The Best Acne Treatment - Good Nutrition

Most of us have suffered from acne at one time or another
beginning in early puberty. Its medical name is "acne
vulgaris" and indeed, many of us feel that it is absolutely
vulgar.

For some, it is severe enough to require medical
intervention by a dermatologist. For most people, though,
acne is a relatively mild condition that can be controlled
with a healthy diet, as well as basic good hygiene
practices and keeping your face clean.

Most teenagers suffering from acne will find that limiting
certain foods, or completely illiminating them from their
diet, will help a lot in getting rid of acne.

Sugar and other refined carbohydrates

Experts suggest avoiding refined carbohydrates, such as
white flour, and especially sugar. This includes high
amounts of fruit juices, although whole fruits should be
consumed.

Sugared sodas especially should be avoided. These are often
overlooked as major sources of sugar, since they are drunk
rather than eaten.

For a natural non-caloric sugar substitute that has no
aftertaste, try stevia liquid, available at most health
food stores or online. It is purported to be 600 times
sweeter than sugar, so a little goes a very long way.

Switch from white flour and refined foods such as white
rice to whole wheat breads and brown rice. Make sure to
read labels and look for the words "100% whole wheat" or
"100% whole grain." Carbohydrate foods low on the glycemic
index are best to control acne breakouts, so foods such as
white potatoes should also be avoided.

High amounts of fats, including "good" fats

There's a lot of talk these days on "good" versus "bad"
fats. Indeed, "good" fats such as polyunsaturated and
unsaturated oils like canola or olive oil, the fruit of the
avocado and nuts are "good" for you in small amounts, while
hydrogenated oils and trans fats should be avoided
altogether. But if you have acne, you should be especially
careful to limit your fat intake, even good fat intake.

Dietary fat from any source can increase the sebum
production of the skin, leading to acne breakouts. Peanuts
and peanut butter especially should be avoided or greatly
curtailed. However, fish oil supplements or eating fish a
few times a week will help acne breakouts, as these are
beneficial to skin health.

Dairy products

Unfortunately, that bowl of ice cream you enjoy as a snack
every night not only probably has sugar in it, an acne
no-no, but dairy also contains hormones such as
progesterone, which can lead to acne breakouts, as can the
iodine in dairy.

It has been shown that the fat content of the dairy does
not seem to effect its promotion of acne breakouts, so
substituting skim products for full-fat products will not
help. Using soymilk instead of regular milk and other soy
products such as cheese will help control breakouts.

Incidentally, it's unclear whether chocolate itself,
commonly thought of as an acne trigger, actually causes
acne. However, most chocolate consumed also contains high
amounts of refined sugar, which is an acne trigger.

Reducing or eliminating the foods noted above, along with
good hygiene, will greatly reduce or even eliminate acne
breakouts, along with other good habits such as ample
consumption of fruits and vegetables, drinking plenty of
water and getting enough exercise. Bon appétit!


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Carol Stack has written numerous articles on health and
related subjects. She lives in the United States with her
husband, three children, and various dogs and cats. Carol
and her sister Barbara  have combined forces to produce a
website that focuses on healthy and nutritious foods and
recipes. You can visit it at:
http://www.healthyrecipesandmore.com