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For a long time experts stated that there was no correlation between diet and acne however more and more research is popping up discounting this assumption. In this blog I look at the association between dairy, in particular milk and the incidence of acne.

The studies showing a correlation between milk consumption and acne cross a wide age group, from teenage boys and girls to adult women and while the dairy industry claim skewed data there is enough evidence to show a definite link.

Firstly though I want to be clear about what the research does and doesn’t show; milk consumption alone doesn’t cause acne but it seems that those that drink milk develop more severe acne than non-milk drinkers. Furthermore, the more milk consumed, the worse the acne tended to be.

While the link between the severity of acne and milk is strongest, other dairy products have shown similar effects including cottage cheese, chocolate milk and skim milk. From personal experience one of the worst offenders apart from milk is yoghurt. I had to cut out dairy completely for 3 months and until my breakouts cleared up completely, then I was able to reintroduce some dairy but only butter, occasionally hard cheese such as parmesan and very occasionally some icecream (just because I find it hard to resist). If I start back on dairy regularly, my system doesn’t like it and I start to break out.

One of the interesting things that emerged from the research is that skim milk induced more breakouts than whole fat milk indicating that fat is not the issue. Other research has shown that while high saturated and animal fat foods aren’t ideal from a health perspective, they do not necessary cause or worsen acne. High sugar foods on the other hand are another story completely and do show a strong correlation with breakouts.

So if not the fat, what is the culprit? While not conclusively proved, the hormones in milk may well be the driver. Milk contains androgen hormones, the most notably testosterone. The body converts some testosterone to di-hydrotestosterone (DHT) which has a simulating effect on the skin’s sebaceous glands promoting the production of sebum. The result is oilier skin, more pore congestion and therefore more pimples. The more milk consumed, the more hormones, which may explain the proportional effect of higher milk consumption and more severe acne. Genetics also play a role according to researchers with people who are genetically predisposed to acne breakouts having a stronger reaction to the hormones in milk.

It is common practice with the commercial production of milk for dairy farmers to give cows additional hormones as this stimulates a higher milk yield. One of the side effects of this is milk with a high IGF-1 (Insulin-like Growth Factor-1) concentration and again the more consumed, the higher the blood concentration of IGF-1 found. Like DHT, IGF-1 drives sebum production which can trigger acne breakouts.

The other issue that may be linked to dairy, keep in mind there is no specific research about this, is the protein in dairy. Skim milk is believed to be worse than full cream milk due to the whey protein which is added to give a creamier taste. There are many different proteins in milk and IGF-1 is only one that may cause issues. If your digestive system is not performing as optimally as it could, the proteins in milk may eventually lead to internal inflammation of the gut and poor detoxification of waste. There is a strong link between poor digestive detoxification and acne. I will address this topic in more depth in another blog very soon.

So while milk and dairy are not a direct cause of acne, cutting it out of your diet can help to reduce acne severity. Reducing dairy may help but giving your body a rest from it all together is going to get a better initial result. One way to test your response to dairy is to start with 3 weeks complete removal and monitor your skin’s response. Look for a decrease in overall breakouts and well as less redness (inflammation). If you find that it doesn’t seem to make a difference at all reintroduce dairy slowly, again still monitoring the response to see if there are any worsening effects. If it does make a difference, it is best to stay off or only have limited quantities (and can I just say, a latte a day is a lot, not a little bit of milk).

A note of caution, often when people give up cow’s milk, they move over to soy milk. While this may seem like a sensible substitute, soy contains phytoestrogens, which may also be problematic for acne sufferers. It is best just to see how you go without cow’s milk first before using a dairy substitute.

This is the first in a series of blogs I am going to do about acne, its underlying causes and triggers. Please let me know if there are any topics in particular you would like me to cover.

I mentioned in a previous blog that I was going to do a review about the latest fad diet, Raw Food. I say fad diet because like many other diets I have seen over my 15 years as a naturopath, the Raw Food Diet will have a boom in popularity followed by a slump with only the “true-believers” continuing on. Do I sound cynical already? Well I don’t mean to – I am writing this article primarily to stimulate comment.  But first, just a little bit of cynicism, a list of the fad diets I have lived through, either via my own experience or vicariously through students and patients over the years:

1. The Pritikin Diet – eliminated all fats from the diet including good sources such as nuts & avocado. Can I just say that Pritikin himself had a severe essential fatty acid deficiency later in life and suffered depression as a result. Later
   

   No fish - no good fats!

   versions of this diet include good fats – thank goodness (fat tastes so delicious!)

