http://www.care2.com/greenliving/clear-skin-diet.html
Acne Relief: The Clear Skin Diet
Adapted from The Most Effective Natural Cures on Earth, by Jonny Bowden, Ph.D., C.N.S. (Fair Winds, 2008).
Why is it that teens in New Guinea and Paraguay have no acne? Or in Kenya, rural Japan, or Malaisia, for that matter? The reason goes against the commonly held viewpoint of most dermatologists who think acne isn’t caused by diet.
A seminal study on acne published in the Archives of Dermatology in 2002, reported that there was not one single case of acne—zero—in two non-Westernized populations studied for a diet-acne connection. One population was in New Guinea and the other Paraguay.
What do these two cultures have in common? They were eating the diet of our hunter-gatherer ancestors: Food you could hunt, gather, pluck or fish, what Loren Cordain, Ph.D., author of the study and book by the same name, calls The Paleo Diet.
Some of these natural Paleo Diets are purely plant-based. The key appears to be that there is nothing refined, processed, but instead are diets high in fiber and low in sugar.
Cordain hypothesizes that a diet that produces high levels of the hormone insulin is partly the culprit when it comes to insulin. Insulin spikes in response to sugar and processed carbohydrates.
Could it be that those with acne don’t metabolize sugar very well?
Other possible culprits of acne include milk and lack of fresh vegetables. As reported in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology, a significant positive association was found between acne and milk intake. Further, diets rich in plant foods contain huge amounts of antioxidants and natural anti-inflammatories.
Here are natural prescriptions for acne:
- Eat the Paleo Diet: No grains, dairy, beans, or soy; eat foods high in protein, vegetables, fruits (especially berries), nuts, and omega fats. Eat only whole foods are high in fiber and low in sugar.
- Saw palmetto (an herb derived from the dried, ripe berry of the American dwarf palm); 320 mgcapsule. Or use Clearogen (www.clearogen.com). Both are used to balance hormones.
- Zinc: 30 mg two or three times a day, use 30 mg for maintenance.
- Essential fatty acid supplement or fish oil.
- GLA (gamma-Linolenic acid, an omega-6 essential fatty acid found primarily in vegetables: 320 mg capsule.
- Tea tree oil topically (an essential oil available from most health food stores).
- Azelic acid (an anti-inflammatory): Use as directed.
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15 comments
add your comment »As a person who has (well, had) terrible acne I will tell you this: eliminating carbonated beverages, sugary snacks, and drinking tons of water saved my skin. So yes, you are what you eat.
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Um ... having lived in Paraguay for 14 years of my life, and having many, many Paraguayan adolescent friends when I was myself a teen, I can tell you that yes, people in Paraguay do get acne.
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The Masai in Africa have sustained themselves largely on a diet of blood and milk for centuries. The Inuit traditional foods were whale and seal meat, with little if any greens. What people have eaten had more to do with their climate than anything else. Different people have different allergic reactions to different foods. I doubt there is one diet for everyone, any more than there is one religion for everyone.
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Actually, research has found that our hunting gathering ancestors sat around a lot more than we do today. They probably foraged and gathered for food maybe 2 hours out of the whole day with the occasional hunt and pretty much spent the rest of the time playing. People today on the other hand do sit around a lot in their office buildings but have never been stressed out so much. Compare the 2 hours of hard work compared to 8 to 12 hours, and sometimes 24 hours with kids, a day. I know that would cause me to have some "minor" skin problems.
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Actually, we have both cutting/tearing teeth (our front teeth) AND grinding/crushing teeth (our molars). We are designed to be omnivores, able to eat a wide variety of foods and remain healthy. It is best to get your foods as close to their natural state as possible. Cultivars (legumes/grains) have less nutrient value than "gathered" foods (leafy greens, herbs, roots, seaweed; naturally evaporated salts; honey;) and "hunted" foods (lean meats, including wild meats like ostrich, boar, bison, etc.; eggs; game meats; poultry fed on a natural pastured diet of weeds, bugs, and small amounts of seed and grain; raw milk (yes, our ancestors during the paleo age were starting to learn to keep animals for milk... or at least take advantage of milk when they found it); etc.)
The biggest difference between us and our paleo ancestors is not seen in the food, however. The biggest difference is seen in our activity level. Our ancestors maintained a -grueling- schedule, filled to the brim with intensely physical activity. Today, we sit on our collective hineys, pressing keys on a keyboard, and get our exercise in short bursts in the gym. We are not the same creatures as our paleo ancestors. Our brains are larger, and so are our butts. Our bones are more fine, and so is our skin. Feeding ourselves like our ancestors fed themselves only has value in so far as we are getting our foods as close as possible to their natural source.
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Everyone is different, so making blanket statements about this being good for you and that not being so is sort of silly. Most people would do well with an everything-in-moderation diet if they also exercised, got enough sleep and drank enough water. Some people are more sensitive to certain foods than others. The trick is finding out what makes you sick/affects your skin/hair/whatever and avoiding it.
Much as I hate to admit it, my youth was spent eating highly refined foods and a lot of sugar, and yet I almost never had a pimple much less acne. The connection may be there for some people, but it sure isn't for me.
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If you would like to understand why/how soy and grains are bad for you, I suggest you check out the following websites and they will answer many questions about the truth to health. www.mercola.com, www.naturalnews.com
Yes, soy and grains are bad for you! Dairy is horrible for your skin and body.
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wheat is pro-inflammatory, the only nutrient in it is within the cellulose, you must be able to grind your food in order to get the cellulose open. we have sharp pointed teeth not flat (cow) grinding teeth, one stomach and thirty feet of intestines. wheat is not ment for us, it's ment for cows and their flat teeth, four stomachs, and 70 feet of intestines, and they move every bite through this whole process...we are made for food that moves through us easily....fruit, veg, beans etc....biggest problem is when you mix....like a hamburger, the rate at which the bread moves through your G.I. tract is much longer then the meat and veggies....this leads to meat furmenting quick and staying too long, it becomes very toxic....i do think it still comes back to each body is slightly different and you must find what works for you, not the funnest process....great skincare with NO icky ingredients, try EPICURIN!!!! Flax seed oil is awesome....good luck
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Water Remedy:
drinking a glass or two glasses or "warm - hot" water the first thing in the morning helps purify the body system and with acne too. It takes a few weeks to work, simple, inexpensive and convenient!
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seemas a good diet - but I really think its up to the individual and how their their own bodies react to certain foods, I eat nuts and flax sunflower and pumpkin seeds (teaspoonful) every day.. seems ok for me... the regular exercise i e yoga and walking etc is a great asset...
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