I’m a big believer in linking the health of your skin to your overall health. The better your health gets the better your skin usually looks.
Occasionally I get emails from people who say they’ve been so healthy and eat such a good diet, but still their acne keeps getting worse and worse. When I ask them tell me the foods they actually eat and describe their lifestyle it quickly gets obvious their idea of health and healthy diet is a bit off the mark.
So of course these people have problems getting clear.
Here’s a bit of a test for you.
I listed 5 common diet myths/mistakes I see repeated over and over. See how many hit home for you.
Whole grains are healthy
How many times have you heard or read about the benefits of eating whole grains? It’s one of the most pervasive health myths in our society.
I just finished reading Dr. Graham’s book ‘Grain Damage: Rethinking the High-Starch Diet’ and it gives quite a bleak picture of the "staff of life". Here are just few negative points about grains (whole or processed):
- Highly allergic, especially grains containing gluten. Allergic reaction always involves the immune system, and that means more inflammation and more acne. Dr. Graham: "All of us respond adversely to gluten consumption. Celiac disease affects everyone who consumes gluten, to some degree."
- Irritates the digestive track and may lead to nutrient deficiencies. Grains contain insoluble fiber which is not compatible with the human digestive system. We need soft, soluble fiber from fruits and vegetables not the coarse and sharp insoluble fiber from grains.
- Absolutely tasteless and unappealing. To make grains palatable you need to add spices and eat them with other foods; usually fat or protein.This creates a terrible food combination where neither grains or the food eaten with them is digested completely. Further difficult food combinations require huge amounts of energy to digest even partially, leaving you drained.
- Addictive. How often do you crave fruits and vegetables? Probably never. But how often you get cravings for starchy foods? Probably very often. Gluten grains contain addictive chemicals that cause withdrawal symptoms once you stop eating them.
"The peptides from gluten and casein are important because the react with opiate receptors in the brain, thus mimicking the effects of opiate drugs like heroin and morphine. These compounds have been shown to react with areas of the brain such as the temporal lobes, which are involved in speech and auditory integration."
http://www.greatplainslaboratory.com/gluten-casein.html
Also see: Celiac Notes: Opiate Withdrawal from Gluten and Casein? - Easy to overeat. Complete carbohydrates in whole grains take long time to digest. Since they take long time to affect blood sugar levels our brains don’t get the signal that we have eaten enough. So we often eat until we are stuffed. Overeating leads to insulin resistance, weight gain and other health problems (including acne). On the other hand, it’s almost impossible to overeat with fruits since they are digested quickly and the brain gets the signal that we have eaten enough and turns off hunger.
This was just a small sample of dangers of grains. Hopefully it’s enough to get you thinking the next time you want to get a sandwich.
Sugar is evil
This is another pervasive healthy myth, and a dangerous one because it scares people off fruits. Instead of fruits we should eat more complete carbohydrates (such as grains) and fat - or so we are told.
I admit there’s a grains of truth in this myth. Refined sugar is bad for you, but that’s about as far as it goes.
Riddle me this. If glucose (the simplest sugar) is the fuel for all of your cells, how can it be bad for you? It’s like saying petrol is bad for your car. Of course that makes no sense at all.
Sugar and carbohydrates have bad rap because they’ve said to cause blood sugar problems. But that’s not true. The real problem is insulin receptors. Insulin is the hormone that escorts glucose from the bloodstream to the cells. People with insulin resistance these receptors have desensitized to insulin. So the glucose levels remain too high and the pancreas must pump more insulin to get them down.
Insulin resistance is not caused by eating sugar or carbs. It has many causes, but eating too much fat, overeating, sleep deprivation and chronic inflammation are among the main ones. I explain this in detail in Clear for Life.
Remove insulin resistance and fruits are no longer a problem. As has been demonstrated by Dr. Graham, who has been treating diabetics with high-fruit, low-fat diet for over 25 years, Pritkins Longevity Institute, with impressive track record on healing people with low-fat diets, and other doctors.
And closer to home, people who follow Clear for Life program show remarkable improvements in their skin within the first few months.
Bodybuilders and athletes require more protein
Many people believe they have to eat lots of meat to get enough protein, especially if they are athletes of bodybuilders.
This is the ‘protein myth’ and is not supported by science or real life experience.
First, yes athletes need more protein, but they also need more calories. Since all whole foods contain calories, more calories also means more protein. As long as you meet your calorie needs from whole foods it’s impossible to be protein deficient.
Institute of Medicine/Food and Nutrition Board conducted an extensive study on protein requirements. Here’s what they say:
"There is little evidence that muscular activity increases the need for protein, except for the small amount required for the development of muscles during physical conditioning. In view of the margin of safety in the RDA (10% of calories from protein), no increment is added for work or training."
Dietary Reference Intakes for Energy, Carbohydrate, Fiber, Fat, Fatty Acids, Cholesterol, Protein, and Amino Acids (Macronutrients)
Food and Nutrition Board
INSTITUTE OF MEDICINE OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES
Aside from studies athletes in real life have shown that it’s possible, and even recommended, to eat a diet high in fruits and low in fat. Few examples of athletes who have worked with Dr. Graham are tennis legend Martina Navratilova, NBA pro basketball player Ronnie Grandison and bodybuilder Kenneth G. Williams.
If they can do it, I’m sure you can too.
Drinking fruit juices is healthy
What? Didn’t you just say that fruits are healthy and we shouldn’t be afraid of sugar?
Yes, I did. And sugar as such is not a problem. It becomes problematic when blood sugar levels raise too high.
Fiber in fruits slows down the absorption of sugars. Juicing removes the fiber from fruits. When you drink fruit juices the sugar goes into your bloodstream almost instantly. And this spikes up the blood sugar levels and leads to massive insulin spike.
Combine this with insulin resistance and you start to get major issues.
Best source of a nutrient is the food that contains most of it
When it comes to exercise and sunlight we understand that more is not always better. We need both of them in sufficient quantities, but too much is bad for us.
The same concept applies also to nutrition.
Getting more of a specific type of a nutrient is not always better. What you need is enough of a nutrient to meet your requirements, and in correct balance with other nutrients. Too much of one nutrient can lead to imbalances and deficiencies in other nutrients.
This is why I don’t recommend supplements. Nobody knows for sure the correct balance of every nutrient, and we probably haven’t even discovered all the nutrients yet. So a pill by definition cannot meet your nutritional requirements.
Only healthy, whole foods can do that.
—-
So how did you do?
Already knew all 5? Then congratulations, you know more about diet and nutrition that 99% of the population. And your chances of getting clear are pretty high because of it.
On the other hand if that left you scratching your head and you’ve struggled to get clear, you may need get up to speed about diet and nutrition. There’s so much BS and misinformation floating around that it’s easy to waste years trying to sort it all out. Unfortunately it’s something you have to do if you want to get over acne.
Or you can choose the easy way and let me tell you.
Get Clear for Life, go through it, and you are up and running in two hours.
August 13th, 2008 at 10:00 am
[…] continues at Seppo brought to you by diabetes.medtrials.info and […]
August 14th, 2008 at 12:18 pm
The information about grains and protein was very enlightening. So many of the fitness eating plans highly promote these two food groups. By reading your blogs, a person can become very knowledgeable about nutrition as a whole, not just in relation to acne. You’re a valuable and generous resource.
Thanks,
Keisha
August 14th, 2008 at 12:21 pm
I don’t buy into the whole, “grains are bad for you” deal. That is absolutely ridiculous. No one really seems to know what is actually good for your health and what is bad. One day something is good for you, the next it is bad for you. It changes on a daily basis. How frustrating!
August 14th, 2008 at 1:37 pm
i am still struggling with acne but following your advise by blood sugar hi/los have improved 90%,ive lost 25lbs my cholesterol is now normal my high blood pressure is now normal.I still slip on the diet part but in general im winning thanks for all your help
August 14th, 2008 at 3:42 pm
Melissa, I agree with you 100% that diet can get confusing. Amazon carries almost 300′000 different diet books. Each probably has a different ’solution’.
But I have to say that what’s good for us (humans) has never changed. The only thing that changes is our idea of what’s healthy.
One reason for that is that these scientific studies are usually conducted on general population.
And the general population is by no stretch of imagination healthy.
So the only thing, for example, those studies on whole grains show is that by replacing refined grains with whole grains horribly sick people get little bit less sick.
So in context of standard Western diet whole grains are healthy. But in reality you are just comparing two evils together. One happens to be little bit less evil than the other.
I’m talking about these things in context of what’s really healthy for humans. For achieving optimal health and wellness, and curing acne. In that context whole grains are really, really bad.
And once you eat a healthy diet for a while you’ll notice the effect grains have on you - and it’s not a good one.
The other reason for confusion is our fragmented view of health. We tend to look at things in relation to a specific illness. For example we say whole grains prevent heart disease. Or that supplement X fixes problem Y.
While those may be true we often forget the other side of the coin. We often just replace one symptom with another. Whole grains might lower the risk of heart attacks, but gluten in grains increases the risk of celiac disease and other autoimmune conditions. And supplement X may give you some nutrients which help with condition Y, but at the same time creates nutritional imbalance, which shows up as symptom Z later on.
When you look at things in this fragmented way, they do look confusing.
That’s because health and nutrition doesn’t work that way. You have to look at it holistically. Which foods and lifestyle choices create the conditions for optimal health and wellness.
Forget the symptoms for a while. The body will deal with those.
Concentrate on creating/building health. And when you do that everything suddenly gets very, very simple.
Like I explain in Clear for Life.
August 14th, 2008 at 3:48 pm
Randy, excellent job! Comments like yours really make doing this worthwhile.
And don’t stress about acne. It will also clear in time.
Lowered cholesterol, stabilized blood sugar levels and lowered blood pressure are all signs that the underlying conditions that lead also to acne are fading away.
August 14th, 2008 at 7:26 pm
my acne has improved a lot by cutting out beans and flour. But i still eat brown rice, i was wondering if i can substitute it with sweet potato. My diet lacks in calories because im a vegan, so i need some sort of starchy food to build these calories.
August 15th, 2008 at 9:06 am
Kerri, good to hear your skin looks better.
There’s nothing in vegetarian diet that would make it inherently lack calories. It just depends on what you eat and how much you eat.
You can safely substitute brown rice with sweet potatoes or potatoes. Though I’m not sure if it’s going to help you that much. Rice doesn’t have gluten, so it’s less allergic than other grains.
Why not just try eating more fruits? That would be the best choice.
August 16th, 2008 at 12:58 pm
As recommended in your clear for life book, I started making me a huge green smoothie everyday. I usually just peel the skin of the fruits off, chop them into smaller pieces and chuck everything into the mixer. Is this as bad as drinking fruit juice or is it the same as eating whole fruits because I have used the whole fruit rather than just the juice?
Off topic:THANK YOU for making this website and the book!!! I’m really happy I bumped into it.
August 16th, 2008 at 1:20 pm
Lily, no, thank you. I couldn’t do this without customers and encouraging feedback.
Green smoothies are perfect. When you blend the fruits as whole the fiber is still there. So they won’t spike up your blood sugar levels.
Blending is good because the blender ‘chews’ the greens for you. That way you’ll get far more nutrition out of them.
August 19th, 2008 at 5:42 pm
What kind of greens are suggested?
August 19th, 2008 at 6:23 pm
Hi, I m really pleased with your information but want to know that do I have to live on the fruits & vegs for the rest of my life.
thanks
August 19th, 2008 at 9:11 pm
Kurt, with greens I mean leafy, green vegetables; such as spinach, lettuce and kale. Celery is also more than worth its salt. Just check what’s available at the produce section in your super market. Anything from there should do fine.
August 19th, 2008 at 9:13 pm
Shaks, you don’t HAVE to do anything. Fruits and vegetables are the optimal food for humans, but you can include other things into your diet also.
It’s just that once you’ve tried living on fruits and vegetables you probably don’t WANT to eat anything else. They just make you feel so much better. And eating anything else will just make you feel worse.
August 20th, 2008 at 11:59 pm
Are seeds good also? Pumpkin seeds? How about sunflower seeds?
August 21st, 2008 at 11:20 am
Thanks Suppo, also if acne is caused my blood sugar problems so y doesnt sugar in fruits causes acne & can we take whey protein shakes low in fats.
thanks.
August 21st, 2008 at 3:17 pm
Kurt, seeds are ok in small quantities. They have quite a bit of fat, so don’t eat too much of them.
August 21st, 2008 at 3:22 pm
Shaks, sugar as such don’t cause blood sugar problems. Yes they do increase blood sugar levels, but that’s not really the problem. The problem is that the body cannot bring the blood sugar levels down. So they remain too high.
That’s a condition called insulin resistance, and one of the biggest causes is eating too much fat.