2. Anti-Candida Diet – do you remember when EVERYONE had candida, when every symptom of tiredness was due to an overgrowth of yeast in your body? So out the window went all foods that could feed this yeast overgrowth – all sugars, fruit, vinegar, yeast, bread, biscuits etc. Yes this is one I suffered through in the 90′s for many months only to come out the other side still tired (sleep may have helped) and with a dislike of fruit juice (I still hate it) and fruit (I only eat in limited amounts). Scarred? Yes I am!
3. The Zone Diet – I didn’t try this one mainly because just reading the book made me tired and overwhelmed. It was so militant and my attitude to food is that, yes it should be healthy but also enjoyable. Nonetheless, I did learn some great tips from this diet one of which is the palm measurement for protein portions: eat only the size and thickness of the palm of your hand (chicken, tofu, fish or red meat) at any one sitting. This does exclude 500g T-bone steaks but that was no loss for me.
4. High Protein Diets (including Atkins) – yes I did try this one as well including the chocolate coated peanut butter protein bars that looked so good and tasted sooooooo much like dried cardboard. I also had problems going to the toilet
   

   They may look delicious but they taste like cardboard!

   for the entire 3 weeks of the diet (I know, too much information). The problem with this diet is that it is too open to interpretation e.g. a friend of mine interpreted a high protein diet as follows: breakfast – scrambled cheesy eggs, lunch – 2 x lamb chops, dinner – cheese platter….and so on. With such a lack of anything resembling a vegetable, I am not surprised it didn’t work for him. While this diet may be useful for short term weight loss, it may not be so good for bowel health in the long term.

5. Sally Fallon’s Whole Food Diet – I actually LOVED this one. It is based on eating a wide variety of whole (ie food that hasn’t been processed) and fermented foods. It also included butter (organic & unsalted but still butter) – in moderation of course! The whole food trend is growing along with Slow Food and so I don’t think we have seen the last of this type of diet. This trend is certainly aligned with my way of thinking so I will state my bias up-front!

And so this leads me to the dietary fad of the 2010′s – Raw Food. Firstly I want to say that there are many positive aspects about this diet. For a start, the diet is based on fruit, vegetables, sprouts, nuts, seeds, grains, legumes, seaweed, and dried fruit – foods that most Australian’s don’t eat enough of and certainly not over 75% of the diet as advocated by raw foodies. If you ate 2 serves of fruit and 5 of vegetables yesterday, which is considered the minimum daily intake, I bet you feel fabulous today. However, most of us didn’t. Raw Foodies also believe that heating above 116 degrees F. destroys the naturally occurring enzymes that assist with digestion and absorption of nutrients. In addition that cooking food can reduce certain vitamins such as vitamin C and B group.

The raw food diet is highly alkaline and very cleansing and so the health benefits can be extensive and include weight loss, detoxification and bowel cleansing. While this all sounds good, and don’t get me wrong, I think most of us could do with a good clean out, in the long term a raw food diet is not a good choice for all.

I see the biggest issue with a primarily raw food diet is the issue of absorption. Many nutrients need to be cooked to be absorbed effectively. One example is lycopene from tomatoes which is released when in the presence of oil and heat. More importantly is the strength or effectiveness of most people’s digestive systems. This varies from person to person however, many people do not have the necessary digestive enzymes to break down the nutrients in raw food.

To illustrate this point, if you imagine the gut is like a small campfire, burning (processing) firewood easily and generating heat as a result. If you pour petrol on the fire, it will turn into a raging inferno (petrol in food terms equates to

excessive consumption of foods such as alcohol, coffee, fats and hot, spices). If you feed the fire leaves, it will burn quickly and then go out (leaves = processed, sugary foods which are full of energy but empty in nutrition). If you put green wood on the fire it will also eventually dampen down and die out (green leaves = cold foods such as those straight from the fridge, cold drinks, too many raw foods.). The gut is rich with capillaries that bring a supply of warm blood to the stomach so it can produce digestive enzymes. Too many cold and raw foods will constrict the blood supply and reduce the body’s own supply of digestive enzymes. And no matter how raw the food is, the enzymes supplied will never match the body’s own ability to produce its own enzymes.

