So it seems like whenever I eat plenty (but not over 2000 kcal) of healthyfood during the day, I get hormonal breakouts in the jaw area,lower cheeks and around my ears. Does anyone know why that is? Can it be that nutrient dense food or more caloriesmakes my insulin resistance worse? I have been noticing this for many years, but since I love food, it's hard to stick to eating little calories. I have PCOS, but good weight and bmi, but tend to gain weight in my stomach area which I read makes insulin resisntance worse.
Does anyone know something about this or could link me to some studies? Also - do you know if normal blood sugar indicates good insulin resistance or it doesn't really show it? My blood sugar came quite normal, but then again, you make the test without eating or drinking that day, so it could affect the results... Would really appreciate any scientific data about this
I feel for you when it comes to stomach weight (bloating for me, mostly) and not having enough calories. Before I was so paranoid about what to eat that it seemed like whatever I ate and did, and the 'healthier' I got, things would get worse for no reason at all. Personally, I would recommend that you need to keep reevaluating the word 'healthy' and specify to yourself what your diet actually is. Look it up online by entering what foods you consume. Thousands of doctors feel that olive oil is healthy, but it may be one of the worst things that someone with acne could consume. How are you cooking your food? Are you eating more raw than cooked? Do you steam your vegetables? What about lentils, eggs, fish, etc.? There are so many things to explore still... if you want some scientific links, my success story post in my signature bellow has several links for you to check out if you are interested.
"So it seems like whenever I eat plenty (but not over 2000 kcal) of healthyfood during the day, I get hormonal breakouts in the jaw area,lower cheeks and around my ears. Does anyone know why that is?"
This depends on what kind of calories you are consuming, and the quality of the food. Are you eating more sugar and fat than vitamins, minerals and fiber?
"Can it be that nutrient dense food or more caloriesmakes my insulin resistance worse? I have been noticing this for many years,"...
Nutrient dense foods can be very hard on the stomach and gut if not consumed properly, and can lead to aggravation of the hormones and insulin, which leads to breakouts and stress. Onions are a pretty common culprit for many, especially since their glycemic index/load is very high.
"but since I love food, it's hard to stick to eating little calories."
You don't need to eat fewer calories. If you're saying something along the lines of "because I love certain foods too much, I am not going to let go of them", then this may be a problem. Even healthy packaged foods like "12 whole grain breads" and "organic sugar free crackers" can raise blood sugar, hormones, insulin and basically cause the skin to break out. Someone who is eating processed foods part of the day, and trying to supplement with veggies and other healthy things the other part of the day may not see the results they are looking for.
"I have PCOS, but good weight and bmi, but tend to gain weight in my stomach area which I read makes insulin resisntance worse. "
Yes, I have heard of this too and have had friends who have had this as well. However, I have read and experienced that when you avoid foods that aggravate PCOS, such as oils and sugars and processed chemicals in foods, the symptoms lessen dramatically and healing can start to take place. I never had PCOS, but some of my friends on here do, and diet changes really helped them improve.
"Does anyone know something about this or could link me to some studies? Also - do you know if normal blood sugar indicates good insulin resistance or it doesn't really show it? My blood sugar came quite normal, but then again, you make the test without eating or drinking that day, so it could affect the results... Would really appreciate any scientific data about this"
Blood tests can range anywhere from simple to complicated, and after a fast they will not show when your blood sugar and hormones spike after eating something. I would personally recommend a very slow elimination diet, starting with common acne causing foods like dairy, sugar and oil. Steamed vegetables and salads can have a variety of gentle fruits and vegetables you can enjoy without spiking your insulin levels, and health food stores (and amazon) are great for carrying oil free baked goods, products and a variety of gentle teas to help with any kind of anti-bloating you might have in your stomach. Don't eat so much raw nutrient dense foods at first if it's hard to handle... give your stomach massaged and steamed foods that will allow it to adjust to your changes more easily. Let me know anytime what you feel about all this.
Here's a website that may help: https://cronometer.com/
Pianina
Have you taken antibiotics recently, or before or during the time you have the breakouts ?
Do you have dandruff or a white tongue? These are indicative of (two different types of fungal outbreak), as are acne-like "pimples", red rashes, itchy skin, flaking skin etc. Both types of fungal outbreak can be caused by birth control pills or implants and/or antibiotics. Topical hemp oil will exacerbate one of the types of fungus.
Certain foods can exacerbate these types of fungal outbreaks (fermented foods, sugar, gluten, dairy, preservatives, all inflammatory foods, yeasts) but these types of fungal outbreaks cannot be controlled by diet alone.
Let me know if you want more information.
4 hours ago, ReneeAwen said:I feel for you when it comes to stomach weight (bloating for me, mostly) and not having enough calories. Before I was so paranoid about what to eat that it seemed like whatever I ate and did, and the 'healthier' I got, things would get worse for no reason at all. Personally, I would recommend that you need to keep reevaluating the word 'healthy' and specify to yourself what your diet actually is. Look it up online by entering what foods you consume. Thousands of doctors feel that olive oil is healthy, but it may be one of the worst things that someone with acne could consume. How are you cooking your food? Are you eating more raw than cooked? Do you steam your vegetables? What about lentils, eggs, fish, etc.? There are so many things to explore still... if you want some scientific links, my success story post in my signature bellow has several links for you to check out if you are interested.
