Posted by JoAnna | 6 Comments

The Shocking Truth About Acne Removal: Can You Clear Acne Naturally?

Are you sick and tired of constantly looking for a solution to your acne problem, spending precious time and money?

Are you feeling frustrated and even depressed about not getting the results that you desire?

Just like many others people who suffer from acne, you may be looking for a fast and permanent way to clear acne naturally. But is it possible? Is it doable to be acne free using natural methods alone?

Can you get beautiful, glowing and clear skin without antibiotics, pills, creams, and other concoctions?

Many people who suffer from acne choose go for some sort of commercial treatments, such as pills, creams, and even cosmetic surgeries, to get fast relief without any effort on their part. They either don’t realize or don’t care that there may be a better – natural – way to their acne problem.

With most acne treatment, you are only getting a temporary solution – by treating the symptom, rather than the cause of the problem. If you address the problem and start from the inside

You can see many “miraculous” treatments for acne that are advertised on the Internet and in popular magazines. Just about everyone you know has some kind of magical remedy or secret advice.

You need to accept the fact that acne is NOT a normal condition of the skin, but a signal of a deeper problem in your body.

Understand this: Acne is not just a problem with your skin. If you suffer from acne then there’s most likely something in your body that isn’t working as well as it should. It is a warning that something is WRONG inside your body – and that problem needs to be corrected before you can be truly acne free. Failing to diagnose and fix this problem in a timely manner can result is far more severe and chronic symptoms and disorders which can seriously endanger your health and well-being.

If you are looking for a permanent cure, you should NOT rely entirely on over the counter treatments for acne or prescription drugs – these may be good for short-term relief of severe symptoms. All forms of acne, even severe acne, can be addressed by applying natural methods. It just may take a little longer and require a more patience and discipline if your condition is severe.

How to get rid of acne – Naturally

To cure acne fast and keep it off forever, there are many of things you can do that are much safer than any medications.

Skin is your largest organ, and if there’s anything wrong with it will manifest itself on your skin. That is why natural treatments for acne rely on taking good care of your whole body: eating a well-balanced diet high in fresh vegetables, fruits and greens – all these will provide your body with excellent nutrition it needs for radiant skin; avoiding diary, meats, and processed foods and substances that are harmful to your body, proper cleansing to keep the skin oil-free, proper exercise, rest, and sleep.

The main component for proper acne skin care is to live a healthy life. This means eating healthy foods, avoiding harmful substances, getting exercise, and many other aspects of what is considered a healthy lifestyle. Do not concentrate on treating symptoms and worry about a specific part of your body not being well (in the case of acne this could be your liver or kidneys).

Let’s explain in detail what it means “eating a healthy diet”

Foods that are harmful to your skin: Avoid these foods at all costs if you want to stay acne free

Here are some harmful foods that you need to avoid if you want beautiful skin, clear from acne:

1) Junk foods: These kinds of foods are considered unhealthy when eaten regularly because they contain harmful ingredients – unhealthy fats, preservatives, colorings. Examples: burger, pizza, energy drinks.

2) Greasy and processed foods: Greasy foods are any kind of foods which contain too much fat, processed with unhealthy cooking process. Examples of greasy foods are fried rice, fried chicken, potato chips, and fried fish.

3) Refined carbohydrates: The examples of refined carbohydrate are white flour, white sugar, white rice, and all the breads, pastas, cookies, etc. that are made with these.

4) Dairy products: Dairy products such as cow’s milk can cause allergic reaction and aggravate acne for some people. Many people don’t digest diary very well, which can lead to problems. Diary contains antibiotics and it can effectively interfere in your digestive process. The examples of dairy products are cow milk and cheese.

5) Meats and Fish: Meats (especially processed meats) and fish contain harmful toxins with hard to digest protein which can cause major digestive problem and allergic reactions.

6) Other foods that should be avoided: egg whites, white sugar, alcohol, caffeine, tobacco, wheat (many people don’t tolerate gluten well).

If you can’t completely eliminate those foods from your diet, make sure that you consume them only in small quantities and as rarely as possible.

I know that this is easier said than done, but the best way to tackle these issues is to load your body with delicious foods that are actually good for your body.

Acne Removal Diet: Eat as much of these foods as you can to be acne free

You need to be eating these foods in order to maintain your skin health. And you should be eating LOTS and LOTS of them. These foods can help remove and cleanse toxins, remove blemishes and skin problems, and rejuvenate and revitalize your skin.

Here are the foods that are beneficial for your skin (for your clear skin diet):

1) Fresh, raw fruits, vegetables and greens. You probably heard that apples can help eliminate toxins and free radicals in your body and skin. And it’s true: apple is one of the best natural antioxidant fruits that will help eliminate various skin problems. Eating apples every day will keep your skin healthy and radiant.

However, forget the “an apple a day” rule – you need to be consuming at least 60-70% or more of your calories every day from these foods.

Consuming raw fruits, leafy-greens and vegetables on a regular basis can help your body heal and clear up acne, and the good news is it’s easy to incorporate it into your every day diet, even if you are a very picky eater.