So for those who have weak or poor digestion in any way (loose stools, IBS, bloating, indigestion etc), a raw food diet may be actually harder on the digestion that fresh, warm, cooked foods. You can consume the same types of foods that the raw food diet focuses on, veges, nuts, seeds etc but prepare them differently. Have a veg stir-fry, soups, stews, steamed veg or fresh fruit & veg juice instead. Warm foods are particularly important in Winter when our body is using a lot of energy to stay warm. Eating a raw salad mid-Winter means our body has to warm up the food to digest it properly as well as keeping our body warm. Summer is definitely the season for more raw foods and indeed the thought of eating hot vege soup on a hot day is not appealing.

Genetics play a role in how we digest and process food as well. If you come from a culture where cooked foods is the norm then it may be a shock to the system to suddenly change over to a raw food diet. Our body’s adapt to the food we eat and the way it is cooked so in this case, gradual inclusion of more raw foods is a good way to proceed.

Over time, a strict raw food diet may also lead to nutritional deficiencies such as protein, calcium, iron, B12 and zinc. These nutrients are commonly found in animal products and can be hard for the body to process from vegetable sources. While not impossible impossible to maintain good levels of these nutrients by any means it does require planning and deliberate inclusion of raw food sources that contain these nutrients.

My philosophy about food is one of moderation: good quality food, a majority whole foods – both raw & cooked, enjoyment of that food and the occasional treat. Maybe why I think the raw food diet will be another fad is that it is at the extreme end of the dietary spectrum. However, as with any diet, there will be some that absolutely thrive eating raw foods. I also stress that most people need to eat more fresh fruit & veg in general and if the raw food message is the way for this to occur then I for one will jump on the bandwagon. And I can’t stress enough how much people need to move away from processed, empty calorie foods, however, I suspect that like the other fad diets around, the raw food diet will have its day and I for one will stick to more moderate eating habits.

I would love to know what you think about raw food and if you have gone down this path, what your experience is.

Each fortnight a box of organic fruit and vegies is delivered to my door. I love this arrangement because a. it means I don’t have to go to the shops as regularly (I hate going to the supermarket and generally avoid it when possible) and b. it is organic! This fortnight the box contained peaches and nectarines, which I have been enjoying immensely. As I was eating my organic peach this morning I felt especially good because I remembered that peaches are on the Dirty Dozen List, a list of fruit & veg most affected by pesticide contamination. The other fruit & vegetables on this list include (most affected to least):

1. Peach
   

   Strawberries have the potential for a higher pesticide load

2. Apple
3. Capscicum
4. Celery
5. Nectarine
6. Strawberries
7. Cherries
8. Kale
9. Lettuce
10. Grapes
11. Carrot
12. Pear

While I momentarily felt ok because I was eating an organic peach I realised that my other favourite fruits are also on that list, namely cherries (cannot share them with anyone) and nectarines.  There are some alarming statistics and facts bandied around about pesticide contamination:

• If you eat the 12 most contaminated fruit & vegies, you consume an average of 10 pesticides a day
• Washing or peeling fresh produce reduces pesticide residue but it does not eliminate it.
• Conventionally grown produce contains less nutritional value than organically grown produce

Reading all of this I felt a bit glum so I did a search to find out if there was any produce that wasn’t unduly affected by pesticide residue. At one of the best resources I have come across, www.ewg.org, I found the answer which cheered me immensely. Eating from the list below minimises pesticide ingestion significantly (around 2 pesticides daily and less if washed).  So my new resolution is to ensure that when I buy conventionally grown produce, I will choose from the list below:

1. Onion (from least contaminated)
   
2. Avocado
3. Sweet corn
4. Pineapple
5. Mango
6. Asparagus
7. Sweet peas
8. Kiwi
9. Cabbage
10. Eggplant
11. Papaya
12. Watermelon
13. Broccoli
14. Tomato
15. Sweet Potato

How does this relate to skin care? Well the pesticides, herbicides, synthetic chemicals, petrochemicals we eat, inhale

or absorb all contribute to our overall toxic burden. The more burdened our body’s are, the harder it is for them to get rid of all the toxins and waste byproducts which are either stored or eliminated via alternative pathways such as the skin. In those with skin conditions, reducing the overall toxic burden by eating whole foods, choosing organic where possible and using natural skin care & cleaning products can help improve the condition of the skin. For those that just want to improve their wellbeing, it is also a good idea.

