Last updated: August 29th 2017
In February of 2013, my life (and my body) changed. One day everything was going along fine and then the next, I had a minefield on my face L. Out of nowhere, my face was covered with pimples. So, I researched holistic remedies, did an elimination diet, met with a practitioner of Chinese medicine, and overhauled every food/product going in or on my body. It was a chaotic time because the learning curve was steep & rapid. It was also one of vulnerability.
Although acne is typically a teenage problem, some people – women, especially – experience adult acne (wait, what?). Teens and adults are acne-prone for different reasons, and since acne solutions are typically aimed at adolescent physiology, it has a different reaction which tends to worsen adult acne (um, not the goal). It tends to worsen during times of stress, which then makes us feel more self-conscious and uncomfortable. Thankfully, there are effective, natural treatments that cover all skin types and deliver potent results without the dangerous side effects of chemicals in conventional acne products.
Contents
- 1 Habitat for Bacteria: The Skin Microbiome
- 2 How Acne Forms on Your Skin
- 3 Acne Causes: More than Meets the Eye
- 4 The Problem with Mainstream Acne Treatments
- 5 Your Diet + Inflammation = Pimples
- 6 Inflammation, the Overlooked Cause of Acne & Pimples
- 7 6 Steps to Healthy, Clear Skin
- 8 The Elimination Diet: Step-by-Step
- 9 Elimination Diet: Be Prepared for Withdrawal Symptoms
Habitat for Bacteria: The Skin Microbiome
You may not know, but antibiotics cause major negative consequences on the beneficial bacteria in the gut. That’s why it’s vital to eat more fermented foods if you choose to take antibiotics. The live active cultures in raw kefir and raw sauerkraut restore the healthy bacteria that are killed off by antibiotics.
Did You Know? Gut bacteria is so sensitive to the food we consume, that in just a few days following major dietary shifts, changes can occur in gene expression and species variation.
Your skin is another major ecosystem which provides three diverse habitats for bacteria, namely sebaceous, moist, and dry. Few studies have been done on the skin as a micro biome, but it would make sense (just like the gut) that microbiota balance is key to optimum skin health.
Good advice for those suffering from acne is to avoid sugar, soft drinks, and fried foods, because the skin reflects gut health. But there’s actually more to it. You’ve heard the saying, “You are what you eat.” Well, the microbiotas living on your skin surface “are what they eat” also.
Have you noticed how your skin’s condition worsens when you apply a lot of product or makeup? That’s because you are exposing the beneficial bacteria to antimicrobials that are the skin’s equivalent to antibiotics. When the balance is thrown off, we become acne prone.
Did You Know? The microscopic bacteria outnumber your body’s cells by almost ten times.
How Acne Forms on Your Skin
In addition to microbiota, the skin is covered in sebaceous glands, the tiny pores that are found within every hair follicle.
Sebaceous glands produce sebum, an oil that moisturizes the hair shaft and conditions the hair. Sebum typically locks in moisture and keeps the skin soft, healthy, and young. However, when your diet does not provide the required nutrients, sebum quality is affected, causing it to become thick and sticky, and it blocks the hair follicles. When the sebum hardens inside the pores, it turns into white heads.
In addition to oil and dirt, the skin is exposed to airborne bacteria that mixes with the sebum and becomes trapped inside follicles. It thrives in the favorable environment inside the pores, and starts to multiply rapidly. The immune system will release macrophages (white blood cells) to destroy the bacteria, causing local cells to become inflamed. This results in pain, redness, and swelling.
Once a macrophage has consumed around 100 bacterial cells, it dies from toxicity and results in that nasty, yellow, bulging pimple we all know and (don’t) love. The yellow pus oozing from the painful pore actually consists of thousands of dead macrophages.
While commercial pimple products aim to reduce swelling and redness, few actually produce healthier sebum, because only two things can do that:
- healthy diet
- better lifestyle (exercise, no smoking, hygiene, sleep habits, etc.)
Did You Know? The average adult has about 5 million hair follicles.
Acne Causes: More than Meets the Eye
While diet and poor hygiene can influence the occurrence of acne, there are many other causes. That’s why showering more and applying pimple treatments rarely deliver positive results. Here are some of the main causes of pimples:
Hormones Acne vulgaris and adult acne alike are primarily considered hormonal disorders. (Don’t worry…. We’ll cover how foods we eat can influence our hormones.)
Acne vulgaris, which occurs during puberty, is caused by a sharp rise in androgens, such as testosterone and dihydrotestosterone (DHT). While both teen males and females may experience issues with acne, it is typically an exclusively male androgen problem. After puberty, hormones become more favorable toward males. So, when guys produce large amounts of testosterone, it keeps their skin clear and wrinkle-free to boot.
Adult Acne, results when women board the hormonal roller-coaster. This is due to steep rises in estrogen and sudden dips testosterone governing the menstruation and ovulation cycles, as well as pregnancy, perimenopause and menopause. Other conditions, such as polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) may stimulate testosterone production, causing acne breakouts. Birth control and steroids can also interfere with normal hormone production, causing acne side-effects.
The Hormone Puzzle, Hormones form part of a complex system with many intertwined factors. Aromatase (an enzyme) converts testosterone and other androgens into a bad estrogen (estrone, (16a OHE), or into a good estrogen, methoxyestrone (2 OHE).
Bad estrogen can overcome testosterone, which leads to an abundance of bad estrogen and they release their harmful effects (acne, cysts, cancer). But this bad estrogen is not strong enough to overpower DHT, so the body over produces DHT to “save the day”. But that comes with a price. DHT slows the action of estrogen, but it settles in the skin, resulting in hair loss and – you guessed it! – acne.
Considering the fact that the foods we consume influence our gut bacteria and our hormones, all the junk food (pizza, soda, and sugar) most people tend to eat actually plays a part in causing pimples. So, it’s not just raging hormones, diet can help bring those hormones into balance.
Which foods can help? (Good question)
The answer is cruciferous vegetables, like broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, kohlrabi, savory cabbage, kale and bok choy. Cruciferous vegetables have Diindolymethane (DIM, a phytochemical) and natural enzymes. These break down the bad estrogen and reduce levels back to normal. This can take several weeks or a few months, but estrogen dominance disappears, testosterone and DHT return to standard levels and order is restored to the body.
Oily Skin
While sebum production contributes to acne and can give the skin a greasy appearance, it is not really oily skin. A few factors contribute to oily skin, namely:
- Follicular epithelial hyper-foliation
- Presence, activity and strain type of Propionibacterium acnes (P. Acnes)
- Inflammation
- Excess sebum production
Over the last number of decades, big pharma has focused on getting rid of P. acnes in order to eliminate the pimple problem by prescribing topical and oral antibiotics such as benzoyl peroxide. However, microbiologists believe that there are various strains of P. acnes, with some being more virulent in nature than others, and some more likely to increase pore congestion due to their stickiness.
The Problem with Mainstream Acne Treatments
I kept playing musical chairs with dermatologists, each one telling me that “food has no effect on your skin.” (Lies, Lies… I tell you!) And then they would give me cleansers and creams that burned and irritated my skin. Common acne treatments have side effects that can worsen your pimple problem:
Retin-A – Avoid using Retin-A during the day, as it can interact with UV rays and cause skin irritation & redness.
Benzoyl Peroxide – BP bleaches the skin, so it is important to take timeouts between treatment courses in order to limit photosensitization.
Salicylic Acid – The FDA has warned that salicylic acid and benzoyl peroxide can cause severe allergic reactions.
Dermatologists sometimes recommend oral antibiotics for severe and difficult acne conditions. Due to the nature of antibiotics and the risks they pose (as previously noted), this decision should not be taken lightly.
Your Diet + Inflammation = Pimples
Once you have all the other factors in place, we need to look at food. It’s ultimately, a person’s unique immune system response seems to be the key factor in how acne is spread. Your diet influences your gut health, which influences your immune system, resulting in inflammation, which manifests as acne and pimples. Let’s look at the exact ingredients in the Standard American Diet that might well be the cause of your acne problem.
- Micronutrients
While micronutrients (vitamins A, B, E and zinc) are important for maintaining good health, overdosing can negatively affect optimal body functioning, and can cause hazardous side effects as the result of long term usage. Some experts advise consuming an excess of certain vitamins in order to aid the elimination of acne. But remember, acne is a symptom, so attacking the problem at its core would be a more effective, more permanent solution.
- Macronutrients
Protein, fat, and carbohydrates are chemical substances that provide energy, which is why they are consumed in larger amounts. However, when consumed in excessive quantities (especially from bad sources), each of these macronutrients contributes to acne. It makes a big difference on the type of these macronutrients… choose good over bad… fat (coconut oil in place of margarine), protein (hemp seeds in a meal, opting for less meat), carbohydrates (butternut squash as a snack, instead of a pastry).
- Processed Food
The changing diet of the North Canadian Inuit is probably the best recent example of the effects of processed food on the skin. The Northern Canadian Eskimos followed a hunter-gatherer lifestyle and diet for thousands of years, eating seal, caribou, foxes, wolves, whales and naturally gathered fruits and grains. To them, processed foods simply did not exist, and they were healthy, until the 1950s. That’s when the Western way of life “moved in” and people started buying food supplies from the military bases.
As soon as their nomadic lifestyle and diet changed, people started experiencing modern health issues such as gall bladder problems, diabetes, heart attacks, and acne — to the same extent as we experience it in Canada and the United States.
- Simple Carbohydrates
White flour and refined sugar are simple carbs that manifest as acne by spiking blood sugar levels. High blood sugar causes inflammation, which is the leading precursor to a range of negative health conditions (hypoglycemia, Syndrome X and Type II diabetes) and acne. While acne is a the least of your problems caused by simple carbs, I want to urge you to reduce or eliminate it for the sake of your overall health and longevity.
Carbohydrates are starchy, sugary foods that break down into glucose. Simple carbs are quickly digested into glucose in the intestines and carried to the blood stream, this is known as blood sugar. Since blood sugar cannot be utilized right away upon conversion, it accumulates and can cause an overdose that prevents oxygen from reaching the brain, resulting in a coma. However, the pancreas produces insulin to eliminate excess glucose to combat this reaction.
The skin needs energy from glucose to combat the constant wear and tear to which it is exposed. However, when there are nutritional deficiencies (due to poor diet), it manifests in the skin cells.
Inflammation, the Overlooked Cause of Acne & Pimples
Skin inflammation is caused by rapidly rising blood sugar, which results from the body’s insulin response. Simple carbs are proinflammatory, since it rapidly converts into blood sugar, causing inflammation to spike in the cells. This spike in insulin causes inflammation throughout the body. If you want to fight acne, you should start by eliminating simple carbs.
By replacing higher glycemic foods with lower glycemic foods, you will improve your blood sugar levels and reduce the incidence of acne.
Long Term Effects of Inflammation
Inflammation is your body’s defence mechanism against irritations and infections. It aids in healing abrasions, acute trauma, and fights foreign objects in the body. While inflammation is helpful with an acute injury, chronic inflammation is hazardous to your health, as it is associated with chronic pain, chronic insomnia, diabetes and heart disease.
The anti-inflammation diet bans processed foods, coffee and caffeinated drinks, alcohol, juice, sugar, hydrogenated oils, commercial eggs, corn, potatoes, tomatoes, dairy, wheat and fried food.
- Food Intolerances and Allergies
Allergies are overreactions to particular foods by the autoimmune system. Most commonly caused by non-rotation of foods, it causes the body to release histamine, which is manifested by skin reactions, runny nose and watery eyes, or more severe responses.
Food allergies can also cause inflammation and slow down the body’s metabolism and healing response.
Many inflammatory foods (listed above) are avoided by people suffering from food allergies, in addition to shrimps, peanuts, corn and shellfish.