Though I don’t recommend eating refined sugar it alone (in the absence of fat and insulin resistance) will not cause blood sugar problems. The body is very good at regulating them. It becomes an issue when we have too much fat in the blood, and that prevents the body from clearing excess glucose.
That said, it’s still not good to eat refined sugars and fruit juices because the body doesn’t like spikes in blood sugar levels.
Fruits have fiber in them which slows down the absorption of sugar so that blood sugar level rise gradually.
August 21st, 2008 at 5:11 pm
Seppo! i m grateful to your quick reply & knowedge, so can we eat large quantities of fruits?? i have heard that body converts the excess amount of carbs not needed into fats & stores it in the body, can tht body fat be dangerous too??
thnx a million
August 24th, 2008 at 5:46 pm
Yes, fruits are perfectly fine.
The body converts all excess calories into fat. It doesn’t matter where they come from. Overeating is bad, no matter what you overeat.
August 28th, 2008 at 6:59 pm
Thanks for the information! I’ve been drinking green smoothies for a few weeks and my PMS symptoms are gone. I still have acne, but I feel like I’m on the right track.
Are beans okay, or are they similar to grains?
August 28th, 2008 at 7:08 pm
Alissa, good to hear. I’ve heard from many women that their PMS symptoms ease or go totally away when they follow Clear for Life.
As far as I know PMS symptoms are another sign of hormonal imbalances.
Fix the diet and lifestyle that created those and you’ll fix all or most health challenges.
So that’s a definitely an encouraging sign. Keep up the good work.
Beans are ok, but not optimal food. They are hard to digest for some people. Still in the context of modern foods beans rank pretty high. I still eat them occasionally. In fact today I put one can into my salad.
September 7th, 2008 at 4:28 pm
I get all my food and drinks at whole foods and wanted to know if getting pasta’s that are gluten free ok to consume in moderation? Also, i drink a green smoothie in the morning but it is store bought and wanted to know if it is just as good as juicing?
September 8th, 2008 at 9:31 am
Josh, gluten free pastas are better since they don’t have that many allergic issues. Still, the other points mentioned about grains still apply to gluten free pastas also.
Nothing equals to freshly made green smoothies. You never really know what’s in them.
Still, if you can’t make your own then store bought ones are a good option.
September 11th, 2008 at 11:19 pm
in your clear for life readings i know you say it’s good to get sunshine, i was curious on the amount of sun i should be exposed to per day, and also should i use a sunscreen or not?
September 12th, 2008 at 8:11 am
Josh, as long as you don’t burn yourself it’s almost the more the merrier with sunlight. But minimum 15 to 20 minutes a day.
Use sunscreen only if you have to be in the sun so long that you’ll burn yourself. Otherwise not.
September 17th, 2008 at 9:55 am
Seppo - where were you 15 years ago? I wish I had of known of you when I was a teenager with acne. Oh well, at least as an adult with acne I have discovered you!!
Can you pl give me your opinion….a few months ago I went on a ketogenic diet to lose some weight. No dairy, no refined sugar, no alcohol, no carbs except fruit and veg. I ate lots of greens, salad, protein, 2L of water, eggs, nuts and oil.
I was also taking good quality vitamens - iron, zinc, estrogen, some fiber drink, some anti stress vitamens.
Anyway, my skin cleared up beyond belief. I have never had such clear, soft, blemish free skin in my life.
Out of the things I was doing, what do you think would have caused this? The reason I ask is that it is not good to stay on a keto diet long term and the vitamens were expensive.
What are your thoughts?
PS I am going to buy your book for me, and friends with acne!
September 18th, 2008 at 6:04 am
Kate,
15 years ago I just getting my first pimple while stuffing my face at McDonalds. So I don’t know how much of a help I would have been for you back then : )
I know many people have cleared their acne with ketonic diets. On the other hand I know many people who have got nothing but trouble out of low-carb diets.
If it works for acne I’m sure it has a lot to do with eliminating grains and processed foods. Plus ketonic diets are often calorie-deficient. Calorie restriction is anti-inflammatory and reduces insulin resistance.
Plus when people go on those diets they often start to eat more vegetables.
So I’m not surprised some people clear their acne with them. But it has nothing to do with the claim that low-carb diets are good for blood sugar control.
By definition they are high-fat and high-fat diets have been known to cause insulin resistance for decades.
High-fat diets are also disaster for your health in the long term. So I wouldn’t recommend them to anyone.
Especially since it’s easy to clear your acne with healthy diet also.
September 20th, 2008 at 8:04 pm
Binge eating = High Glycemic Load = Hyperglycemia = Acne
It does not matter what type of foods you eat, high calorific intake in single sittings will cause acne.
Hunter gatherers around the world have differing diets, look at the Pimas compared to Eskimoes compared to Kitvan Islanders compared to Masai warriors. Their carb to fat to protein ratios all differ form each other yet their calorific intake to calorific needs ratio is way lower relative to westerners.
The Japanese diet before becoming westernized has high GI rice yet they had no acne. Why? Their portion sizes are small. Same with the French Paradox. They eat what is viewed as an unhealthy diet yet they exercise portion control and are healthier than the USA.
Stress and infection exacerbate hyperglycemia. So acne feeds back into the situation with the undue stress it causes coupled with the infection.
In eating disorders acne is common. Anorexics are usually non-purging bulimics. So paradoxically they lose weight whilst having acne. As they fast and exercise between binges.
With all these crazy acne diets where certain foods are restricted you will eventually binge, and lo and behold breakout badly.
Evaluate how many calories you need and distribute them evenly over at least 3 meals and preferably 4-5 and your acne will be reduced significantly. Follow the 80-20 rule, 80% healthy and 20% treats and you will be less likely to binge. The treats should still be calorie and portion controlled. A small sugar only boiled sweet by itself has a low glycemic load even though it has a high index.
Diabetics are told how important portion control is and total calories is now.
Lowering blood glucose in hospitals gives significantly better outcomes in infections.
Exercise reduces calories and can lower blood glucose, however as diabetics and athletes note intensive exercise can actually cause hyperglycemia as can caffeine.
Anecdotally apple cider vinegar, green tea and vodka are touted as helpful in acne, isn’t it interesting that they all reduce GI of meals. However even these can’t suppress a crazy binge. First and foremost calorie and portion control is essential.
As the Mann study showed a low glycemic load diet decreased acne significantly.
http://www.ajcn.org/cgi/content/abstract/86/1/107
A calorie and portion controlled diet with calories evenly distributed over day has a low glycemic load.
September 22nd, 2008 at 6:52 am
Sean,
Calorie control is important in reducing insulin resistance and keeping blood sugar levels under control. Still, there’s much more to the issue than it.
Inflammation is one big thing. If you eat plenty of transfat and other inflammatory foods you’ll get insulin resistance, even if you eat less calories.
I wouldn’t also draw too many conclusions about the diets people eat on different sides of the planet.
The fact that their rates of various diseases are much lower in the West doesn’t mean their diets would be optimal. There’s more to the disease process.
Research is quite clear on the fact that eating too much fat leads to insulin resistance. Overeating anything will lead to that, but you don’t have to eat that much fat for it to affect your insulin sensitivity.
Masai, eskimos and other people who eat high-fat diets have other lifestyle factors that offset the damage caused by eating too much fat. They are much more active than we are and eat foods in their natural state.
These things probably keep a lid on full blown diabetes and other diseases associated with eating too much fat.
One more thing. If you are not gaining weight then you aren’t eating too many calories. In these cases insulin resistance shouldn’t then exist. But it does, so there’s more to the story.
October 24th, 2008 at 12:13 am
Sorry to be a hassle but i would greatly appreciate some conformation, so if what your saying the optimal nutritional balance should consist of, is basically all fruits and vegetables. How in the world do you make ends meet (calorie-wise) so you won’t starve. I’ve looked it up, and you would need much over four liters of green drink only to keep your body running. can you help clear my confusion please? Also, is it illogical to make large smoothies in the morning and drink through the day, because the enzymes dying off?
October 26th, 2008 at 10:57 am
Nobody said that you have to eat only fruits and vegetables. Nutritionally it’s the optimal thing, but you don’t have to do it. I don’t eat 100% fruits and vegetables. In some days I do, but not all days.
I have no problems getting the calories I need. In fact, it’s darn easy. 5 bananas gives me approx 500 calories, and that’s usually enough for one meal.
I’ve also noticed that my calorie requirements have gone down. I simply don’t need to eat that many calories anymore to feel full and satisfied.
Interesting that you think it’s illogical to store green smoothies because of ‘enzymes dying off, but it’s not illogical to eat foods that have no or very little nutrients (as in the case of standard diets).
I don’t mean to be mean, just to point out the illogical confusion many people have (it’s not only you).
If you eat plenty of fruits and veggies you’ll get far more nutrition than you would from any other diet - even if some enzymes would die off.
Besides the loss of nutrients is very small compared to the nutrients you’ll get. So it’s not something you need to worry about.
Besides the whole ‘enzyme theory’ is illogical anyway. The enzymes in fruits are there to RIPEN the fruit. Your body has its own digestive enzymes and you don’t actually GET any enzymes from eating fruits and veggies.
October 26th, 2008 at 10:08 pm
I’ve heard before that drinking fruit juice isn’t that great for you, and you’re way of explaining it is definitely a lot easier to follow. I’m just curious though, if juicing eliminates the fiber in fruits, what about blending? As in making smoothies or something? Does that have the same affect or does the fiber stay if you only blend the fruit? Because it’s really only like cutting up the fruit into tiny tiny pieces, but then again juicing would just be like mushing it up even smaller…. I don’t know. Just curious.
October 27th, 2008 at 2:10 am
Joline,
When you blend fruits you retain all the parts of the fruit - you don’t throw away anything like you do in the case of juicing. You still eat the whole fruit.
The blender just does the ‘chewing’ for you, but the sugar is still attached to the fruit fibers. So it doesn’t spike up blood sugar levels nearly as much.
October 29th, 2008 at 5:46 am
is oatmeal a whole grain?
tnx
October 29th, 2008 at 6:00 am
i’m just wondering, can u simplify the meaning of insulin resistance, i’m not into english very well
tnx seppo.. i have my break outs now on my forehead and i’m really sad bout it, it’s red and nasty, my mentrual period is over, i think my period is causing it? or my diet? i eat lots of rice and no fruits, yea and i eat lots of peanut butter with white bread, is that bad? 
is egg bad for me? i eat one egg a day, then sometyms i get this hives,,,grrrr..it’s really frustrating..pls help..i really appreciate your efforts in putting acne into an end.. more power 
October 29th, 2008 at 6:05 am
one more thing (sorry for the multiple comments) can i clear up my acne w/out eating fruits? i mean by just drinking lots of water and avoiding sugar? can i eat chicken? (not fried) i’m in the Philippines so it means rice is my everyday diet
is that bad? sorry for the questions, i’m just really confused, i’m 16 yrs. old 
October 29th, 2008 at 10:23 am
does chicken, beef, or pork cause acne? even if they are not fried, i mean cooked in a different way.. and btw cooked veggies? i mean veggies that’s cooked with meat already? are they safe? tnx seppo, ur the best!
i really appreciate that ur doing this for our sake, not for the sake of money, i feel lucky i’ve found you 
October 29th, 2008 at 1:58 pm
Bea,
Whether oatmeal is a whole grain or not depends on the processing. If it’s whole grain it says so in the box.
Insulin is the hormone that takes sugar (glucose) from your blood stream into your cells. Think of your cells as houses. Insulin knocks the door of these ‘houses’ so that food can go in.
Insulin resistance means that the people on those ‘houses’ don’t always hear the knocks. So insulin has to knock harder and longer (means more insulin). The more resistant to insulin you are the harder and longer it has to knock.
Peanut butter with white bread is definitely bad. I wrote about acne and grains here: http://www.natural-acne-solution.com/grains-and-acne.html.
Sorry but I can’t give simple answers to your questions. For some people the foods you mentioned give acne, but not to everybody.
The best thing for you would be to start eating as healthy as possible. That means more fruits and vegetables and less fried food. Rice is not that bad, so it should be ok for you.
October 29th, 2008 at 2:12 pm
Jeff,
Please don’t praise my altruistic reasons too much, or I’m going to feel bad by telling you that I do make a living with this. But I guess it depends how you do it.
To your questions.
There’s not a single food that would ’cause’ acne. To put simply, acne is caused by the less than optimal state of health your body is in.
So instead of asking ‘does this food cause acne?’, a better question would be ‘is this good for my health?’. All foods that are bad for your health can, at least indirectly, make it more difficult for you to get clear.
So are chicken, beef and pork optimal foods for humans? Definitely not.
That said, don’t take this thinking ‘too far’ or you’ll end up shooting yourself on the foot with it.
In Clear for Life I stress the need to find a balance between health and other concerns in your life. If you stress health too much the other parts of your life suffer, which can stress you out and hence make it more difficult to get clear. Try to find the sweet spot that’s healthy enough for you to get clear, but not so healthy that it makes you wanna pull your hair out.
