Hi All!
I went on a vegan diet about 2 months ago, and maybe I'm just being quick to judge, but I am not seeing many results.
My diet is made up of fruits, veggies, legumes,whole grain breads and pastas, many vegan alternative products like fake cheese and meats, dairy free milks, vegan junk food on occasion (vegan chocolate, potato chips, coconut ice cream, vegan desserts),tofu and soy products. I also drink a ton of water, get plenty of sleep and excercise, as well as keep up with a skincare regimen. I have never heard of vegan diets not working for people, so what am I doing wrong?
It's tough, because different things are triggers for different people.
In my personal opinion, a vegan diet is one of the worst diets for acne because it tends to be high in things that are triggers for many people - gluten (trigger for many people) other grains (trigger for some), fruit (some are high GI, and some people have specific allergies or fructose intolerance), high GI food like potatoes (high GI diets are bad for acne), and soy (worsens acne for some people, though improves acne for some, too).
Dairy is one of the most common dietary acne triggers I have seen - keep avoiding that. but if I were you, I would eat more meat and less carbs.
Hi All!
I went on a vegan diet about 2 months ago, and maybe I'm just being quick to judge, but I am not seeing many results.
My diet is made up of fruits, veggies, legumes,whole grain breads and pastas, many vegan alternative products like fake cheese and meats, dairy free milks, vegan junk food on occasion (vegan chocolate, potato chips, coconut ice cream, vegan desserts),tofu and soy products. I also drink a ton of water, get plenty of sleep and excercise, as well as keep up with a skincare regimen. I have never heard of vegan diets not working for people, so what am I doing wrong?
I agree with others, plus, a lot of those vegan products are rediculously highly processed! You can't make vegetable protein taste like meat without adding a few chemicals.
Vegan diets don't work for everyone. Grain breads, pastas, and vegan junk food could be the reason for your lack of improvements.
Have you tried eating a low glycemic load diet?
Thanks for your input. I haven't that, but I'll check it out!
Hi All!
I went on a vegan diet about 2 months ago, and maybe I'm just being quick to judge, but I am not seeing many results.
My diet is made up of fruits, veggies, legumes,whole grain breads and pastas, many vegan alternative products like fake cheese and meats, dairy free milks, vegan junk food on occasion (vegan chocolate, potato chips, coconut ice cream, vegan desserts),tofu and soy products. I also drink a ton of water, get plenty of sleep and excercise, as well as keep up with a skincare regimen. I have never heard of vegan diets not working for people, so what am I doing wrong?
I agree with others, plus, a lot of those vegan products are rediculously highly processed! You can't make vegetable protein taste like meat without adding a few chemicals.
Yes, I've noticed that the ingredients list on the fake meats I've been eating has been a bit extensive. Not to mention the abundance of oils in vegan cheese! I'm thinking of cutting those out. Thanks!
It's tough, because different things are triggers for different people.
In my personal opinion, a vegan diet is one of the worst diets for acne because it tends to be high in things that are triggers for many people - gluten (trigger for many people) other grains (trigger for some), fruit (some are high GI, and some people have specific allergies or fructose intolerance), high GI food like potatoes (high GI diets are bad for acne), and soy (worsens acne for some people, though improves acne for some, too).
Dairy is one of the most common dietary acne triggers I have seen - keep avoiding that. but if I were you, I would eat more meat and less carbs.
I'll see how a year on this diet goes, then I might reintroduce meats. I'm going to try more low GI in my diet and cut out the high ones. Thanks so much!
Vegan diets are not for everyone. In my experience, this diet can be very deficient in nutrients for many people. Generally you will not get enough high quality protein and not enough fat. I can only speak from my experience working with clients and in my experience vegan diets are not often helpful for acne. Protein is very important for skin regeneration and healing. Additionally, fat is absolutely crucial to having healthy skin. If you stick with this diet for a little longer and see no results, my advice is to try something different. It is important to keep an open mind until you find something that works for you. Most of my acne clients do well eating a Paleo like diet. This means high quality animal protein, liberal amounts of health fats (like coconut oil) and lots of veggies. The Paleo diet omits dairy and grains. Over time I have seen many of my clients be able to add back in the occassional goat dairy and non-gluten containing grains. I hope this helps!
Please feel free to ask me anything!
Good luck!