If you are wondering how you can increase the amount of healthy foods you eat – especially greens – without much effort – read my post 4 Amazing Green Remedies for Acne Free Skin: How Spinach and Other Greens Can Help Clear Your Skin Be Acne Free

2) Fresh juice. Green juice, vegetable juice, lemon juice: Freshly-squeezed juices are very nourishing and water can help to remove unwanted toxins. These toxins not only affect your skin but other functions within a body. Increase the amount of citrus fruits you have in your diet especially oranges, lemons, limes and grapefruits. Drink your juice every morning for healthy skin and amazing energy boost!

3) Garlic: Some consider it a magic cleanser for your body. Garlic can cleanse your body from toxins, reduce swelling and inflammation, and eliminate acne effectively.

4) Pure water or mineral water: The effectiveness of water cannot be neglected. Most of your body components are water. Therefore, water is a major vital component for your body. The outer layer of your body is the skin, which of course need more water to maintain its radiance and softness. Pure water or mineral water is preferable for you to drink every day.

6) Starchy root vegetables: Starchy vegetables contain a lot of fiber and can be used to reverse aging process. Eat these vegetables frequently if you want to stay young.

If you want to have a clear skin, start changing what you eat RIGHT NOW. Go to a farmers market and stack your fridge and pantry with these healthy foods.

Nourish your body and with proper nutrients and you will get rewarded with healthy looking clear skin and vibrant body.

The simple truth is it is impossible to have acne when living a healthy lifestyle. Acne – and other skin conditions for that matter – is a way for the body to try to get rid of toxins.

Remember that it’s not just what you eat, but what you don’t eat that makes a huge difference. Avoid processed foods, fatty foods, alcohol, dairy products, tobacco, caffeine, sugar, and foods high in iodine, such as salt.

Acne Free Lifestyle – Other things you can do to stay acne free

Get enough sleep and avoid stress. Exercise at least 3 times a week. Do whatever you like: walk, run, swim or do yoga. This not only helps to sweat toxins and other garbage from one’s body, but is vital for boosting your metabolism. Again not only will exercising help to get rid of the acne you are suffering from but can actually help with you maintaining a healthy body weight.

Spend time outside in the sun (but be careful, too long exposure can make your acne worse).

Consider fasting once a week. Fasting helps your body to get rid of all these unwanted toxins. It is best to drink only water when on the fast, but drinking fresh fruit or vegetable juice is acceptable too.

Natural treatments are essential because they will help your acne heal faster, reduce the redness and inflammation in a pimple and make sure your acne does not come back with full force after you stop using the medications or creams.

The natural way to treat acne will always be better, but don’t feel as though you can never use conventional treatments. Just remember that conventional treatments, such as antibiotics and topical gels, only treat the symptoms without getting to the real cause.

Natural methods of acne skin care are essential to remove the real cause of acne. If you choose to use conventional treatments, you should know that you can still use natural methods, as the two can work together well.

Read more about how to get rid of acne naturally.

Submit Your Acne Removal Testimonial!

If you try the methods I’m recommending here, and especially green smoothies – and get good results, why not write your story below. Also, when you come up with a green smoothie recipe you love, why not submit your favorite smoothie recipe for others to try!

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Posted by JoAnna | 6 Comments

Shocking! Some Thoughts on Foods That Cause Acne and Acne Free Diet

Are you wondering if there is a connection between foods that you eat and acne?

If so, you are not alone.

However, the fact remains that most sources deny this connection; favoring medications, antibiotics, creams, instead promoting nutritional approach to treating acne naturally.

Acne Diet Myths: Where lies the truth?

In most books and articles you’ll read about acne, there is a section about “Acne Myths”. And one of those myths that is usually somewhere on top of that list is the view that acne is caused by diet. While I agree that acne is not caused by that bar of chocolate that you ate last night, or last year for that matter; and that not one specific food has been found guilty of causing acne outbreaks, I do have a problem with these “acne diet myths”.

My problem is that what these authors (who are often doctors and experts in their fields) are saying that what we put in our bodies does not affect our health; while all common sense and evidence provided by hundreds of scientific studies confirms that in fact it’s just the opposite.

I think these statements lull acne sufferers into thinking that it’s OK to eat anything they want, because there is no proven direct link between any specific type of food and acne. So they keep eating the SAD diet (SAD stands for standard American diet), which is truly really sad…

Rather than eat unprocessed foods as nature intended, most of us consume large qualities of food items that are high in fats, sugar, salt, chemical additives, but are deficient in fiber and essential nutrients.

Instead of a diet predominating in fresh fruits and vegetables, the top three sources of calories in most American diets today are milk, cola, and margarine, with the fat and refined sugar accounting for 65% of caloric intake.

The rest of the standard American diet is mostly about animal foods and processed wheat products, neither of which are ideal foods.

As I said, acne outbreaks are not caused by a bar of chocolate or a greasy pizza you ate YESTERDAY, but if FOR YEARS we keep abusing our body with unhealthy foods, how can we expect it to be healthy and look beautifully?