Getting back to point.
Chicken, beef and pork are definitely not optimal humans foods, but if your diet is other wise good eating them occasionally is not that bad.
Raw veggies would be better than cooked, but one can’t really say that cooked veggies would be horribly unhealthy either (as long as they are not friend and saturated with fat).
So sum things up. When you think about your food choices think about their impact on your health, not whether they cause acne or not. Because whether you get clear or not ultimately depends on whether you can improve your health or not.
October 29th, 2008 at 3:00 pm
is beta glucan different from gluten?
i really love ur forums
tnx for the replies
October 29th, 2008 at 3:18 pm
Bea,
I’ve never heard of beta glucan before, but according to Wikipedia it should be pretty good for you: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beta-glucan
Whereas gluten is very unhealthy for you: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gluten_sensitivity
October 30th, 2008 at 4:15 am
cashew nuts are ok ryt? and i think canola oil is fine
November 1st, 2008 at 11:37 pm
Is peta bread find bcuase I’m Middle Eastern and we a lot of peta bread. I know they are very low in fat.
November 2nd, 2008 at 9:53 am
Bread is made of grains, so it’s going to give you problems. How much depends on the kind of grains it’s made of. If it’s wheat then it has gluten and can give you major issues. Naturalnews just published my article on gluten acne connection (<– click to read it).
Oils are 100% fat. So by eating oils it’s easy to eat too much fat, which can lead to insulin resistance.
November 3rd, 2008 at 7:44 am
Is it alright to eat bread once in a while like 2 mouth but small amount?
What about Olive oil?
November 5th, 2008 at 5:36 pm
Look, I can’t tell you whether it’s ok to eat some foods or not, meaning whether they’ll give you acne or not.
We are all individuals and react differently to these foods. All I can tell you whether some food is generally good for your health or not, and if some foods are more likely to trigger acne than others.
Wheat is highly allergenic and thus one of the works foods for acne sufferers. If you are highly sensitive to gluten then even small amounts can be harmful. But not many people are that sensitive.
Olive oil, flax seed oil, grape seed oil, fish oil, turtle oil, rat oil, elephant oil, tiger oil and what not… they are all 100% fat. Too much fat, no matter what fat, is going to be bad for you.
November 6th, 2008 at 1:39 am
If you should stay away from grains, what can you eat??? Everywhere you look, everything contains wheat, whole grains and gluten to some degree… everything. And the foods that dont are relatively expensive.
what is a good substitute for bread?
For rice? And pasta?
November 7th, 2008 at 10:37 am
Rice is not that bad actually. It doesn’t have gluten so it’s not as allergic as wheat. That makes it far safer for people with acne. Of course is still has all the other problems associated with grains.
Fruits are the best substitute for bread and other grains. Potatoes, other starchy vegetables, beans, lentils and quinoa are also good ones.
November 9th, 2008 at 6:37 pm
Hey, Seppo! I have to say, all of your lessons have helped me SO much. I get a few breakouts here and there, but I’ve only changed my diet for a week now, so I still have a long way to go. I just had one question for you, because I’ve never been able to get an answer from anybody about it. Would eating about 6 tablespoons of peanut butter a day probably trigger some acne problems? I know it depends on the individual, but if you were me..would you eat it? ‘Cause I have to say..ever since I got rid of of my chocolate and other sweets in the house, that’s kinda my “somewhat healthy” alternative. Thanks again, Seppo!
November 11th, 2008 at 2:28 pm
Becca, no I would definitely not eat 6 tablespoon of peanut butter a day. Peanut butter is 70% fat and 6 table spoons gives you a whopping 50 grams of fat.
http://www.nutritiondata.com/facts/legumes-and-legume-products/4452/2
That’s more fat than I eat in 2 days.
All that fat can give you major blood sugar issues - especially if you also eat lots of fruits.
Plus peanuts allergies are very common. If you happen to also be allergic to them, your acne gets a double whammy benefit.
November 11th, 2008 at 8:33 pm
Hey Seppo-
I am very overwhelmed at the start of my acne free journey. I have been hyperglycemic my entire life, so my diet NEEDS to change. I do have acne, I am 20.. and a poor college student so buying your book, which I am hoping to do is a big deal for me..lol. But, I need to do something about my skin and overall health. I am 5 2″ and 113, I look like I’m in shape. However- I am out of shape like an extremely overweight 50 year old. I need to excercise also.
I can’t get the amount of sun I would like because I work all day indoors and it’s very cold out in November in PA. Can I pleeasse go tanning? Or is that a no-no? And I feel very appreciate of your work, just as the others have said as well.
November 12th, 2008 at 8:26 am
Lauren,
At least you know know what you need to do. And if it means making many changes, then it means making many changes.
It may feel like it now, but most of these changes are not such a big deal. They do take a fair amount of persistence, but anybody can do them. Just go slowly and easy and you’ll get there.
I know winters can be tough for sunlight. From everything I’ve read it seems there’s no difference between natural and ‘artificial’ light. If both have the same frequencies (spectrum) both should give you the same benefits.
So tanning should be ok. But before you go, just check from the salon the spectrum of light their light tubes emit. And do make sure they emit UVB radiation - that’s the one responsible for vitamin D production and probably many other health benefits also.
Finally, like with sunlight, moderation, moderation, moderation… don’t fry yourself.
November 12th, 2008 at 9:42 pm
Hey Seppo,
I just have one more question for you. (I’m really sorry, but you always have the best answers! lol) So you say that 50 grams of fat is waaay too much to digest for one day…So what’s your recommended amount per day? Thanks again, and I promise that this is the last question from me. (I’m off to finally buy your book…I’m so excited!)
November 14th, 2008 at 9:51 am
Becca,
There’s no straight answer to that question. It depends on many things.
First about the diet you follow. If you are one a low-carb diet then you need to eat lots of fat to get your calories.
I’m not going to venture here into why I think low-carb diets are not only ridiculous but only health disasters. So in those diets eating lots of fat is the only way to get your calories. And eating too many carbs would lead to all kinds of problems (mainly because of eating too much fat makes carbs dangerous).
On the other hand if you eat plenty of fruits then you need to limit your fat consumption. Once your fat intake gets close to 20% of your total calories, or goes over it, you start to get blood sugar problems.
Fat and sugar simply do not mix together.
So for 2000 calories a day you should have max 400 calories from fat. Fat has 9 calories per gram so that means 44 grams of fat a day.
And that’s already on the high side. Most credible health experts recommend 10% of your calories from fat.
So the blood sugar issues start to appear after your fat consumption goes over 10%, but they don’t get that serious at 15 to 20%. But once you cross 20% or hit 30% (like most people do every day) you are in a world of trouble if you start eating lots of fruits (or anything else that has sugar).
November 30th, 2008 at 12:52 am
Seppo,
I have read Dr. Graham’s book, am also a raw vegan myself but have an allopathic nurse for a girlfriend (whom, btw, is largely into holistic health such as myself). I have tried eating mostly fruits with minimal fat and loads of greens vegetables (have a huge blended salad in a vitamix once, sometimes twice a day). However, restricting the amount fat in your diet ultimately leads to hair loss and brittle, breakable hair. What are your thoughts on this? Would this not lead us to believe that more fat is required in the diet? Also, studies point to the fact that fat-restrictive diet in the long run have incredible repercussions on our health. Would love to hear your thoughts… thank you.
November 30th, 2008 at 2:01 am
On a diet eating mostly fruits and vegetables (the next step for me) would say, an egg a day be damaging? Also, are canned tomatoes (with no sugar, gluten or anything added) likely to cause problems? Thank you for providing us all with such information loaded replies!
November 30th, 2008 at 6:46 am
David,
I don’t pretend to have the truth on this, but here’s what I think.
For the most part I’ve heard positive comments about 80/10/10. Though some people have commented that restricting fat too much have led to some problems (such as dry skin).
Adding a bit more good fat into their diet has usually helped. Not huge amounts. You shouldn’t take this as a recommendation to eat 50% of your calories as fat. But perhaps bump it up to 20% or so.
I don’t know if this is a temporary thing or a result of some deficiency. Also this doesn’t seem to happen to that many people. So it could be a result of impaired absorption of some nutrients.
And additional recommendation would be to take a B12 supplement. Due to our farming methods our lands have become depleted on B12. So a supplement is a good insurance policy.
I’m not aware of any such studies, but if you point them out to me I’ll take a look.
November 30th, 2008 at 6:47 am
Angel,
No, an egg a day wouldn’t be such a big thing, if, for some reason, you want to eat them.
December 4th, 2008 at 4:24 am
Seppo,
Riddle me this, sir. I love the information you are giving to people in an effort to help, so please don’t see this as a flaming comment as it is far from that… it is a genuine and confused concern of mine. I have been 811rv for many, many months now. Apparently I have been underconsuming calories as my body started to store fat underneath my chin and mid section (even though I’m big into high intensity weight training). So, I started to highly increase my consumption of fruit (2100-2800 calories daily) based on activity level. My acne is roaring and on fire now! I’m getting huge cystic nodules on my neck and legs. My fat % is at 10% as it has been in check for a long time. The fruit itself seems to be what is breaking me out. When I went on a 1 week enema cleanse with minimal calories (what started the whole turmoil of not eating enough and fat storage) while drinking a gallon of water a day, my acne cleared up. Why? I need the calories for energy but when the sugar consumption goes up, the skin gets pissed. I’d like to know your take on this… I also eat many, many greens and vegetables at the end of my day. I’m so confused, self-conscious and frustrated as I’ve put countless hours into research and nothing and I mean nothing… works. I’m a raw vegan and plan on staying that way. Any advice or overlooked information would be greatly appreciated.
Truly,
Dave
December 5th, 2008 at 2:23 pm
Hi there,
Thank you for your enlightening information. I wanted to know if you knew anything about kidney function and acne. None of my family either direct or cousins aunts and uncles ever had acne, but i am the one that got lumped with it. there is diabetes and kidney disease on both sides and i was wondering whether kidney’s had an effect on acne,
Thanks so mucha nd keep up the excellent work!
December 6th, 2008 at 10:56 am
David,
Don’t worry I won’t get offended by such questions. This isn’t about following a certain diet. This is about getting health and clear. If something doesn’t work for you then better try something else rather than blindly following a dogma.
And sorry about my late reply. For the past days I’ve been busy launching Clear Skin Space and have pretty much ignored emails and comments.
To your questions.
I’m certainly the first one to admit that things don’t always make sense - at least in the short term.
Why you broke out? I can’t say for sure, but I can give you few things possibilities. I have to admit that transitioning to 811 is not my specialty. So you might get better answers from asking someone else.
Anyway…
Are you sure that you are not eating too many calories now? I don’t eat that many calories - even if I exercise heavily. Does your body want all that food or do you sometimes have to stuff yourself? In other words do you need all that food to be satisfied? Or could you do with fewer calories?
So overeating could be one factor.
It doesn’t really make sense that sugar would cause that (in the absence of insulin resistance). Because no matter what you eat your body converts it to sugar. So, aside from going to ketosis, there’s no way to avoid sugar in the bloodstream.
Could it be something else in fruits? Perhaps you are allergic to some fruits you eat?
One possibility is that you were starving yourself before. This puts the body into a survival mode and it slows down uncritical activities (such as detox). Could it be possible that now that you started eating more calories your body is getting back to live and started detoxing again?
I get many comments from people who breakout within the first few months of switching to healthier diet and lifestyle. It’s a normal part of the detox/healing process. Often the breakouts ease off after few months.
I also know that some people, at least initially, do better with a bit more fat in their diet. With a bit I mean a bit. Not like eating 50% of your calories from fat, but perhaps upping it to 20%. Have you tried that?
Those are few things I could think off. I hope they can help you out a bit. But as I said, it’s impossible for me to say the exact reason in your case. If nothing helps why don’t you contact Dr. Graham or someone else who is more familiar with transitioning to 811.
December 6th, 2008 at 10:58 am
Samwise,
Kidneys are part of the elimination system in the body. So any deficient in their function could affect acne.
Still, it’s not an issue I would focus too much on. Not because it’s not important, but because building health should help your kidneys also.
December 8th, 2008 at 1:16 am
Where do you stand on dried fruit such as dates and prunes? Do the sugars become problematic during the process? Thanks for your time
December 8th, 2008 at 9:29 pm
aren’t sprouted seeds and nuts easier digestable and more compacted with nutrients? I don’t know if I entirely agree with cutting out most fat in the diet. I mean, hemp seed oil, flax seed oil, red palm oil and olive oil are all high in omega 3′ as apposed to omega 6’s. Omega 6’s are clearly proficiant in the standard American diet which is pro-inflammatory. Omega 3’s have the opposite effect, being ani-inflammatory which in theory I would think would help diminish acne. What are your thoughts? And lastly, what do you think about mixing fruits and veggtables together? There has been some thoughts in the health food community that by mixing fruits and vegtables together, it will cause digestive disturbances. I don’t know. I would love to hear your opinions. Thanks.
