't work for all. I got an allergy test (which was very expensive) and I found out that I am allergic to eggs, bananas, and pineapple among other things. It's the 96-Food IgG Elisa Food Intolerance Kit. My skin looks radiant and I feel a lot better BUT my acne did not completely disappear; it simply improved. Before you make generalizations about milk is bad for you or eggs are bad for you or soy is bad for you or gluten is bad for you, just get a test if you are serious about knowing. It's a big investment but it could change your life. Trying to figure out what you are really allergic to on your own would be very difficult. Cheers and I bid good skin for all!

Mariangelis,

Your results are what I would expect because your test covered only half of your possible problems.

The Elisa IgG test looks for Type III Hypersensitivity Reactions, that are antibody related. However if you are interested in taking a Type IV Hypersensitivity Reaction test http://www.alcat.com, which looks for "Cell Mediated Reactions" (via white blood cells) this may give you the other half of the picture.

There are several studies available linking acne to being caused by both of these hypersensitivity reactions and thus, just about anything can trigger it for us_as_individuals, but these tests can help narrow it down for those that can afford it or don't want to take the elimination diet route or liver flush, etc.

Wish you continued improvement!

[dietmatters]

I have no doubt that diet is the strongest predictor of acne. I have struggled with acne for many years. When I was a teenagers I had typical acne. Now 26 I have developed deep cystic acne that occurs every few months. I have been to four dermatoligists who gave me all kinds of drugs and creams, which had relativley little positive outcome. These cysts have caused me so much embarrassment, shame, and pain. I can't count the number of events I have not attended or plans I have changed not only because of my apperance but because I had real physical pain and headaches. Once I had a cyst right beneath my eye and it literally hurt to even blink. These problems made me feel very depressed despite otherwise having a really great life.


Not a single dermatolgist talked to me about diet. One even said that I probably touch my face too much, which somehow would explain these deep cysts? After spending a month in Asia where my diet was very different (no dairy and little wheat) and my skin very good, I developed painful cysts within a week of returning to America. That is when I realized it was a dietary problem. So here is what I did that has helped me more than drugs or dermatologists ever did:

1) Replace dairy with soy. Contrary to what some dermatologist tell you, there is published scientific evidence that dairy is linked to acne. there are also some really great books about the harms of milk. I check everything I eat for dairy. Milk is in more products than you can imagine, but you can absolutley find substitutes and be fulfilled. Soy ice creams are wonderful.

2) No gluten. This is somewhat harder to eliminate. I don't cut out all wheat, although I do limit it, but I avoid products that have explicitly added wheat gluten.

3) Fruit fruit fruit. You can't have too much of it. Strawberries, blueberries, and apples are the best for your skin. Oranges and watermelon is great too.

4) No coffee or caffinated drinks. Bad bad bad.

I still have occassional bouts with acne that are frustrating and depressing, usually when I'm sick or when I know I've had too much sugar, but following these diet rules has changed my life, not just my acne. I feel full of energy, happier, and lost about 5-8 pounds without even trying because dairy is so fatening. This along with normal non-harsh cleaning will make all the difference.

[Kristin21]

I have a question for many of you on this forum in regards to dieting for your skin.. WHen you are over at poeples houes for a party., a banquet hall etc etc etc.. DO you really say NO to the things offered to you? Wouldnt it be considered insulting to the person who is giving you the food they took time to prepare etc to say no.. How do you guys do it.. when your out in public...

[SweetJade1980]

I have a question for many of you on this forum in regards to dieting for your skin.. WHen you are over at poeples houes for a party., a banquet hall etc etc etc.. DO you really say NO to the things offered to you? Wouldnt it be considered insulting to the person who is giving you the food they took time to prepare etc to say no.. How do you guys do it.. when your out in public...

I politely say "no thank you." Where I live, the norm is mexican food anyway so there's usually CORN tacos, taquitas, empanadas, various meats, soups, salads, fresh fruit, rice and beans that I can enjoy. There's only been a few occasions where I was left eating salad, vegetables and/or fruit only, but most people if they know me plan to have at least something more than that. If I'm aware of the situation beforehand, I might bring my own fruit or something to snack on (while other's have cake).

Of coures it is NOT rude to decline an offer from someone. For a percentage of us, we are talking about more than just our skin! The results of diets may show up "instantly" on our skin, but the truth of the matter is it's a sign of something haywire inside and as long as we avoid the triggers (or detox, liver flush), what's haywire gets to heal and become a bit more balanced. So ultimately this is about our health and hopefully preventing some of these "diseases of lifestyle" that are increasingly prevelant from occuring within us. Therefore, if the people we keep company with can't understand, support and respect that (and sometimes it takes time)...are these really the people you should be around?

All the best!

[girl-WITHOUT-acne]

From a spiritual point of view, it is energetically dirty to eat something that has had a sad life and then killed in a non-humanitarian way.

i believe this too. if a cow watches others around it dying in cruel agony, suffers before death, or it realizes such horrible things, hormones relating to stress and fear are released into the animal, and that is what you get to eat... it's a scientific fact.

Therefore, if the people we keep company with can't understand, support and respect that (and sometimes it takes time)...are these really the people you should be around?

All the best!

God. Well said. WELL said.

And why can't they take lessons from us? Is it really all that necessary to eat the crap? I feel wonderful on my diet. To me it's rude of them to impose their disgusting eating habits on me. I don't throw my diet and/or spiritual decisions on them. So they need to stay off my back. Grr.

[spottedone]

I have been dairy-free for 10 days now. My skin is clearing up a lot (as in it is close to 95% clear). I know it has not been long and there is a chance it has nothing to do with cutting out dairy but I am optimistic. My skin just feels less inflamed and I currently do not have any lurking cysts. I have not been able to say this for months and months.