Remember, not all allergies cause rashes.
- Gastrointestinal allergies may cause abdominal pain, colic, diarrhea, vomiting and nausea, but it may lead to electrolyte imbalances and dehydration.
- Cutaneous allergies may cause rashes, pruritus, urticaria and angioedema, while long term effects can include skin thinning and discoloration and psoriasis in severe cases.
- Respiratory allergies cause rhinitis and asthma and may lead to chronic swelling in the nasal passages that could cause respiratory distress.
Allergies in the other organ systems can cause laryngeal edema, anaphylactic shock and hypotension, which may lead to airway blockages, heart attacks and death.
If you suffer from food allergies, please take extra precautions to avoid inflammation and life-threatening conditions.
Why Cleaning Up Your Diet is a Good Idea
You may be wondering why I’m placing such heavy emphasis on an anti-inflammatory diet when all you want to do is to get rid of pimples. An anti-inflammatory diet is important in resolving the underlying cause of acne (remember it’s the symptom of a root cause). By curing the inflammation of your skin through an anti-inflammatory diet, you could see some fantastic results.
A healthier, more balanced diet can help eliminate inflammatory factors that cause waste to build up in your body. At the same time, it will provide all the nutrients you need for physical equilibrium.
6 Steps to Healthy, Clear Skin
Now that you have a better understanding of how acne develops and the importance of diet, let’s look at how you can conquer acne in 6 simple steps.
Step 1: Manage Your Blood Sugar Levels
How you treat your skin today, will show in 10 or more years. By showing your body love through a healthy, balanced diet and lifestyle, you will make a good investment in beautiful skin which will pay dividends for the rest of your life.
By cutting out sugar and processed foods, you will improve your blood sugar levels and help prevent diabetes. Replace pro-inflammatory foods with low-GI foods that are less likely to cause allergies, and eat regular meals and snacks.
Healthy Swaps (try some of my favs):
- Coffee: Dandy Blend is an herbal beverage that cuts out the caffeine, but still gives you the flavor.
- Potato Chips & Crackers: Homemade baked root chips (beets, sweet potatoes, etc) instead of store bought… add fresh rosemary & Himalayan sea salt before baking (You’re welcome!)
- Store-bought Salad Dressings: Use extra virgin olive oil, ½ a lemon, Himalayan sea salt & pepper
- Soft Drinks: ½ of a lemon or lime squeezed in a glass of water
- Milk: Make homemade almond or coconut milk
Healthy, acne-free skin is just an added bonus to the many rewards you will reap for gaining control over blood sugar.
Step 2: Drink Plenty of Water Every Day
Increased water intake is probably the most natural cure for acne. By hydrating your biggest organ properly, you will encourage cell growth, regeneration and the replacement of dead skin cells.
Dry skin is caused by a variety of environmental factors, such as air pollution and cold weather. However, by drinking water, you will hydrate it from the inside out, thus helping your skin to remain healthy and clear.
Internal vs. External Hydration
Internal hydration (consuming water) is more important than external hydration (moisturizer), as it helps to eliminate toxins and regulates the body’s temperature. (sidenote: I never use lotion (which is full of chemicals & irritants) only coconut oil when needed.) Note: Coconut oil can clog pores, so only use on dry areas.
How much water do you need a day? The universal recommendation is the 8×8 rule (8 x 8 ounces glasses a day). However, you need to increase your intake based on your weight and level of daily activity. Calculate it as follows:
(Weight) 100 lbs x 2/3 = 66 ounces of water = 8 cups of water a day.
135 lbs x 2/3 = 89 ounces of water = 11 cups of water a day.
I know it may seem like a lot, but it even helps lose/maintain weight. Why? (good question) Because many people mistake thirst for hunger… and eat when they are actually thirsty. So this keeps you from overeating, by giving you a full feeling until you really are hungry.
Step 3: First Do No Harm
Covering up blemishes with layers of makeup causes more harm than good, as it suffocates the skin. Let your skin breathe. On the weekends, I go make-up free… unless there is a special occasion.