Vegan diets are not for everyone. In my experience, this diet can be very deficient in nutrients for many people. Generally you will not get enough high quality protein and not enough fat. I can only speak from my experience working with clients and in my experience vegan diets are not often helpful for acne. Protein is very important for skin regeneration and healing. Additionally, fat is absolutely crucial to having healthy skin. If you stick with this diet for a little longer and see no results, my advice is to try something different. It is important to keep an open mind until you find something that works for you. Most of my acne clients do well eating a Paleo like diet. This means high quality animal protein, liberal amounts of health fats (like coconut oil) and lots of veggies. The Paleo diet omits dairy and grains. Over time I have seen many of my clients be able to add back in the occassional goat dairy and non-gluten containing grains. I hope this helps!
Please feel free to ask me anything!
Good luck!
Thanks so much! Since posting this I've stopped eating vegan, and I feel much better. I know that dairy isn't a problem for me, because even when cutting it out I received pimples. I tried going gluten free, but gave up quickly because of hunger issues. I'm almost certain that I'm not sensitive to gluten either, because I don't really get any of the symptoms of food sensitivities when I eat it. I have, however, stopped eating milk chocolate and cut my sugar to no less than 25 g a day, and that's been helping immensely, and also started drinking bone broth, which is kind of miraculous, as my white heads seem to be getting better and even going away, but I'll see what the long term results are. Thank you again for your advice, I appreciate it!!
Going vegan is good but cutting out animal products alone is not enough to stop acne. You can still eat poorly on an animal-product free diet as there's plenty of vegan junk foods. You were still eating chocolate and other high glycemic index (GI) foods according to your post.
The link between diet and acne from my experience (and increasingly from scientific research) is high GI foods. The reason you're seeing improvements since cutting sugar intake and milk chocolate is because they are high GI foods. They raise blood sugar too quickly and cause inflammation which manifests its self as acne for a lot of people.
tl;dr eat low GI foods.
Going vegan is good but cutting out animal products alone is not enough to stop acne. You can still eat poorly on an animal-product free diet as there's plenty of vegan junk foods. You were still eating chocolate and other high glycemic index (GI) foods according to your post.
The link between diet and acne from my experience (and increasingly from scientific research) is high GI foods. The reason you're seeing improvements since cutting sugar intake and milk chocolate is because they are high GI foods. They raise blood sugar too quickly and cause inflammation which manifests its self as acne for a lot of people.
tl;dr eat low GI foods.
I have gone back to an omnivorous diet since this post, and have further limited my sugar intake. Thanks for the info, I've hear of GI and am currently trying to incorporate more low GI foods into my diet, although a completely low GI diet seems difficult. Every single food item has a different GI, so monitoring GI levels seems daunting.
I have gone back to an omnivorous diet since this post, and have further limited my sugar intake. Thanks for the info, I've hear of GI and am currently trying to incorporate more low GI foods into my diet, although a completely low GI diet seems difficult. Every single food item has a different GI, so monitoring GI levels seems daunting.
I was totally overwhelmed at first! But before long, it was second nature.
A good rule of thumb - carbs generally raise blood sugar. Always eat them with non-carbs - in particular, things with fiber or fat to slow the blood sugar spike. It's okay to have high GI things as long as you eat them in moderation with really low GI things.
I also think it's worth noting that while diet is a cure-all for some people, it certainly wasn't for me. Sticking to a nutrient dense, low GI diet has reduced the severity of my acne, but it is far from gone for good. (But my acne is significantly hormonal, so maybe diet will be enough for you!)
I'm currently on a vegan diet and it's FINALLY working.
Long story short:
-I went from eating literally everything (lots of acne and cysts)
-to vegetarian (broke out a lot with whiteheads)
-vegan cooked (still with whiteheads) -
-went raw vegan (less acne with occasional whiteheads) -
-80/10/10 which is mainly fruits and very little veggies and no fats (less acne but had whiteheads)
-then raw vegan with very little sugar (only from raw honey) and using healthy fats for energy source (acne finally started going away not completely)
-then raw vegetarian (adding raw goat milk, raw butter, and ghee occasionally) (saw some benefits but started breaking out on my chest and started seeing cysts)
-went paleo, i started adding in chicken and cow liver with ground beef and beef broth, fish and fish oils, cause i thought it might help (still with acne, cysts more abundant, and started getting rashes around my ears, hairline and legs)
-I took an ALCAT test, a food intolerance test that tests for 200 foods. Funny enough all the foods I'm intolerant to were ones that I discovered on my own along with others that I never knew i was intolerant too. Now I only consume the foods that I'm tolerant too... There are some animals products that I can eat but I'm afraid to try it again.