Do you eat any organic produce and if so how important is it to you and your family. Is it as important as using organic skin care? I would love to hear your comments.

In part 2 of this topic, Karen Fischer from her book The Healthy Skin Diet discusses how to measure body acidity or alkalinity and importantly how to shift the balance from acid to a more alkaline system.

How is body acidity or alkalinity measured?

Your body has a natural acid and alkaline balance which is measured by the traditional pH scale (pH literally means ‘potential for hydrogen’). For example, a pH of 1.0 is completely acid and a pH of 14 is all alkaline, and 7.0 is neutral. The pH of a substance is determined by how many hydrogen ions are in a substance. All acids in the body give off hydrogen ions as they dissolve in water.

Now, for the body to remain alive and well the blood needs to be slightly alkaline — at a pH of 7.365 to be precise. If your blood pH becomes slightly acidic your blood would burn holes in your blood vessels. As you can imagine, you can’t feel healthy if you have holes in your veins. In fact, if the blood pH was to vary by about one-tenth, your body’s biomechanical function would fail and you’d die. However the body, being the wise thing that it is, has many back-up plans to ensure the blood’s pH balance is maintained:

1. The body uses its alkaline reserves such as alkaline minerals to keep the blood pH at the correct level. If you keep having an acid lifestyle, these stores run out and your body needs to go to back-up plan number 2 …

2. Back-up plan number 2 involves quickly removing excess acids from your blood and storing them safely in your fat cells. Unfortunately, overweight people who have heaps of acid stored in their fat usually have an incredibly difficult time losing weight because their body will do everything to avoid the influx of acid that would be released during weight-loss. An acidic body holds onto excess weight, making dieting extremely difficult.

3. After your body uses up its alkaline reserves and after it has stored acids in your fat, what happens next? Back-up plan number 3: your body takes

alkaline minerals such as calcium from your bones. This is one of the reasons why people getosteoporosis and shrink as they get older. Their acid lifestyle is threatening to disrupt their blood pH and the body is protecting the blood by leeching calcium from their bones. Unfortunately the modern Western diet is excessively acidic. There are two ways you can find out how acidic you are.

Firstly (and this is the more accurate way), your doctor can test your blood pH with a simple blood test. You need to ask for this test specifically as it is not a routine blood test. A healthy pH reading for your blood is between 7.35 and 7.45; as you can see it’s a very narrow range.

Secondly, you can test your saliva or urine pH with pH strips that you can purchase from your local pharmacy. These pH strips are made of litmus paper, which changes colour when acidic or alkaline substances come into contact with it. Dr Guerrero, a famous American doctor who studied traditional Chinese medicine and is the author of In Balance for Life, recommends testing the urine rather than saliva as the kidneys are one of the body’s organs that eliminate acids. However the urine test is not as accurate as a blood test but it can reveal if you’re acidic and you can do the test daily. This is useful because acid and base (alkalinity) levels fluctuate daily. When your body’s pH is in balance, your urine pH will be between 7.0 and 7.5.5

Cross-check your results from the first blog by doing a pH urine test for five days in a row (to get a more accurate average). Do the urine test first thing in the morning, on rising.

What causes excess acidity in the body?

• acid-forming foods, poor diet
• stress (covered in Chapter 10)
• coffee and other products containing caffeine
• alcohol
• smoking
• chemicals
• dehydration/not enough water
• parasites (worms)
• candida albicans
• drugs, including prescriptive medications
• constipation/poor bowel health.

Acid-forming foods

There are many types of acid-producing foods and the most common ones come from animal produce. Now these foods don’t seem acidic before you

pop them in your mouth — they contain some acids but they also form acids once they’re digested. Acid-forming foods are okay in moderation but when your body is continually trying to counteract an acidic state, acid can become poison to your system.

When you have an acidic system, your body will eventually tire of shunting calcium away from your bones and storing acid in your fat. And if you’re a thin person, with limited fat cells, then you’re in a worse predicament than an overweight person.

