Today I'm sharing something not related to technology... at least not in the usual stuff. We'll be going over the teenager's most loved skin condition: acne. I have had acne since I was a 13, and now I'm 27. When I was younger I believed that the problem would go away, but it never did. These days I still get acne, but I know what foods will bring about a breakout. Below I have a written piece with details on individual foods and routines and what seems to be their effects on my skin and weight.
Observations of Foods and Routines Relation to Acne
Consumed foods can have an effect on your body and mind. Below, I have written my observations on some routines and foods. It is likely that some of the information below could also apply to you, but each one of us is ultimately a unique individual. Let me start with the way I think of health.
To me the right state of body and mind involves having a manageable balance. One must have smooth skin, hair thickness, strong nails and teeth, moist eyes, have plenty of strength, energy, mental clarity, have few or no allergies, and rarely get sick. On the other hand, the wrong state is likely to have issues with skin, thinning hair, dandruff, poor oral health (weak teeth, cavities, and sores), be susceptible to fungal issues (such as in nails), be overweight and bloated, be in constant pain, having mental issues, and getting sick easily. I have deal with several of these negative issues, but most of them can be prevented with proper nutrition, routines. Treatment with drugs can also work, but prevention is were we should focus.
In today's society there is a strong desire for a quick and easy fix, such as drugs, the 5 minute abs, and the surgery that gets rid of the problem. This view is of course very shortsighted. Usually observable health problems are the result of a collection of failures in our our daily activities. It takes time to create these problems and likewise it can take a lot of time to get out of them. The shortcuts provide quick relief, but ultimately it's better to build a strong and dependable foundation to begin with. I strongly recommend paying attention to the small signals that the body often gives and use these signals to create environments that optimize our overall performance.
[Update: August 17, 2016]
- Supplements
- Zinc. This supplement can play a role in reducing oiliness and therefore help with reduction in acne. If you are consuming plenty of carbohydrates then I recommend it. There are various types of zinc, and be careful with dosage, so do your research before taking it.
- Insulin Sensitivity
- High glycemic index and load are positively associated with acne vulgaris. People with acne have higher insulin resistance. [1]
- Combinations
- The problem with combination foods is that they utilize many ingredients. Because of the many ingredients it is impossible to pin point the problem causing ingredient. Many delicious combination foods include things like pizzas, soups, fancy noodles, cheese burgers, etc. To determine the problem causing foods you need to find a relatively good diet based on easy to identify components, and then bring in one new food at a time.
- Dairy (Milk, ice cream, yogurt, milk-kefir)
- Positive: diary is delicious.
- Negative: weight gain, mild to severe acne, bloating, gas, lots of phlegm mucus.
- Other: milk-kefir produces the least number of negative issues, but it still causes issues. Note that butter and cream are not in the dairy category, and can be found under the Fats/Oils, cheese is in the protein section.
- Drinks
- Almond milk
- Positive: vanilla one tastes very good.
- Negative: weight gain, mild to severe acne.
- Bulletproof coffee (coffee+butter+MCT oil blended)
- Positive: very tasty coffee, no weight gain, no acne, does not make me urinate that often.
- Negative: no more than two cups of freshly grinded coffee or else there is stomach discomfort and mental "stress" (usually I want to take a nap when this stress occurs).
- Other: Stevia or Xylitol for sweetener.
- Coffee (non Bulletproof coffee)
- Positive: there are some amazingly delicious coffee mixes available in the market, no acne (if there is no sugar in the coffee).
- Negative: usually I'll urinate a lot, mental fogginess, and usually they have lots of sugar in them.
- Green Tea (no sugar)
- Positive: easy to make some teas smell and taste great, no weight gain, no acne, there seems to be an increase of eye moisture.
- Negative: some tea does produce a mental fogginess.
- Stevia-drinks.
- Positive: no sugar, is very sweet, no acne.
- Negative: a bit bitter.
- Water
- Positive: no weight gain, no acne.
- Negative: none.
