Really terrible…oily in some spots, dry and flaky in other. It was always red and irritated from whatever treatment I was using at the time for my cystic acne. I was always searching for the perfect foundation, one that would cover up all those problems and stay on all day.
This is my skin today:
This picture was taken in natural light. I have mineral makeup on, but no heavy concealers. It’s not perfect…I get little breakouts from time to time when I eat something I’m sensitive to. And there are some fine lines…hey, I’m 49 and I’ve spent a ton of time in the sun, including days of babyoil and reflective blankets.
After decades of struggling, trying every possible skin care line and tons of heavy prescriptions, including going on accutane three times, I finally cleared my skin by changing what was going inside my body.
Now everybody is different, and I’m not claiming that what worked for me will work for everyone. I always ate pretty clean, and was a vegetarian for over 30 years. But I still followed a lot of “conventional” nutrition advice: eat lots of whole grains, don’t eat much fat, and make sure you have plenty of dairy.
It turns out that advice didn’t work for me. I am sensitive to dairy and grains (particularly wheat), and when I cut them out of my diet, as well as eliminating refined sugar, my skin cleared up almost overnight. Seriously, I could feel the inflammation from the cysts going down.
When you see such dramatic results, you have no problem cutting foods out and replacing them with foods you enjoy even more. In my case, I started to discover that certain foods made my skin even better…lots of leafy greens, high quality fats, and high quality animal protein. And as my skin cleared up and kept getting better, I learned more about holistic skin care and started putting better stuff ON my skin as well. To this day, if I have a little dairy, I notice a subtle puffiness around my eyes the next day. If I have it more than once, I am sure to break out.
But bottom line for me was this…no dairy, grains, or sugar equals clear skin. Totally worth it!
I’d love to hear from you…any one else notice changes in their skin after changing their diet?
So inspiring!!! I love that picture of you, too! I never had acne, but I had dry, flaky skin all growing up. My skin is a night and day difference since I cut out refined sugar and flours and dairy, too. It’s balanced, healthy and vibrant now! So cool and you are right – it makes giving up those foods worth it 🙂
It’s amazing what a difference food makes! And thanks for the complement on the picture…I hadn’t had professional pics taken since my college yearbook in the late 80’s…figured it was time to update!
You are so beautiful! You’re shinning! I stumbled into your website from a comment of yours on Marksdailyapple and now I’m so addicted to everything you have to say! You’re 49 but such a teen at heart…with the wisdom of a 100 year old 🙂 I love your enthusiasm and your charm…
Awww, Priya, you just made my day!!! So happy you are enjoying the blog. I really have fun with it! LMK if you would like me to put you on my weekly email list!