Remember that the strongest product does not necessarily deliver the best cure. Some active ingredients in common acne products and medicines are actually too strong for the skin, resulting in worsening acne, burning, irritating, discoloration and allergic reactions. Some of the chemicals that should be avoided, include:
- Diethanolamine
- Monoethanolamine
- Triethanolamine
On the note of harming skin, do avoid squeezing pimples. You will simply spread the bacteria to a different pore, causing worse breakouts.
Most importantly, let your skin breathe! Healing comes from the inside.
Did You Know? When you squeeze pimples, hard scar tissue forms over the area. It may look like it heals over time, but as you age, your skin thins out. When you’re older, those scars will become more visible.
Helpful Hint: I’ve used this Scar Oil and experienced fantastic results. However, it doesn’t do well on current pimples/bumps… so make sure to only apply it to flat “old” marks.
Step 4: Feed Your Skin from the Inside
You are what you eat. By feeding your skin properly from inside, you can manifest clear, healthy skin. Good nutrition can help prevent acne. Feeding your body good food will show in your life and on your skin.
Add probiotics (lactobacillus acidophilus and lactobacillus bifidus) to your diet to support a healthy gastrointestinal tract. This will boost your immune system, which will in turn be more resilient to certain foods. A probiotic rich diet includes:
- Raw, organic goat or sheep yogurt with live active cultures (from a local farm is best)
- Miso soup (only use soy-free options, usually made with chickpeas or adzuki beans)
- Pickles
- Kimchi
- Kombucha
Step 5: Healthy Lifestyle – Sleep & Exercise
According to Dr. Sonia Badreshia from Danville, California, “Stress increases glucocorticoid production, which can lead to abnormalities in skin structure and function.” Stress is reduced when you’re resting or sleeping, and that will minimize the onset of acne.
Aim for a minimum of 7 hours of sleep a night. If you struggle to achieve that, reduce the temperature of your bedroom to between 65-72 degrees Fahrenheit. You can use air conditioners or humidifiers, provided that they are cleaned weekly or monthly and well maintained.
Exercise helps your body to cope better with stress in a natural way. Reducing stress levels helps to lessen acne breakouts in the medium to long-term.
Physical activity boosts blood circulation, pumping oxygen throughout the cells to carry away cell waste. By improving respiration, it increases energy levels and boost your mood at the same time.
However, proper hygiene is crucial. Sweat contains bacteria, which may accumulate on the skin. Wipe away sweat with a clean towel during your workouts, and take a shower afterward to avoid breakouts.
Try to avoid any sport that requires wearing sunscreen or being out in the sun for too long, as well as swimming, as the chlorine may negatively affect your skin.
EXPERT TIP: If you smoke, you may want to consider quitting. Smoking dries out the skin and pumps the body full of toxins that prevent healing.
Step 6: Eliminate!
If there’s anything you implement from this article, I hope it’s this – step 6 – Eliminate!
Throughout this article, we’ve discussed the effects of certain foods on the skin. You may have even discovered the leading cause of your acne. Now, I will show you a diet pattern that will help you recognize which foods are causing breakouts, and that’s the elimination diet or elimination-rotation diet.
In February 2013, my face broke out and suddenly looked like a minefield. After researching, I decided to try the elimination diet to find my trigger foods. Until then, I had never heard of the concept.
The elimination diet is a method of self-monitoring to help you discover food intolerances or allergies that may be causing your acne issues. Known as the gold standard, the elimination diet is highly effective and inexpensive. Unlike other diets that are based on theory, it is based on personal observations and data gathering.
Now, I must admit, it requires time, patience, and self-discipline, but it allows you to take full control of your body. You will learn things about yourself that may well help you recover from chronic health issues by identifying foods that your body does not tolerate well.
By going through the elimination process, I learned I had major gut/intestinal issues like leaky gut & candida. My body did not cope well with dairy, gluten, or processed food. Low quality oils in foods would cause breakouts… and over indulgence in “heat” foods (like pineapple, mango, ginger, peppers) would result in pimples.
The first step involves eliminating all foods that might cause acne. After four weeks, you will slowly reintroduce each food, one by one every three days. By observing your body’s reactions, the connection between the food and the acne symptoms will become evident.
In addition to identifying acne-causing foods, you will probably also discover that some of these foods trigger other health issues, such as fatigue, mood swings, itches and headaches. You may not always be happy to learn of the connections, but once again, it will be a fantastic investment in your health.
IMPORTANT FACT: The entire process may take as much as six months, depending on how many foods you eliminate. At the end of the process, you will have better control over your body and your skin. This process really helped me get in-tune with my body, allowing me to “listen” to it… for the first time in my life.
The Elimination Diet: Step-by-Step
For best results, you must eliminate ALL foods that could possibly trigger acne. During this time, you will enjoy a variety of foods from a list of neutral, safe foods. The list of foods to eliminate should remove most food allergens from your diet; these foods are included for a variety of reasons that might include genetic modification, chemical reactions in the body, hormones, or gluten contamination.
If you’re allergic to a specific food on the Replace list, you should obviously avoid that.
Milk Products
| Foods to Eliminate | Replace it with… |
| · Commercial eggs
· Milk · Cheese · Cream · Yogurt · Butter · Ice cream · Creamers |
Nut milks, nut creams, and nut butters (assuming you don’t have a nut allergy). |
Grains & Starches
| Foods to Eliminate | Replace it with... |
| · Wheat
· Corn · Barley · Rye · Couscous · Oats · Millet · Rice
|
· Quinoa
· Buckwheat · Amaranth
|
Protein
| Foods to Eliminate | Replace it with… |
| · Raw fish
· Pork · Beef · Chicken · Veal · Sausage · Cold cuts · Canned meats · Hotdogs · Shellfish · Soy bean products (tofu, tempeh, seitan, faux meat, etc.)
|
· Trout
· Lean lamb · Peas, lentils, legumes, beans · Hemp seeds/powder
|
Nuts & Seeds
| Foods to Eliminate | Replace it with…. |
|
· Peanuts · Peanut butter · Macadamia nuts · Pistachios
|
· Walnuts
· Sesame seed · Pumpkin seed · Sunflower seed · Hazelnuts, pecans, almonds, cashews (assuming no allergy)
*I recommend organic, raw, sprouted seeds & nuts; the sprouting process removes the phytic acid (and enzyme inhibitors), which makes it much better for digestion. It’s less inflammatory for the body & skin. |
Vegetables
| Foods to Eliminate | Replace it with… |
| · Corn and all corn by-products
· Creamed vegetables · Tomatoes · Potatoes · Eggplants · Peppers · Fennel · Raw Garlic · Raw Onion |
· Organic fresh, juiced, raw, sautéed, pureed, or roasted vegetables
|
Fats & Oils
| Foods to Eliminate | Replace it with… |
| · Butter
· Margarine · Shortening · Processed oils · Canola oil · Vegetable oil · Salad dressings · Mayonnaise spreads
|
· Olive oil
· Flaxseed oil · Avocado · Coconut butter
|
Beverages
| Foods to Eliminate | Replace it with… |
| · Alcohol
· Coffee · Soda · Soft drinks · Store-bought juices & drinks
|
· Filtered water
· Distilled water · Green tea · Herbal teas · Coconut water
|
Condiments
| Foods to Eliminate | Replace it with… |
| · Chocolate
· Ketchup · Relish · Soy sauce · Processed sauces like Barbecue sauce, Teriyaki, etc. · Vinegars (white wine, red wine, balsamic, rice, etc.)