- Other: drinking cold water is one way of removing heat from the body (heat being energy, and energy is derived from chemical fuel sources)--so you can create a scenario that promotes the use of your own body fat storage to "warm up" that cold water. Ice baths and cold environments do the same, but they are not as pleasant.
- Nuts
- Note: I have noticed that nuts are not the same from one place to another, source matters. Some sources are "dirty" and can cause hives, at other times there are no hives because the nuts are "clean." When consuming nuts I noticed that it is better to consume small amounts, and if possible the "raw" versions. My body does crave nuts every once in a while, so I believe they contain essential substances (such as magnesium or other minerals).
- Macademia nuts
- Positive: they are delicious.
- Negative: Planters brand gives me hives on the arms, too many also lead to great stomach discomfort.
- Cashews, Almonds, Brazil nuts, and Walnuts
- Positive: do not give the same stomach discomfort as Macademia nuts, they are also tasty treats.
- Negative: too many leads to mental fogginess, some weight gain, and mild acne.
- Protein
- Note: having too much protein becomes sugars through Gluconeogenesis, so proteins may produce some acne. Also, cooking to a dark char is not good due to oxidation and free radicals.
- Bacon (mass produced)
- Positive: crunchy bacon is a gift from the Gods!
- Negative: too many slices makes me feel "disgusting."
- Beef (grass-fed)
- Positive: no weight gain (usually lots of CLA which promotes body weight loss), great for building your own muscles (my strength went up from 20 to 40 pull ups and with less workouts per week). Happy cows taste better than incarcerated animals.
- Negative: if charred it produces mental fogginess.
- Other: notice the yellowish fat of grass-fed beef and compare with the ghost-white of commercial beef. Grass-fed is better than grain-fed beef.
- Cheese
- Positive: tastes good, has protein.
- Negative: increase in acne, particularly on the arms.
- Chicken
- Negative: I feel disgusting after eating chicken. So I avoid it completely.
- Eggs (mass produced)
- Positive: cheap protein source, variety of preparations, best when not overcooked.
- Negative: hard boiled and charred scrambled eggs give me mental fogginess.
- Salmon (wild) and Tilapia
- Positive: no weight gain, no acne.
- Negative: fish smell.
- Other: the wild type of fish smells and taste better.
- Tuna (canned)
- Positive: easy to store for a long time, no weight gain, no acne.
- Negative: fish smell.
- Turkey
- Positive: small slices are fine.
- Negative: thanksgiving massive positions of turkey always lead to indigestion.
- Fats/Oils
- Note: I recommend researching the connection of "inflammation" with heart related issues. Fats have been demonized by the mass media, but our bodies rely heavily on fats for proper function--animals fats are more optimal for humans than vegetable based ones. After water, the next biggest compound in the brain is fat--which is also the fattest organ in your entire body. Each cell in our body requires cholesterol for proper creation and function. Furthermore we generally, thanks to our education system, know about Glycolisis (carbs for fuel) but know very little about Ketosis (fat for fuel). Our bodies can run quite well on Ketosis as our main metabolic state (Keto Clarity)
- Avocado
- Positive: tastes good, filling, no acne.
- Negative: there can be stomach discomfort if consumed when close to sleep time.
- Butter (grass or grain finished)
- Positive: tastes delicious (KerryGold is superb), filling, no weight gain, no acne.
- Negative: none.
- Note: grass-fed is better, also check Chris Kresser's article on butter.
- Coconut oil
- Positive: great for cooking at higher temperatures, no weight gain, no acne.
- Negative: none.
- Other: an even better alternative for cooking is ghee.
- Cream (dairy)
- Positive: mixes very well with coffee.
- Negative: possibly increase of acne in arms.
- Fish and Krill Oil
- Positive: no weight gain, no acne.
- Negative: the taste of some brands can be nasty--better to buy flavored lemon/orange ones.
- Ghee
- Positive: great for cooking at higher temperatures, no weight gain, no acne, tastes great.
- Negative: expensive.
- Macademia nut oil
- Positive: no weight gain, no acne.
- Negative: not that tasty.
- MCT Oil
- Positive: Ketosis inducing which can cause weight loss, no acne.
