Skin Care - Anyone tried the "no grains" diet for acne?

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Anyone tried the "no grains" diet for acne?

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Topic: Anyone tried the "no grains" diet for acne?

Posted By: Susan W
Subject: Anyone tried the "no grains" diet for acne?
Date Posted: May 25, 2007 at 9:36am

I recently read a post on another forum in which getting rid of grains and sugar in the diet seems to be the new thing in eliminating acne. I thought I'd try a couple things and start a thread here about it. Please post if you've tried it. The more I experiment and discover things I will come back and post any results.

For the past 2 weeks I tried the "poke the problem with things that might be bad for it and see what happens" approach. First, I am a vegetarian. I have found that eliminating meat completely from my diet got rid of some problems I was having that I won't go into. (It worked because a diet heavy in meat and sugar changes the body's Ph, and getting the Ph to go closer to normal is what fixed those problems...which I won't go into right now). The veggie diet did not, however, do anything for acne. I didn't eat that much grains in the past few years, mostly only rice, I varied between eating sugar and not for a few years at a time. My only drink was water or milk. My skin was about okay, not really very bad at all, and I credited proactiv with fixing it for me, but not I'm not entirely sure this was correct....

So, these past 2 weeks, I ate grains at every meal to see what would happen. I ate spaghetti one or two times a day, and a slice of homemade bread with jelly on it, and cereal for breakfast. I did eat lots of veggies with the grain meals twice a day. The jelly, brown sugar in my coffee, whatever sugar comes in cereal, and ice cream after dinner were the only sugars I ate.

My face has been broken out far worse than usual, (it wasn't really a big problem before) even though my skin care regimen hasn't changed. I forgot how uncomfortable acne is! No wonder teens are cranky! My face, neck, and scalp also itch, which they never did before. I'm thinking there may be something to this thing with grains causing problems. Next week I will eliminate grains and see if this improves any. Please post if you've tried any of this.

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Replies: 28

Posted By: Susan W
Date Posted: May 25, 2007 at 9:36am

Posted By: Alisa06
Date Posted: May 26, 2007 at 8:40am

I started the atkins diet jan 4 of this year. I initially started it to loose weight. I went in for my yearly, and had a coniption fit!I have lost 25 lbs since, so it it working for the weight los.

What I did not expect was the result with my skin. I have been battly acne on and off for the past 5 years or so. I never had it as a teen, so I have been very frustrated. I have been on birth control pills for it, antibiotics, practically everything.

My skin is clearer now, than it has been for many years. I believe this is because sugar and white flour products feed the yeast in our bodies. yeast overgrowth causes acne,( and other major health problems) When you eliminate these products from your diet, you starve the yeast. I am so thrilled I tell anyone I know that complains about acne about my experience.

I cheat here and there, and I can tell when I do it to often, because lol and behold, my skin will show it!

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Posted By: Susan W
Date Posted: May 29, 2007 at 7:09am

Its good to hear your experiences. Eating too much meat was what messed me up with the body Ph thing, so I wouldn't be going for the atkins myself, but its great that it is working for you.

!)) C ed``d ` %44`r #.,bb $ !,) ! (!) !!$` ,.

Posted By: Alisa06
Date Posted: May 29, 2007 at 9:12am

I love meat anyway,( I was the the only girl raised in a home with 4 brothers and a single dad, so I didn't have much choice), so this is a good diet for me. )! ,`p "$ !-2 )((0 " -, %!,$ -) ( `r "

Posted By: jinn
Date Posted: Jun 7, 2007 at 8:10pm

coffee is bad for the skin.

a korean artist said that on TV

Posted By: Susan W
Date Posted: Jun 8, 2007 at 7:13am

Alisa, I used to love it too way back when, but then I started getting the problems from it. Now that I haven't eaten it in a long time, most of it doesn't even taste good to me anymore. I guess that's a blessing!

Jinn, I never heard that about coffee....maybe experiments will have to be done for that one too. I can think of two reasons why it might be considered bad though. One is it affects the body's Ph, it can supposedly make it more acid and that can increase breakouts. Some of us are breakout prone even after we correct the body's ph though. Another reason is caffeine helps to dehydrate you, and drinking tons of water really helps a lot with acne, so by dehydrating you it isn't doing you any favors.

So, UPDATE about the diet....
I mostly gave up wheat for awhile, and it did clear up any acne I had. I notice worsening of symptoms after any wheat-cheating as well. I did eat rice, so apparently rice is okay with me. I am surprised at what else not eating wheat cleared up also. I no longer have any runny nose or sneezing that was my allergies before. I can even eat peanuts without sneezing and having a runny nose afterwards, and drink milk without getting congested. (I thought I had a slight allergy to peanuts and milk -- not your usual food allergy, no hives or anything --apparently it was the wheat all along). Note: Its hard to give up wheat. Its in everything. White flour is made of it, spaghetti is made of it, cous cous (semolina) is made of it. You can pretty much eat only rice if you want to give it up, and no other bread products.

