^ I read a little about the fructose, and it says that fruits and apples are problems for those with fructose intolerance, because the fructose is so much higher in these fruits than glucose. Bananas, on the other hand, should be okay, as they have a much higher glucose to fructose ratio, and the glucose helps to digest (I think) the fructose. As for GI, I guess fructose doesn't raise one's blood sugar as much as glucose.... I don't understand all these different types of sugars!! haha Anyway, I'm just so happy to hear you're getting this figured out and are doing better!

Fructose is metabolized by the liver and thus has no effect on blood sugar or insulin (pretty much the same way alcohol gets metabolized by the liver, only difference is that alcohol also gets metabolized by the brain as well: also known as hangover). This doesn't mean it is good (because it doesn't raise insulin), it has more problems of itself.

Yes, fructose has it's own issues outside of the usual insulin issues. I'm keeping a zero fruit policy until I'm 100% sure that it's working, and then I'll probably go back to the balanced fruits like bananas, stone fruits, etc. Not planning on living a life without fruit hah.

Thanks Venam!

This thread is great

Thank you. I've been contemplating taking a bunch of supplements/vitamins which made me uneasy but I'm really thinking about incorporating green smoothies/blended salads into my diet. I tried a green smoothie yesterday and it was amazingg.

I threw in:

-1 frozen banana

-1/2 cup frozen berries

-2 handfuls spinach

-1 tablespoon of coconut milk

-Bit of splenda and honey

-Cinnamon

-1/2 cup water

Delicious, it made me really happy. You're fabulous, abg fairy.

Thank you so much for your kind words!! Your smoothie sounds wonderful!! If you're hooked on Splenda, you might try stevia instead, as it's a natural sweetener that doesn't have the risks associated with artificial sweeteners like Splenda. I like the liquid kind by SweetLeaf, but there are several different brands out there. Thanks for posting! I'm so glad you're loving the smoothies!

I'm wondering about something. As you may know it's better for digestion not to drink while eating. So, the less water in a smoothie the better?

^ Smart question! You're right about it being better to not drink while eating. On the other hand, because everything is blended so thoroughly with the smoothies, much of the digestion process is already done, so it probably doesn't matter too much, though I'm sure using less water is better regardless. I can't stand a really thick smoothie, so I always have to add enough water so it's drinkable. haha

I really want to try smoothies, but I'm having trouble finding recipes in all 100 pages lol. I wish there was some "Big Book of Smoothies" or something. I tried searching for green smoothies, but I didn't get very good results. Can anyone recommend any links or something? It's not that I'm too lazy to go through the whole thread, I just think it'd be way easier/cooler/fun if there was a whole text document or ebook or something at my fingertips.

eccentricpuzzle,

Did you scroll down to find the recipes given on the first post? There are six listed, and all of those are a great place to start. They are your basics, and it's just a matter of coming up with your own combinations. I don't do a big variety of smoothies. I make a lot of the same recipes over and over again. I use a lot of spinach, kale, collards, spring mix, parsley and apples, pears, bananas and frozen mango, peaches, tropical mix and berries. I also add cocoa powder, honey, cinnamon, lemon juice, and sometimes vanilla extract. Those are my basics, and I just mix them up. It's hard to go wrong, and there are so many fun combinations you can experiment with.

Are you more a fruit or a veggie person? Do you like chocolate? Chocolate and bananas? Maybe I can help you come up with some combos to start out with. I really hope you'll give them a try. I think you'll be glad you did!

I tend not to like citrus-y things... or any fruit for that matter. I'm definitely more of a veggie person. Peas/onions/carrots/spinich/lima beans/asparagus/sweet potatoes/corn/broccoli/...things like these.

I love bananas, apples, and berries though. And frozen mango sounds pretty good, I'd like to give it a try.

"I also add cocoa powder, honey, cinnamon, lemon juice, and sometimes vanilla extract."

Those all sound like amazing sweeteners, mmmm.

I'm not too interested in changing any other aspect of my diet though for my acne. But I think it'd be interesting to replace a meal a day with a smoothie... like lunch. Are they good for that?

Thanks for all of the information. I'm so freaking impressed how much you help everyone!

That is such a sweet thing to say, thank you!! I just know how wonderful it was for me when the smoothies cleared up my skin - I want that for everyone!

For lunch, you might do a smoothie in addition to a small lunch. Some can replace meals with smoothies, but I usually get hungry in about 30 minutes after drinking one. Because they're just fruit and greens, they are quickly digested. The main thing is to just squeeze one into your day at some point - whatever you find most convenient. You could even drink half at breakfast time and half when you get home if you wanted!

Really glad to hear those fruits/flavorings listed sound good to you!! Please let me know if you try one out - would love to hear how it goes for you!

Hey again, thought I'd check in

Still doing the vege only smoothies, I've found that it's best to add ice if you're not having any fruit because it avoids getting a weird kind of vegetable "foam" on top of the smoothie which is kind of gross. They're also better with more mint and less parsley - But now that I've done that I've gotten quite used to the vege-only smoothies, though I don't think anyone not dedicated would be drinking them for pleasure, hah.

I've been off fruit for 3 weeks and on taurine powder for 1 week and I'm seeing quite good results, my face looks way better in today's photo than a month ago. Totally lost the redness/oiliness/bumpiness that drove my to change my diet in the first place, which is a big win, and since going on taurine my forehead has improved dramatically (nothing new in 2 days). The only bad note is that over the last few days my neck and arms got kind of bad, but I attribute that to several super late nights in a row dealing with christmas stuff etc. Quite hopeful at the moment and my skin's better to the point where it doesn't bug me in social situations which is rather nice.