- Negative: too much MCT oil leads to a trip to the toilet and stomach discomfort.
- Other: ketosis is great for weight loss but the body feels way warm.
- Olive Oil
- Positive: good for cooking at low temperatures, no acne.
- Negative: some brands of "olive oil" are quite fake.
- Olives
- Positive: taste good (after the first few), no weight gain, no acne.
- Negative: none.
- Upgraded/Bulletproof Brain Octane
- Positive: great mental clarity, stronger than MCT oil, no weight gain, no acne.
- Negative: expensive.
- Vegetable oils (canola, margarine, sunflower)
- After reviewing enough literature I have convinced myself that these are not healthy oil sources. If we approach them by the idea of evolution, well.... these are fairly new oils that our bodies have not yet adapted to--thus they can hurt us. By the same concepts of evolution, we ourselves will not reap the benefit of this adaptation--our children will be the ones better adapted. Also check Chris Masterjohn's presentation on these oils.
- Fruits
- Apples
- Positive: tasty.
- Negative: too many apples hurt my teeth because of the acid, if the apple is very sweet I can notice small pimples after a few days.
- Other: check the info on Sugar and Fructose.
- Bananas
- Positive: delicious.
- Negative: blood sugar spike (up for a bit, crash afterwards), weight gain, severe acne.
- Other: check the info on Sugar and Fructose.
- Blueberries, Blackberries, Raspberries
- Positive: when fresh the sweetness is low and produces no weight gain and only a few small pimples.
- Negative: frozen berries feel very sugary (and there is a tendency of consuming too many) and the over consumption leads to mild/severe acne.
- Grapefruit
- Positive: low in sugar, no weight gain, very small acne pimples at most.
- Negative: tooth pain due to acid (usually a single one does not produce this, but two definitely causes pain).
- Lemon
- Positive: improves the taste of salads, no weight gain, no acne.
- Negative: tooth pain due to acid (usually a single lemon does this.)
- Most fruit (kiwis, mangos, oranges, etc.)
- Negative: most fruit is low on fiber, which means that sugars do not bind with the fiber and leave the body.
- Note: check the Sugar and Fructose info.
- Watermelon
- Positive: absolutely delicious when its cold.
- Negative: lots of dead skin cells, highly inflammatory, joint pain, severe acne, weight gain.
- Other: check the info on Sugar and Fructose.
- Grains and grain-based products.
- Bread, Cake, Donuts, Cereals
- Positive: taste delicious.
- Negative: lots of dead skin cells, joint pain, weight gain, severe acne.
- Other: I recommend investigating the link between bread and sugar, and also check the Sugar and Fructose info below.
- Beans
- Positive: cheap, filling.
- Negative: get ready to fart a lot, mental fogginess, puffy eyes, small acne pimples.
- Tip: beano counters the gases, activated charcoal reduce the puffy eyes.
- Popcorn
- Positive: tasty with butter and salt.
- Negative: weight gain, puffy eyes, some acne.
- Seasoning
- Apple cider vinegar
- Positive: can be used to make ice cream, no weight gain, no acne.
- Negative: do not consume prior to drinking coffee because it causes a lot of stomach pain, tooth pain if consumed in salads.
- Ketchup
- Positive: it goes well with almost anything!
- Negative: ketchup has sugar and you'll get acne.
- Pepper
- Positive: this goes well with lots of foods, no acne.
- Negative: puffy eyes.
- Turmeric
- Positive: makes the food taste a little different, no weight gain, no acne.
- Negative: none.
- Salt
- Positive: it goes well with anything, no acne.
- Negative: none.
- Other: a teaspoon in the mornings clears up "mental pressure" (some say it's related to adrenal fatigue).
- Starches
- Note: I find that going on for a week or two of no starches always leads me to a dry mouth/throat and dry eyes. Consuming some starch helps resolve the problem.
- Parsnips, Rutabaga.
- Positive: delicious variety of starches.
- Negative: some weight gain, very small acne pimples at most.
- Carrots
- Positive: convenient food snack, delicious and there are a variety of preparations, no noticeable weight gain.