December 8th, 2008 at 9:39 pm
I also wanted to ask, what is your opinion about super foods such as spiralina, chlorella, maca, gogi berries, noni, acai or raw cacoa? I know that you mentioned that you do not promote or reccomend supplements. But what about whole food supplements like curcumin, resveratrol, bee pollen or medicinal mushrooms? I don’t believe that our soil is as nutrient rich as it once was, it is now lacking in many minerals, particularly selenium. Therefore, I don’t think that we can accumulate all of the neccesary vitamin, minerals and plant sterols that are so important when only eating our regular foods, even plant foods. That is why I believe that adding whole food supplements to our daily routines can aid in eliminating acne or other chronic and degenerative diseases.
December 10th, 2008 at 6:12 am
Angel, dried fruits are ok. I wouldn’t recommend them too much, but definitely better than most other snacks.
Since they don’t have water they can be a bit difficult to digest. Plus they stick to your teeth like crazy. So you have to clean your teeth carefully or you are going to get dental problems.
December 10th, 2008 at 6:42 am
Christa,
Yes, sprouted nuts and seeds are easier to digest. And the nutrients in them become more available.
Nobody said you have to cut out all the fat. Just don’t eat too much of it. Omega 3s are good for you. And you’ll get them from fruits and vegetables also. If you want more you can eat fatty fruits like avocados and olives, or some nuts and seeds.
Most fruits and vegetables go together nicely. Just don’t mix fruits with very ‘tough’ vegetables like broccoli or cauliflower. Those take some time in the stomach. Others like tomato, cucumber and such shouldn’t be an issue.
If you believe the soil is depleted to the point where you can’t get all the nutrients and want to eat those ‘whole’ food supplements then go ahead and do so. I don’t think they do you any harm.
On the other hand I don’t believe they have any magical properties you couldn’t get from eating a good variety of normal produce from your local supermarket.
Plus whole food supplement is an oxymoron. There’s nothing whole about those things anymore.Whole is the way you see them in nature. Their natural state has little resemblance to what you see in supplements.
Anyway, they may or may not help in getting clear, but not eating them certainly won’t prevent you from getting clear.
December 18th, 2008 at 7:27 pm
“one mans medicine, is another mans poison”. Thats why there is so much conflicting information. Everyones body reacts differently to different foods. Some people do well with grains..i’ve seen it. Others get very sick.
December 20th, 2008 at 8:39 am
Here’s why I think one man’s poison is also another man’s poison
January 11th, 2009 at 3:29 pm
hi seppo,
can oral intake of melatonin (anti oxidant to promote quality sleep) effective to combat acne???
does glutatione in some way cause ance?? because some peolple taking it suffer acne. could it be glutathione?? or their lifestyle?? im confused….
thankyou very much..
January 12th, 2009 at 1:19 pm
I don’t think either of those has a major effect on acne. They may suppress or trigger pimples, but I doubt they have any significant effect on the underlying cause of acne.
January 31st, 2009 at 11:01 pm
What are your thoughts on digestive enzyme supplements? Do you know if these will help the body process grain products?
February 1st, 2009 at 2:14 pm
Digestive enzymes (and probiotics) could help with digestion. They can’t completely negate the negative effects of grains, but perhaps they can make them a little less bad.
February 11th, 2009 at 5:24 pm
What about soy products that are made?
like soy choizo a freind of my buddy suggested those but it sounds wrong? i am going on the RAW diet i am going to try to do 100% but it will probly be more like 90% for awhile. anyway soy??
February 12th, 2009 at 4:36 pm
I would stay away from soy, especially in Western countries. It’s usually highly processed; especially the vegetarian faux foods made out of soy. I only use a bit of soy milk with my coffee but that’s all. Besides that it’s usually processed soy has lots of other baggage also. It disrupts hormones and spikes your IGF-1 levels (=more acne), even more so than dairy.
February 17th, 2009 at 2:31 am
Hi Seppo,
Question about coffee.. Can that contribute to bad skin or is one coffee a day ok to drink? And green tea, I heard people drinking decaf green tea which helps clear skin and again just wanted to know your opinion on that.
Thanks for all your information you keep posting, it’s so helpful!
February 17th, 2009 at 10:37 am
Hi Pepper,
Coffee can cause acne for some people, or let’s say it can trigger a breakout.
I drink coffee because I enjoy it, but lately I’ve noticed that it really screws my brain. After drinking coffee I can’t concentrate anymore and the rest of the day just goes waste. It didn’t do this to me earlier, but my body is getting more and more sensitive to all kinds of poisons and toxins. This is because I eat mostly raw and my body returns back to a more natural state.
Considering that caffeine is a natural pesticide and affects the central nervous system of everyone it comes in contact with it I wouldn’t recommend anything with caffeine.
Green tea is definitely better. It has less caffeine and more antioxidants.
February 20th, 2009 at 6:59 pm
Hi, I fortunately stumbled across your website today while looking for answers! Thank you for all of the information. I have a few questions for you.
1) From what I’ve read, you recommend being aware of fat intake. I do not know how many calories I take in a day. I simply try to eat a balanced diet. My usual day goes something like this: First thing in the morning I have two servings of fruit(apple, kiwi, or grapefruit) An hour or two later, I have about ten raw nuts (pecans, almonds, or walnuts ) Twice a week I add one brazil nut to the ten nuts. For lunch, I have a salad with a serving of beans thrown in. For dinner, brown rice and two or three different cooked veggies. Right before dinner, I take a tablespoon of flax/borage/primrose oil(a blended mix) and a teaspoonful of fish oil. I also take MSM and sometimes vitamin C daily. I’m 5′1″ tall. Does this appear to be too much fat? I also drink 6-8 glasses of water daily.
I am currently using the Colonix colon cleanser and I see that you do not see the use in these. Correct me if I’m wrong. But I think you’re saying that many of these products actually irritate the body and the irritation causes the body to sort of “cough out” the toxins. And because the toxins do come out, we conclude that the products are good for us. But this irritaion is not good for the body? So, if one could sustain a water fast, this would allow the body to rid itself of the same toxins but w/o the irritation?
During a fast, the body does not have the fiber to help the bowels. Is it ok to do something like the salt water flush to help the body get rid of waste during a fast? What do you do during a fast?
Thank you
February 23rd, 2009 at 10:34 am
Debbra,
Your fat intake doesn’t sound too high. I recommend getting less than 20% of your calories from fat. So how much fat is acceptable depends on how much you eat during a day. You can use nutritiondata.com or similar service to check your daily caloric intake and how much of those calories come from fat.
You got it right. The substances in those cleanses are dead and inert. They have no power to detox your body - anymore than they have to walk in your mouth on their own. They just irritate the body and it throws them out. In the process you may eliminate some toxins and waste material, but you can’t really irritate yourself back to health.
Your body is capable of getting rid of all the toxins in there. It’s the one that stored them and it can also get rid of them. So this detox by irritation is totally unnecessary. It’s what I call tinkering. People have this urge to stick their fingers in and do something to fix their bodies. They don’t seem to trust their bodies enough to let it handle things.
This irritation is undesirable because it forces your body into a state it doesn’t want to go. Any given time your body is doing it’s best to return to health - to the extent you allow it with your diet and lifestyle. It knows the shortest path to health and takes it.
Those detoxes may get rid of some toxins, but your body may not be ready to get rid of them yet. It may not be able to deal with them effectively yet. Or it may think that there are some other, more dangerous, toxins that it wants to get rid of first.
Yes, water fast would get rid of the same toxins, but it’s not something I’d recommend to people. It’s usually too tough for newbies. You don’t even need to go on a detox. Just eating simple, whole foods in their natural state gives your body the opportunity to get rid of toxins. You can speed up the process by doing a detox. But keep in mind that it’s much more important what you do in between the detoxes than what you do during them.
I don’t actually fast that often. Maybe once a year. I don’t really like it. Like I said if you live cleanly between the fasts you don’t need them.
But when I do fast/detox I just trust my body to know what it’s doing. I just don’t think any of the things you mentioned are necessary - especially if you’ve lived cleanly for at least few weeks before starting the fast.
February 23rd, 2009 at 1:55 pm
Thank you for taking the time to answer.
March 1st, 2009 at 11:42 pm
Hi Seppo
I Have reacently started out with a new diet and things are going great.
I am eating lots of fruit and lots of veg and drinking lots of water. I don’t eat anything else expect a few nuts here and there.
My skin is a hell of a lot better and it’s stable for once in my life. No more spikes of out of control acne and then a few days of calm then right back to out of control acne.
However I am confused about one point, I have not eaten potatos or bean or lentils or buckwheat or quinoa or anything like that for fear of messing up my diet.
Do these things actually cause problems, do they cause insulin resistence and blood sugar level problems and all of that?
Are the effects of eating beans and legumes and potatoes the same as eating grains?
Thanks,
Tom
March 2nd, 2009 at 9:48 am
Hi Tom,
Congratulations for making good progress. As you see getting clear doesn’t have to be so complicated : )
Anyway, the foods you mentioned are perfectly fine foods to eat. They are not optimal human foods, but we don’t have to split hairs here. If you want to eat cooked food then those are the foods I’d recommend.
As such they won’t cause blood sugar problems. Cooked potatoes have quite a high GI, but as long as your blood isn’t saturated with fat they shouldn’t give you any issues.
Those foods are also much better than grains. They aren’t nearly as allergenic as grains and usually easier to digest. Beans also have more nutrients than grains do.
So I wouldn’t worry over them too much.
March 2nd, 2009 at 3:27 pm
Fantastic! Thanks Seppo.
I never really got it before but finally health isn’t such a big mystery. Of course I’m still learning and I’m doing a lot of reserch but it seems things are more simple than I ever realised.
I like to wonder if I were lost on an island a million miles from a super market what would I eat? What foods would I be natually drawn to without having to prepare it or cook it or grind it down and add things to it?.
The only things would be fruit and veg. I would also be in the sun alot and be exercising my body every day.
I’m also a vegetarian under the same logic, I don’t get hungry when looking at a cow standing in a field. If you were to put an apple and a living pig on a table in front of me I would not want to lean over and take a bite out of the pigs back. I would natually grab the apple. (I don’t have anything against people eating meat but personally I just dont get hungry looking at my pet cat or my fish)
Same deal with wheat, It is rock hard and tastes like crap if you just try to chew it raw off the stalks, as are alot of grains.
I guess society has really clouded our natual instincts.
I sound like a health freak!
Anyhoo, have a nice day
Tom
March 2nd, 2009 at 10:08 pm
What about B12 where do I get it from as a vegan?
March 3rd, 2009 at 10:12 am
Seems that you really got it. Once you get to the point where it’s all simple and makes perfect sense you can be sure that you are on the right track.
Health doesn’t have to be, and it isn’t, complicated.
I answered the B12 question here:
http://community.natural-acne-solution.com/xn/detail/2565105:Comment:5323
March 3rd, 2009 at 4:21 pm
ahh yes I was looking up b12 and that makes a lot of sense.
March 3rd, 2009 at 6:13 pm
damn the only real problem with all of this is that is that I guess beer is going to have the same effects as eating bread. That is a real shame.
March 3rd, 2009 at 6:33 pm
But I wonder how much of an effect? Will one every few days cause any significant change? I just don’t have any idea
March 4th, 2009 at 3:35 pm
Tom,
Everyone reacts differently to different substances, so it’s almost impossible to say in advance what a few beers will do to your skin.
In the long run I don’t think they’ll have much of an impact. As you get healthier your body can take more ‘abuse’ without your skin breaking out.
That said, I’ve noticed that as I get healthier unhealthy foods and substances (such as alcohol) don’t appeal to me anymore. I used to like beer, but drinking it doesn’t really make sense to me anymore. I still like it, but nowadays I feel so good that drinking beer is a downer for me. So I drink very little anymore.
March 7th, 2009 at 8:07 pm
What is in a ‘green smoothie’ that you keep talking about?
March 9th, 2009 at 1:11 pm
I explained green smoothies in the first of the Clear Skin Tips. It explains how to make green smoothies, why you absolutely need to eat them and gives you few recipes. See Acne 101 for the Clear Skin Tips.
May 19th, 2009 at 9:43 pm
Seppo, I need your advice. I have terrible acne all over my face and I have two problems that always seem to have a effect on my face. I have very dry skin and I have a very poor diet. Also, I may even try, too many methods to get rid of my acne. I’ve tried numerous home remedies, salicylic acid wash, and antibiotics. So, I want to ask you… What foods should I eat? When should I apply lotion to my face? And what products should I use?
Hope to hear from you soon..
May 26th, 2009 at 8:26 am
hey seppo, just wondering what healthy foods i should focus on to gain weight as a bodybuilder?? It isn’t really possible to get enough calories from just fruits and vegetables in a day????
