How I Got Clear Skin in 3 months (Natural Acne Treatment) Skin Transformation
Here is how I cleared my skin
naturally and you can too. Step one: eat real food. One of my biggest epiphanies was that
food can actually be more powerful and effective at clearing acne than topical
skin care. Now, this is mind-blowing, right? We're so used to just focusing
on what's on the outside. I started eating more whole
real foods than ever before, especially vegetables.
When I had acne,
the only servings of veggies that I got came from french fries and tomato sauce on
pizza, so this was a huge upgrade for me. I also added in fruit, beans, lentils, nuts,
and seeds which I was not really eating before. I mean before I was basically just eating junk
food ,fast food, McDonald's, take- out, pizza, all that kind of stuff. So, I went from eating
primarily processed foods to primarily whole foods and it was like the Gates of Heaven had
opened up. When you switch to eating mostly whole foods that are unprocessed, not only will it help
your skin clear up, it will improve your mood, your immunity, your weight, and lower
your risk for various chronic diseases. You may be wondering how does food
affect acne? Well there are several ways. Whole real foods are rich in critical
nutrients that our bodies and skin need. Research shows that acne can be caused
by a variety of nutrient deficiencies such as Vitamin A, vitamin D, zinc,
or omega-3, which whole foods provide.
Even if you're only deficient in one of
these nutrients, you greatly increase your chances of acne. Secondly, plant-based
whole foods provide fiber which aids in elimination and hormone balance. Fiber also
feeds the good bacteria in your gut and when the bacteria in your gut are happy and in
balance this helps to reduce inflammation since acne is an inflammatory condition.
Anti-inflammatory foods are able to powerfully and effectively reduce acne from the inside
out. And finally, whole foods generally have a low glycemic load, meaning they help to keep
your blood sugar more stable and they don't cause those large spikes and crashes in blood sugar
the way that refined and processed foods do. This is a really important point if you have acne
because dozens of human studies have shown that a high glycemic diet, that causes your blood sugar
to go like this, increases the risk of acne, while a low glycemic load diet, which keeps your blood
sugar stable, can actually help reverse acne.
So for example a Turkish cross-sectional
study that included 2,300 teenagers, researchers found that the teens who frequently
consumed added sugars had a 30 percent greater risk of developing acne while those who regularly
ate pastries and cakes had a 20 greater risk. Now on the flip side, there are several studies
showing that when you switch from a high glycemic diet to a low glycemic load diet you can actually
reverse acne. So, a study published in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology examined
the impact of a low glycemic diet on acne.
Of the nearly 3,000 participants with acne who
followed the diet, 87 percent said they had less acne and 91 said they needed less acne medication
at the end of a three-month period. That's crazy like 80 to 90 % reduction in acne or sorry 80
to 90 percent of the people noticed a reduction in their acne and needed less acne medication.
I mean that is huge! In just in three months. In another study, a randomized controlled trial
published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, and I'll link all these studies below,
which included 43 males with acne aged 15 to 25, researchers found that at the end of 12 weeks
those who followed a low glycemic load diet instead of a normal diet
had significantly less acne.
This was definitely true for me when I
had acne I was eating a ton of sugar and refined carbohydrates like pizza, pasta, bread,
crackers, cereal… and when I reduced all these foods and eliminated them and replaced them
with whole foods, with whole grains, with more nutrient-dense foods, well that significantly
impacted my skin, my mood, my gut, and I mean my skin actually cleared up
in three months after four to five years of struggling with acne and trying
all the medications and all the things. It actually only took me three months
to clear my skin by changing my diet so I know that changing your diet can seem
a little overwhelming so I'm going to share some of the recipes and the things that helped
me because trust me I promise you my diet was way way worse than whatever it
is that you're eating right now. I was addicted to sugar at that time but
I didn't give up sweet food entirely I just upgraded where that sweetness
was coming from.
I relied primarily on whole food fruit sweeteners like bananas
dates or applesauce to sweeten my desserts. They come with fiber and nutrients to nourish your
body and they help to minimize a blood sugar spike compared to refined sugar, which doesn't have
that fiber attached to it. I also tended to pair whenever I was eating sweet things or fruit
I paired it with protein and fat like nuts or nut butter which also further helps to keep your
blood sugar stable. I used to make banana ice cream all the time this was my go-to recipe to
get over sweet cravings and it really worked to make it you just need two frozen bananas, cacao
powder, or you can use chocolate protein powder, which I actually prefer, some almond
butter, and you can use a collagen powder, or if you're using cacao powder, use a scoop
of regular protein powder.
You blend this up in a high speed blender and it makes the most
delicious and creamy soft serve ice cream. Instead of cookies I started eating things like
dates stuffed with nuts or nut butter and vegan dark chocolate that was 75 or 85 percent
or more. When buying store-bought snacks I looked for things that were sweetened with coconut
sugar, maple syrup, honey, monk fruit, or stevia. Monk fruit or stevia don't raise your
blood sugar at all and if you like the taste of them they are actually the most
clear skin friendly option. They weren't as popular back in the day when I had
acne, but now if I was going through it I would look primarily for monk fruit and
stevia – pure monk fruit and pure stevia. Now for breakfast, I would make a blueberry
blemish blast smoothie which I will link to the recipe in the description.
