Jessie J reminds us that "It's not about the money" in her hit song "Price Tag" and that's certainly true when it comes to authentic happiness, the magic feeling of Christmas morning, and the memories we look back on and smile at. It's also true when it comes to pursuing clear skin. Since the days of the Stone Age (basically), I've struggled with acne. And you name the "cure" I've tried it. I've tried dermatologist prescribed creams and lotions, a variety of three-step acne-clearing kits, multiple oral medications including birth control, light therapy and laser treatments and the list goes on. While I've seen improvements with some of these treatments, nothing ever lasted nor did it ever improve as much as I wanted. I'll admit- in middle school I didn't try very hard or use my clearing kits consistently enough to reap any benefits. I was a tomboy who didn't care about having clear skin. In high school, I started to care, but would easily get discouraged when I didn't see the results I wanted and just give up. I got serious about improving my acne in college but oral medications made me sick (literally) and THOUSANDS of dollars later after light and laser therapy I could have sworn my skin looked the same. I look back now and I wish I had known the simple, inexpensive, extremely EFFECTIVE solution I recently discovered. Are you ready for this? It could be life changing. EATING RIGHT. Yes, that's it. The cure for clear skin is not a $100 kit, medication with killer side effects, or a $3,000 light treatment, but rather the cost of groceries and a bit of extra effort and time in planning your meals. I made it my New Year's resolution to go on a diet for healthy skin, because after what seems like hundreds of years (it's been 11 but still a long time) of dealing with acne I want to be FREE and I'd actually like to have clear skin for that somewhat large life event (my wedding) coming up in October. I truly believe that you can try all of the acne creams you want, but unless you are eating right too, they won't make the big difference you want to see. Now, this next part may be hard to stomach, but long term it will actually be better for your stomach. A lot of your favorite foods will be on the "Do Not Eat" list. I'm so sorry to break that news, but I promise it will be worth it. Since the New Year, I have cut out the following (mostly, except for special occasions) and seen great improvement: -Pop (Ouch) and all caffeinated beverages... sorry Taylor Swift's Starbucks lovers. -Dairy... goodbye cheese and everything I love with cheese so basically everything :( -Chocolate... I relapsed on chocolate for one week and broke out again- coincidence, I think not. These are my three biggest sacrifices and cutting them out has made a huge difference. But wait there's more (bummer). In his book, The Acne Prescription, Dr. Nicholas Perricone explains the Sugar-Inflammation Connection and lists other inflammation-inducing foods to avoid: Bagels, bananas, bread and rolls, cake (does this mean cupcakes?), candy, sugary cereal, cookies, corn, cornbread, corn syrup, crackers, cream cheese, croissants, doughnuts, egg rolls, flour, french fries, fried food, honey, hot dogs, jam and jelly, mango, margarine, molasses, muffins, noodles, pancakes, papaya, pasta, pastry, pie, pizza, popcorn, potatoes, pudding, rice (are we done yet?), chips and pretzels, sugar, tacos, tortillas and waffles. Right now you're probably thinking why did I read this, it ruined my day. But just try it, it will be worth it! On the flip side, skin-healthy foods include: Almonds, apples, asparagus, avocado, barley, beans, berries, broccoli, brussel sprouts, cabbage, cantaloupe, carrots, cauliflower, celery, cherries, chickpeas, cucumbers, fish and shellfish, flax seed, green and red bell peppers, honeydew, kale, kidney beans, lentils, mushrooms, oatmeal, olive oil, olives, oysters, pears, pecans, pomegranate, pumpkin seeds, romaine lettuce, salmon, snow peas, soy products, spinach, sunflower seeds (win for softball players), tofu, tomatoes and turkey. Well I know what side my favorite foods are on. Here's a glimpse into what my daily, skin-healthy diet looks like if you'd like a model. Breakfast: A two-egg omelette with tomatoes and a side of fruit like an apple, berries or pomegranate seeds. Lunch: A hearty vegetable soup or a romaine salad with chicken and avocado, celery sticks with peanut butter or cucumbers and carrots as a different vegetable side, almonds and an apple. Dinner: Whatever delicious masterpiece my mother has prepared for us :) But throwing out some skin healthy dinner options: Salmon with asparagus, Turkey and a bean salad, or a large spinach salad topped with tomatoes, cucumbers, olives and carrots. In the first month and a half of 2016, my skin has improved significantly. It's not perfect yet, but it's getting there with this skin healthy diet. To clarify, I don't think that skin care kits, medications and creams don't work at all, but in order to truly benefit from using them, I think you have to pair them with a healthy diet, otherwise you won't see the changes you want to see. Currently, I pair my diet with the Clinique skin care set. We do still have to wash our faces! Thanks for reading! Comment below and let me know if you found this helpful. -Karleigh Michele PS: Black shirt are the before pictures and grey shirt are the after pictures!
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