May 26th, 2009 at 9:11 am
Trey,
The only surefire way to clear acne permanently, that I know of, is to start building your health. That happens through healthy diet and lifestyle and, optionally, periodical detoxification.
What to eat? The best advice I can give is to stick whole foods in their natural state. As in eat foods that are in the same form as they come to us in nature. Fruits, veggies, meats, beans and such are good foods.
Whatever you apply topically doesn’t make much of a difference. In the short term they may but in the long run it comes down to the condition of your body. I have to say that I’m not an expert on topical skin care so you’d better ask those questions from someone else.
May 26th, 2009 at 9:18 am
James,
Sometime ago I would have said yes, you can get everything you need from fruits and veggies, and I would have said raw is the best option.
After learning that the raw food authors may not tell you the whole truth, in fact some of them may be intentionally deceiving you, I’m not so sure anymore.
I can still say that you can get all the calories from raw fruits and veggies, but I’m not so sure it’s the smart (or healthy) thing to do.
What I can say for sure is that you need some animal foods in your diet. It may be meat, fish, chicken or eggs. I’m not advocating eating huge amounts of these but you need some. Humans have eaten meat for the last 2 million years (probably longer) so we have adapted to it and it’s part of our natural diet.
I’m rambling a bit here, but my point is that you shouldn’t rely solely on fruits and veggies for long term, especially if they are all raw. You need some other foods in your diet also, and some cooked food. I’d go 50 to 60% raw and the rest with cooked meats, beans, potatoes, steamed veggies and the sort.
May 27th, 2009 at 1:27 am
Thank you for the advice.
I was wondering though… I am a 4 sport athlete and I get at least 2 hours of activity every day. So, this means I’m sweating almost all the time. Which lead to 2 questions I have. First, is sweating good or bad? And when I shower what soap should I use?
May 27th, 2009 at 2:23 pm
Trey,
I’d say your first question is irrelevant. Whether sweating is good or bad for your skin you are still going to exercise. And you should, because any possible negative effects sweating may have it’s far less worse than stopping exercise.
As to what soap you should use. In the long run it doesn’t matter, and in the short run you can use coin flip to decide. Really, no one can tell you in advance what soap or topical product will work for you and what won’t. I use some herbal stuff because I don’t want to recycle chemicals through my body. Beyond that I don’t really care.
June 2nd, 2009 at 3:16 am
hey seppo,I’ve been reading your lessons and so far they seem pretty reasonable.I’m trying to tweak my diet as best as possible,however,I was curious about those time-to-time splurges on ice cream,chocolate,etc.
the thing is,when i don’t give in (its only about once every three weeks) I end up feeling even more stressed than my body would probably be if i ate the stuff.
my question here is (and i understand you aren’t the diet ‘god’) will these splurges really mess up the whole good-skin deal here?
I know the best choice is eat as healthy as possible (I am for the most part a super health-conscious gluten-free vegan,minus I like shrimp)
but,I just don’t want to worry anymore if i give in every now and then that i will wake up pizza faced.I know everyone’s body/skin is different,so you can’t answer my question too well,but i was wondering what your thoughts would be.
moderation vs. stressful whats-healthy battles?
June 2nd, 2009 at 7:54 am
Hannah,
Good questions. I’m glad you brought them up. This is something I’ve written quite a few times before. My view is that you should be able to live your life and get clear at the same time. In other words you don’t have to sacrifice your life by constantly making extremely healthy choices. I know that i splurge every now and then. The healthier I’ve gotten the less urges I have to splurge and cheat, and the cheats have gotten healthier. My cheat could be someone’s healthiest meal for the whole week.
I’d say that as long as you take care of what you cheat with (there’s no excuse for McDonals, greasy pizza, chips, soft drinks or such junk foods) you should be fine.
What you do day to day is what matters. What you do once in a while is not such a big deal. Of course if you eat something you are allergic to or very inflammatory foods those may cause a breakout that lingers for a while.
If you really crave chocolate try this banana chocolate green smoothie. Blend
- 4 to 6 bananas
- 1 or 2 handfuls of MILD tasting greens
- raw cocoa or natural, unsweetened chocolate powder according to your taste
- water
When you get the ratio of ingredients correct that tastes just like banana milkshake. Of course if you put too much greens the color is not very appealing, but it tastes good and I’m sure clear skin is worth it for you.
June 6th, 2009 at 7:12 pm
hi seppo im a gymnast who works out 20 hours a week and im not sure bout lowering my diet but i found this site could you tell me what you think of these foods.
http://www.whfoods.com/foodstoc.php
I see it has milk and grains and such on it so could you do me the favor of looking on it and telling me what categories i should avoid.
June 8th, 2009 at 8:39 am
Billy,
You asked me quite a big question.
I’m getting more and more hesitant to distribute one-size-fits-all diet advice. It just doesn’t work because depending on our genetics and other hereditary factors we may thrive on different foods.
Still, some basic principles apply to everyone. Nobody thrives on processed foods. So no matter what you eat it should be as close to the natural state as possible.
Similarly we all could eat more veggies, and especially more greens.
Fruits are good, but some people have sugar metabolism problems and would do better with less fruits. This is not just about insulin resistance. For some people their pancreas is so overworked that it can’t put out the insulin to maintain stable blood sugar levels when they eat lots of fruits.
Starches are an acceptable foods as long as you avoid gluten. However some people can’t tolerate starches because starches irritate their digestive track.
Beans and lentils for the most part are pretty good foods - as long as they don’t cause digestive issues to you.
So as you see the answer to “What’s for dinner?” depends very much on you. You have to do some testing and see which foods suit you the best.
June 10th, 2009 at 11:00 pm
Hi!
Any comments on Ezekial (sprouted) bread? I rarely eat regular bread but enjoy having the option of a sandwich or toast once in awhile. Thanks for any info.
June 12th, 2009 at 12:33 pm
Dimara,
Sprouting may make grains a bit healthier, but it won’t remove the big issues, such as gluten. Gluten grains, sprouted or not, are always gonna be an issue with acne.
June 18th, 2009 at 7:48 pm
Ok so I have afew questions,
first, I don’t know if you believe in the Bible or anything but back in those day, especially the story of joseph they ate mostly wheat and bread. So I was wondering why, if wheat is so bad for you, why did they live off of it?
second on the wheat, I have heard from Health Doctors that wheat is so good for you. One person told me to soak wheat until it ferments then drink the fermented juice. Is this good? another said that you could live off of sprouted wheat because it is so good for you. but my sister-in-law said that her sister took a blood test and was allergic to the gluton in wheat so she very rarely eats wheat and her acne went away. so I am a bit confused.
we grow our own wheat and make our own bread from it which I absolutely love but I will be truthful, I’m doing a diet right now that I’m not allowed to have wheat or a lot of other foods I normally eat and my face seems to be getting so clear. But I do have alot of scars and I’m wondering what to do about them.
thirdly, My aunt came down from Alaska to our ranch and wanted to live out of our garden she got me into making these green drinks. I would pick leaves off of the cabbage, broccoli, and cauliflower plants, plus carrot tops, spinach, chard, beet greens, cilantro, lettuce, marshmallow leaves, dandelion leaves, comfrey, etc. basically whatever greens I could find. I didn’t always have all of these so I only used certain ones at times. I would blend them with lemon and honey and occasionally some organic pineapple. I am wondering if this is a good drink. or if I shouldn’t mix so many greens at one time. or if I should be using more fruits.
I have had a lot of people say I needed oils for my face, from wheat germ, to vitamin E, to my omega 3s etc. also what do you think about coconut oil, it is supposed to be so good for you.
I know I am asking a lot of questions but I did read all of the other posts and they helped me so I think it’s good.
I am glad you have done this and it’s good you make money off of it because people have to make a living in whatever way they choose and you can’t just spend all of your time on the internet helping people and not be getting paid for it.
I appreciate the time you take for us and look forward to knowing the answers to my questions.
June 20th, 2009 at 1:17 am
Hi Seppo,
First, thanks for all the info. I plan to buy your book next month, but I’m already following some of your advices.
I have 2 questions:
1) You said above that fruit juices are not so good for acne cause they raise our blood sugar levels very fast. But what about coconut water? I’ve heard it is very good for our health, since it doesn’t need to be digested and it is very similar to blood plasma.
2) What do you think about probiotics supplements? There is a research that I read here (http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?artid=2453197) that says that Bifidobacterium Lactis kinda reduces the toxic effect that gluten has on people’s guts.
June 26th, 2009 at 6:35 am
Michelle,
Sorry about my late reply. Been up to my neck getting the updated version of Clear for Life out.
Anyway… let’s get to your comments.
In the days Bible was written they also stoned people to death.
If you are going to use Bible as your nutritional guide and argue with me on it, I don’t know what can I say.
Perhaps it’s best to point out that the stories in Bible reflect the cultural and dietary understanding of those times. They also didn’t have the tools to diagnose the problems wheat causes. At those times they also died far earlier than we do today. So perhaps they had other things to worry about.
If you really want to know what’s up with wheat Google gluten and see what comes up. You’ll find out why that stuff is really not good for humans. It’s highly allergenic.
That said, through modern lifestyles we have probably made ourselves more sensitive to gluten. Perhaps in the biblical times it wasn’t such an issue since they didn’t have the level of environmental pollution we have today that puts additional stress on our bodies.
Sprouting wheat does nothing to gluten. It makes the nutrients in the seed more available, but it doesn’t remove gluten.
Greens are the healthiest foods on the planet. You can’t go wrong with them. Eat as much and as many varieties as you can get your hands on. The green drink looks pretty good. Similar to green smoothies I recommend to people.
I’m not sure what people mean when they said you need oils for your face. Topically? Internally you don’t need oils, you need the fatty acids from the foods those oils are pressed from. I’d go with whole foods rather than oils. You’ll always get more nutrients from whole foods.
June 26th, 2009 at 6:41 am
Hi Melissa,
I don’t know about coconut water, but I do drink it occasionally and it doesn’t at least taste very sweet. I don’t think it would cause huge spikes in your blood sugar levels, but I’m not sure of it. You might want to check what’s the glycemic index of coconut water. That gives you a better idea.
I’ve also read the research that probiotics can help people with celiac disease. I’m not sure taking probiotcis on a regular basis is necessary, though. The bacterial balance in the digestive track should balance itself out if you eat plenty of plant fiber.
Taking probiotics could be warranted to help this rebalancing or after taking antibiotics for a long time.
June 26th, 2009 at 6:58 am
Melissa,
Just checked coconut water and it’s mostly sugar. It has plenty of minerals and quite a few vitamins also. I would drink it in moderation.
July 8th, 2009 at 4:18 am
I know you said that peanut butter is bad cause of the fat in it but how is natural peanut butter (like the kind that basically mashed peanuts and nothing else). Also aren’t unsaturated fats good for you? How is popcorn? I will ussually have some air popped popcorn a couple times a week. Thx for this website, I spent a bunch of money on soooooo many acne products that only worked for a week tops and then made it worse i was getting quite frusturated. Seeing what others write about how well what your saying works and how it makes so much sense to me is causing me to start to relax and be confident what your saying will work. thank you so much! Also how is cheese? I get 2% cheese cause that has the least fat in it. thx again
July 10th, 2009 at 6:19 am
Dear Seppo,
I would like to clarify with you about cod liver oil, is it not good for my health to consume it 2 times in a day?
July 10th, 2009 at 5:57 pm
Kristy,
Fat is one thing but peanuts are also allergenic. Not of course to everyone but they are among the most common allergens. I’m also pretty sure that peanut butter is highly processed and laden with sugar and not so healthy fats.
It’s not accurate to make broad comments like unsaturated fats are healthy. Whether a fat is healthy or not has to do much more with how much it’s processed than the degree of saturation. Unprocessed saturated fats are much healthier than processed unsaturated fats. Given that most vegetable oils in the supermarket are highly processed I wouldn’t touch them with a big stick.
You also have to take into consideration the omega 3 : omega 6 balance. Intake of those fats should be in balance. Imbalance can create much more problems than total amount of fat eaten.
Dairy is also very allergenic. Along with gluten it’s one of the worst foods for your skin. If you can find cheese made out of goat’s milk it’ll be better for you, but as a rule I’d keep dairy products to minimum.
July 10th, 2009 at 5:59 pm
Eric,
Given that the cod liver oil is not damaged by processing it has plenty of omega 3 and DHA and EPA (derivations of omega 3). I would give fish oils thumbs up. Refer to the above comments about balance between omega 3 and omega 6.
July 11th, 2009 at 5:08 am
Thanks for your information, however I still have some questions for you. For vegetables do they still contains those vitamins after cooked, of course I know that eating raw vegetables will be so much better compare to cooked. Kindly advise, Thank you.