Acne is not just a problem with your skin. Acne is a sign of internal and systematic problem in your body. It’s a symptom of a disorder that effects your whole body and manifests as acne. Acne is simply a big warning sign that something is WRONG inside your body hat needs to be corrected.

We need to accept the responsibility for our actions and realize that everything we put into our bodies contributes to our health or sickness. The truth is by making simple changes to your lifestyle, practically any chronic problem can be prevented and reversed.

Foods that Cause Acne (and Other Chronic Problems)

Our bodies are not designed to digest all the processed foods, saturated fats, and chemically engineered substances that people have been consuming for the past hundred years or so.

When fed with unwholesome diet of refined sugars, refined grains, fats and processed meals, our bodies begin to deteriorate and suffer from many functional and organic impairments, and, ultimately, start to break down.

Acne is just one – albeit very common – manifestations of this process.

There is really no special diet or special foods for people suffering from acne outbreaks. There are really only two types of diets in this world: one that is health promoting and the other one that is unhealthy and eventually leads to various disorders and diseases.

Adopting proper lifestyle, including proper diet, proper sleep, physical activity, not overreacting in stressful situations are all important things that you can do to maintain good health and general well-being.

Acne Free Diet

Our bodies have been designed by nature to thrive on natural foods, mainly on fresh ripe fruits, vegetables, and young greens, with limited consumption of animal foods or whole grains.

For optimum health we should consume at least 60 percent (of caloric intake) of fresh fruits and vegetables – eaten RAW. The rest should be cooked vegetables, perhaps some meats and fish if you choose not to be a vegetarian, and some whole grains.

If you are not seeing results with the changed diet, perhaps you could try a short fast to speed up the recovery process (read the great book “Fasting and Eating for Health” by Joel Fuhrman).

I am also a great believer in the benefits of eating a diet of RAW FRESH fruits and vegetables, and drinking freshly made vegetable juices – even if you can do it just for a few days or weeks. You may be able to see great improvements in your skin condition and energy levels (read the 80/10/10 diet by Douglas N. Graham and/or The Raw Secrets by F. Patenaude).

Even if you are unable to stay 100% on this diet, increasing raw fruits and vegetables to 60% or 70% or more of your caloric intake, will make a big difference in your skin condition and general health.

When trying a raw food diet for acne and general health, be sure to avoid the diets that recommend eating excessive amounts of fats: nuts, avocados, coconut oils. Even though these are natural foods, excessive amounts of fats are never beneficial.

Keep in mind that in the beginning of the fast or raw diet your skin condition may temporarily get worse. That may be an indication of the body working overtime to get rid of the accumulated toxins. This should pass after a few days and you should be able to see an improvement after that.

Getting Rid of Acne: The Prerequisites of Good Health

There are many elements that are necessary to maintain good health, with proper nourishment and physical activity being two of the most important and usually the most neglected of all. Other elements include fresh air, sunlight, cleanness, rest and sleep.

All things in the universe operate according to unchanging laws and principles. Despite of what we would like to believe – that we can change and control nature and its processes – we are still subject to natural laws that govern the entire universe.

“ There is no truth in nature more positive than that the normal condition of man is one of health”. Herbert Shelton

Our health is not subject to chance, disease is not an evil that attacks us out of the blue. Our well being is governed by simple but universal and fixed laws of nature, that we so often violate thinking there will be no consequences. The simple truth is that the consequences of law violations manifest themselves in diseases, and obedience of these laws results in good health.

Healthful habits do not cause disease. Moderate eating of natural foods, pure air, pure water, physical activity, relaxation, sufficient sleep – all these are not disease producing. Impure air, impure water, unwholesome food, eating too much, insufficient rest and sleep, lack of physical activity smoking, drugs, etc., are all disease producing. These are two opposite ways of living – one leading to health and strength, the other leading to disease.

Doctors who believe that living according to the prevailing habits – even if they are in violation to the laws of nature – is OK, will search for some obscure explanation of suffering – germs, viruses,or genetics but will never get to the root of the problem.

Taking care of your health is usually associated with deprivation and boredom. Another reason so few patients are adopting natural methods is they require effort on the part of the patient, and many people are just not willing to do it.

How to get rid of acne for good?

Our bodies are designed for health and beauty. It is simple amazing what our bodies are capable of if we just follow the laws of nature and not go against them.

If you are interested to learn more about foods that are truly health promoting, read the books I am recommending – they truly changed my life. You may notice that none of these books is specifically about acne free diet – but they will surely help your overall health and improve your skin condition.

Even though I am a big believer in natural acne prevention methods, this does not mean I do not approve of using conventional methods of dealing with acne. Sometimes we just need to see the improvement quickly – perhaps we need to get rid of pimples on our face, or have acne scarring and want to know more about acne scar laser removal treatments, or other conventional treatments (I will soon be writing about drug treatment therapies and other surgical procedures). This is all fine and you can read about these topics on this How to Get Rid Of Acne: Acne Removal and Skin Care blog.

But in the meantime work on improving your diet and lifestyle habits.

Your body will thank you for it with beautiful, glowing skin!

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