Where is your acid being stored? As you can imagine, skinny people can get sick very, very quickly. This means that Skinny-Minnies need to be extra healthy to feel great and have beautiful skin. You can probably guess most of the common acid-forming foods as they’re also the usual ‘offending’ foods that already have bad reputations, such as sugar, white flour products, foods high in saturated fats and damaged (trans) fats, meat, dairy, soft drinks, chips and alcohol. But what you may find surprising is that when you chomp on a piece of fruit, it creates acid during digestion. This is because most fruits have an extremely high sugar content. Yes, these are natural sugars but they promote acidity and they provide a quick and easy meal for thriving microbes.

Acid-forming foods — the worst offenders

vinegar	liquor/spirits/whiskey
pork	beef
processed fruit juice	yellow cheese
milk kefir	yoghurt sweetened with fruit
sugar & artificial sweetener	carp
processed meat/ham/devon	crayfish
herring	salmon
lobster	mackerel
black tea	artificial sweeteners
sugar	chocolate/cocoa
coffee	milk
soft drinks	tap water
wine	hydrogenated fats
peanut & walnut oils	commercially made tomato sauce
pickles & mustard	processed table salt
chickpeas	peanuts
hazelnuts	pecans
sunflower seeds	walnuts
pstachios	blackcurrants
kiwi fruit	mandarins
oranges	pineapple
milled	white rice
white flour products	white/yeast breads

Acid-forming foods — the milder ones

Beer	Wholegrains, wholewheat
Amaranth	Brown rice
Oats	Barley
Qunoa	Spelt
Soft cheeses	Eggs (whole)
plain organic yoghurt	chicken
flounder	lamb
oysters	kidney beans
Trout	sole
lentils	peas
cashews	coconut
pine nuts	sesame seeds
apples	fresh apricots
blueberries	cherries
figs	grapes
mangoes	watermelon, melon
pears	plums
pomegranates	strawberries
most dried fruits	carbonated mineral water
(heated) cold pressed oils	organic mustard

READER QUESTION

Q ‘I’ve heard that acid-forming foods are bad for me. Do I have to totally avoid them to be healthy?’

A No! The foods and liquids that exert the strongest acid-producing effect can be enjoyed in moderation. However, during the Healthy Skin Diet these substances will be strictly limited to no more than three serves per day. Two serves is two glasses of alcohol or one coffee and salmon or chickpeas for dinner. Keep your animal protein serves small — about the size of the palm of your hand — especially if you’re eating meat.

Keep it in balance aiming for a 50:50 ratio of acidic to alkaline forming foods.

Foods that are mildly alkalising:

Asparagus	Cauliflower
Garlic	Onions, shallots
radishes	endives
turnips	egg yolk
whey (fresh)	brazil nuts
avocado	bananas
grapefruit	tomatoes (uncooked)
dates	raisins
almond milk	herbal teas
natural mineral water (non-carbonated)	spring or filtered water
butter, buttermilk	cold pressed olive oil (unheated)
herbs & spices	sea salt (unrefined)

Foods that are strongly alkalising:

Most vegetables	Dark leafy greens
Artichoke	Beets, beet greens
Broccoli	Carrots
Cucumber	Dandelion greens
Green beans	Cabbage
Lettuce (not iceberg)	Potatoes
Sweet potatoes	Spinach
Squash	Capsicum
Yams	Zucchini
Almonds	Lemons
Limes	Freshly made vegetable juice
Apple cider vinegar	Green drinks: chlorophyll, wheat grass

Remember: keep it in balance aiming for a 50:50 ratio of acidic to alkaline forming foods.

Related Articles:

Improve your blood alkalinity and detoxification with Chlorophyll

Aging – does diet really make a difference?

Lemon Meringue Detox

Our first Blog!! The healthy skin diet

After a weekend of hot pizza and red wine followed by cold pizza and coffee the next morning, I felt pretty bad (for those of you wondering, yes I really did eat that. I have no excuse except to say that my partner is away so I am eating rubbish). So I decided to do another skin detox and so got out my copy of The Healthy Skin Diet by Karen Fischer. One concept from the book I really like is the idea that acidic systems create health problems, including of course skin issues. This is neatly explained by this excerpt from Karen’s book in which she explains why acidosis is so detrimental.

Chapter 3 from “The Healthy Skin Diet” by Karen Fischer (printed with permission from Karen and Exsile Publishing)

Think green and friendly

‘Think green and friendly’ is not a mantra for a hippy commune; it is an essential step for beautiful skin, involving ‘friendly’ gut flora and ‘green’ foods and drinks that have an alkalising effect on the body. Technically speaking, some parts of your body should be acidic, such as your stomach when it produces digestive acids and your outer layer of skin with its protective acid mantle. However in general, your body’s tissues and blood should be slightly alkaline.

For years I ignored the concept of balancing the body’s pH with alkalising foods. Now when I look back I feel so silly. This guideline is really simple and you quickly see and feel your health improving so you know it’s working!

What happens if your body is too acidic?

The Healthy Skin Diet

According to Dr Guerrero, acidosis can damage cells in your body. An acid-producing lifestyle can also reduce the amount and quality of collagen and elastin being produced so you can end up with premature ageing and wrinkles. Good quality collagen and elastin is essential for youthful-looking skin. Too many acids in the body can also cause demineralisation, which can lead to dry and cracked skin, fingernails that split easily and thin, brittle hair. According to Dr Guerrero, having an overly acidic system can also do damage to your red blood cells so they alter in shape, clump together and they can die prematurely. Your red blood cells should look like round, flat discs — a bit like red frisbees or a throat lozenge — floating freely through your blood plasma. They should also have a negative charge on the outside and a positive charge on the inside. When your red blood cells are negatively charged on the outside as they should be, they cannot clump together. They repel. Unfortunately, when acid strips some of your red blood cells of their negative charge they start attracting each other and they form clumps. Your red blood cells should not clump together unless you’ve cut yourself and the blood flow needs to be stopped from escaping. Otherwise your blood needs to flow without clotting.

Your skin is usually the first thing to suffer when red blood cell health is poor. Your red blood cells carry oxygen to your skin but when they are sticky and bulky they cannot give your outer layer a quick and efficient supply of oxygen. Your skin may also look dull and possibly even pasty or greyish from low oxygen supply. You can also feel very lethargic if your blood is sluggish with damaged red blood cells that aren’t supplying enough oxygen. No wonder people often wake up tired after eight hours’ sleep and need a coffee pick-me-up! Fill out the following questionnaire to see if your body is showing any signs of acidosis. Circle any symptoms you experience on a regular basis (three or more times a week):

Common symptoms of acidosis

• fatigue, chronic fatigue syndrome
• fatigue or weakness after eating meals
• frequent colds and flu, low immunity
• poor circulation, cold hands/feet
• low blood pressure
• burning sensation during urination
• kidney stones
• excessive urination
• headaches
• pallor, dull complexion
• gastrointestinal problems: abdominal pains, cramps, acid reflux, diarrhoea, gas, ulcers
• agitation, nervousness, anxiety,
• depression, lack of ambition, lack of joy
• dental problems: bleeding or inflamed gums, cavities, cracked lips, loose teeth, tooth sensitivity
• muscle cramps or spasms, tension in neck and shoulders
• joint pain, arthritis-like pain
• nail and hair problems: brittle hair, hair loss, split nails
• allergies, runny nose, chronic bronchitis
• vaginal discharge, candida albicans
• skin problems: dry skin, eczema, acne, hives, itchy skin, red and patchy skin
• osteoporosis, brittle bones
• insomnia, restless sleep.

If you have circled four or more symptoms then you may have too much acid in your body. In the next blog (a few days from now) Karen discusses how to test for acidosis and what you can actually do to change this state for yourself. Hint: chlorophyll and green leafies help. And I should know, after the weekend, I am focusing on a largely plant based diet to give my body a break!
Related Articles:

Improve your blood alkalinity and detoxification with Chlorophyll

Aging – does diet really make a difference?

Lemon Meringue Detox

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Herbal teas are a delicious way to start the day and to deliver health benefits. Gentle acting, herbal teas will achieve results if consistently used over time. The added benefit of an herbal tea is that you are getting at least a cup of liquid at the same time which helps to keep up hydration levels and flush toxins out of your body via your kidneys. Savory tasting, Tea Tonic’s Complexion Tea help support elimination via the kidneys, liver and lymphatics thereby reducing the toxic burden on the skin. Roechelle, one of the Vitale Team has been drinking Complexion Tea for the last 3 weeks and has this to say “combining this tea with chlorophyll on a daily basis I have seen real improvements in my skin – mainly less congestion which is great. I noticed the changes after about 2 weeks on this program”.

This video blog looks at the therapeutic benefits of the individual herb in Complexion Tea and a general review of the process of elimination.

Click here to see Complexion Tea.

The pH or acid and alkaline balance of the blood is a key factor in detoxification and inflammation. An acidic blood pH is more likely to be associated with increased inflammation throughout the body and with a greater incidence of skin conditions such as congestion and acne. By contrast alkaline blood is associated with reduced inflammation. Green foods such as chlorophyll can assist in balancing acid/alkaline balance, which may be helpful during detoxification. This video goes examines the acid/alkaline balance and the benefits of chlorophyll.

Grant’s Liquid Chlorophyll is a gentle, low dose product that assists with the acid/alkaline balance in the body. Recommended by Karen Fischer’s book “The Healthy Skin Diet“, chlorophyll is a useful supplement as part of an overall skin detoxification program. It also helps to reduce body odour – underarm, foot and bad breath.

The simple answer is yes. Environmental factors, nutritional status and dietary intake more than genes can add years to a person’s appearance. While topical applications make a difference, a healthy glow is more often a sign of internal health than anything else. There is a growing body of evidence to show that what we eat certainly influences skin aging and not surprisingly, the dietary correlations that relate to reduced skin aging also relate to reduced aging in general. Apart from dietary interventions, research is showing that supplementation with specific nutrients and antioxidants supports the use of topical anti-aging products and that in fact the combination is more effective than either treatment alone. Below is a review of the most significant dietary and nutritional influences on aging.

An Australian study at Monash University looked at the effects of food and nutrient intake on skin wrinkling in areas exposed to the sun. The participants were from Melbourne, Greece and Sweden.

Food intake questionnaires were used to measure diet and microphotography of the skin was used to measure skin wrinkling. The study showed that Swedish had the least skin wrinkling, followed by Greeks and Australians had the most. The types of foods consumed did have an effect on the degree of skin wrinkling with more damage seen in those with a higher intake of meat, dairy and butter. Foods that had a protective effect against skin wrinkling included vegetables, legumes, olive oil, tea, prunes and apples (see full list below). Overall, positive dietary habits trended towards a low-GI diet.

Another study supports the above food associations showing that skin wrinkling in a sun-exposed site in older people of various ethnic backgrounds may be influenced reducing intakes of fats and carbohydrates and increasing antioxidants and beneficial fats, dietary measures which are associated with better skin-aging appearance.

It is worth noting that research linking skin aging and dietary habits should not be taken out of context. Overall dietary trends produce these effects rather than any single food group in isolation. However, the dietary trends in both studies show that high GI and saturated fats seem to have the most significant pro-wrinkling effect. Due to their higher saturated fat content meat, dairy and butter can increase skin inflammation and lead to faster skin aging. In addition a high sugar intake is also associated with greater skin wrinkling. Simple sugar has a pro-inflammatory effect but it also promotes the production of advanced glycosylation end products (AGE). AGEs are closely associated with oxidative stress. A combination of a high antioxidant diet and low sugar reduces inflammation, free radical damage and AGE production in the body. Again the trend shows that the protective foods are low or have no saturated fats and are low GI and rich in phytochemicals which support skin collagen and reduce inflammation.

The Monash study indicated that these foods associated with less wrinkling:

• Mono-unsaturated fat including those from olive oil and olives
• Nuts and legumes
• Vegetables
• Fish (particularly those rich in essential fatty acids)
• Low fat milk and milk products, such as yogurt
• Wholegrain cereals
• Fruit and fruit products (especially prunes, cherries and apples)
• Eggs
• Tea and Water

More wrinkling was associated with diets that included higher intakes of:

• Saturated fat (including butter)
• Trans fats (including margarine)
• Meat (especially fatty processed meats)
• Full fat dairy products
• Refined carbohydrates and sugars such as cakes, pastries and desserts
• Soft drinks and cordials
• Confectionary of any kind
• Many packaged and processed foods contain hidden sugars
• Packaged cereals

Apart from dietary trends, certain nutrients also show promising effects on skin aging. Studies have shown that antioxidant nutrients, specifically vitamins C and E, as well as lipoic acid and flavonoids, exert protective effect against oxidative stress in the skin, in particular photoprotective effects. That is they help protect the skin from the oxidative damage caused by the sun. Lycopene, lutein, and zeaxanthin as a specific subset of carotenoids may also be used as oral sun protectants and contribute to the maintenance of skin health. In fact, taking carotenoids prior to sun exposure will increase the depth and lasting effect of a sun tan (not that extended tanning is advised).

