My diet & detox journal

How raw food cured my acne & brightened my complexion

This was originally from my blog, a post dated from May 4th, 2007. I didn’t want it to get lost in my archives, and it really does apply here to my PCOS Q&A series. So I’m cc-ing it here. Hope that’s cool. And, for those that want MORE on the topic, check back soon because I have finally gotten around to compiling my book (and downloadable eBook) addressing how raw foods cured my acne. -Cassy

Ok. I am putting together some thoughts for an eBook about PCOS, and I thought I would throw everyone a morsel to wet your appetite…Raw foods were a key part of my journey to balance my PCOS. In exchange for a healthy diet, rich in raw fresh foods, I received clear skin, for the first time since late puberty!

Here you go…

Yes, yes, yes. A favorite subject of teenagers, but a sorrowful situation for an adult, right? Blemishes not only make you want to hide your face under a paperbag, but they can even cause scaring and long term damage to your skin.

As a woman with PCOS, I am no stranger to breakouts. Poly Cystic Ovarian Syndrome is often characterized by imbalanced hormones. (Did you know that new statistics are showing that as many as 10% or more of young women are dealing with this disorder?)

All women produce some testosterone in their bodies, just as all males have some level of female hormone in theirs. For women with PCOS, however, low levels of progesterone and elevated estrogen & testosterone are key markers of the disorder. Our skin cells are extremly sensitive to these imbalances, and the excessive testosterone can cause increased acne, both on the face and other areas of the body where oil producing glands go into overdrive.

If you have done any research on the raw food diet, or read any of my blog or articles on the subject, you know fresh foods can be a boon to supporting your body’s elimination of excess hormones. Often, we are consuming packaged, boxed, shrink wrapped, canned, bottled, etc. foods, which are loaded with chemicals that can mimic estrogens in the body. This is a simplification, but if we decrease some of this toxic load from our meals, our bodies can better deal with the hormones, even elevated hormones, which are naturally produced inside us. If we are not overloaded, we can hopefully eliminate the excess through our natural processes of detoxification.

Not only do whole foods provide key nutrients for your liver, (your main organ of detoxification,) they are also typically rich in FIBER. (My favorite subject these days! ) Fiber, in particular the soluble variety, is very absorptive. It works like a sponge, helping to escort out water soluble toxins like cholesterol, as well as hormones, from the digestive system and out in a healthy bowel movement.

Fresh foods are also rich in essential fatty acids. These good fats are critical to healthy skin and cellular regeneration. I’m a huge fan of flax and other EFAs, and I also get a lot of good fats from nuts, seeds, and the occasional piece of sushi. I know this has made a huge difference in my diet.

So, are you making the connection yet? Sooo….when I decided to go raw, and since then, even eating high raw high fiber, I have continued to provide my body some assistance to cleanse and detoxify. And, recent tests have shown that my DHEA levels are going down, so my system is finding its own natural balance.

With regard to my skin, I’ve noticed that since 2003 when I first began following the raw diet, it was a transitional experience…It was not overnight. For the first year, I actually felt like it was getting worse. I got HUGE welts on my right shoulder, which was not a spot I’d ever gotten ’spots’ before. Then, for a year or two, I got these strange blemishes right over my kidney meridian and lower kidney area on my back. My accupuncturist and I were astounded, thinking that somehow my kidneys were kicking out some funky toxins!

Now, being a detoxification and cleansing educator, I know that my skin is my largest organ of elimination, and likely, my increased acne over the transition to high raw diet was due to this detoxification process. But, I celebrate that now, at year four since I began my raw food journey, and year ten since I committed to organics and healthy living, my facial skin looks incredibly bright. In particular, the pores are diminishing in size, and I am no longer driven to use lotions and potions to fight my complexion!

I am currently using a natural oil moisturizer every night. I can’t believe I’m using night treatments! I am becoming my mother! :^) grin. But seriously, using only natural oils has helped to nourish and balance my skin, feeding it from the outside in. When I feel like it, I also use a mineral powder if I want to dress up, or feel ‘fancy’.

So, fresh, raw, clean, and unprocessed whole foods have helped me clear my complexion, and detoxify my body. I’ll be writing more on this subject in my upcoming eBook, but for now, you’ve got the scoop!

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