I don’t necessarily eat soy products on a daily basis but whenever I do a new pimple or two will appear on my face, especially on my forehead. Am I simply allergic or am I reacting to the effect of soy on my hormones?

Soy can have a negative effect on your skin by causing hormonal fluctuations, by the possible effect of phylates on mineral absorption and by simply being allergenic to some people.

A friend of mine with acne ate soy on a daily basis and guess what happened? She missed her cycle. Only when she stopped eating soy her cycle gradually returned.

That’s when I realized the enormous effect soy has on male and female hormones.

So should you quit soy altogether? Not necessarily. A handful of tofu here and there should be fine for most people since it is also highly nutritious but for those people with severe acne I say avoid soy completely. Simply NOT worth the risk.

Need guidance on how to get rid of your acne? Check out my Acne No More program

The post Will Your Pimples Disappear If You Consume Soy? first appeared on Mike Walden's Acne Blog.

The post Will Your Pimples Disappear If You Consume Soy? appeared first on Mike Walden's Acne Blog.

Grains in excess and not prepared right (including whole grains which are better than refined) are acid and mucus forming and may aggravate the delicate lining of your G.I. tract, causing food allergies, poor nutrient absorption and digestion problems.

Sprouting grains mimics the environment a seed would normally grow in and makes it bio-available.

Only then, all the anti-nutrients like phytic acid and tannins are neutralized and gluten is broken down into a more easily digested protein. Also, the enzyme and vitamin content increases tremendously.

Sprouted grains that are slow cooked are excellent.

Breads made from sprouted grains are less digestible but are still bio-available (the heating destroys the enzymes but the anti-nutrients have been neutralized).

The ideal thing to eat would be sprouted non-gluten grains.

If you cannot sprout, buy non-gluten breads with no yeast and no preservatives or simply make your own bread.

Having said that, in severe cases of acne I would actually recommend avoiding all grains especially breads for a limited amount of time, focusing mostly on the consumption of fruits and vegetables, raw and cooked, as these are nature’s greatest skin cleansers.

Need guidance on how to get rid of your acne? Check out my Acne No More program

The post Can You Eat Bread When You Have Acne? first appeared on Mike Walden's Acne Blog.

The post Can You Eat Bread When You Have Acne? appeared first on Mike Walden's Acne Blog.

The ideal diet for resolving your acne issue must pose a puzzle to you. Here’s something that might clear a bit of the fog.

Researchers have gathered evidence that diet that is low or moderate in carbohydrate count is beneficial for acne, and also helps to maintain a younger-looking skin tone.

The possible explanation is that acne sufferers have a higher potential to be affected with hyperinsulinemia, a condition in which excess insulin is present in blood, and thus, consuming food that are low in GI (glycemic index) can create a hormonal control mechanism for acne breakouts.

You will be surprised to know, that chocolate, which has been in the bad books of the acne community has not shown any significant correlation with appearance or prevalence of acne, while dairy products, the erstwhile ‘healthy’ category of foods have been strongly linked to this skin condition.

Scientists have said that it is not the chocolate or the cocoa that leads to acne, but rather the sugar content which elevates the glycemic levels of the blood stream.

If you have been made to believe that dairy products are safe and healthy, then you will be surprised to know that several dairy products are prepared by injecting artificial hormones into the body of the animal, and thus have been linked to stimulating the androgens, fluctuations in which can cause the skin to open up into the much unwanted acne.

Dairy has also been reported to escalate insulin levels in blood, which in effect is same as consuming foods with high glycemic index.

So do your best to minimize consumption of refined carbohydrates from your food regimen. This includes pasta, noodles, white bread, refined rice, and refined potato products such as chips.

Switch over to non-starchy fruits and vegetables, sea food and legumes.

Avoid cheese, butter, cream, and sweetened yoghurt. Drink moderate quantities of sugar-free milk, and have plain, unflavoured, unsweetened yoghurt.

Avoid meat, spicy food, and fat-rich food such as ice creams and butter-milk.

I was addicted to dairy products and breads of all kinds so giving up on both at once proved to be too much of a challenge for me.

So here’s how I made the transition to a cleaner acne-free diet: I started by avoiding only pastas for 1-2 weeks. Then on the 3rd week I added breads to the list of foods to be avoided.

Then on the second month I kept away from dairy products. This gradual process proved to be much easier to implement, for me at least. I’m sure some of you can relate to this so I hope you give it a try.

Need guidance on how to get rid of your acne? Check out my Acne No More program

The post IS LOW-CARB THE BEST DIET FOR ACNE? first appeared on Mike Walden's Acne Blog.

The post IS LOW-CARB THE BEST DIET FOR ACNE? appeared first on Mike Walden's Acne Blog.