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TGIF! I hope you have some great plans for this weekend! We’ve got a packed schedule filled to the brim with friends, fun, fitness, and food! All of my favorites!

When it comes to food, remember how I was making a few adjustments to go to war with my adult pimple issues?

Well, so far so good.

I’ve made quite a few changes that seem to be working and I thought I would share with you. Keep in mind, this is what is working for me and we’re all very different. But perhaps it might help lend some ideas if you’re dealing with pimples too.

Foods I Have Eliminated

Beans and legumes. 

Being vegan, I was a huge bean eater before making these tweaks. We’re talking up to 5+ times per week. I have heard others say that beans can affect their hormone levels and thus their acne so I decided it was worth a try. It was hard adjusting to find other foods to eat to replace them (no bean meatballs?) but so far so good.

With the exception of split peas and lentils (because of iron), I have taken all other beans out of my diet and to be honest feel great.

This includes no soy bean products. But since I wasn’t a soy eater prior to this test, I don’t really consider it part of my list.

Instagram: Rice wrap + Split Pea Soup

Gluten. 

I’m not perfect at this, but I am a work in progress. I haven’t been a big gluten eater for about 4 months now, but over the past 6 weeks I’ve really tried to stick to a gluten-free diet. Since beginning, I think I’ve only had 2 slip ups (Thanksgiving) and a slice of Ezekiel bread.

By the way, gluten-free pasta is delicious! So are rice wraps. Yum!

Fruit.

I was a fruit addict prior to this challenge change. In the back of my mind I knew that fruit could be partially to blame for my blemish issues since they began when I started my fruit addiction. So I cut out everything except berries (they’re the lowest in sugar) to see if I was right. It’s been tough not having fruit at every single meal and snack but surprise surprise my face has cleared up.

I’ll admit this has been the hardest elimination, as I LOVE fruit. I actually get excited thinking about a crisp apple or a bowl of grapes.

This week I started to add back some in, but I am going to continue to stay away from the more sugary options like bananas and pineapple to see if it continues to make improvements.

Omega 6’s.

During my acne investigation I read over and over again the influence that foods high omega-6s can have on skin. So I cut back to see. I removed all nuts except for almonds from my diet, vegetable oils, and seeds. Most diets get enough omega-6s in them naturally already so even by removing these, I was still get a healthy amount for my body.

Foods I Have Added

Coconut Oil. 

I’ve been using coconut oil for quite a long time, but now it’s become my #1 oil of choice any time I cook. I just ran out yesterday… got make a trip to Earth Fare!

Coconut oil differs from other plant based oils in regards to its omega 3 : Omega 6 ratio. In fact, less than 1% of it is omega 6′s. This alone could contribute to it’s anti-inflammatory properties. Here’s an article I found that explains the whole Omega 3/Omega 6 debate.

Fish Oil

*First off…  I realize that fish oil is not vegan, however I think its a very important nutrient and one that my doctor and I agreed I should take. 

Cutting back on Omega 6’s while increasing Omega 3’s I think has made the biggest difference. Not only for my face, but increasing my Omega 3’s has been a positive experience all around. We all know that fish oil is heart healthy (helps to keep plaque from accumulating in the arteries and reduces likelihood of stroke/heart attack) but did you know it’s been linked to helping women deal with painful periods, breast pain, and even pregnancy issues? Pretty cool, right?

All of those are hormone related issues, so to think it can help with acne only makes sense… at least to me.

What Fish Oil Do I Use? 

Are all fish oil pills the same? No! Some fish oil pills are from farmed fisheries, and some are from fish in polluted waters. Neither of which sounds high quality to me. In fact, I used to take fish oil years ago until I learned about the poor quality fish that was being used.

But after talking with my doctor and reading about the benefits for my acne, I decided I needed to find something that fit my high quality expectations.

I found Wiley’s Finest.  Well, they actually found me to be honest.

It came at the perfect timing, the company reached out to me and asked if I would be interested in trying their Wild Alaskan Fish Oil… yum, can you say mind reader?

Yes!

So they sent me a bottle to try out. What I love is that they are local…

The fish is caught by American fisherman and made in America. They promise full traceability, meaning they know where your pills come from!

What about the fish & Pills? 

• The fish used are: Wild caught Alaska Polluck and Pacific Whiting fish.
• The pills do not contain sugar, gluten, starch, wheat, dairy, soy, nuts, shellfish… no weird add-ins.
• Each pill has 4x more Omega 3′s than regular strength fish oil.
• Caught from the cold waters of the Bering Sea
• And handled in ethically managed fisheries.
• Oh and did I mention it’s a small family owned business? As a small business owner, I love this! The facility used to make the products is actually owned by the Wiley family in Ohio. Everything is done right there on site.
• And finally, they believe in sustainability and education. The Wiley family isn’t just about pumping out pills and depleting the fish population, they have a true passion for what they do and the service they provide to help keep the fish population healthy and growing.

Even their packaging and glass is recycled and they have a renewable biofuel partnership helping to make their process as clean as possible. LOVE that!

I’ve been on the fish oil for right at a month now, and truly feel better. I just started my iron pills this past week so I know that many of the benefits I was getting was from the oil, not the iron.

Seriously, if you are looking for a good fish oil supplement you might want to check out Wiley’s Finest. They offer several different options, though I just went with the general Peak EPA Fish Oil. I still have a few more days left in my jar but I will be purchasing another bottle.

BONUS!

And they were nice enough to give all LiftingRevolution readers 20% off by using promo code BLOGGER.

And really that’s it… those are the changes I’ve made and with time I might make some more tweaks and even play around with adding more food back in to see what really is the culprit or to find out if it’s a little of everything.

Have you ever done an elimination diet? 

Ever taken Fish Oil? 

*While I did receive Wiley’s Fish Oil for review,  did not receive compensation. As always all thoughts and beliefs are my own. I would never give a positive review to something I didn’t think deserved it.

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