July 12th, 2009 at 4:42 pm
If you don’t cook vegetables too much the loss of vitamins is not that big. The less heat you apply the better the vitamins survive.
July 13th, 2009 at 5:42 am
I see, so the best is to eat it raw. How about barley and oats? Do you think, eating large amounts of barley and oats will affect my health? Lastly I would like to ask your opinion, should I take cod liver oil twice in a day or once in a day? Depending on what food I have eaten? Breakfast = 100% fruits (non organic), lunch = white rice with cooked vegetables (sometimes with fish) and dinner = brown rice with cooked vegetables and organic vegetables. Kindly advise, thanks and best regards.
July 13th, 2009 at 9:58 am
Gluten is going to be an issue with barley and oats. Oats don’t naturally have gluten but they are often contaminated with gluten during harvesting and processing.
With omega 3s more is almost always merrier. Pretty much everyone is deficient in omega 3, and have been for a long time.
July 13th, 2009 at 1:55 pm
Thanks for your information, then why are you consuming oats? And what is the benefit of foods which can be digested easily? Will I feel hungry after my foods are all completely digested?
July 15th, 2009 at 5:53 am
I eat oats because I like them. Living in a today’s world one has to make a compromise between health and other concerns in life.
You can’t let health be the only thing that determines your diet choices. Paradoxically that’s often not healthy. It often leads to impractical diets, stress and social isolation. These things can have a much worse effect on your health and skin than occasionally eating foods that are not 100% optimal.
You also have to take your individuality into account. We all just don’t thrive on similar diets. Earlier I would have said that all humans thrive on a high-fruit diet but now I know better. Some people do very poorly with fruits, and they have to find alternative sources for carbohydrates. Oats are one reasonably good source. They are low GI and often don’t have that much gluten.
Creating your diet is about taking your individuality into account and making these kinds of choices and compromises. I’ll explain how to do this in more detail in Clear for Life.
Easily digested foods put less stress on your body. The more energy your body has to use on digesting foods the less it has available for detoxing, healing and your physical activities.
As long as you get sufficient calories you don’t feel hungry after foods are digested. Not real hunger at least.
However most people aren’t used to having empty stomach. They mistake this feeling as hunger, but it’s more about food addictions and habits than hunger. Real hunger is felt in throat, not in your stomach.
Anyway, this is simple matter and you’ll learn to distinguish real hunger from false hunger quickly.
July 20th, 2009 at 12:57 am
I eat largely low GI, and I honestly feel like I do have an awesome diet..BUT! I still have acne, especially along my jawline. If I eat wheat at all I break out, and I get it inadvertantly enough of the time. I am also starting to wonder about dairy, but have not had the will to put it to the test yet. I follow a wheat free/gluten free diet for the most part. My biggest ‘vice’ is my daily latte at the drive in coffee shack. I do not know why I have chronic inflammation–it started when I was 35. I do have a thyroid disorder and take 60mgs of armour. I have worked to lower this dose and I cannot without retaining a lot of water and feeling (and looking) miserable. Any help would be great!
July 22nd, 2009 at 11:43 am
Melissa,
Dairy and gluten are pretty much the worst foods for people with acne - generally speaking, you may react to different foods.
It’s hard for me to comment since I don’t know anything about you - aside from the fact that you have an ‘awesome’ diet.
I don’t know if this applies to you, but even most health conscious people don’t have such a great diets. The mainstream health advice just falls short on so many counts.
Also the fact that our food is highly processed and industrialized creates complications. I’m not saying that eating healthy is difficult but you have to know what you are doing.
Another point is that diet is not all there is. It’s just one part of healthy lifestyle. If you fall short on other areas (such as exercise, sleep or are very stressed) perfecting your diet doesn’t help that much.
Your health is only as strong as your weakest link is. Unfortunately people don’t want to accept this. They nod their heads and pay lip service to other areas of health and then go straight back to improving their already good diet.
Finally, getting clear just takes time even if you are doing everything right. Inflammation is a chronic condition. It took years to develop and it’s going to take some time to fade away.
Pushing through that healing period can be difficult if you don’t know what you are doing. As I mentioned visible results on your skin can take time, in extreme cases up to 6 months.
In Clear for Life I explain how to stay on track during this detox and healing period. Because your skin is not a reliable indicator of your progress during this time you have to find other signs and I’ll explain these in Clear for Life.
July 30th, 2009 at 8:07 am
Hi Seppo,
I have a doubt and would like to clarify with you. In the morning, I used to have raw vegetables and fruits for my breakfast.
However for lunch I have eaten lots of cooked vegetables with cooked steamed fish for my lunch.
Just in case, if the vegetables and cooked steamed fish contains MSG and hydrogenated oils, will I still get nutritions from the food that I have eaten in the morning?
And if dinner I have a healthy diet will the nutrition being absorb, if my lunch contains hydrogenated oils and MSG in the fish and vegetables?
Because normally I do believe that they will use MSG and hydrogenated oils for cooking.
In conclusion do I still get nutritions from my breakfast and dinner? Or I won’t receive any nutritions due to MSG and hydrogenated oils contains in the vegetables and fish? Kindly advise.
July 30th, 2009 at 3:35 pm
Hi Seppo,
Thank you for your informative lessons. I have a couple of questions:
1) How does fat lead to, or worsen insulin resistance? You explained how eating food with a high glycemic index can worsen insulin resistance in certain individuals, how does fat contribute to this? Certain diets claim that eating fat with a meal of carbohydrate will actually lower the glycemic index of the carbohydrate:probably because fat slows down digestion, hence leading to slower insulin release.
2) I find that whenever i take Omega 6 supplements such as evening primrose oil my skin appears more inflammed. I tried balancing this with a high quality fish oil supplement but to no avail. Also whenever i try introducing olive oil into my diet my skin gets worse. I have concluded that my pancreas is exhausted from all the years of insulin resistance and is not producing enough enzymes to digest fat. Do you think this could be the case? If so would i benefit from a digestive enzyme (specifically lipase) supplement? I know you have expressed the opinion that supplements are not useful in the control of acne but i have to disagree. Zinc supplements always help reduce my inflammation and Gamma linolenic acid from evening primrose and borage oil has been shown to be anti-inflammatory provided it is balanced with Omega 3 fatty acids.
August 3rd, 2009 at 11:52 am
Eric,
I don’t know if MSG and hydrogenated oils interfere with nutrient absorptions, but I don’t think it will be a big issue (if any issue at all). Still, both of those are highly inflammatory and unhealthy substances. Please try to keep them at minimum in your diet.
August 3rd, 2009 at 12:09 pm
Margaret,
How exactly eating too much fat leads to insulin resistance is not very well known. However it’s clear that eating too much, and especially eating too much of wrong types of fats, leads to insulin resistance. Some people say fat ‘gums up’ insulin molecules and insulin receptor sites.
It’s true that eating fat together with carbohydrates can slow the absorption of glucose. So fat can affect both the intake of glucose into the bloodstream and the removal of it from the blood.
I can’t say if your pancreas is exhausted and can’t produce enough enzymes to digest fat. It’s possible, but I’m sure there can be many other reasons for your condition also. Over the years I’ve learned not to speculate too much.
The inflammation may also be due to omega 3/6 imbalance. Most people eat so much omega 6 (compared to their omega 3 intake) that taking an omega 3 supplement won’t fix it. They need to get omega 3 from food sources also.
Olive oil also happens to have one of the worst omega 3/6 ratios (1/10).
It could also be that the oils you take are not good quality. If oils are not handled properly they go rancid very easily.
If you say those supplements have helped you then by all means keep taking them. I tell people to stay away from supplements because many people believe them to be magic pills. They think they can eat whatever they want to if they just take some supplements. Supplements can help in some cases, but most of the time they are just waste of money.
September 21st, 2009 at 1:02 am
I’ve read in a few places/blogs that Vegetable Oil is bad for/causes acne. Is this true? And if so, should all oils be avoided in ingredients (such as canola, sunflower… etc that I’ve seen written in many many ingredients)?
Thanks! I’ve just found this site and think it looks really promising.
September 21st, 2009 at 1:31 pm
Kathryn,
Vegetable oils can be very bad for the skin. Aside from virgin and extra-virgin olive oil all the oils available from a supermarket are heavily processed. Processing completely destroys the oils and makes them highly inflammatory. That’s why they are so bad for the skin. Another reason is that they worsen the omega 3/6 imbalance.
I consider pretty much all oils as junk foods. Even olive oil is not healthy, it’s just empty calories with very few nutrients. The only oils I would eat are oils with high omega 3 content (such as flax and fish), and even then I’d make sure I know that the oils are handled properly during manufacturing and storage. EFAs are very delicate and easily destroyed if not handled carefully.
In most cases you are better off avoiding all oils and eating whole foods instead; so eat olives instead of olive oil.
September 24th, 2009 at 6:07 am
Hi Seppo,
Can I know how frequent did you eat 100% raw vegetables & fruits throughout the day? And how can I improve my current diet? This is what I usually eat throughout the day,
(0715 am) breakfast : 100% fruits and raw vegetables (which includes orange, apple, papaya and lettuce)
(0800 am) : 1 tablespoon of cod liver oil
(1130 am) : 1 apple or bananas
(1300 pm) : mixed rice which including, 1piece of mackerel fish meat, lots of stir fried cooked vegetables that contain oils (but I tried to avoid those oils) and white rice.
(1700 pm) : 1 apple or bananas
(1900 pm) : 100% fruits and raw vegetables (which includes orange, apple papaya and lettuce
* within one day I always consumed 250gram raw lettuce*
(2230 pm) : bedtime
So how can I further improve my current diet? Kindly give some good suggestion. Thanks.
September 24th, 2009 at 10:54 am
Eric,
I can say anything about your specific situation, but generally speaking your diet looks fine. I don’t see the need for big changes. You could eat a bit more greens (I recommend one pound (abt. 450 g) a day) and make sure you rotate your greens. If you want you could also add some beans into your diet.
I eat fruits and vegetables in most of my meals. Breakfast is usually a green smoothie. For lunch I quite often have a salad buffet and evening is usually more fruits and vegetables, cooked and raw, with beans and potatoes.
I don’t stress too much over my diet and some days eat lot of cooked foods also.
From what I’ve learned recently it seems that emotional healing is far more important than diet or anything else you do physically. Diet and exercise can only do so much if you have unresolved emotional issues holding you back, and we all do have them.
Diet is important, but don’t fret too much over it. It’s not the end all be all solution most people think it is. In your case I would make the changes I suggested and focus your energies on other matters (such as emotional healing, for example using EFT).
September 25th, 2009 at 5:47 am
Hi Seppo,
Thanks for your information. However I still have some doubts and would like to clarify with you.
I would like to bring up this issue, reason being I do believe that this issue has a great impact on me and it makes my life so miserable eventhough I’m eating healthier than before, sleeping better but I just can’t rest in peace. In my mind, I have stress between me and my friends. I mean my close friends.
To be frank with you, I am encountering some problems with my friends. Ever since I decided to improve my lifestyle the conflict begins. For instance, my friends love to eat fast food such as KFC, Mc Donald, Pizza, and etc. When all of them eating happily but looking at me, eating nothing but sitting down like a fool. They start asking questions like… Why don’t you eat? And I do not know how to answer their questions… Occasionally I do eat coleslaw and whip potatoes from KFC in order to avoid them from asking questions like ”Why don’t you eat?” But somehow they still think that I am weird and an idiot… They would still think that If I were to grap 2 pieces of KFC chicken would be far more better to eat 1 packet of coleslaw & 1 packet of whip potato.
So do you have any good ideas to avoid very unhealthy food from fast food outlet like KFC, Mc Donald and etc? For now this is what I used to do, when my friends are having any meals at KFC, I will pick coleslaw & whip potatoes. If you have any better suggestion please let me know. If my friends were to have their meals at Mc Donald, I will most probably pick chicken or fish porridge. Lastly if my friends were to have their meals at Pizza Hutt, then I will pick chicken bolognese spaghetti, coleslaw and maybe mushroom soup. Once again, please let me know if you have any better selection than mine. Thanks.
If I can overcome this problem, I’m sure I will feel so much better compare to now which is real damn miserable. In the meantime, I would also like to know about the coleslaw & salad that fastfood outlet or buffet restaurant provide, is it actually good? Because I realized that eventhough I’m eating raw vegetables but somehow the vegetables are mixing with those salad dressing which is unhealthy to our body.
I have to admit that I am focusing too much on my diet and eventually it develop stress. But now I am aware that diet is just a part of the puzzle in order for me succeed. For now, I will take your advise and do some research on emotional healing. Once again, thank you so much.
