Over the years, doctors and dermatologists have often minimized the connection between acne and food. They have denied that there is a link – and this has led millions of people to needlessly suffer with acne. The truth is that certain trigger foods can absolutely make acne worse. As a Naturopathic Doctor, I have helped thousands of women find a diet that helps them clear their skin – but what most people don’t know is that once they have healed their body they can actually tolerate MORE foods, and foods that used to trigger their acne will be tolerated.
How do foods trigger acne?
When you have acne, your body is inflamed. Acne is inflammation. Often, inflammation on the skin is related to inflammation in the gut (hello, microbiome) – and trigger foods can make inflammation worse.
Imagine your gut being on fire – that is how inflammation often starts in the body. And then, imagine inflammatory foods as fuel. Each time you eat an inflammatory trigger food, you add fuel to the fire. It is nearly impossible to properly reduce inflammation and heal gut damage when inflammatory foods continue to be consumed.
The secret to truly healing the gut and reducing inflammation (and acne) permanently is to give the body a break from acne trigger foods so that your gut can properly heal. When that is accomplished, acne magically disappears, and you can tolerate a wider variety of foods while enjoying clear skin and improved health.
How do you identify your food triggers?
Well, there are the big three – dairy, gluten, and sugar. And in my 7 Week Clear Skin Program, I have nine other foods that I add to that list because over the years I’ve seen these foods (in addition to the big three) trigger acne and inflammation. The best way to figure out your food triggers is through an elimination diet.
An elimination diet removes suspected inflammatory foods from the diet for a period of time while the body is given an opportunity to heal. Then, once the inflammation has gone down and the gut has healed, foods are re-introduced back into the diet one at a time, and any reactions are observed. This is hands-down the best way to determine any foods that are acne triggers.
Can you just do an IgG Food Sensitivity Test to identify my food triggers?
No, because most people that suffer with acne tend to have more food intolerances than food sensitivities. Food intolerances are the result of inefficient digestion, whereas food sensitivities tend to trigger immune reactions. The elimination diet is the gold standard to identify food intolerances, whereas the IgG Food Sensitivity Test only identifies food sensitivities.
When and how can you reintroduce foods?
You do not want to reintroduce foods too early. Here’s the thing – the reintroduction process is critical. Here are the important things you need to know about reintroducing foods:
- Once you reduce inflammation in your body and heal your gut, you are going to be able to tolerate way more foods than you can currently tolerate.
- If you start reintroducing foods too quickly, your body may not be ready to tolerate those foods. You may think you’re actually sensitive to them when it’s just that your body hasn’t healed enough yet.
- Only reintroduce one food at a time once your gut is completely healed..
- Be mindful of threshold tolerance. Threshold tolerance is how much of a certain food you can eat without getting a reaction. Some of you, you may be able to eat small amounts of this or that or the other thing without your body becoming inflamed. But if you eat more than that, say you ate large quantities of that food, then your body will become inflamed.
Will an elimination diet create food fear?
An elimination diet is not about deprivation, nor is it about creating fear surrounding certain foods. The elimination diet is a healing process designed to empower you with knowledge that you will have for the rest of your life.
There are so many amazing foods that you can eat while on an elimination diet. There’s no need for you to feel hungry or to feel like you’re not getting the food that you need. You’ll figure the food triggers out in that reintroduction process and, fingers crossed, you will have less food triggers than you actually think you have because your body will be healed and you will also find out your true food triggers. It’s also an opportunity for you to really get in tune with your body and be intuitive about what foods are working for you and what foods are not working for you.
One more important tip.
An elimination diet is a deep, healing process. It is something that you only want to do once, and you want to do it correctly so you heal your body properly and come away with incredibly valuable information and clear skin. Work with a professional – especially someone that has years of experience treating acne and guiding people through an elimination diet. You will not be sorry – this process and the empowerment it brings you is more than worth the time and money to do it correctly.
And guess what! My 7-Week Clear Skin Program is going on sale on Wednesday, July 7th! This is the perfect time to join my best-selling program and embark upon your own acne elimination diet and healing process. This program has changed lives and it is priced to help as many people as possible achieve clear skin for good! AND – it only goes on sale a few times each year so get ready to start your journey NOW.
To learn more and sign up for the waiting list, click here.
