Acne.org Products
First time posting here, since this topic was about the entire reason why I made an account here.
This is a pretty long topic, so I have sadly not read the entire thing. So because of this, I am just going to ask this question. Do these smoothies, if used consistantly (I assume one glass a day?), really treat acne? I have not so nice (though I have thankfully seen worse) cystic acne, and it really has had me down for a long time, messing with my already low confidence. Will this help with that?
And what are other diet changes that I should make? I have thought about cutting out most processed foods, as well as dairy. Will this help? Also, should I cut out ALL dairy, or just lactose? I have been eating pretty... crappily recently, for reasons I would rather not go into. I assume any change for the better would help some.
And finally, what are some good ingredients to start with? I assume lower sugar ones? Though it would be nice if they tasted good, part of me does not care...
Thank you in advance for help.
jen0489x,
Thank you so much for those kind words! When the smoothies cleared up my skin, I was so excited to get the word out! I'm really glad you liked your first smoothie!! Keep it up! It will soon become a daily habit! 
Great Fairy Leanan,
Nice to meet a fellow fairy! haha I'm really sorry about your skin condition. Simply adding smoothies to an existing diet has worked for many people, but everyone's condition is different. Greens are the best foods for your skin, so they certainly can't hurt. It may be that more radical changes are necessary. I would definitely work on giving up all dairy. There are many tips listed in the first post with additional tips - be sure to look at all of those. If you PM me, I can give you some easy recipes based on high-nutrient foods and lots of greens. You might also consider the veggie smoothies (less fruit and low sugar fruit) and the blended vegetable soups, which are actually quite tasty. Be sure to look at the list of supplements in my signature as well - these are all really basic. I would check out Paula Begoun's products too - they are very well formulated. Hang in there! I am happy to help further if I can!
It is nice to meet other fairies, yes. :3
Anyways, I will definately PM you. :3 I am thinking that getting a better diet, along with getting more/better exercise, as well as lowering my stress will all work to make my acne better. :3 I of course am not certain, but I have some confidence in that.
And as for supplements... I dunno, something about them has always scared me... I also hear that you should check with your doctor before taking them... but I really do not like mycurrent doctor... also embarrassed that it has not gotten better yet, since I was always hesitant with the medcine she gave me.
Are there any risks to these supplements?
And I will hang in there. :3 Got two years before it matters.
^ I understand a concern about taking supplements, and it's good that you're cautious. The supplements I recommend in my signature are well-researched and safe. Everyone should be taking fish oil (or a really good DHA) and vitamin D. For most people, I would think these would only be harmful if you overdosed. Acidophilus will be very helpful to you in establishing good bacteria in your digestive system. Sometimes, this supplement alone gets people over their acne, but all these supplements are very basic and great to take on a daily basis. You are smart to stay away from pharmaceuticals!! I will check your PM!
^ Yes! For acidophilus, I recommend Enzymatic Therapy's Pearls - my Chinese herbalist says he sees the best results among his clients with this brand. For fish oil, Carlson's is a very good brand free of heavy metals (don't get the cod liver - just fish oil), and for the multi, I like Dr. Fuhrman's (www.wayneshop.com has good prices). For the Vitamin D, I use Dr. F's, but NOW is a good brand and theirs is probably just fine.
I believe I posted 6 months saying that these smoothies having been keeping my acne under control. Well It's still working great!
I usually drink the same thing though everyday - I am very busy not much of a chance to experiment. Spinage + tomato + apple + lemon juice. Tastes awesome though.
kaiji88,
Thank you for posting with your great news!! I am really happy to hear that. Your smoothie sounds very healthy as well. I definitely recommend mixing up your ingredients now and then though, as it's important for health reasons to get a variety. I know it's not always easy to do! I have a tendency to eat too much of the same things too at times!! haha A little collard greens, kale, etc... Maybe a pear, banana, some berries. Thanks again for posting!
Eddie,
Hello! How are you? Things are going well here, and I hope that all is going well with you too! Write and let me know how you are!
ABG Fairy, I recently read databases theory on zinc on acne.org. Not sure If you read it, but the point is low zinc and melatonin are the cause of acne. If you google zinc you can find the importance of zinc and realize this may be the main cause of acne. Many crap foods and dairy reduce zinc absorption. Now your green smoothie's are full of zinc and have also helped numerous people. I would like your take on zinc. I think in the near future we will realize that low zinc levels are a huge part in acne.
I got a new blender for Christmas. It's a Kenmore blender (who knew Kenmore made blenders??) Anyway, I pretty much died when I opened the present-I was so stoked. My old blender was...Meh. At best.
This one blends SO fast, and has little take-along cup attachments so you can blend your smoothie, pop it out, and drink it wherever, whenever. Woo! My old one took at least 2 minutes to blend a smoothie, this one does it in 30 seconds and makes a much smoother smoothie. I think I might even be able to add carrots and broccoli without chunks in my drink!
Long story short, I'm back on the smoothie bandwagon, hopefully these will help me get rid of my residual scars/blackheads. They also always give me lots of energy, and should be good for muscle development, which is very important to me at the moment.
ABG or anyone else who can HELP -
Are plantains good or bad in the skin food scale>>> i mean the ones that look like green bananas, if boiled, are they good or do they defeat the purpose of trying to eat better to improve acne?
also, i always thought that since HONEY was sugary that it was not good. I ask because i DO want to add it to my green smoothies for flavoring as you suggested. What specific kind of honey would be best???
i now got two weeks with daily green smoothies (thanks in large part to you ABG).