September 25th, 2009 at 6:46 am
hey seppo fantastic stuff i love your website im gona buy the book for defanate i love eating for dinner chiken in the oven and lots of roasted vegatables like broccoli olives onion sweet potatoe leeks etc i put virgin oil the good stuff that you say on my vegatables and i love this for a dinner! would you say that this is really bad roasting my vegatables and eating roast chiken with it? i mean i know you dont know me but what would your feelings be?? i just love roasted veg but i dont want to carry on eating them if they will make me break out/ i guess this is better then pizza and chips though hehe??? thanks seppo
September 29th, 2009 at 9:52 am
Eric,
Sorry about my late reply. I had to come down to India for my friend’s engagement party. Can’t find a Wi-Fi hotspot to die for in this country. So haven’t been online for the past few days.
I don’t think you can find anything healthy to eat from McDonald’s or other fast food outlets. Even the salads are full of sugar, fat and chemicals. As far ass your health goes it would be better to avoid all fast foods.
But I can understand your dilemma. It’s hard to be healthy if your friends eat lots of fast food. Luckily this problem has more to do with you than your friends. The stress you talked about is created in your mind. I can’t say exactly what’s going on in your mind at the moment, but probably something like your friends think you are weird. This then causes the stress for you.
You can use EFT to get over this.
People tend to treat us the way we treat ourselves. If you are ok with skipping unhealthy meals while your friends eat fast food it’s unlikely they’ll have a problem with it. They may crack few jokes about it. But if they are really your friends they shouldn’t have a problem with it.
September 29th, 2009 at 9:58 am
Holly,
Vegetables never make you breakout. They are healthy even if you cook them. Of course it’s better to eat most of your veggies raw, but roasting them won’t be an issue.
I have no problems with roasted vegetables, but you might want to reconsider chicken and olive oil in a regular basis. Animal protein in small quantities is ok, but I wouldn’t eat it every day. Especially if it’s factory farmed. Free-range, grass-fed and organic animal products are much better.
Olive oil has a horrible omega 3 to omega 6 ratio (1:10, if I remember correctly). So you’ll be getting lots of wrong kinds of fat with olive oil. Olive oil is pretty much empty calories. Aside from minute amounts of vitamin E it has almost no nutritional value.
Why don’t you put lemon juice on your veggies instead of olive oil.
October 2nd, 2009 at 10:45 pm
HI,
mahalo for all the great info. I love reading all your lessons and blogs, thank you for sharing. Heres my situation and was hoping I could get your feedback.
Throughout my life I have never suffered from acne as I got out of HS I recall having pimples but nothing huge where it would consume my life. As I got into my 30’s I started to break out a little more. Now I am 36 I have two children. When I was pregnant also post preg I didnt not break out at all. I actually ate whatever I wanted and it would not affect me in any way. But, once I started back on my menstrual cycle that is when I started to break out again over and over. I know the hormone changes has to do with it, but I also have been learning how to change my diet and eat like you have been writing about. I have been trying to lay off lots of sweets and dont do dairy I am sensitive to casein and whey(allergy test) but still break out quite often. I dont only break out before my period but at least 3-4 times throughout the month. I can go about 7-10 days while my skin heals but then I break out again. I try to watch my hormone cycles etc…
What would you have to say about the fact that I dont break out while not menstruating but now that I am on my cycle I do. How would you relate that to diet and do you have any other suggestions to help? I am actually looking into grains and gluten and will try for a while to go gluten free and see if that helps. I am trying to get my body to react differently to the hormone changes so that it wont cause me to break out…still searching and searching and reading. I know whats good for some may not be good for me..Thanks for listening and sorry for the rambling..hope it makes sense:
I have always been cautious about my health and now esp my kids. I am learning more and more everyday from people willing to share like you. Much Aloha
God Bless,
Jodi
October 5th, 2009 at 10:20 am
Jodi,
All acne is hormonal. Pregnancy and periods affect the same hormones that are linked to acne so it’s common to see changes in the skin during those times. Periods especially put extra ‘hormonal stress’ on your body. Healthy diet and lifestyle and emotional healing helps your body to deal with these stresses better and as such help to lessen or prevent breakouts during periods.
Make sure you get enough omega 3 fatty acids. Most people get way too much omega 6 and too little omega 3. Correcting this imbalance helps to lessen inflammation and can have big effect on the skin.
October 15th, 2009 at 12:15 am
Hi Seppo,
thanks for the reply. I currently take Omega 3 (180mg EPA and 120mg DHA) 3 x a day, should I take more or less? Also should I maybe take more during the more “hormonal” part of the month.
Also I have been gluten free for only two weeks now and do feel like its making a great difference, esp on my digestive health. At the time that I was Post pregnancy and acne free I actually ate whatever (not bad, but not close to as healthy as I am now) but still did not break out. It wasnt until my menstrual cycles returned that I did. How would you relate that to diet and acne, since I never broke out before while eating bad?
Thanks again for all the great info I look forward to reading your emails.
PS
When you changed your diet and lifestyle how quick did you see results and do you ever break out at all now?
Aloha,
Jodi
October 15th, 2009 at 12:25 am
HI,
one more thing,
how is coconut oil if I decide to use that in place of using olive oil?
thanks,
Jodi
October 16th, 2009 at 10:04 am
Jodi,
How much omega 3 you need depends on how much omega 6 you get. They should be balanced. Anyway, taking more than you take now probably won’t hurt - especially if you don’t get omega 3 from food sources. Experience and see what happens. That’s the only way to know what works for you.
Diet and health are obviously not the only factors in hormone levels. Pregnancy and periods also affect the hormones that are linked to acne. Given that there’s not that much you can do to periods or pregnancy your only real options are diet and lifestyle changes. Luckily these help your body to get back to a place where even periods shouldn’t give you pimples.
Why women clear during pregnancy? I don’t know, but getting pregnant probably affects hormone levels in a way that’s good for the skin.
I consider all oils as refined junk foods. Most empty calories with very few nutrients. For cooking saturated fats, such as coconut oil and butter, are the best as they can withstand heat better than unsaturated fats.
October 21st, 2009 at 9:06 pm
Hey Seppo,
Thrilled to have found you, your book, and this blog.
Couple of questions…I am a type one diabetic and must know the number of grams of carbohydrate contained in anything that I eat so that I can inject the appropriate dose of insulin. Years of memorization and food labels allow me to do this with relative ease, but in the case of fruit there is a large gray area (because of the variety of sizes and sugar content) your green smoothie presents an even larger gray area and I honestly couldn’t even start to guess how many grams of carbohydrate are in a serving (or what a “serving” is) of this smoothie. (or if I should even be drinking this since I am in fact diabetic) Any suggestions you have to determine the #of carbs per smoothie? It’s important I get an accurate number or otherwise my sugar will shoot through the roof.
When I am having “low blood sugar” it is recommended to drink juice (or whatever is available) to raise the body’s blood glucose, followed by a bit of protein (to keep blood sugar from dropping a second time) any thoughts on what a healthy protein could be in this instance?
Also…obviously chemicals in splenda, equal, and other “fake sugars” are not good. But I’m curious to hear your thoughts on Stevia? I use this quite often (both powder and liquid form) Good? Bad? Ugly?
And FINALLY…fruits and vegetables, both are better to be eaten raw and with the skin right? I’m currently living in an underdeveloped country with an unsafe water supply, and will be here for another year. Can I eat raw veggies with skin if properly washed (and what is “properly washed..scrubbing? or just rinsing in safe water) or should I always peel?
I am anxious to get my blood sugars in check and overall health back on track for the sake of my diabetes. I am hoping my acne will take notice and two birds will be taken out with one stone! Thanks for all your help and encouragement.
November 8th, 2009 at 9:31 am
Thanks for the info….
I’ve brought your book and am excited and looking forward to getting clear.
Just a few questions…. I’ve got most of the elements of optimal health covered- fitness, sleep, positive attitude sunshine and fresh air. Which leave’s diet, my weak link…. i know what I’ve got to do… cut the rubbish and eat the good stuff, but I’m sort of stuck with what to eat or fill me up…. i have green smoothies for breakfast, which are really good and there’s mostly fruit for lunches… and nuts, should i have them as snacks?? and mum makes dinner which is fairly healthy and getting better…. i just wanted to know if you had any more recipes or idea’s for snacks?? filling foods
November 11th, 2009 at 1:46 pm
Hi Seppo,
I am just wondering that, you said the intake of omega 3 and 6 should be balanced to reduce or eliminate inflammation. Then what is the consequences if the omega 3 intake is higher than omega 6?
Besides cod liver oil, mackerel, tuna, salmon, & flex seed where can I obtain omega 3 from? I would prefer to obtain omega 3 from whole food. And should I take omega 3 daily? If so 3 times in a day? Or once in a day?
Lastly, based on your opinion will you define cod liver oil as supplement or junk food?
November 12th, 2009 at 2:42 am
@john,
I don’t snack that much, but when I do I prefer fruits. As long as you stay away from processed and allergenic foods it doesn’t really matter what you snack with. Go with what you enjoy. If you need filling foods for snacks it suggests your meals aren’t big enough. It’s really easy not to eat enough. If you are hungry 1 to 2 hours after a meal then you just didn’t eat enough.
@Eric,
Too much omega 3 can make your blood too thin and hence bleeding takes longer time to stop. But that’s not really a concern unless you are an Eskimo and eat nothing but whale blubber.
You can find omega 3s from organic and grass-fed animal foods also. Greens also have minor quantities of omega 3s. Walnuts are an ok source.
I get my omega 3s from flaxseeds (I grind them and add them to my smoothies) and eating some fish once in a while.
It doesn’t matter how often you take them given that you take get enough.
Cod liver oil would be an acceptable supplement (because it’s high in omega 3). The only problem with fish oils is that they go rancid very easily. Actually this problem is not limited to fish oils. All oils with omega 3s are very delicate.
So make sure you get a good quality one.
November 13th, 2009 at 2:57 am
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November 13th, 2009 at 5:08 am
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November 14th, 2009 at 1:09 am
My apologies! The “?” was me being lazy…what I meant to say is that I am still anxiously waiting a response from my Oct. 21st post. Just curious to know where you recommend making some alterations (if any) to your diet suggestions on account of “the diabeetus.” Fruit for example…friend or foe? (I did read this article by the by…but diabetically speaking what are your thoughts?)
Many Thanks!!
Erica
November 14th, 2009 at 9:52 am
@Erica,
Really sorry about that. Your post somehow slipped past me.
To be honest you are asking questions I’m a bit uncomfortable in answering. I’m not sure if I’m qualified to give you good answers.
I don’t know how much the amount of carbs in fruits varies. For example does one big banana have more carbs than other similar size banana does. I do know that the sugar content depends on the ripeness of the fruit. So this is really something you would have to learn by experience. I’m not sure if you can find those numbers anywhere.
I don’t see fruits that different from other carbohydrate foods. They all turn into sugar after a while. In case of fruits this happens a bit faster than on whole grains, for example. But overall fruits are low to moderate GI foods.
It’s not in anyway mandatory that you eat fruits. They are a clean source of calories, but you can get the vitamins and nutrients from veggies also. So a diet heavy in greens and beans should work nicely for you. Beans are very heavy in nutrients (they have more nutrients per calorie than most fruits). Dr. Fuehrman recommends similar diet for diabetic in his book Eat to Live (it’s a good book and I recommend you check it out).
Beans should also be a good source of protein to avoid your sugars from dropping too low. I have no problems with small quantities of animal foods either.
Everything I know about Stevia says it’s good. I haven’t heard about anything that would suggest it’s harmful. It’s mostly just industry propaganda from the makers of aspartame and other artificial sweeteners.
Most fruits and veggies are best eater raw. With or without the skin shouldn’t make much of a difference. For the past 6 years I’ve lived in countries with unsafe water supply (India and Thailand). It won’t kill you
I just rinse my veggies lightly under tap water. That’s all. May or may not be the best thing to do, but I’m lazy to do anything else.
November 20th, 2009 at 9:52 pm
I know its processed food but are organic corn cakes ok?? it says they’re gluten free and the ingredients are -Organic corn (98%), salt- and seasame seeds may be present… it sounds fine to me… im just trying to find some stuff to change my diet to healthier than it was, then gradually move similar to your diet….. Also when i first read about not really eating cooked meat it scared me a bit… but if i slowly cut down it should be ok like you said—–>50% raw and the rest from natural, whole foods should do the trick.
November 21st, 2009 at 11:24 am
If the organic corn cakes have only the ingredients you listed they should be ok. The problem with processed food is that it often contains processed oils, which are probably the worst things you could put into your body. They are extremely inflammatory.
Let me clarify this point. I don’t advocate eating raw meat or raw animal products in any form. When I talk about raw foods I mean raw fruits and vegetables. Other foods should be cooked.
November 23rd, 2009 at 2:30 am
Hi Seppo,
Good morning, I would like to bring up some issues today. Regarding about milk, grain and soya beans, is these a good food that we should put into consideration to add it into our diet?
Regarding about grain, I understand that it is highly allergic and it contains gluten, but if that’s the reality where can I get carbohydrate? Would you mind giving me some suggestions?