"So it seems like whenever I eat plenty (but not over 2000 kcal) of healthy food during the day, I get hormonal breakouts in the jaw area, lower cheeks and around my ears. Does anyone know why that is?"
This depends on what kind of calories you are consuming, and the quality of the food. Are you eating more sugar and fat than vitamins, minerals and fiber?
"Can it be that nutrient dense food or more calories makes my insulin resistance worse? I have been noticing this for many years,"...
Nutrient dense foods can be very hard on the stomach and gut if not consumed properly, and can lead to aggravation of the hormones and insulin, which leads to breakouts and stress. Onions are a pretty common culprit for many, especially since their glycemic index/load is very high.
"but since I love food, it's hard to stick to eating little calories."
You don't need to eat fewer calories. If you're saying something along the lines of "because I love certain foods too much, I am not going to let go of them", then this may be a problem. Even healthy packaged foods like "12 whole grain breads" and "organic sugar free crackers" can raise blood sugar, hormones, insulin and basically cause the skin to break out. Someone who is eating processed foods part of the day, and trying to supplement with veggies and other healthy things the other part of the day may not see the results they are looking for.
"I have PCOS, but good weight and bmi, but tend to gain weight in my stomach area which I read makes insulin resisntance worse. "
Yes, I have heard of this too and have had friends who have had this as well. However, I have read and experienced that when you avoid foods that aggravate PCOS, such as oils and sugars and processed chemicals in foods, the symptoms lessen dramatically and healing can start to take place. I never had PCOS, but some of my friends on here do, and diet changes really helped them improve.
"Does anyone know something about this or could link me to some studies? Also - do you know if normal blood sugar indicates good insulin resistance or it doesn't really show it? My blood sugar came quite normal, but then again, you make the test without eating or drinking that day, so it could affect the results... Would really appreciate any scientific data about this"
Blood tests can range anywhere from simple to complicated, and after a fast they will not show when your blood sugar and hormones spike after eating something. I would personally recommend a very slow elimination diet, starting with common acne causing foods like dairy, sugar and oil. Steamed vegetables and salads can have a variety of gentle fruits and vegetables you can enjoy without spiking your insulin levels, and health food stores (and amazon) are great for carrying oil free baked goods, products and a variety of gentle teas to help with any kind of anti-bloating you might have in your stomach. Don't eat so much raw nutrient dense foods at first if it's hard to handle... give your stomach massaged and steamed foods that will allow it to adjust to your changes more easily. Let me know anytime what you feel about all this.
Here's a website that may help: https://cronometer.com/
Thank you so much for your answer!
Yes, I completely agree that "healthy" is very subjective. I've been plant-based for quite a while, sometimes eat fish and eggs, but not much, avoiding dairy as much as I can for quite some time now. Lately also cut out sweets. But I do eat quite a lot of gluten (whole grain), a lot of olive oil, a lot of baked veggies. Have also believed that olive oil is healthy, but gonna look into that. I definitely use plenty of it. And I do cook my food, not that much raw, but I usually throw in a lot of veggies into the oven with herbs and olive oil. Now I'm reading baked sweet potatoe can have a very high GI...
Guess the thing that happens is by eating less I eat less of whats aggrevating my acne. I think I haven't been looking at the GI enough...
I love food, but can definitely cut out stuff that break me out, love my face clear more 
Where I do my blood test their instruct you to come in the morning without breaking fast, I think that doesn't really show how my blood sugar is when it's spiked...
Definitely gonna start elimination diet already today!
3 hours ago, Aussie Scientist said:Pianina
Have you taken antibiotics recently, or before or during the time you have the breakouts ?
Do you have dandruff or a white tongue? These are indicative of (two different types of fungal outbreak), as are acne-like "pimples", red rashes, itchy skin, flaking skin etc. Both types of fungal outbreak can be caused by birth control pills or implants and/or antibiotics. Topical hemp oil will exacerbate one of the types of fungus.
Certain foods can exacerbate these types of fungal outbreaks (fermented foods, sugar, gluten, dairy, preservatives, all inflammatory foods, yeasts) but these types of fungal outbreaks cannot be controlled by diet alone.
Let me know if you want more information.
Thanks for answering!
I haven't taken antibiotics for a few years, no dandruff but my tongue has been white for as long as I remember. Also, 5 or more years on Yasmin, which cleared my cystic acne and only left me with pustules I get after eating plenty of food (need to identify which ones are causing it)
I am very conflicted about fermented foods, because as someone too little good gut bacteria I'm recomended to eat them for better gut flora. How to know if I have fungal outbreaks?
Also one more thing: there has been a time quite recently when I due to dealing with grief ate really poorly, mostly junk food. My face was clear...