-now I'm back to cooked vegan and learned a few things from the past and incorporated things that worked and didn't and I'm finally clear. still with some breakouts but barely or they never really show. I currently have a cyst but it was due to taking a cod liver oil, just to "see" what would happen. i learned the hard way.
here's what I've got going on:
-ive eliminated all plastic and only drink mountain valley spring water which comes in glass.
-i eat basically the same meal all the time (all organic): white long grain rice, broccoli, cabbage,asparagus, olive oil, brown rice protein powder, and himalayan salt (i'm limited but i feel sharp and energized with this meal and don't feel malnourished like i did when i was raw)
-i wash my face with only water and coconut oil for moisturizing at night only.
-supplements: Estroblock triple strength (helped me with my hormonal acne big time!!), zinc and copper by jarrow, olive leaf extract by nature's way, calcium magnesium and vitamin d by bluebonnet, and selenium by now. (these are cleanest supps I've found, no soy. the zinc one has gelatin but i break open the capsule)
-I have 3 large meals a day
-weight train 2 to 3 days a week
-and i barely get any sun (not because of acne but I'm brown and don't want to get darker and its too hot out)
This may or may not work for you but acne has been my biggest battle in life and have the scars to prove it. It's been a 7 year journey for me... I hope some of this info helps.
The big changes for me were: cutting down on sugar, eating rice for mental clarity and energy, taking the ALCAT test, and estroblock.
<3
I have gone back to an omnivorous diet since this post, and have further limited my sugar intake. Thanks for the info, I've hear of GI and am currently trying to incorporate more low GI foods into my diet, although a completely low GI diet seems difficult. Every single food item has a different GI, so monitoring GI levels seems daunting.
I was totally overwhelmed at first! But before long, it was second nature.
A good rule of thumb - carbs generally raise blood sugar. Always eat them with non-carbs - in particular, things with fiber or fat to slow the blood sugar spike. It's okay to have high GI things as long as you eat them in moderation with really low GI things.
I also think it's worth noting that while diet is a cure-all for some people, it certainly wasn't for me. Sticking to a nutrient dense, low GI diet has reduced the severity of my acne, but it is far from gone for good. (But my acne is significantly hormonal, so maybe diet will be enough for you!)
Well that clears things up. Couple carbs with non-carbs and eat lots of nutrient-dense foods. That seems easy enough! Thanks!
I would drop vegan and go paleo. Veganism is only really a viable option if you care more about domesticated animals than your health.
You could try just getting rid of grains, added sugar, and legumes to start.
Gee, I wish that I could, but when I tried cutting out grains I got really really hungry. 
I can't cut out too many foods that are filling for me. Sugar is good though. I only eat it on weekends. Why are legumes bad?
I'm currently on a vegan diet and it's FINALLY working.
Long story short:
-I went from eating literally everything (lots of acne and cysts)
-to vegetarian (broke out a lot with whiteheads)
-vegan cooked (still with whiteheads) -
-went raw vegan (less acne with occasional whiteheads) -
-80/10/10 which is mainly fruits and very little veggies and no fats (less acne but had whiteheads)
-then raw vegan with very little sugar (only from raw honey) and using healthy fats for energy source (acne finally started going away not completely)
-then raw vegetarian (adding raw goat milk, raw butter, and ghee occasionally) (saw some benefits but started breaking out on my chest and started seeing cysts)
-went paleo, i started adding in chicken and cow liver with ground beef and beef broth, fish and fish oils, cause i thought it might help (still with acne, cysts more abundant, and started getting rashes around my ears, hairline and legs)
-I took an ALCAT test, a food intolerance test that tests for 200 foods. Funny enough all the foods I'm intolerant to were ones that I discovered on my own along with others that I never knew i was intolerant too. Now I only consume the foods that I'm tolerant too... There are some animals products that I can eat but I'm afraid to try it again.
-now I'm back to cooked vegan and learned a few things from the past and incorporated things that worked and didn't and I'm finally clear. still with some breakouts but barely or they never really show. I currently have a cyst but it was due to taking a cod liver oil, just to "see" what would happen. i learned the hard way.
here's what I've got going on:
-ive eliminated all plastic and only drink mountain valley spring water which comes in glass.
-i eat basically the same meal all the time (all organic): white long grain rice, broccoli, cabbage,asparagus, olive oil, brown rice protein powder, and himalayan salt (i'm limited but i feel sharp and energized with this meal and don't feel malnourished like i did when i was raw)
-i wash my face with only water and coconut oil for moisturizing at night only.
