Spotless - Week 1

To begin, I've taken some pictures for the 'before-and-after' effect. I want to wait until I see some improvement to I post them (because they are rather embarrassing,) but I won't. My skin hasn't been this bad since my mission; Since 99% of you didn't get to experience that with me, now is your chance to see why I was approached everyday with suggestions on how to wash my face.

Dec 5, 2010

Dec 5, 2010

What I've been doing
I began researching hormones and acne. Website after website addressed this issue. Most were written by adults who have suffered from acne for years. All of them generally point in the same direction. Diet, Stress, and Exercise. Due to the fact that I exercise more these days than I have in years and that I am less stressed than... ever, changing my diet should have the most profound effect on my spots.

Each website gave a list of foods to avoid and foods to enjoy. Reduce sugar and refined carbohydrates. Increase fresh fruits and vegetables. The lists reminded me of a nutrition book I read several years ago:  The South Beach Diet.

Apparently insulin and digestibility go hand in hand with not only weight loss, but acne. Here is a clip from one of the websites I liked called Clear Skin.

Reduce your intake of sugar and refined carbohydrates

There is recent research pointing the finger at diet — eating refined carbohydrates (white bread, pasta, rice, flour etc) and sugar leads to a surge in insulin and an insulin-like growth factor called IGF-1. This in turn leads to an excess of male hormones, which encourage the skin to excrete large amounts of sebum. This grease-like substance encourages the growth of bacteria responsible for acne.

Refined carbs/sugar = more insulin = more hormones = more sebum (oil) = more bacteria = more acne

So, if excess insulin is causing my problem with male hormones (as was pointed out so eloquently by my dermatologist), then controlling my insulin levels should also control my hormone levels - without medications.

To learn more about insulin I returned to The South Beach Diet. Insulin is produced by our pancreas to get sugar we eat out of our blood and into our bodies where it is needed. When your body detects high levels of blood sugar, it pumps out high levels of insulin. That results in a rapid decrease of blood sugar and hypoglycemia (the self-diagnosed type, characterized by shakiness and altered mood and thinking. I suffer from this when fasting or during long stretches between meals.) The solution is to eat food combinations that cause gradual rather than sharp increases and decreases in blood sugar, and to avert hypoglycemia with timely snacks. The way to know which foods cause the quickest rise in blood sugar is by learning about the Glycemic Index (GI).

The Glycemic Index
Without going into a lot of detail, low GI foods cause your blood sugar to rise and fall more slowly than foods with a high GI. Choosing foods with a low GI and high nutrient content should help me maintain healthy insulin and hormone levels, which in turn will remove my spots. For those interested, I will post more details on the GI of food later.

Action plan
Now that I better understand how food is affecting my body, choosing healthier food has been more important to me. Over the last 5 days I have become more aware of the things I eat and the healthy options available. I try to eat large amounts of low GI foods and small amounts of high GI foods. I am also eating every few hours when I'm hungry instead of waiting for the standard meal times. It has been working.

Today is Fast Sunday. As usual my body has been shaking and my mind is having a hard time thinking. It takes a lot in internal reflection and self control to have control over my mood when I feel like this. I suppose this is one of the reasons we are asked to fast in the first place. Good practice. Over the next few weeks I can see myself becoming very creative with new recipes. I will try to share some with you.