|
· All organic herbs and spices (parsley, rosemary, turmeric, thyme)
· Sea salt · Organic, raw sauerkraut (plain)
|
Others to Test
| Foods to Eliminate, then add one at a time |
| . Cumin
· Ginger · Fennel seed · Garlic (and powder) · Turmeric · Curry powder · Cayenne · Pineapple · Mango · Pinenuts · Miso (soy-free only) |
Common Food Allergens to Avoid
Most people are unable to tolerate certain foods on a regular basis, which is why processed and take-out foods should be avoided. Not only are the sources questionable, but preparing your own food ensures purity. Take-outs and processed foods contain high levels of:
- gluten
- wheat
- milk
- sugar
- alcohol
- margarine
- nuts
- MSG
- soy
- iodized salt
- low quality oils (corn, vegetable, canola, cottonseed, etc)
- vinegar (white, balsamic, red wine… avoid all except for Apple Cider Vinegar)
- corn by-products
- GMO’s (genetically modified foods)
That is why you may feel unwell and experience acne breakouts after consuming these foods. They contain toxins, dyes and preservatives that negatively contribute to your body’s sensitive toxin load.
The Elimination Process Explained
Once you have eaten clean, home cooked meals for four weeks, you can start re-introducing eliminated foods. It is important to re-introduce only one food at a time, with three days in between, as it may take that long to notice a reaction. It’s a good idea to track the results with pen and paper, or a spreadsheet on your computer.
You may decide to test a certain food twice, just to be sure. This process of diligently and methodically testing your reactions will provide deep insight into how food affects you.
Elimination Diet: Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Do I have to test different brands of foods?
A: Most of us buy the same brands from the same stores, but it’s up to you. You may see different results when you buy fresh produce from different suppliers, especially with milk, eggs and meat. Your results will depend on how the animals are fed. When going to the farmer’s market, ask the farmers what they feed their livestock & what they give them if one gets sick. (Avoid farms that use antibiotics, growth hormones, and corn/soy feed.) Also… ask if they use pesticides or herbicides on their crops.
Q: Should I avoid makeup during the elimination diet?
A: I would recommend that you avoid trying new make-up (especially foundation) and other skin care products during the elimination diet, or else it will affect your results. Keep these brands the same, so you have less variables to consider.
If you can’t avoid makeup completely, consider trying mineral makeup, which will not clog your pores.
Q: Can I use acne vitamins or supplements during the elimination diet?
A: I would not recommend that you add it to your diet during this time. However, if you’re taking supplements for acne, you could use the same elimination method to test your vitamins. Instead of waiting three days, however, wait two weeks, and don’t just focus on how your skin looks, but on how you feel also.
Clean Slate Food Preparation Methods
Juicing is a quick and easy method for preparing healthy, pure and nutritionally dense foods. If you don’t have a juicer , it would be a wonderful investment to consider, as it will pay off with years of good health. Fresh or cooked salads, and smoothies are also an easy way to add more fruits and vegetables to your meal plan.
Elimination Diet: Be Prepared for Withdrawal Symptoms
Hunger pangs and cravings will often be present right at the start of the elimination diet. You may even experience flu-like symptoms and joint swelling while your body is cleansing and reducing its usual consumption. Allow your body to rest during this reset.
Listen to your body during the detox phase, and feed it healthy, clean foods. The symptoms won’t persist for long, and you will feel so good afterward.
You can reintroduce a new food once all the symptoms have disappeared. Combine a maximum of three foods, and track every reaction of each food added or eliminated carefully.
Now, if you’ve read this post right to the end, I can assure you that you are pretty serious about getting rid of pimples for good (I applaud you for that!). However, being a realistic person, I also know that only a small percentage of people will actually take on the challenge, of the Elimination Diet, and fewer will embrace a clean eating lifestyle.
Is it hard work? You bet! Is it a huge commitment? Of course! You may be very sad to find that some of your favorite foods have been betraying you for years, causing acne breakouts and more. It’s important to remember that you may need to avoid a certain food (pineapple for me) for a time, but it doesn’t mean forever. My gut and body has healed more, so I can now have pineapple without any skin irruptions ????
At the end of the day, you have to decide what’s more important to you… a moment on the lips and a lifetime of scars — or feeling confident with smooth, clear skin?