It was a great
way to start the morning because it is rich in antioxidants and omega-3s, which helped
to bring down inflammation and redness. For dinner I loved making a quick vegetable
Thai curry, you can use any vegetables that you have on hand, I love a mix of broccoli
cauliflower and carrots and you can even use pre-chopped or frozen if you don't
have the time or the budget for fresh. For protein I liked using jarred chickpeas
but you could use any light-colored bean or organic tofu or wild seafood like calamari or
shrimp. I'll link to the full recipe below. Step two: nourish your gut. The gut and skin may seem like
two completely separate organs, but they are intricately connected. In fact
this connection is dubbed the gut-skin axis and it is one of the major keys to clear skin.
A highly processed diet, stress, antibiotics, and other medications can all disrupt your gut.
For some people, their symptoms are mild and they don't really notice any outward gut issues, but
for others they are more pronounced.
So you may experience regular bloating, gas, constipation,
and maybe even frequent stomach aches. These are all a sign that something is off with your
gut. Whether or not you feel your gut symptoms, if you have acne or other inflammatory skin
conditions for that matter, like psoriasis, you will likely benefit by paying more attention
to your gut health. Research shows that people with acne exhibit lower gut bacteria diversity,
meaning they have less different types of bacteria in their gut.
So people with acne tend to
have lower amounts of good bacteria such as lactobacillus and bifidobacteria species which
support the gut lining and reduce inflammation. People with acne also tend to have higher amounts
of the not so good or opportunistic bacteria which do the opposite: they can compromise the gut
barrier and contribute to inflammation. Remember inflammation is a cause of acne. Now, there are
several things that you can do to combat this. For me, one of the most impactful things that
I did was start taking a probiotic with lacto and bifidobacteria.
I also had a lot of bloating
at the time so this not only helped my skin it also helped knock out the chronic bloat. Now it
took me a while to find a probiotic that worked though as there are a lot of ineffective,
poorly made probiotics on the market, so you have to find a high quality one that
has a specific strain that you need and in an impactful amount or an impactful dose. In fact
probiotics helped me so much that I worked with a top probiotic company for several years and
recently created my own probiotic specifically tailored to support skin clarity and reduce bloat.
It's called Glow Biome. It's made with clinically validated strains in efficacious doses and is
doctor approved. I'll link to it in the caption. Now in addition to taking a probiotic you
should also incorporate more naturally fermented foods into your diet which
are a source of probiotics as well. This includes things like sauerkraut,
kimchi, miso, natto, and coconut yogurt. Pickles can also be a source of probiotics but
you want to make sure that they are traditionally pickled or lacto-fermented.
You want to watch
out for any brands that are quick pickled. Some companies, to save time and money, use a
quick pickling process that uses vinegar to give the sour pickle taste without the probiotics.
Real fermented pickles will not have vinegar in the ingredient list and you'll generally
only find them in the refrigerator section. Step 3: Master your mind and manage stress.
If you're eating super healthy and you're still breaking out, then it's time
to look at your stress levels. Stress really can cause acne for multiple
reasons. First it raises your cortisol levels which can actually increase your sebum production
making your skin more oily and prone to breakouts. Secondly stress negatively impacts your gut which
creates inflammation which we just talked about is the main root cause of acne. And third, it
increases free radical production and oxidative stress which is associated with inflammation and
acne. One of the first studies that showed a link between stress and skin was published in 1953 in
the Journal of Laboratory and Clinical Medicine. When researchers conducted a purposely stressful
interview with acne-prone individuals they reported an acne flare-up within just a few
days.
A similar more recent study involving college students found that acne increased
during examination time, and another study with female medical students found that stress
severity strongly correlated with acne severity. So, if you're stressed, there are several
things that you can do. First, breathe. Seriously when we are chronically stressed
this activates our sympathetic nervous system and pushes our body into a state
of constant fight or flight mode. When you're stressed your body just does not work
optimally. Slow deep breathing is scientifically proven to shift your body from the sympathetic
nervous system to the parasympathetic nervous system otherwise known as a state of rest and
digest and it literally takes just one minute. There are many different breathing exercises
you can do – you can look them up they're all on YouTube – but the simplest one, one that I
really like, is called the 2x breathing where your exhale is two times or two yeah two count two
times longer than your inhale.
So if you breathe in for two then you will exhale for four and you
basically just repeat this for one minute and you will feel instantly calmer. you can even pause the
video right now and do it and see for yourself. Secondly make sure you're taking a probiotic as you know stress has a negative impact
on your gut microbiome wiping out some of the good bacteria allowing the pro-inflammatory
bacteria to increase and potentially damage the gut lining. All which creates inflammation and
leads to breakouts. I have another video on the gut brain skin axis which I'll link where you can
learn more about this but in a nutshell research dating as far back as the 1930s has showed that
when we're stressed this creates dysbiosis in the gut and this dysbiosis creates inflammation in the
gut but also throughout the body and when there's inflammation in the entire body that can also
lead to inflammation in the skin AKA breakouts. Alright I know that was a super long video but I
wanted to give you a big-picture view of really what it takes to clear your skin naturally
from within your diet plays a huge role your gut health plays a huge role of course hormone
balance plays a huge role but your diet and stress reduction help with that.
It's not going
to happen overnight but it's also not going to take forever either. So if you want to clear your
skin naturally I would love to be your guide be sure to check out and download my clear skin
plan it has a complete step-by-step guide on how to do exactly that and it's filled with over
100 delicious skin-clearing recipes. If you like this video and found it helpful be sure to give
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Thanks for watching and I'll see you next time
