zits

photo credits: ambird

with the zits on my face. Yep, I said it, zits. Disgusting, horrible, detestable zits. As a young adult, I had acne and was on and off antibiotics for 2-3 years and in the third year I even took Accutane. It worked and I was clear for a year or so and then the zits returned with vengeance. I was frustrated and depressed. I didn’t want to ruin my liver by overdosing it with truckloads of Vitamin A found in Accutane, so I sought natural alternatives instead.

I thought that  my acne had to do with diet since I tried most off the counter anti-acne treatments to no avail. I was eating a lacto-ovo vegetarian version of the Standard American Diet:  processed junk food, soy burgers, cheese, frozen pizzas, fries and my favourite desserts like cakes and pies. My skin became volatile and would break out days in a row.

Mortified by the painful and disfiguring blisters, I scanned the internet in search of the root causes for acne; the common main offenders being gluten in wheat flour and hormonal imbalances caused by insulin spikes from sugar.

cherrypiephoto credits: z5

Alert: Main ingredients for pie:  flour and sugar. I’m a declared pie addict. I could eat pie for breakfast, lunch and dinner. I seriously thought I could live on pie and pie alone!!!  But acne had to come in the picture, so I had chose between pies or a presentable complexion. :(  Sorry pie, looks like I don’t love you enough.

I also chanced upon Wai’s Acne Sample Diet that recommended eating raw, unprocessed foods. Thinking that I had nothing to lose, I went on the vegan version of it: avocado-cucumber-tomato salads, raw fruit and nuts. Within 3 days my zits dried up and in a week’s time I was pimple-free. I was thrilled by the results but struggled on the diet as the craving for sweets and cooked food sets in.

Right now, I am almost all raw except for two or three cooked dinners in a week. I am also reading Dr. Douglas N. Graham’s 80/10/10 diet. His low-fat vegan approach with fresh, whole fruits and vegetables as basis really appeals to me. Sugar in fruits are released without causing drastic insulin spikes when eaten whole while possessing excellent detoxification qualities. Next on my reading list is Dr. T. Colin’s The China Study.

branchphoto credits: tomooka

As an art student, I can’t afford to splurge on expensive raw food cuisines that calls for loads of raw nuts on a daily basis. I can’t afford to go all organic although it’s recommended. I don’t own a dehydrator and like fuss-free preparation methods. 80/10/10 or 811 for short is almost perfect for me.

My digestive system is in desperate need of an overhaul, screaming, “someone please give me a DETTOOOOX!!!!” I tried getting off the raw diet but once I head too far off, my acne came back. I guess I’d be stuck with raw.

Thank goodness for sweet fruits. I can’t go without them. I kinda like the idea of being a Fruitarian, going back to the garden of Eden and eating like a demi-god, presuming demi-gods eats fruits…er..which they do right?

How about you? Are you on a special diet? How do you feel being on it? Please share!

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Filed under: Being Raw

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