- Negative: small pimples at most.
- Potato
- Positive: delicious when fried and smashed, and in pot roasts.
- Negative: I gain weight (and keep the weight on for many days), severe acne, lots of dead skin cells.
- Ramen Noodles
- Positive: cheap and quite tasty!
- Negative: weight gain, mild to severe acne.
- Rice
- Positive: cheap, can be mixed with anything, no acne.
- Negative: can make me gain weight (especially if rice is not consumed routinely), depending on source sometimes I get puffy eyes.
- Tip: use MCT oil to reduce the likelihood of weight gain. Also, I noticed that consuming rice routinely does not result in weight gain--however if consumed every "once in a while" there is a tendency of causing an effect that produces weight gain.
- Sweet Potato
- Positive: delicious.
- Negative: little weight gain (I return to normal weight within a day or two after consumption), very small acne pimples at most.
- Sweeteners
- Honey
- Positive: tastes very good.
- Negative: I have not conducted proper tests to make conclusions on weight and acne.
- Stevia
- Positive: tastes mostly good, no acne, no weight gain.
- Negative: tastes a bit bitter at first, there can be stomach discomfort/irritation if too much is consumed.
- Sugar alcohols
- Positive: they taste almost like sugar!
- Negative: can cause issues with digestion (lots of gas produced), mild to severe acne.
- Sugar and Fructose
- Positive: sweet!
- Negative: highly inflammatory, joint pain, severe acne, weight gain, lots of dead skin cells, increased likelihood of cavities.
- Other: inflammation can be observed by redness and increase in puss inside acne spots. There types of sugars produce small white-head pimples, they also promote big "under skin" red bumps that are filled with puss. Based on my observations, sugar is the biggest contributor to acne. Since I have not consumed milk in years I'm unsure whether lactose, a type of sugar, produces the same results as table sugar and fructose.
- Xylitol
- Positive: tastes good.
- Negative: it's easy to add too much as it's not as sweet as stevia and table sugar, there seems to be some acne as a result of consuming Xylitol.
- Vegetables
- Note: Plants have methods of protecting themselves against predators. Some plants are more toxic to you than others. Usually our bodies filter many of these toxins through the liver, but it's best to avoid vegetables that are high in toxins/anti-nutrients. Many of our vegetables found at the supermarket have been "domesticated," for example cauliflower, broccoli, cabbage, brussels sprouts, and kale are derived from the wild mustard plant. In the case of organic vs not organic... my body feels better when I eat organic (it's likely that the body does not have to filter the pesticides/herbicides and as such feels better)--yes prices are higher. I don't know enough about GMO (genetically modified organisms) but I presume that most of the food supply already is GMO in one way or another.
- Vegetables with no weight gain, and no acne, and no noticeable negative effects:
- Asparagus, broccoli, brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, cucumber, grasses/green powders, kale, lettuce, radish, spinach, tomato (fresh)
- Tomato Salsa (from stores)
- Positive: it can be mixed with anything and tastes very good.
- Negative: Some brands produce puffy eyes, hives, and sometimes gas.
- OTHER/ROUTINES
- Delays in acne and weight.
- There are several times that we can observe a delay in the reaction of foods related to the body. Most acne pimples have been developing underneath the skin for some time. Some foods, like sugary treats, tend to cause a reaction in me within two to four days. This delay makes "tracking" what affects us a bit hard. It does though become easy to determine what affects us if we have the same foods consistently. In the case of weight gain, some foods will tend to produce an effect that will go on for several days--in my experience foods like potatoes tend to keep my weight up for three to four days.
- Blood donations
- There is an obvious weight loss due to blood donations. I do not notice an increase or decrease of acne. For a period of about four days I get "winded" easily. Sometimes blood donations do make me feel quite good--this occurs when my blood iron levels are high.
- Children/Teens
- Weight and acne can be managed and it is the responsibility of the parents to be informed of methods that will improve the child's life. Acne and weight can reduce the child's opportunities--it can limit them physically and psychologically. I do not recommend drugs and surgeries to deal with these issues because they only cover the real problems of an unhealthy lifestyle.
- As a parent you produced the child--the child is a consequence of your actions. As such it is the parents responsibility to not neglect the child's needs.
- Coconut Charcoal
- Positive: this is great when consuming subpar quality foods. It seems to reduce the occurrence of hives and puffy eyes. The use of coconut charcoal does not increase acne.
- Negative: none.
- Diets
- There are many "diets" out there and many have good principles. However, some are just completely stupid. I'm acquainted with the Alkaline diet, Dr. Perricone diet for skin, paleo diet, Chris Kresser's soluble fiber diets. The one that has made the most sense is the Upgraded/Bulletproof Executive diet. However, keep in mind that if you have acne you should try to find a "template" diet that does not produce any acne and then begin adding foods in order to determine what you can and cannot have in your daily diet.
- CarbNite: consists of mostly protein and fat, fiber is highly recommended. This diet works well for fat-loss. However, there is plenty of cheese in the diet and that can increase acne on the arms.
- CarbBackloading: this is a strength and bulking up diet. The diet contains dairy, protein, fats, and carbohydrates. There is a substantial increase in face oiliness, and subsequently acne. I would recommend a supplement for this diet, which is Zinc.
- Exercise
- Positive: affects the phenotype (the way you look in muscles and bones). There are effective ways of producing results with small quantities of time (usually high intensity or weight training).
- Negative: there can be weight gain if one works out too much because the body needs to repair--thus over consumption of foods. There is an increase need of sleep. Muscles have a higher priority in repair than skin, so it's not always good to exercise excessively.
- Other: gym fanatics tend to waste too much time attempting to make themselves look pretty instead of using that valuable time and energy towards improving the lives of others.
- Fasting
- There is a noticeable reduction of acne when one fasts. Fasting can become very hard, so I do a fat-allowed fast.
- There is a popular "apple-only fast" an my observations are below:
- A reduction of acne inflammation (this is when I ate lots of "bad" foods, so the apples were better than a crappy diet).
- Increased knee pain--I would assume that because of the reduction in acne inflammation then that would also decrease inflammation elsewhere, but it didn't.
- Prolonged time to repair muscles after workout--this makes sense because I did not have protein in the diet.
- Weight loss of 4 pounds (160 to 156 lbs). The fat-allowed fast produces better results (I went from 170 lbs to 150 lbs and have remained as such for a long while now).
- Reduction of stamina--using apples exclusively is not good for the body.
- Did reduce acne, but did not bring it to a controllable level.
- Meal size
- Negative: if too much is consumed I have the tendency of drifting into sleep.
- Popping/squeezing pimples
- Positive: this can be quite fun! (is just is). Sometimes popping the pimples can reduce the amount of healing time.
- Negative: if popping is done improperly then you can cause infections, aggravate the pimple even more, and tear up surrounding skin.
- Other: resist popping pimples until the time is right. You can also reduce the amount of damage you produce by properly using a disinfected needle and cleaning the area to be popped. If possible I would cover the pimples with a sulfur-based cream to speed up healing and prevent further infection. Blackheads are a bit different.
- Shaving
- All shaving causes irritation of the skin. If you have acne shaving is the last thing you will want to do because you can easily open wounds. I recommend simply keeping a good trim and not shaving.
- If you must shave:
- Preparation is very important--Use a gentle scrub and hot water. Since I only shave every once in a while I use the cheap Baking Soda (which if overused does dry up skin). Cleaning the surface allows the blade to glide better.
- Use foam instead gel.
- Do not grip the razor with a full hand, use only fingers.
- Shave following the hair line. Only shave against the hair line for special occasions.
- After shaving you should look into a way of protecting your skin. Shaving removes the acid mantle (the natural way that your body protects skin). Alcohol based aftershaves do not provide sufficient protection because they evaporate very fast. I tend to mix and apply a small amount of MCT oil and a bit of non-smelly sulfur cream, but there are likely better alternatives.
- Sleep
- Positive: skin usually looks best after a good night of sleep. There is a good amount of weight loss when proper sleep takes place. Sleeping is a form of fasting.
- Negative: time spend doing "nothing."
- Note: dark cool rooms seem to be ideal for sleeping. Youc an also try the sleep induction mats for relaxing the body and increasing the back's blood circulation.
- Stress
- Seek happiness.
- Sun
- I feel better when exposed tot he sun for about an hour per day. I do not notice that the sun causes acne, but excess sun (as in the case of burns) can damage the skin--thus increase the time to repair acne spots.
- Sweating
- I feel good when I get a noticeable sweat. I'm unsure about the effects on acne.
- Oral medications
- Tetracycline made me feel very sick and ultimately did not solve my acne.
- Topical treatments
- Lemon juice tends to be good for fading marks/acne. This is sticky stuff, and yes it does not solve acne.
- I would not recommend using apple cider vinegar because it's smelly stuff.
- Benzoyl Peroxide and multi-step cleaning products.
- They can reduce acne for a period of time. In my case such multi-step programs do not work well.
- I consider the side of evolution. There is a noticeable drop in acne because some of the acne-bacteria cannot cope with these substances. However, by the principles of evolution, there are some bacteria that can cope well. The survivors of these treatments then reproduce and pass on to the offspring the resistance. Thus, at the end of the day the medication becomes useless. If you use these types of treatments then you must change the formula constantly to something the bacteria is not used to.
- Many topical and oral treatments promote the idea of a subscription based model which ties you down for many months or years worth of use. Over time this can become very expensive.
- A multi-step program requires you to prepare the sking (through steam or hot water), apply step 1, wait a period of time, clean up, steam again or wash, apply step 2, wait, clean up, and apply step 3. This is very time consuming and if you have to do it multiple times per day then you are looking at a lot of time that you will never get back in your lifetime. The Acne Practice and Proactive are two programs that follow this scheme.
- Keep in mind that Benzoyl Peroxide dries your skin, and you are required to not apply moisturizers during the treatment. If you follow the regiment then you must commit yourself fully and you are going to become a social outcast for a considerable period of time.
- Washing face
- My understanding is that we possess an acid mantle that helps fight off external threats. By washing your face too often, or too harshly, there is a removal of the acid mantle. I recommend that if washing the face to do a light sprinkle of water and pat down with a towel.
- Once in a while it might be alright to do a scrub to remove all dead cells and reduce the appearance of black heads.
- If you went a few days without washing your face then you may notice black heads more easily. These black heads are very easy to remove by a very light scratching with fingernails--this is better than squeezing or using harsh scrubs. Another way of dealing with black heads is to do some steaming--although this is time consuming and I presume it also removes the acid mantle.
Regarding weight management... it doesn't have to be so dang hard. If you believe in calories-in and calories-out then you are going to overexercise or starve yourself to achieve your goals--this is stupid. Do not count calories! In my tests, consuming fats is ok as long as you are not consuming too many carbohydrates. Most people that claim that "fat makes you fat" are misinformed and they continue to propagate a statement without proper evidence. As a guy who struggled to maintain proper weight under Marine Corps standards I can tell you that you can be "fit" by working out a lot, but it's way smarter to pay attention to foods. The media though loves BS dramatic programs, such as The Biggest Loser, which promote the idea of exercise over proper nutrition. There are big industries behind food (foods which tend to turn on fat-storage mode), then there are big industries behind working out (apps, dvds, gyms, supplements, etc), and then there are bigger industries trying to fix you by medications and surgeries. They all want your dollars.
Remember though, for every violation of a principle there is a consequence. The consequence may not be immediate, but the consequence will become apparent. Your body is likely to be suited for certain foods, and is quite likely unsuited for other foods. I can say that by my repeated at-home tests I know that fructose and sugars can be very damaging--the body almost treats it like a poison. Yes, some people seem to be completely fine when eating fruits and other sugary foods, but over time their health may show a disagreement. So, I strongly encourage you to experiment, observe what happens, record the data, and review in order to determine what works best for you.
No comments:
Post a Comment