![Diet Plans and Nutrition [Home]](/images/everydiet4.gif "every Diet [Home]"){kind=small}
Acne Diet
Acne (pimples) has some relationship with nutrition, however there is little credible research providing links between certain food groups and acne. As an acne sufferer it is a process of trial and error. However there are some guidelines that may be useful.
Foods to Avoid
Foods with saturated fats and trans fats can contribute to oily skin. Saturated fats are found in most animal products – such as meats, dairy, and poultry. However the body does still require other essential fatty acids – such as from fish, flaxseed or hempseed oil.
Some believe that a high calorie intake (i.e. eating too much) can lead to increased hormone levels, and subsequently more ‘break-outs’ – but this is unproven.
What about chocolates and candy?
Many believe there is a direct relationship between eating chocolate and increased acne. However this is unproven – although chocolate does have a high proportion of saturated fats.
Foods to Try
A higher protein intake may assist in acne control. This may be to do with the decreased production of a certain enzyme that can cause more oil production, and increased clogging of pores. A diet with 60-70% carbohydrates may be too high in carbs.
Acne Treatments & Vitamins
Some people have found that Vitamin A and Zinc have helped with acne. In addition Green Tea could also be incorporated into the diet (as it leads to a decrease in androgen production).
High levels of iodine in the diet does impact some acne sufferers – by causing new outbreaks of acne lesions. Note that very salty (iodized salt) foods such as chips etc, contain high levels of iodine and should be avoided.
OK, so ive pretty much understood all the foods i mustnt eat but without sounding silly….what can I eat? Im almost underweight anyway so dont want to stick to a fruit/veg/water diet that will make me unhealthily underweight. Ive already cut out meat, dairy, sugar, processed foods and Some people are saying no bread, potatoes, rice, pasta….Any meal ideas i could stick to? one other thing, anyone know a food that can assist the skin to heal? my spots seem to take weeks to come up and then to go away…and then scar!! thanks
My acne has been a constant mid-tolow-level thing for 20 years, since I was a teen, recently I saw a dermatologist here in the UK who told me to avoid nuts, cheese, chocolate, and high-sugar soda. For good measure I also chucked out oily foods, donuts, cookies, anything with significant amounts of wheat. And lo and behold, on my follow-up appointments, their department is furious with me because my face is clear! They think I’m a complete timewaster! Of course that upsets me but I should look at it as a bit of a joy too – the change that this diet shift has wrought.
I read the above comments, and would take issue with Diane who wrote that “low fat cheese, … nuts” should be UPPED – I would avoid those.
At the onset of puberty the body changes the way it handles secretions and excretions. Nutrients are extracted from the diet to produce semen for males and nutrients are extracted from the diets of females to produce eggs. With certain people when this shift occurs certain toxins that would normally be excreted begin to be secreted through the skin, usually on the face and back. Because of the time in which it occurs this is commonly mistaken as acne. It is not.
It is an allergic reaction to your diet.
If you have oily skin you most likely are a sufferer, if you love fast food you most likely are a sufferer, if you love dairy products, and if you love spicy foods you most likely are a sufferer.
For more than ten years I have had no less than four breakouts a week and countless scars on my face. It wasn’t until last year staring at the mirror wanting them to just go away that I remembered something my dermatologist had said. “Getting rid of one pimple is like mopping up the floor with the water still on”. With that I began to catalog my meals and breakouts within 2 weeks a pattern emerged.
Anything: Oily, Cheesey, Spicy, or containing high amounts wheat (for some reason noodles are okay). would break me out in no less than 8 hrs!
After a week or so of maintaining a diet without any of those things i noticed that when ever i relapsed on it (midnight drive-thru snack)I would break out in 4hrs! As soon as my body digested it, it was trying to get rid of it!
Ive maintained this diet thoroughly for over 4 months now and I havent had skin this clear since my 13th birthday! I can go a day or two without even washing my face (although i seldom do, paranoid)and not have so much as a white head.
So if youve tried all the pills the latest proactive been to the dermatologist and haven’t gotten any relief, try making a change in your diet for just a WEEK. Youve got nothing to lose but your acne.
has anyone had experience with trying to cut out caffeine in their diet to prevent acne. I did a quick google search on it and there seems to be some discussion of it going on.