221 replies to this topic

[Dan]

Due to popular demand, I decided to make a diet and acne connection forum, but I wanted to also let everyone know that in my personal experience diet and are not related. I am not saying that diet and acne are never related. I am simply saying in my experience, it makes no difference what I eat.

I spent many years avoiding foods sometimes considered "bad" for acne including chocolate, sugar, and fried foods. Basically, whatever I would read someone say caused acne for them I would immediately cut out of my diet. This created a lot of stress and social embarassment at times. The worst part is that none of my diet restrictions ever helped my acne. Now I can stay completely clear with the regimen and eat whatever I want.

The field of diet and acne has not been broadly studied, and more studies need to be done. In the meantime, I would be hesitant to jump on someone's diet bandwagon since there is no conclusive evidence to date that diet and acne are related. Still, I look forward to reading what people discover and can share in this forum.

-Dan

[Cameron]

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.

[sophia_]

i think this forum is a good idea for people to share things about food etc. i have changed my diet since january and have seen such an improvement i think it has got to be diet related. i found lots of things i agreed with in cameron's post. the main thing i have cut out is dairy... and have totally gotten used to soya now. they say soya helps balance hormones during the menopause- theres no reason why is doesn't normally on people just generally. also, i have become a fan of green tea - supposed to balance hormones too, and i feel it cleanses a bit too. so far so good, just generally healthier eating.
will keep you all posted.
also lots of lemon juice and water.
x

[Kelin]

I'd definitely like to hear more of what people have to say on this topic...

It seems like what you eat would have to have SOME influence over the appearance of your skin, though not necessarily on the presence or absence of acne. It just seems like if you ate really poorly all the time, your skin would take on some sort of a sickly appearance. *shrug* Makes sense to me, of course I'm so pale I always look sickly.

Anywho, I just realized that the best my skin ever looked was when I ate nothing but fast food all the time (my first year in college). I was completely clear, which led to my mistaken idea that I might just have gotten over my teenage acne. I did gain about 45 pounds that year though, so my lack of acne didn't help my self esteem any. Since then, I've lost all that weight but I think my face looks worse than it ever did. I realize that's the opposite of what it should be - your skin should, in theory, clear up when you eat properly. Though I still wonder if there's any correlation.

Something else - what effect, if any, does drinking a lot of water actually have on your skin? I've attempted many times to try to drink more water, but I always crave Diet Dr. Pepper and can't stay away from it.

[jc]

Would yogurt be included in one of the dairy things to avoid? It's practically the only food that contains the FOS acidophilus for 'good bacteria'.

P.S. Soy kicks --> ( | )

[Maya]

Would yogurt be included in one of the dairy things to avoid?  It's practically the only food that contains the FOS acidophilus for 'good bacteria'. 

Try and buy organic. All dairy is full of hormones (dairy cows are pumped with hormones to make hem produce more milk, and they are also fed anti-biotics to keep them well).

Buy ORGANIC = no crap in the food chain.

If you can't find organic, try and buy goats milk products - generally safer and also is closer to mothers milk. Better for human consumption.

[jc]

Buy ORGANIC = no crap in the food chain.

That's a good idea Maya. Never thought getting organic yogurt. #-o I was told to avoid chicken and turkey as well, also because of hormone injections. Do they sell organic meats readily as well? Just the other day I tried, for the first time, vegetarian sliced turkey meat. Bleh! :?

[Cameron]

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.

[Maya]

Buy ORGANIC = no crap in the food chain.

That's a good idea Maya. Never thought getting organic yogurt. #-o I was told to avoid chicken and turkey as well, also because of hormone injections. Do they sell organic meats readily as well? Just the other day I tried, for the first time, vegetarian sliced turkey meat. Bleh! :?

To be honest, buy Organic whenever you can. Most (non-organic) animal products and by products (dairy, butter, cheese etc.) have artificial hormones, anti-biotics etc. injected into them. Most (non-organic) vegetables and fruits have all sorts of chemicals and pesticides sprayed on them that effect our hormones.

Organic produce is readily available in the UK - either from speciality health stores or from larger supermarkets (grocery stores) ... yes, organic meats are available but in the UK are over 100% more in price (since the farmer has to take much better care of the animals, give them more space to roam etc..)

The options that I play with:

I try and buy organic meat products all the time. I don't take much in the way of dairy products anyway - if I have some non-organic dairy, it will show on my skin ... with organic dairy, I have found it doesn't effect my skin.

With vegetables and fruits, if I can, I will buy organic ... if not (normally coz I can't afford to buy everything organic) I will soak all in a sink filled with cold water and 2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar (yes!!! it exfoliates fruit and veg as well as your skin!! ) ... let it soak for 30 minutes. The apple cider vinegar strips the pesticides and chemicals from the top layers.

Further, I would go and investigate any small, local farmers in your area ... some of them cannot afford to get the 'Organic' certification but DO produce organic/free range products.

