Acne Treatment

The Acne Diet

There is a lot of controversy about acne diet. Although many healthcare professionals still believe food may not directly cause acne it appears to aggravate the condition and a lot of people seem to improve their skin after adjusting to healthier eating habits. If I were to eat too much salty, high fat sugary foods, seaweed, eggs I would break out with newer acne lesions in a day or two. So acne control is easier if you eliminate junk food and those foods which cause allergy. So below are broad guidelines for an optimum diet:

Dos

Water: Have six glasses each day.

Colorful fruit and vegetables: Have five daily servings, including red/orange/yellow vegetables and fruits, purple foods, green foods, onions and garlic,and 'seed' foods such as peas.

Fresh seeds: Each day have one tablespoon of mixed fresh seeds, e.g. pumpkin, sunflower, sesame or ground hemp/linseed.

Essential fats: Have a tablespoon of cold-pressed seed oils daily and oily fish three times a week.

Fiber-rich foods: Eat plenty of whole grains, root vegetables, lentils and beans.

Organic foods: Eat organic as far as possible.

Alternatives to dairy products: Try sometimes using alternatives to milk and cheese such as Soya, milk and tofu.

Vegetable sources of protein: Include some Soya, beans, lentils and sprouted seeds. Yoghurt: Have low-fat, live, organic yoghurt.

Alcohol: Avoid completely or limit your alcohol intake.

Tea and coffee: Have no more than two cups a day.

Vegetable oils: Limit vegetable oils to a little olive oil and/or cold pressed sunflower or other oils.

Red meat: limit red meat to no more than three times a week. Have fish, organic chicken or game instead.

Grain foods: Limit foods made from wheat, oats, rye, etc. to one or two portions each day.

Don'ts

Sugar: Don't add sugar to drinks and cereals, and avoid sugary foods such as soft drinks, sweets, jams, many cereals, biscuits, cakes and desserts.

Refined carbohydrates: Don't have foods containing white flour, such as bread, biscuits, cakes, pastries and pasta.

Chemicals: Don't have foods containing chemical additives. This includes most canned, preserved or processed foods.

Fried foods: Don't have fried foods. Boil, steam, bake or lightly grill them instead.

Fatty foods: Don't have foods like butter, cream and ice cream.

Processed fats: Don't have processed foods as most of them contain trans-fats.

Smoking: Don't smoke at all.

Following these guidelines, a day's meals might look like this:

Breakfast:

Natural, live yoghurt with chopped fresh fruits and a handful of pumpkin seeds or a muesli made from oats, fresh hazelnuts, sunflower, pumpkin and sesame seeds and raisins with natural yoghurt and some apple juice.

Lunch:

A baked potato with tuna fish, tomato, celery and spring onion, with olive oil and lemon juice or a big rice salad with many types of fresh vegetables, cottage cheese, pumpkin seeds, olive oil, lemon juice and freshly ground black pepper.

Dinner:

Grilled fresh fish, chicken or lean meat or a vegetarian alternative made from beans, lentils or Soya. Serve with a large helping of freshly steamed or lightly stir-fried vegetables. You can also 'steam-fry' vegetables by using just the tiniest drop of oil and adding a couple of tablespoons of water, to, in effect, steam them.

Snacks:

Fresh fruit, raw nuts and seeds (e.g. almonds, hazelnuts, Brazils, pumpkin and sunflower seeds); raw vegetables (e.g. carrots, broccoli, celery) with houmous.

Drinks: