21 replies to this topic

[dudeman]

Hey everyone, I've been a member of this site for ages but haven't really participated until now. I just wanted to say thanks to everyone who has written diet related advice on this forum, because my skin is actually clearing up well for the first time since I was 13 (I'm 20 now).

The last straw for me was a week and a half ago, when I broke out so bad that half of my face was just red and inflamed. So I decided to do something drastic after reading the advice here.

I've completely stopped eating ANYTHING with added sugars (including so-called "low-GI" sugars like agave nectar), grains, or starchy foods. For ages I denied that whole grains were causing a problem, but they were. Sugar and grain break me out, gluten grains in particular. I may experiment with grains like quinoa later on, but the results are too good for now.

My diet now is basically: Vegetables, pasture raised eggs from local Farmer's Markets, RAW MILK (mostly goat) cheese (pasteurized dairy is hell for my skin), and ONE piece of fruit per day. Any more and I get a little red spot somewhere. I eat moderately now and never overeat even though I exercise/workout often. I also drink powdered wheatgrass with water in the morning, which helps a TON.

I'm vegetarian so I don't eat meat, but the eggs and raw cheese is plenty in terms of protein. I also make protein smoothies with hemp protein powder on workout days (awesome for muscle growth).

I drink 8 glasses of water a day and take a good whole food multi-vitamin and coenzyme B vitamin complex (New Chapter brand).

The only thing I use on my face is a mild fruit enzyme pumpkin mask every night (Mychelle Pumpkin Peel) which is really helping old red marks. I just wash with water and a soft washcloth.

What else can I say? I had pretty terrible acne on my face. Within 3-4 days of eating like this the acne flattened out almost completely, which normally would have taken 3 weeks or more for me. My skin is actually looking "normal", and it's only been a week of eating like this. My face also thinned out, almost like I was puffy and retaining water before. My jawline is noticably more defined (and it's not because I've lost weight), which I wasn't expecting.

Try it. No sugar, no grain, no more than one piece of fruit per day, 8 glasses of water, powdered wheatgrass, and exfoliate with a natural fruit enzyme mask (the Mychelle brand comes highly recommended by me, it's all natural with no *@&^ added).

[dudeman]

Man, I almost forgot: DIGESTIVE ENZYMES and PROBIOTICS. I use Enzymedica brand "Digest Gold" enzymes and these have helped a ton with my digestion over the past few months. They didn't help my acne a lot, but they stopped the griping pains I used to get sometimes/often after eating. I think they helped me to not break out as much, but I was still breaking out a lot until I changed my diet like I mentioned above.

And at the same time that I changed my diet, I started taking a ton of probiotics. I'd always taken them, but I started taking 3 times more. I think it makes difference.

[DeAntonio]

1 piece of fruit a day? LOL


fruit is fine to eat all day....

[dudeman]

1 piece of fruit a day? LOL


fruit is fine to eat all day....

If you want to believe that, buddy, go right ahead. But if I have more than one piece of fruit at a time, or even one a day depending on whether it's a low sugar fruit or not, then within two days I'll break out in a little spot. I've tested it.

The only times I can have more than one piece is after a good workout.

Chances are it's the same for anyone whose skin is, apparently, sugar sensitive. Sugar is sugar, it doesn't matter whether it comes from fruit or not. Fruit just happens to be the healthiest version.

[LivesInABox]

I like this post i found

Don't be misled. This is one of the major misconceptions of science
education. Sugars (including sucrose) are not inherently bad. They are
fuels: sucrose for plants, glucose for us.

Also all fruits contain high levels of sucrose. It is the predominant
sugar in plants and is the major source of energy for photosynthetic
plants. Excess sucrose is stored as starch. Sucrose is extracted to
make table sugar. It doesn't matter if you get 1 gram from your apple
or 1 gram from your sugar bowl. The sugar from your apple does
increase your blood sugar. This is why diabetics are cautioned not to
eat fruits and vegetables (carrots, bannanas, grapes...) with high
levels of sucrose. The benefit to eating fruit as opposed to just
table sugar is that fruits also conatin vitamins and starches that add
nutritional value.

While not 100% accurate it's close enough. Just remember to make sure your getting enough vitamins and minerals and antioxidants from somewhere if your avoiding all fruit and some veg!

[Healthoid]

Awesome man, sounds like you have a very good diet. This sort of diet with no grains, no sugar and only raw dairy works for a lot of people. I have also noticed the less puffiness and more definition too when I am on a good diet. Your entire body changes in amazing ways when you change what you eat...afterall, your entire body is made from food .

One thing I would consider is the wheatgrass because it contains gluten. You might see even further improvements if you take that out.

