Acne can rear its angry head at any age and can stem from a number of hormonal and emotional imbalances.
My personal journey (the unravelling of my almost perfect complexion) was when I came off the Oral Contraceptive Pill. My whole life changed because of my reaction.
After trying many holistic healing options (without much luck long term), I enrolled to study Nutritional Medicine and began my journey to gaining a greater understanding of how to heal from deep below the surface.
Instinctually, I felt like it all boiled down to nutrition and healing from the inside out, using the power of food as medicine.
Here is my action plan on how to start your journey in 5 steps. It’s helped me! Of course, everybody is different but these could resonate with you…
1. Increase plant-based proteins
One of the first steps I took in healing my skin was to cut out meat. I did a tonne of research and discovered that meat takes a lot of energy to break down and digest (sorry omnivores!).
In fact, plants pass through your body in 6-8 hours but meat can take anywhere from 24-72 hours! That’s more than 4 times longer!
Try giving your digestive system some down time so it can spend more time healing, detoxing and sleeping!
2. Increase the leafy greens
Acne is an inflammatory response, and one way to alkalize your system (aka take anti-inflammatory action) is to dose up on green leafy vegetables.
Think spinach, kale, baby spinach, watercress, rocket, lettuce, swiss chard. They are powerhouses of the good stuff such as vitamins A, B, C and K. AND they contain minerals that assist your gut with absorption.
The more of this stuff – the better.
3. Simplify your skincare routine.
One thing that really helped my skin was to LEAVE IT ALONE!
I was a cleanse, tone and moisturise in the morning and night type-of-girl. And to make it worse, the products I was using had well over 10 ingredients, some of which I could barely pronounce.
Now, I use 100% organic Jojoba oil for everything. It mirrors our skin’s natural PH and doubles as a makeup remover (two-birds-one-stone!).
I had very oily skin and was initially concerned that adding more oil could make it worse. But it actually has balanced it out and my T-zone no longer looks like a shiny strip at the end of the day!
4. Prioritize sleep
I have always been a night owl, so getting myself to bed at a reasonable hour has taken discipline.
The most restorative sleep we can gift ourselves is the hours before midnight. I really have to make an effort to have lights out by 10pm! But I’ve since seen my skin improve.
These restorative hours work to balance hormones, replenish adrenals and leave us with a rested feeling on waking. Life happens and early nights aren’t always an option (I’m looking at you gorgeous mums), but gifting yourself even a few early nights a week can certainly help!
5. Cut the sweet stuff
Sugar causes inflammation, making it a key player in the acne equation. It also creates hormonal upset, throws off blood sugar levels and tampers with your gut bacteria.
All of these things are vital in ensuring a radiant complexion so stabilising them is at the top of the clear skin list. Even artificial sweeteners are harmful.
By no means is avoiding sugar cravings easy, but the 8-Week Program gives you the guidance and the nutrition tools to learn how to combat the cravings.
You’ll be well on your way to a spot-free, even more beautiful face!
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