Free range = where animals have plenty of space to roam, normally eat the food in the fields etc.. (as opposed to cooped in a cage and fed rubbish etc.) This is a much kinder way to treat animals.

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 have found it hard to become a vegetarian but I try and follow the above principles when I go shopping for food.

Hope that helps jc.

[jc]

That's some good info Maya. Thanks!

[chrisalvarez55]

i think that the best thing for people to do is to experiment with foods and see if you can find any foods in particular that make you break out.

this process took me about a year, but now i know there are foods that aggrivate my skin and i now stay away from them.

what foods make me break out?

-milk (i can still eat cheese and yogurt and stuff, but for some reason, even just one glass of milk will make my face explode)

-shrimp (iodine in it?)

-chinese food (damn and i love it too, oh well. is it the msg?)

like with me, dont be surprised if you break out due to milk but not due to other dairy products. However, i only eat them in moderation. For example, i can only eat 2 slices of pizza every 2 weeks, no more.

[jc]

chinese food (damn and i love it too, oh well.  is it the msg?)

Damn...if I had to stay away from Chinese food, I don't know what I'd do! Exactly what kind of Chinese food are you talking about Chris? The kinds you buy at fast food courts and restaurants, or the kind you make at home?

MSG isn't in all Chinese food. :-k

[chrisalvarez55]

actually, now that i think about it jc, the chinese food im talking about is the restaurant kind, cause my mom cooks chinese sometimes and thats all good, it even taste better and it dont give me pimples. so maybe it is the msg? what is msg? is it like a perservative?

[jc]

the chinese food im talking about is the restaurant kind, cause my mom cooks chinese sometimes and thats all good, it even taste better and it dont give me pimples.  so maybe it is the msg? what is msg? is it like a perservative?

Well, everyone's breakout triggers are different. Mine are: dairy, high GI carbs, and probably refined sugar. I seem to be ok with restaurant Chinese food. Some Chinese restaurants even advertise that they have NO MSG which is cool.

This what I found on it, "Monosodium Glutamate is often used as a controversial food additive. Technically it is the sodium salt of glutamic acid, a naturally occuring amino acid which is produced in small quantities by the human body. "

This is interesting: "Italian meals such as pizza and lasagne or spaghetti contain more glutamate and sodium than Chinese meals made with added MSG. So for those who eat Italian, reactions to Chinese foods cannot be the glutamate, it must be something else. "

Dang, I need to do more reading on this subject!

[Spinbooty]

There is no one rule about Acne and diet. Acne presents itself sometimes as an allergic reaction to certain foods in some. For others, no motter how they restrict their diet - the acne will still plague them. I think there has to be preventative/maintenance measures. First, visit an allergist to find out if you have any food allergies - if you do, stay away from those foods. Then have your hormone - levels checked to see if their is some irregularity. Those two measure will be able to tell you if your acne is food or hormonally related.

[newcastlegirl]

I thought the last comment on having your food allergies checked first and then hormones was an excellent idea.

I had my food allergies check, Great Smokey Diagnostic blood test, through my regular g.p. Naturopaths and g.p.'s use it, it is a very reliable test. I had stomach aches all my life. It was in 1997 and it has proved to be right-on. Dairy was a no-no. No matter how good for you yogurt is and I love it and miss it, if you are allergic to it, it does no good for your body. I have not had milk or yogurt or cheese since then. There is a plain goat's yogurt at Trader Joe's. I have used goat's or sheep's feta cheese with great results. Anything cow is avoided or I get a stomach ache. It does not seem to affect my skin, as I was off dairy when my skin got worse a couple of years ago, now it is totally clear. You can try and add stuff back, and the one dairy I can have is butter or buttermilk, no adverse problems. The little word "whey" in a product ingredients is a killer for me. I read all product labels.

I also quit coffee the last two years and find that has helped my skin alot, maybe it was the oils, I don't know.

Karen

[mr.peabody]

Fatty foods have no effect on my skin. For a while I tried to be very healthy, eating only fruit and low fat organic meat...my skin actually got worse. My skin also gets noticably worse when I don't get enough to eat. Bread seems to be bad for my skin, but other than that I can't say I've noticed anything diet related. On my last holiday I ate and drank very unhealthily and yet had extremely clear skin the whole time. Why? I wish I knew.

[Catwoman]

The only food-acne connection that I've found in my diet is chocolate....*BIIIIG SIIIIIGH*

Like Dan, it doesn't seem to matter what I eat, the breakouts don't seem related - except... *BIG SIGH* ...chocolate....sniff sniff. How is a girl to survive PMS without chocolate??? :sad:

[jc]

I've read somewhere that cocoa types of chocolate is the "best" for us...whatever that means. Perhaps you can try to experiment with different kinds of chocolate out there. There are lots aren't there? Milk, dark, cocoa, white, almond, soy, goat... lol