-supplements: Estroblock triple strength (helped me with my hormonal acne big time!!), zinc and copper by jarrow, olive leaf extract by nature's way, calcium magnesium and vitamin d by bluebonnet, and selenium by now. (these are cleanest supps I've found, no soy. the zinc one has gelatin but i break open the capsule)
-I have 3 large meals a day
-weight train 2 to 3 days a week
-and i barely get any sun (not because of acne but I'm brown and don't want to get darker and its too hot out)
This may or may not work for you but acne has been my biggest battle in life and have the scars to prove it. It's been a 7 year journey for me... I hope some of this info helps.
The big changes for me were: cutting down on sugar, eating rice for mental clarity and energy, taking the ALCAT test, and estroblock.
<3
Wow! I commend you, that is amazing! I actually tried raw vegan for a few weeks too, with no fats, not even natural. I actually felt mentally exhausted and my emotions were very on edge, probably due to the lack of fat. Although being vegan didn't work for me, I am so glad that you have managed to get clear! That's awesome! I'm going to look into the ALCAT test, it seems like it might be helpful. Eating more rice won't be a problem, since I love the stuff. I'm just a little curious as to how you have manage to eat the same thing everyday without cravings?
Vegan diet takes about 3-6 months to see result. You might even breakout bad because it's releasing toxic...this is detoxing.
But the good news is that you are on the right track.
Thanks for the comment, but the fatigue was not doing it for me. I know my body, and it was telling me to stop. Still it was a nice experiment, and if it works for you then kudos!
Gee, I wish that I could, but when I tried cutting out grains I got really really hungry.
I don't think legumes are a problem for everyone. Worry about sugar and grains first.
For me, it seems to only be gluten containing grains that worsen my acne. Brown rice and oats are okay. I found this out through trial and error.
One tip I have found for staying full - with every meal, I have a big serving of vegetables cooked in or topped with a healthy fat like coconut oil, olive oil, or butter. I find the combination of fat and fiber tends to keep me full much longer. Plus vegetables have vitamins and antioxidants that are good for your skin!
Gee, I wish that I could, but when I tried cutting out grains I got really really hungry.
I don't think legumes are a problem for everyone. Worry about sugar and grains first.
For me, it seems to only be gluten containing grains that worsen my acne. Brown rice and oats are okay. I found this out through trial and error.
One tip I have found for staying full - with every meal, I have a big serving of vegetables cooked in or topped with a healthy fat like coconut oil, olive oil, or butter. I find the combination of fat and fiber tends to keep me full much longer. Plus vegetables have vitamins and antioxidants that are good for your skin!
Yeah, I feel the same way, especially with the fats. I really really did try cutting out grains, but it was incredibly hard, and I'm just not positive that I am gluten-intolerant. I don't experience any of the symptoms of a food allergy. 
Hey, I recently went vegan and had some trouble at first. I'm pretty clear, now (except for when I cheat). When I started I had the same problems you had.
Here's what I learned:
Grains are bad for me. I didn't want to cut them out all this time because I wasn't intolerant to them and I felt full and full of energy after eating them. However, even though I'm not intolerant, they still broke down my intestinal walls. So now I'll eat no more than a cup a day of grains (to make milk).
I wasn't eating the right vegan foods for energy, or to feel satisfied. So I felt out of energy or not full to often. I find Kidney and Pinto Beans feel me up and give me energy because they have protein. I eat Avocado for the healthy fats. And pears for carbohydrates. I steam and refrigerate the pears because they taste better that way.
Now my vegan diet is phenomenal!
Hey, I recently went vegan and had some trouble at first. I'm pretty clear, now (except for when I cheat). When I started I had the same problems you had.
Here's what I learned:
Grains are bad for me. I didn't want to cut them out all this time because I wasn't intolerant to them and I felt full and full of energy after eating them. However, even though I'm not intolerant, they still broke down my intestinal walls. So now I'll eat no more than a cup a day of grains (to make milk).
I wasn't eating the right vegan foods for energy, or to feel satisfied. So I felt out of energy or not full to often. I find Kidney and Pinto Beans feel me up and give me energy because they have protein. I eat Avocado for the healthy fats. And pears for carbohydrates. I steam and refrigerate the pears because they taste better that way.
Now my vegan diet is phenomenal!
Yeah, I might just do a test to see what foods I'm sensitive to, and grains could be one of them. I was also eating lots of beans while vegan, so I'm not too sure why I was feeling the way I did. I think it's because I'm still growing. I'm really happy you've achieved good results through diet! Keep it up! 