[DeAntonio]

Awesome man, sounds like you have a very good diet. This sort of diet with no grains, no sugar and only raw dairy works for a lot of people. I have also noticed the less puffiness and more definition too when I am on a good diet. Your entire body changes in amazing ways when you change what you eat...afterall, your entire body is made from food .

One thing I would consider is the wheatgrass because it contains gluten. You might see even further improvements if you take that out.

wheatgrass is gluten free

Ive researched it pretty religiously and all links say so..... it is key though, containing a lot of enzymes and key amino acids

[Healthoid]

Awesome man, sounds like you have a very good diet. This sort of diet with no grains, no sugar and only raw dairy works for a lot of people. I have also noticed the less puffiness and more definition too when I am on a good diet. Your entire body changes in amazing ways when you change what you eat...afterall, your entire body is made from food .

One thing I would consider is the wheatgrass because it contains gluten. You might see even further improvements if you take that out.

wheatgrass is gluten free

Ive researched it pretty religiously and all links say so..... it is key though, containing a lot of enzymes and key amino acids

There are different opinions on this. I tend to think that it is very likely to have minute amounts of gluten. Here's someone elses opinion on it:

While the wheat is converted during sprouting, there is still a chance that the entire amount isn't converted - if the grass is "harvested" before complete sprouting is finished, etc. The amounts would be minute, but could add up. It's the whole processing thing too - the wheat grass may be processed in the same facility and lines ets. as whole wheat. I try to stay away from wheat grass because of that.

[Iliad]

Dudeman, my diet is alot like yours, I just eat lots of fruit. maybe I should try cutting that out. My big question is, knowing what we know, how can the rest of the world still believe that diet affecting acne is a myth? For most of us it is the cause!

[dejaclairevoyant]

I think the fruit issue is an independant one. Fruit does have a lot of sugar, but it also contains a lot of fiber and other nutrients so even while "sugar is sugar" {I agree} the sugar being IN fruit does change the way it breaks down.

The two issues with sugar are
SPIKING insulin
and
FEEDING candida

The insulin spike issue isnt as bad with fruit {and some fruits worse than others} since the fiber binds the sugar and helps it break down for fuel in your body more slowly. This is why we must not drink fruit juice because that is just pure sugar. {My boyfriend drinks like a gallon of fruit juice a day, it kills me! haha}
The candida issue is a different one for everyone, because not everyone has a candida problem. Ive been doing green smoothies every day with lots of fruit and vegetables and seeing if they are causing any yeast problems..doesnt seem like it but its hard to tell. I know my boyfriend and I have "fruit night" {lol} where we have like 10 oranges between the two of us for dinner and I have done that and my skin looked great the next day {no new acne anyway} so I dont think fruit is the problem for me.

Right now Im trying to avoid gluten and see what happens. I KNOW I have a food allergy to something, I just dont know what! Its sooo frustrating!

[Lilo]

i read in Dr. Mercola's 'No Grain Diet' book that he recommends that you eat no more than three fuits per week. also, the sugar issue. veggies are best.

[dudeman]

I like this post i found

Don't be misled. This is one of the major misconceptions of science
education. Sugars (including sucrose) are not inherently bad. They are
fuels: sucrose for plants, glucose for us.

Also all fruits contain high levels of sucrose. It is the predominant
sugar in plants and is the major source of energy for photosynthetic
plants. Excess sucrose is stored as starch. Sucrose is extracted to
make table sugar. It doesn't matter if you get 1 gram from your apple
or 1 gram from your sugar bowl. The sugar from your apple does
increase your blood sugar. This is why diabetics are cautioned not to
eat fruits and vegetables (carrots, bannanas, grapes...) with high
levels of sucrose. The benefit to eating fruit as opposed to just
table sugar is that fruits also conatin vitamins and starches that add
nutritional value.

While not 100% accurate it's close enough. Just remember to make sure your getting enough vitamins and minerals and antioxidants from somewhere if your avoiding all fruit and some veg!

I'm not avoiding all fruit... I have one pear, nectarine, peach or plum per day. I'll probably go with apples now since it's the season. But the thing is, I don't eat any more sugar than I'll burn. If it's a workout day, I can eat 2-3 pieces of fruit in one sitting without any problems if it's right after my workout, but if I try to eat something with ANY kind of sugar added to it, I'll break out. Fruit is definitely the best source of sugars, but my body needs to be in the right state to recieve it (i.e. after exercise).

HEALTHOID: That's interesting about the wheatgrass and gluten. I'll have to read up some more on that... I'd always heard it's gluten free. But I notice that I feel really good and "clean" after I drink it, so I think it's ok for me. I actually drink a grass blend now, with barley, oat, wheat, alfalfa, dandelion, etc. powdered grasses and I think that's even better.

[DeAntonio]

lol so what the hell are you people doing to keep weight?

veggies are calorie dense as hell and hemp protein costs a fortune


adjusting your diet to foods you hate = your still losing the battle to acne

[dejaclairevoyant]

i read in Dr. Mercola's 'No Grain Diet' book that he recommends that you eat no more than three fuits per week. also, the sugar issue. veggies are best.

Everyone says different things. The Barefoot Herbalist {someone I follow a lot of his ideas and am doing his kidney cleanse now} is a fruitarian. He recommends the 21 day orange juice fast for total body healing. See everyone says something different. I think we have to just see what our bodies like or dont like.

P.S. There is no gluten in wheatgrass.

[dudeman]

lol so what the hell are you people doing to keep weight?

veggies are calorie dense as hell and hemp protein costs a fortune


adjusting your diet to foods you hate = your still losing the battle to acne

No offense man, but laughing and cussing at people just makes you look like an ass. Did you even read my post? I said I eat vegetables, eggs, raw dairy (I also eat nuts like almonds, which I forgot to mention). Do you know how many calories are in cheese alone? A lot. I workout regularly and haven't had any problem keeping weight, infact I'm gaining even more muscle eating like this.

And I never said anything about hating this kind of food. I like it more than eating a piece of cake and feeling like &#@* afterwards.

[DeAntonio]

lol so what the hell are you people doing to keep weight?

veggies are calorie dense as hell and hemp protein costs a fortune


adjusting your diet to foods you hate = your still losing the battle to acne

No offense man, but laughing and cussing at people just makes you look like an ass. Did you even read my post? I said I eat vegetables, eggs, raw dairy (I also eat nuts like almonds, which I forgot to mention). Do you know how many calories are in cheese alone? A lot. I workout regularly and haven't had any problem keeping weight, infact I'm gaining even more muscle eating like this.

And I never said anything about hating this kind of food. I like it more than eating a piece of cake and feeling like &#@* afterwards.

didnt mean to come off as arrogant, apologize for that... its just that it seems everyone has a problem with something else.... this person breaks out from eating meat, this person cant drink milk, this person cant eat grains, this person cant overeat fruit...... just pisses me off

how many eggs do you eat a day? I always hear how eggs are unhealthy

[novembershadow]

One thing about the fruit-- if you want to be able to eat more without it causing a problem, and you take a fiber supplement (which is good anyway), eat the fruit right after you drink the fiber stuff, and it will lower the glycemic load of the sugar in the fruit.

[Ariventa]

lol so what the hell are you people doing to keep weight?

veggies are calorie dense as hell and hemp protein costs a fortune


adjusting your diet to foods you hate = your still losing the battle to acne

No offense man, but laughing and cussing at people just makes you look like an ass. Did you even read my post? I said I eat vegetables, eggs, raw dairy (I also eat nuts like almonds, which I forgot to mention). Do you know how many calories are in cheese alone? A lot. I workout regularly and haven't had any problem keeping weight, infact I'm gaining even more muscle eating like this.

And I never said anything about hating this kind of food. I like it more than eating a piece of cake and feeling like &#@* afterwards.

didnt mean to come off as arrogant, apologize for that... its just that it seems everyone has a problem with something else.... this person breaks out from eating meat, this person cant drink milk, this person cant eat grains, this person cant overeat fruit...... just pisses me off

how many eggs do you eat a day? I always hear how eggs are unhealthy

Fruit is a good food.

Vegetables are a good foof.

Meat is a good food.

WHole grains are a good food.

Dairy is a good food.

Nuts are good foods.

The deciding factor is the INDIVIDUAL. We all have to identify our own problems and treat accordingly. Avoiding foods that don't cause you problems is foolish. DOn't totally base your diet on OTHER people's sensitivities. In the end, you will only be eating vegetables and water and you'll be miserable.

[alternativista]

1 piece of fruit a day? LOL


fruit is fine to eat all day....

If you want to believe that, buddy, go right ahead. But if I have more than one piece of fruit at a time, or even one a day depending on whether it's a low sugar fruit or not, then within two days I'll break out in a little spot. I've tested it.

The only times I can have more than one piece is after a good workout.

Chances are it's the same for anyone whose skin is, apparently, sugar sensitive. Sugar is sugar, it doesn't matter whether it comes from fruit or not. Fruit just happens to be the healthiest version.

No. It's not the same for everyone. My skin cleared completely after cutting back on sugars and simple carbs, but I eat a lot of fruit. And if you break out that fast, it's possibly an allergic reaction.

[NdnRomeo]

Are you taking chromium? it really helps to control the insulin issue you are having, since it does affect you as well. (insulin is tied in with acne yes) It may eventually allow you to be more flexible with your diet and still be clear.