Also got questions in regards to whether pistacchios are good or bad in terms of SKIN FOOD.
thank you and please forgive me for any inconvenience and the long post.
Can anyone answer Sito's question about plantains or pistachios? I do not know about these foods' effects on acne specifically. Sito, unless you are allergic to either of these, I would think either in small doses would be just fine. With both fruits and nuts, follow the guidelines given in the first post.
As for honey, try to get the kind that is from your area, and raw honey is best if you can find it. Again, just use a small amount at a time.
I'm really glad you're doing the smoothies! Remember too that you can also add blended greens to soups - try to get in as many blended greens as you can. Rather than avoid certain foods, which are actually considered healthful, I would focus on the greens. However, if you don't get results, you can always experiment with cutting out fruits, nuts and honey for a few weeks to see if you make any improvements and then you would gradually add those foods back in to see how they affect you.
ABG - i'm BACK wwith some more dumb questions.
First up - How long do cruciferous greens like kale, collards, spinach, and swiss chard good for after you buy them??
i buy two or three at a time and i try to rotate them altho i do go 2 or 3 days using the same green at times.
These are basically the leafy greens i'm working with for my Green Smoothies and i'd like to know how long do they contain their nutrients before they no longer are worth using and putting in the blender for the smoothies?
Also, i def. read and tried to follow the guidelines in your first post regarding nuts and seeds, but i'm just wondering (wanna be sure) if all seeds are ok? i mean, those like sunflower seeds, and pumpkin seeds? which are best and what would you recommend? flaxseeds?
Hello Sito!!
No worries - these are very "smart" questions! I have noticed that some greens, like collards, last longer than others. When they start to wilt, you'll want to use them up "fast!" Trust me, wilted, spoiled greens smell nasty!!! haha You can put a paper towel in with the greens to help them last longer. Greens that are already cut up tend to lose their nutrients faster, and I do believe I have read that they are continually losing nutrition (unless of course cut directly from your garden! You might consider growing your own greens for maximum nutrition). However, these greens are all so high in nutrients that I wouldn't worry too much over how much nutrition you might be losing over the course of just a few days.
These are all "excellent" greens!! It's fine to use one type for 2 or 3 days. So long as they are still crisp and fresh, use them up! When they start to wilt (get slimy) you'll need to use them quickly before they spoil, and be sure to throw out any wilted, slimy greens.
Sunflower seeds are fabulous!!! They are very high in protein and nutrients - plus, they're cheap! Pumpkin seeds are great as well, and you can add ground flaxseed to your smoothies.
You are doing really great!!!! Please let me know if I can help with anything else!!
ABG <3 - thanks for all the FEEDBACK. It is VERY MUCH APPRECIATED.
Another question that really might be DUMB is if there is such thing as using too much water for your smoothies?
I usually make my smoothies with at least 25 ounces of water, so is that too much?
i don't wanna find out later on that i've been doing things wrong. I rather ask & correct the process now and get it down-pat so i can get the most benefits from the Smoothies.
i don't want to be a month in, drinking smoothies and come to find out that i could've been doing things better to get better results and further my progress.
Also my routine usually consists of drinking a smoothie in the monring and then at night when i get a chance, but i may substitute that night smoothie with a midday smoothie if circumstances call for it? No such thing as too much green smoothies correct?
i'm going for at least 1-1/2 a day.
Thank you for taking the time out to give me all YOUR HELP. Also, you can HELP by Staying Just How You Are. PLEASE Don't Change, even if my ignorance is annoying.
Hello there Sito!
You are really wise for asking questions in the beginning, and they are smart questions. Thank you also for your kind words. There have been some nutrition experts that state the less water, the better, as your body can digest the smoothies better with less water. However, you also have to do what works for you. If you need to add more water so that you can more easily drink the smoothies, that's fine. The main thing is to try to get two very large handfuls of blended greens a day - don't worry about the water. I think splitting the smoothies up during the day is great, and there may actually be additional benefit to that, but the main thing is to at least get in some blended greens once a day. Don't forget that you can add blended greens to soups as well (I do this every day!!). Also, I think it's great that you're trying to get in lots of greens!! I would think the more you can do, the sooner your skin will return to normal. You can also try juicing greens and vegetables for even more nutrition if you have a juicer. Anymore questions, just ask! I don't plan on going anywhere.
I've been drinking green smoothies every morning for the past 5 days & I love them. So filling, they make you feel brighter & lighter. Made a particularly delicious one this morning.
Frozen banana
Frozen Cranberries
BIG handful baby spinach
flax
1 tbsp honey
rice milk
It's amazing how you literally don't taste any spinach, purely fruit! I haven't noticed a difference in my skin yet, I think it's still purging from the differin & BCP I'm using. Do you think drinking these smoothies would also assist in a purging effect on the skin, as they are so healthy/detoxing thus helping to release toxins?
Avery,
I'm happy you're enjoying green smoothies!! Yes, they can definitely help with purging toxins - some even experience more outbreaks in the beginning because of this. This doesn't seem to happen to most though, so hopefully it won't with you. I do hope you see results soon with clearer skin!! Keep us posted!
^ ummz not that i know better or anything but arent u having too much sugar there? :/ (like pick one of the, either banana or tbsp of honey, but not both?) bcz i thought the main idea about green smoothies is the greens and for acne u need to eat less sugar stuff so u might put more spinach and greens there instead imo :/
sounds yummy however =P