And how about fresh milk and soya? I have been listening people saying that milk and soya is good for our body. By the way where can I get a good source of vitamin D? Please assist to advise, thanks.
November 23rd, 2009 at 10:13 am
@Eric,
Dairy, gluten (in wheat, rye and some other grains), soy and refined vegetable oils are the 4 worst foods for your skin. They are all highly inflammatory and aggravate acne for many people.
Plenty of carbs in fruits, potatoes (and other starchy vegetables), beans and quinoa. Even rice and other gluten-free grains are acceptable. They are fairly poor in nutrients, but give you heavy carbs.
Sunlight is the best source for vitamin D. Even vitamin D rich foods are a poor source compared to sunlight.
December 11th, 2009 at 11:15 pm
Hi! I am 18 years old and i have acne since 16. In the summer my skin looks great but now it is horrible. I eat lots of fruit every day, don´t eat sugar and I also practise sports. What can I do? My face is disgusting….my
chest isn´t that bad but it also isn´t clear. I am using clay in my face every night, but it doesn´t work… What can I do? Please help me seppo! PS - sorry for my bad english
December 12th, 2009 at 11:46 am
Ah and what about a 3 day apple diet? There is a book that says that if someone noly eats apples and drink water for 3 days, will be clean in the 4th day! Is this possible? How can this be healthy? Pls help me Seppo. I dont know what else to do to get rid of acne. Thanks
December 13th, 2009 at 8:58 am
@João,
Sorry about my late reply. I’m traveling and my laptop died on me. Now I have to rely on internet cafes for work..
There’s much more to acne than what you eat. Diet is just a small part of the solution - though most people refuse to accept this.
Emotional health (meaning you feel happy and in control of your emotions) is much more important that diet. Since you see your face as disgusting you probably have more work to do on the emotional side than on what you eat. Meditation and Emotional Freedom Technique (Google to learn more) are the best tools for emotional healing I know of.
3-day apple fast can help with acne, but it’s not a guaranteed solution. And even if you do get clear your acne often comes back once you resume your normal diet and lifestyle. Detoxing can help in getting clear, but what you do day to day is more important than the occasional detox.
Sorry that I can’t give you more specific answers, but I really don’t know your situation well enough. From what I know my advice is to focus on emotional healing.
December 14th, 2009 at 4:16 pm
Seppo, you have said that emotional health is more important than diet in my situation.I believe it but I am a really happy person. I use to go ou at fridays night, I have fun with my friends, I play sport, I have good marks at college and I like my body, except acne of couse. What else can I say? I know you don´t “aprove” antibiotics but it seems to be the only solution. Im going to a dermatologist next month to see what he has to say. Some friends of mine did it and they are clean now. I would like to get clean in a natural way but i guess I just can´t. Thnk you for your help and your patiente to answer my questions. PS- I have acne since 16…Im almost 19. Is it normal to have acne for so long? Most part of people get clean at 18…:S.
December 17th, 2009 at 9:06 am
@João,
I really don’t know your situation so it’s possible I was wrong. When I suggested emotional healing I just based it on the comment about your face being disgusting.
I don’t disapprove antibiotics. I just think they are useless in the long run. Most cases your acne comes right back after you stop using them. If that’s the case is it worth even taking them?
It’s notmal to still have acne at your age. I get emails from people who are 40 and 50 and still have acne.
It’s really hard for me to give you much advice. Especially when it comes to diet people are just too different. For example, I recently found out that my body doesn’t like fruits. They give me an adverse reaction. That’s not to say that fruits are bad for other people, but they are for me.
If you stay away from the foods that are really bad for the skin (gluten, dairy, soy, vegetable oils) you might want to consider a food allergy test.
December 23rd, 2009 at 9:34 am
Hi Seppo,
I understand that you are saying that outdoor air is so much better than indooer air. However, how about outdoor air with diesel and second hand smoke compare with indoor air with some plants? As I realized that whenever I step out from my house for getting fresh air, most probably I do received diesel and second hand smoke which I really dislike it. However there is nothing much I can do as I am living in a city area. The only thing I can do is to get fresh air during early in the morning and at night.
December 24th, 2009 at 12:06 pm
I dont totally buy into the fact that whole grains are unhealthy. It is a fact that too much of anything is harmfull for our body. Its the same for whole grains. The individuals should know their limits of consuming any food. Having 2 slices of whole grain bread everyday does no harm to our body and its a good source of fibre. Whats harmful is even going overboard with it or not consuming in moderation. Of course if a person eats 10 slices of it, thats more than the body requires and the extra calories will be stored as extra fat and sugar if sufficient exercise is not done to burn those extra calories. Other than that whole grain is the best replacement for refined foods.
Why people get addicted to whole grain(gluten grains) is because their poor understanding of meal planning.Before people pin point what foods are bad they should always consider the fact that each individuals body has unique macro and micro nutrient absorption levels. Therefor no one can say in general that certain foods are bad for everyone. Its all about recognising what your body accepts and rejects.
I spoke about meal planning before. Just because whole grains contain low carbs and hight fibre doesnt mean it should be taken into granted and eat too much of it. The best time to eat wholegrains is for breakfast and dinner and should not be eaten more than twice a day. Why we should eat wholegrains in the morning is because during the night the body goes into a starvation mode or simply saying 8hours without any food. What happens if we eat a high carb,sugar and a saturated fat diet in the morning? The body quickly and rapidly compensate for the macro molecules thats was deficient during that 8hours of sleep without any food. This means that the body will absorb more carbs, more sugar and more fat than the body needs
and will quickly convert the extra calories into storage fat even before it has a chance to burn by everyday body functions. Because of its quick digestion capability the person may feel an instant energy boost but will quickly ware off since its been distributed around the body rapidly
Now if we eat a wholegrain diet in the morning instead,the oppesite happens. Not only whole grains have the advantage of having high fibre but also allows the body to use energy(calories) efficiently throughtout a long period of time because of its slow digestive factor. The more time it takes a food to be digested the less rapidly energy is released to the body for a longer period until the food is fully digested. This gives time for the released energy to be burnt effeciently through internal and external body movements and will always have enough energy if needed since the food is not been fully digested for several extra hours than it takes to digest a very heavy diet.
It is also not recomended to only have whole grains. We should consume variety of food throughout the day that meets all the nuritional requirments. Some of these food may include plenty of vegetables,fruits,lean meat(good source of iron but less saturated fat), poultry, oily fish(good source omega 3, mono and poly saturated fats which are good fats),low fat milk products,full cream milk products but only to be consumed in moderation, plenty of water to flush the toxins in the body etc…if any of these foods are eaten along with whole garin food the allergies and other irritable sensations will be minimum
There is no excuse that anyone can’t eat whole grains cos no one gives you the choice for it and even if you have to its not that hard to make that rough unpleasent looking whole grain product into a delicious, healthy meal if you only know how to cook well
If you want to eat fat then go ahead, if you want to eat sugar then no worries do it by all means, if you want to eat a high carbohydrate diet then yes sure ,who said you dont have to? But only remember the extra calories doesn’t dissapear by magic, do plenty of physical activiy everyday to burn all those extra calories you get from refined food. As long as you do it, there are no bounds to what you should eat.
Whole grains are just an extra hand to those who really watch their body weight/chronic illnesses and for those who are concerened about the calori intake.
There are no such things as myths when it comes to food. Its just each person has their unique body nutrient requirement needs or the way body handdles food. A certain food might be bad for one person and at the same time the same food might meet the best body requirments for another person
Always listen to what your body tells you. Know the difference between real hunger and temptation cravings, Follow good eating patterns. If you don’t know about this subject well enough to get into a personal plan then i suggest you consult an expert who major in this field so you wont be mislead by wrong information
December 25th, 2009 at 10:53 pm
I forgot to tell you….I dont have acne where i shave…so i guess i will have to wait until the time I will have full shave…
December 28th, 2009 at 8:33 am
@Eric,
I remember reading somewhere that indoor air is multiple times more polluted than outdoor air. I think it was like 4 or 10 times. Don’t remember where I read that, but it was some medical website.
Anyway, it doesn’t do us much good to debate whether air indoor or outdoors is better, since there’s not much you can do about it. Do what you can to improve the quality of your indoor air, but don’t worry about it beyond that. Plants and some good quality air filters can make a big difference. I don’t recommend venturing into ‘exotic’ solutions, such as ionizers and ozone generators.
December 28th, 2009 at 8:39 am
@Bianca,
Thanks for the good comment. You raise many excellent points. I wrote this post when I more a bit more fanatical about raw foods. I’ve learned better since. Not that the post is wrong, but I’ve soften up my stance a bit since.
I agree with you that we are individuals and react differently to different foods. The new version of Clear for Life will cover few tests you can use to figure out foods that are harmful for your body. These tests are free and you can do them at home.
All that said grains still aren’t my favorite foods. For carbs I prefer to eat beans and starchy vegetables. They have more nutrition and are generally better tolerated. I do eat grains fairly often; mainly because our society is built on them and it’s hard to avoid them completely.
January 2nd, 2010 at 5:36 pm
some questions:
What kinds of beans are best? Do you eat the canned beans from the grocery store? Also how do you cook your potatoes, and does it matter what kind of potatoes you buy?
I definitely understand the importance of emotional health. I am a very spiritual person and meditate regularly. Even so, there are sometimes things that are out of my control that I feel my body can’t help but get emotional about and has a lot to do with hormones. For example just in the past few months, my mom passed away, a relationship ended, and I got laid off. The last two things I have really been meditating and trying to see the bright side and see it as an opportunity for better things to come along. However, other things I feel l have little control over, like the way my body grieves. I know you think if you follow the clear for life diet, your hormones should balance out naturally, but can you recommend any food/supplements that will help to regulate my hormones while going through this difficult time? I’ve heard evening primrose oil can regulate hormones, but isn’t it also high in Omega 6??
January 4th, 2010 at 9:14 am
Hi Seppo,
Have any good ideas how to prepare stewed veggies?
January 4th, 2010 at 9:37 am
@Amy,
The best beans are the ones you like to eat. I do occasionally eat canned beans, but most of the time I cook them myself. Much cheaper and healthier that way. If I’m lazy or don’t have time to cook them I resort to canned beans.
I usually steam my potatoes; chop them into small pieces and steam them. But that’s because I would anyway use steamer so potatoes are cooked with no extra effort.
Yes, emotional health is a biggie. Maybe even more important than diet.
Sorry to hear that you have to go through a difficult period. Usually though things turn out just fine in the end. Grieving and feeling sad is natural and you shouldn’t try to suppress it. Lot of the personal development field is about being happy all the time. But being happy in your situation is not possible. It’s normal to be sad over the things you’ve experienced. Just allow the grieving to happen and it will pass in due time.
I’m a bit hesitant to give any supplement recommendations. Some supplements might help you, but what to take depends on your situation. I would get diagnosed by a natural health professional and follow their advice, if you want to use supplements.
January 4th, 2010 at 9:41 am
@Eric,
If you would see my cooking you wouldn’t ask anything cooking related from me. No but seriously, I’m not the best person to answer this. You’ll find much better info just by Googling it.
January 9th, 2010 at 3:27 am
Seppo,
I am planning to follow a healthy diet consisting of mainly vegetables and fruits with some nuts, seeds, gluten-free grains, and the occasional meat.
But I was wondering if taking birth control pills have a negative affect on all these healthy efforts?
Thanks!
January 15th, 2010 at 10:21 am
@Kalie,
I wouldn’t recommend birth control pills. They can seriously mess up your hormones. It may take more than a year for your hormones to return to normal after long term use of b/c pills, or so I’ve heard from some women I have been in touch with.
February 3rd, 2010 at 3:27 pm
I have mild acne and after reading some of your blogs and acne lessons, I’ve stopped using acne products and switched to gentle cleanser and moisturizer. My skin feels much smoother and moisturized but I still have acne.
I consider that I eat a pretty healthy diet, so I’m lost on what to do to completely get rid of acne.
Any suggestions?
Also, I’ve read that steaming is good for acne and blackheads.. Is this true?
April 7th, 2010 at 3:40 pm
Hi Seppo! Insulin resistance is caused by stress, chemicals, etc. and I read in the article that sugar is fine as long as it’s not too much. If I’m having an insulin resistance right now, would eating less chemical-rich foods and avoiding stress cure insulin resistance and get my body working normal again? does it take long? Thank you very much.
April 8th, 2010 at 4:49 pm
and btw, is yogurt bad?
thanks.
July 23rd, 2010 at 4:44 pm
That’s true about the grains and sugar diet. For a while Ive read that grains, nuts are good for you , but It was causing all my cane in my forehead. Since Ive stopped eating grains and nuts my acne has gone away. Also refine sugar has a lot to do with acne around your mouth. I rather get sugar from fruits… not to many bananas. A lot of apple and water.