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As a teenager and young adult, I was fortunate to have clear skin. Of course there would be the occasional pimple here and there but for the most part, it was clean and clear.

Over that past 6 months something has changed. Each day seems to hold some mystery to it… “will I wake up and see a new zit today?”

My face, while not plagued with acne and scars is much different than it was. Now, it’s a rarity if I don’t have a few pimples on my face. And my skin is very sensitive (not just my face, my entire body). Sometimes my entire body itches, and all I can do is sit on my hands to avoid giving in.

What gives?

It’s something I’ve become increasingly self-conscious of especially when shooting videos and taking pictures on a weekly basis.

Make-up can only cover up so much, and my photoshop skills don’t allow my to touch up my complexion (or anything with my body for that matter).

After researching and talking with Dan, we’ve decided I needed to take some action and make some changes.

I’ve been reading a lot this week on nutrition and acne issues, one great source has been my friends at PurelyTwins who have been experimenting with their own diets, hormones and acne issues for quite some time now.

What I’ve learned is this… it’s going to take some experimenting. It’s going to take commitment and it is going to take time.

I can’t make changes to my diet and expect a flawless completion in a day or two. Damn.

I’ll be doing more research today to add the final touches to my meal plan (having a meal plan will help so much). But so far here are a few rules I’m going to try to follow.

The Great Natural Acne Experimentation Diet

• Cut back on fats (specifically omega 6’s). This means no nuts, seeds, grains and even avocado. What will I do without peanut butter?! After 2 weeks I’ll add in avocado back to my diet. Omega 6′s are great for you, but it’s likely I’ve been getting too many which can cause inflammation. My goal is to balance my Omega 3: Omega 6 ration.
• Cut out sugar. I’m going to actually cut out fruit (after today’s Fruity Friday), honey, syrup, and of course normal sugar. After 2 weeks, I’ll slowly add back in fruit to see if it has any affect on my face. I sure hope not. I love my fruit.
• Cut out soy. This isn’t going to be hard at all since I don’t eat much soy (tempeh every once in a while). Because of the phytoestrogens in it, soy can affect hormones which can of course influence acne.
• Cut out gluten. I went gluten free for about 8 weeks and felt not much different. Since I have had gluten foods in limited amounts, but I’m willing to try again with the other rules.
• Cut back on raw veggies. Believe it or not, I’ve read several places that eating vegetables raw can be an irritant for some people. I eat a lot of raw veggies since going vegan, so I am curious to see what happens.
• No vegetable oil, including olive oil. I’ll only be using coconut oil for a bit to see how it goes.

I am not doing this to lose weight, I am working to get my body in a healthy state. Someone once said that unhealthy symptoms on the outside means something is going on in the inside.

So we’ll see.

Along with the nutrition, I’m still looking into a healthy face care program to try. I’ve heard good things about topical niacin? If you have any suggestions, I am all ears!

What will I be eating? I’ll share more on that next week!

Sweet Potato Casserole

I could care less about pumpkin pie or stuffing at Thanksgiving. To me, sweet potato casserole is where it’s at.

It’s really a dessert, but with casserole tossed in to the name. That of course makes it okay to have on your dinner plate, right?

Well, I am almost tired of pumpkin EVERYTHING so I decided to bring my favorite Thanksgiving food to the table in shake form.

May I introduce you to my new best friend…

I posted a picture of this shake on Instagram & Facebook and it didn’t take long to realize I needed to share this baby! This honestly beats any pumpkin pie shake I’ve ever made hands down. A-Ma-Zing!

Sweet Potato Protein Shake

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup canned sweet potatoes (drained and rinsed)
• 1 cup almond milk, unsweetened
• 1 tsp cinnamon (or more/less)
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• 1 small handful pecans
• 1 tbsp raisins
• 1 scoop vanilla protein powder (I used Vega)
• 1 handful ice

Directions

1. Blend it all up and enjoy!
2. I topped mine with roasted chestnuts that I made the other night, however I really wanted a BIG toasted marshmallow for the top!

QUESTIONS:

What products do you use on your face? 

Favorite Thanksgiving food?

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