In other research, a daily dosage of soy isoflavones (40mg per day) resulted in the improvement of fine wrinkles and increased skin elasticity after 12 weeks of supplementation in middle-aged women with aged skin. Interestingly, a common arthritis supplement glucosamine also improved the appearance of visible wrinkles and fine lines. Glucosamine is incorporated into glucosaminoglycans (GAGs) in the body. GAGs work to increase epidermal thickness and elasticity of the skin although they have no effect on skin hydration.

Research into oral proanthocyanidins flavanoids from grapeseed extract or pycnogenol has shown they both have a significant protective effect on the collagen matrix of the skin and capillaries. They work by reducing capillary fragility and inhibiting collagen, hyaluronic acid and elastin breakdown. Both substances also have an anti-inflammatory effect and can improve peripheral circulation.

Again it is important to note that while supplemental nutrition can support skin health in a number of ways, if concurrent dietary changes aren’t made, the supplements will be combating the constant inflammatory cascade from high GI foods and saturated fats. Removing these dietary items will ensure that inflammation, AGEs and oxidation are all reduced allowing the supplements to work to their optimal level and effect real changes in skin health.

Author: Ananda Mahony ND. Ananda is a naturopath and skin specialist. She owns Vitale Natural, an organic skin care store and beauty salon in Paddington, Brisbane. www.vitalenatural.com.au

A Wonder Drink from The Healthy Skin Diet

Last month I bought a blender for the express purpose of making this Wonder Drink! And since then I have been drinking it every morning and I love it. Called the Lemon Detox Drink, one of our clients Kelly says it tastes like a tart lemon meringue. The recipe is as follows:

1/2 lemon (wash the outside)
1 tablespoon of soy lecithin (German is better than US variety)
1 tablespoon of flax oil (organic)
300mls of filtered water

Method: finely grate the rind of the lemon into the blender then squeeze in the lemon juice. Add the lecithin, flax oil and water. Blend for 1 minute until frothy. Pour and drink.

Why is this drink so good for you? Well the lemon has an astringent effect which means it stimulates the liver to release bile into the digestive tract to be eliminated. The bile contains stored toxins so effectively you are dumping waste from your liver. The lecithin and flax oil prime your digestive system for the day, particularly your fat digestion so again supporting the liver. And of course water is just plain good for you and helps flush out daily waste particularly via your kidneys.

In addition to all the good detoxing, flax seed oil supports the moisture holding capacity of your skin cells and has a anti-inflammatory effect thereby supporting your skin’s health.

Another client that has been having this drink on a daily basis told me her skin was less red and much more even toned. This was a result I didn’t necessarily expect but a good one nonetheless. For myself, my elbows are soft again. They were getting a bit dry and I was having to moisturise a couple of times a day. Now once is more than enough.

If you decide to try this drink, let me know how you go. I love hearing your feedback.

Find out more about “The Healthy Skin Diet”

Welcome to our new Blog!! It is very exciting and we are looking forward to have some great interactive conversations with our readers. Myself, Ananda Mahony and Roechelle Williams will be chatting with you about heaps of great natural skin stuff!!

Most of our regular newsletter readers know that I am passionate about skin nutrition and there are some basics foods that I always avoid; inflammatory foods such as too much sugar, saturated and trans fats and packaged foods. So generally my diet is good. However, after doing Karen Fischer’s book “The Healthy Skin Diet” I have made a whole lot of changes to the way that I eat. I confess the reason I made the changes was mostly because my skin looked so much better – clear, even toned, glowing (so I am told) and so much more hydrated but also because I felt so good.

The nuts and bolts of the dietary principles that Karen recommends are similar to what I have recommended to skin care clients but the definitely advantage of Karen’s program is so easy and simple to use. For me this means that some of the principles I have been following for the last 4 weeks will be lifetime principles. One I will tell you about is “green water”. Karen recommends adding a teaspoon of liquid chlorphyll to your water (I used Grant’s Liquid Chlorphyll from the health food store). Chlorphyll is a natural detoxifying agent and is also excellent for reducing body odours – foot, underarm etc. It also tastes good which I think it actually the peppermint oil in the chlorphyll but I add it to my waterbottle and make sure I drink at least 600mls of “green water” a day.

Karen has put out a book obviously called “The Healthy Skin Diet” which we now have available on-line.