Pianina
If you have a white tongue, you have candida. the candida will be caused by the antibiotics years ago (antibiotics kill good bacteria which control candida), plus the Yasmin (oestrogen causes outbreaks of candida). You probably have gut and skin candida (pustules). Which country are you in ? I can provide advice on how to treat the candida when I know which country you live in.
It is not possible to contro, candida by diet, but some foods make candida worse. The key thing is to avoid inflammatory foods, including foods which cause histamine responses. Inflammatory foods, including foods which cause histamine responses, are GLUTEN, fermented foods, possibly tomatoes, eggplant, capsicum, etc. (ie, solanaceous foods), left over food, fish (unless VERY fresh), preservatives - you can look up inflammatory foods, including foods which induce histamine responses, on the web. Also avoid sugar and dairy.
My suspicion from what you have said, is that the break-outs are caused by inflammatory foods, particularly gluten and fermented foods (and foods with preservatives?). Junk food will not necessarily cause breakouts - it all depends on how inflammatory (including histamine inducing) the junk food is. For example, chips (hot or crisps) will not necessarily cause breakouts because they don't contain gluten (or only contain a little bit), whereas whole grain bread could cause breakouts because of the gluten. Fermented foods contain yeast, and you could be reacting to that. It is possible that candida can sensitise people to all yeast.
There is a lot of rubbish on the web about the so-called candida diet. Equally, what people think is a healthy diet, often is not, because some so-called healthy foods cause inflammation. Don't worry about eating starchy vegetables. That starchy vegetables cause candida is a myth.
You will need to treat the candida (pustules) by using topical antifungals. I can provide advice on what to use when I know which country you are in. You might also wish to reconsider taking Yasmin, as Yasmin exacerbates candida (because of the oestrogen, which exacerbates candida). The Yasmin would have controlled your "ordinary" acne (because it reduces sebum by being anti-androgenic), but encouraged candida (hence the pustules).
I have had to reluctantly stop consuming whole grains as they are a nutrient inhibitor. Have noticed that the more foods I eat with grains, then worse my acne. I wouldn't worry about sweet potatoes. Communities with zero acne eat tons of them as the main staple of calories! They are full of beta-carotene.
For some people fats (like oil) seem to cause them issues. I think that acne is quite a generic symptom (like headaches) that can have many triggers, so best to cut back / out on grains and oil separately to see if either have a positive effect!
@Aussie Scientistthanks for your response. I am in the middle of treating my stomach issues, mainly severe bloating and when I suggested checking for candida, my doctor dismissed it in one second, which I found so irresponsible. I had my suspicions about candida, just no way to know since there are so many descriptions of medical conditions online where my symptoms "fit". Candida was one of them.
I live in Sweden. The pustules I get are concentrated on my chin, and sometimes jaw, I also get itchy bumps around my ears that never come to head but aren't cysts either. I can eat crap and be stressed and super tired and still have a clear face, so weird. Since yesterday already excluded nightshades, gluten and oil, but the problem is I am so uncertain what to eat that I ended up eating nothing. Feels like food is my enemy.
What antifungals could I use, without prescription also? My chin is a mess with at least 5 whiteheads in the crease right now.
Doctors are in denial about candida. You will virtually never get any sense out of them about skin (or gut) fungal outbreaks caused by taking antibiotics and/or birth control pills or implants.
Itchy skin usually means fungus, usually candida. Excluding certain foods is important for controlling candida, but the key things to do are to use topical nystatin cream, take oral nystatin (nilstat), and don't take birth control pills (if you have a candida problem) and don't take antibiotics unless you have a life-threatening or otherwise serious bacterial infection that cannot be controlled with topical antibiotics.
Given you have a white tongue (doctors never check this, which is so incompetent and stupid of them) and the other symptoms of candida, you almost certainly have candida. Can you check whether topical nystatin (sometimes called mycostatin or nilstat vaginal cream - which is weaker than mycostatin - you can use vaginal cream on your face) is available without prescription in Sweden. If it is available, then buy a tube and apply it to the outbreaks, and itchy areas. If topical nystatin cream (or gel) requires a prescription in Sweden, then buy a tube of clotrimazole cream (which should be available without prescription) and apply that to the affected areas.
Let me know how you go. Sometimes one needs to add other things to the topical creams to help them to control candida. I can provide advice on what to add to boost the effects of the topical creams, if the basic antifungal creams do not work.
Check whether oral nystatin liquid is available in Sweden, without a prescription. Oral nystatin (often sold as oral nilstat) is sold to control oral candida (ie, "thrush" on one's tongue, which is indicated by a white tongue). You are supposed to swallow the oral nystatin and it will fix your gut problems, if they are caused by candida, which is very likely. If you need a prescription for oral nilstat, then get back to me and I will provide you with an alternative which is not as efective as nystatin for controlling gut candida, but will have some benefit.
Are Swedes allowed to import a small amount of prescription products for personal use, without a prescription ? Some countries let people do this.
Much of the information about candida, especially about food and candida, on the web is rubbish. Diet is important but you cannot control candida by diet alone.
I think women with "PCOS" are particularly prone to candida because of skin features (oily skin and "odd" hair follicles) and possibly because of hormones.