Loving this thread ^^

So glad to hear your skin has gotten better since cutting out the fruit - and that you're able to tolerate all veggie smoothies!! hehe Thanks for sharing the tip about the ice!! Great trick! So wonderful that you're feeling more care-free about your skin too as a result! And yes, hopefully the other skin issues are due to Christmas foods!! haha

About the taurine, do you eat mostly vegetarian? Some vegetarians/vegans can be low in taurine. Are you just doing the recommended dosage?

I only really eat meat at dinner - theres almost always some kind of meat in that meal, though I'm unsure whether I would eat a lot of meat relative to most people. From checking out some info on taurine it's depleted in people who exercise a lot (which I do) and also apparently is depleted by food intolerance reactions (which i'm unsure about). I'm taking the high end of the daily recommended dosage, about 2500 mg's a day, spread into once in the morning and once in the afternoon. It seems to have had effects such as faster healing and smoother skin, and I have reason to suspect it's helped me before (taurine's in energy drinks, and the only time I ever drank those over a sustained period was last summer)

I only really eat meat at dinner - theres almost always some kind of meat in that meal, though I'm unsure whether I would eat a lot of meat relative to most people. From checking out some info on taurine it's depleted in people who exercise a lot (which I do) and also apparently is depleted by food intolerance reactions (which i'm unsure about). I'm taking the high end of the daily recommended dosage, about 2500 mg's a day, spread into once in the morning and once in the afternoon. It seems to have had effects such as faster healing and smoother skin, and I have reason to suspect it's helped me before (taurine's in energy drinks, and the only time I ever drank those over a sustained period was last summer)

Man, you eat all veggie smoothies? What ingredients/ratios do those consist of?

I haven't gotten a chance to experiment yet ABGfairy, but again thanks for the help! Stupid holidays put a damper on smoothie making apparently lol

Yeah I go for the all vegetable smoothies because I can't trust any fruit not to break me out lol, as far as I can tell apples and lemons at least both break me out.

First I chop up 2 celery sticks, then 2/5ths of a cucumber, then a few small sprigs of parsley, chop up like 10 mint leaves or so, and then dump in 2 handfuls of spinach or silverbeet. Pour in 3 cups of water and about 10 ice cubes and blend till its a smooth green color.

^ Really cool to know about the taurine!! I should look more into it!

Thought I'd chuck up a photo to give an idea of where i'm at with the improvement since today's photo is the best yet :

Edit: sorry for the high res, that's just how my camera is set up

Wow! You're a good-looking guy!! Your acne doesn't look bad to me at all - just mild. I definitely think it's something you can get control over, and it sounds like you're getting closer and closer to that everyday!

Hey ABG Fairy Ive been doing the smoothies for 3 months.....and.......I think I love you

These are the best cure for acne without doubt I reccomend them to everyone and anyone!

That kind of news makes me smile so much!! Isn't it amazing that something as simple as blended greens can take away such an annoying and otherwise difficult to solve problem? I am so happy you're getting such great results and happy as well that you're sharing it with others! Thanks for posting Adam!

That kind of news makes me smile so much!! Isn't it amazing that something as simple as blended greens can take away such an annoying and otherwise difficult to solve problem? I am so happy you're getting such great results and happy as well that you're sharing it with others! Thanks for posting Adam! 🙂

Hi! It's been a while.. but I decided to add some foods so I need your help.

You think this foods are healthy and acne free -

Almond butter raw, organic canned coconut milk ( unsweetened ), canned refried beans organic ( Ingredient - Water, pinto beans and sea salt. EZekiel tortillas.

Soon I am going to buy spinach and kale for smoothies! I want to get back at it because I want good looking skin. 🙂 Going to add kiwis and berries.. and perhaps a little bit of honey if it's OK

tell me what else to add 🙂 Thanks! My goal is to have good looking skin! Like shining and smooth

Also I need something to brush my teeth.. anything good? home made toothpaste using coconut oil, baking sodas, peppermint oil and cinnamon? sounds good?

I am thinking of adding carlson fish oil back... what you think? or should I eat real fish? salmon? 😛

Hey Eddie!

I don't know for sure how those foods will affect you, but too many nuts and high-glycemic foods can cause problems for acne. However, for me, I can eat these foods without a problem (as long as I do the smoothies), so it's hard to say. All the foods you listed are foods I'd recommend eating in moderation only, but beans and nuts are good to include in your daily diet. Try to focus your diet around vegetables. There's more info as well under my first post here under diet. You can PM me if you want, and I can give you more detailed information on diet and tooth care products as well. Carlson's fish oil is great! I would do that instead of eating fish.

I need good soups recipe for skin!

This one looks good

‚ 1 lb bag of frozen broccoli (or a head of greens, like Bok Choy)

‚ 1 lb bag of frozen mixed veggies

‚ 1 cup almonds

‚ 1 quart chicken broth (or veggie broth)

‚ 1 ‚½ cups lentils (uncooked)

‚ 2 tbs turmeric

‚ 4 tbs cinnamon

‚ 2 tbs nutmeg

‚ 1/2 cup dried onions (gives an onion soup flavor)

Do you have more recipes?

I think I may try this one.