Milk, Sugar and the Skin You're InPeople are always telling me how great my skin looks. It’s a statement that’s never lost on me, and one that even after years of clear skin still takes me by surprise. In my undergraduate days, my skin was broken. My face hurt from the acne, and I felt pretty self-conscious. I was on all kinds of topical and oral prescription drugs that did absolutely nothing but make me feel sick. I would have given anything at the time to make it better. Fast forward a bunch of years to great skin I feel good in. What changed? My diet.

I am pretty convinced that there are 2 main parts of my diet that can be attributed to the change. Dairy and Sugar. I got rid of these two ingredients, and I got rid of acne for good. Here’s the scoop…

Dairy products are loaded up with hormones. Even if you’re going for the organic and raw version, milk is naturally full of androgens, growth hormones and insulin like growth factor-1.These are great if you’re a baby cow, not so much if you’re a teenage or adult human. If you’re suffering from skin issues, ditching the dairy can be a great step to a clearer complexion. 

If you hang around me for even a minute, you know that I’m anti-sugar. It’s the root of all physiological evil and can cause or make any health problem worse. Acne is no exception. Studies show that sugar and foods that are high on the glycemic index increase acne. But here’s the good news; there’s some great research showing that getting off the sugar, going low-glycemic and switching to a whole foods diet rich in vegetables, fruit and fish improves and even prevents breakouts. That’s what I call fighting it with your fork, baby!

So if the skin you’re in is going through a rough patch, changing your approach to food can make all the difference. Say see ya to added sugar and ditch the dairy. No Accutane or Retin-A needed. Just like that, food is better than medicine.

Change Your Meals, Change Your Life.

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