I also tried switching from proactiv to stuff that does a similar routine but would be cheaper. I tried a neutragena product with microbeads for the wash, witch hazel for the toner, and a regular 10% benzoyl peroxide product for the third step. Unfortunately this little experiment didn't pan out. I got more breakouts than I usually get with the proactiv, so I switched back to it. I have tried using the proactive wash, followed by witch hazel, then the proactive repairing lotion, and this works great--- even better I think than with the proactiv toner in the middle. But I haven't yet found anything to replace that important first step that still works as well.
!)) C ed``d ` %44`r #.,bb $ !,) ! (!) !!$` ,.

Posted By: Karen Shelton
Date Posted: Jun 8, 2007 at 7:49am

Hi Susan,

Great topic. Thank you so much.

Ironically when I was 13 years old my mother who was fanatic about a lot of things (thats a story for a different thread) decided to take a premptive strike against a family history of acne (I didn't have it) and take me to a dermatologist for preventive care.

He did extractions of blackheads, sunlight treatments and injected me at every visit with antibiotics to kill any potential "germs" that might cause acne down the road.

Yes, I had very clear skin but by the time I was 19 I had so much yeast overgrowth in my system that I started battling my weight as a result.

My skin has been pretty much good ever since but I have experimented with all sorts of food plans ever since in the attempt to overcome the chronic candida and the resulting infections that come with it.

In January of this year a tooth with a very old filling (mercury) came out and the tooth cracked. Yes...I had to have it pulled and because of some infection and mercury filing, my dentist insisted that I take antibiotics. I argued with him since I had spent so many years sucking down probiotics and taking garlic...etc...that I did not want to risk taking the antibiotics again.

He finally convinced me that I had to take something and we compromised with pencillin.

Which began 3 months of total health hell. Even though I cranked up my probiotics to 3x the normal amount, the pencillin wiped out everything and within a few weeks I suffered all sorts of horrible infections that spread to my bladder and kidney. I was so ill that my regular doctor thought I was on the edge of death's door. I was so sick I wanted to die.

The interesting thing is what happened to my skin. The antibiotics caused my skin to break out like crazy.

As a result of being so ill I basically stopped eating much of anything for almost 4 weeks because I could not digest anything. I lived on chicken soup and green beans and Whey For Life drinks mixed with water. I would not hold anything else down and some things instantly triggered a bladder infection (anything with sugar or wheat).

I adore bread. I will take bread over sweets any day. But bread, because of the yeast, caused all sorts of problems. I couldn't even eat toast.

I usually buy Ezckiel bread from Whole Foods and my candida normally does not react to that but even that caused a reaction. I was very sad.

Bottom line, during my illness my skin went through all sorts of interesting phases.

At first it broke out like crazy because of the antibiotics. Then it cleared up as a result of only eating liquids and drinking tons and tons of water to flush my system. I drink filtered or bottled water but switched to Smart water to help add back electrolytes from all the water loss.

After 2 weeks my skin was glowing and soft and completely pimple free. Even though I felt horrible people were telling me how good my skin looked. It was bizarre.

I am now back to eating again but being careful. I had to give up any caffeine because it irritated everything so now all I drink is water with a little green tea every once in awhile. I love Starbucks but have not been there at all. I alternate Smart water with my other bottled & filtered waters. I also am back to eating some meat. I used to be a vegetarian for years but it never seemed to quite work for me. So now I mostly eat salads and veggies with some grilled chicken, fish and turkey. I don't eat a lot of red meat. Maybe 1x a month, if that.

Even with the introduction of real food my skin is staying clear and glowing.

I do get facials every 5-6 weeks and my skin care person uses Karin Herzog which is pure oxygen. The last time I went to see her she was raving about how good my skin was. This was during the time that all I could basically eat was soup and green beans. Which explains to me why my skin was so good.

Wheat products made me bloat within about 1 hour of taking them. I love oatmeal but can't eat it at all. Bread is still risky, even Ezckiel. I love their raisin bread which I used to toast for breakfast.

Of course I don't drink any alcohol although I love beer and margaritas but drinking either is amost a guarantee for a candida flare up because of the yeast and sugar from the tequila.

I am very interested to hear what everyone shares about this topic. It is excellent.

One last comment.....I find that Whey of Life which has a whey base makes me bloat. I love how I feel otherwise which is from the vitamins and nutrients. I also react badly to soy in most cases.

I am looking for a good meal replacement drink for breakfast because I never have time to eat but I am willing to stop and blend up a protein drink. I need to avoid sugar because of the candida but have yet to find a good drink mix that is not loaded with sugar or artifical sweeteners. I really like Whey of Life because it has minimual sugar but the whey seems to cause problems for me.

Does anyone have any suggestions of drink mixes I might try?

Thanks again for a great thread.

!$ Shab` dbe ,%4 b` , 8bp - )%! )-% !$ -,$`r /2

Posted By: Alisa06
Date Posted: Jun 8, 2007 at 10:12am

Wow, what a great subject. I love anything that has to do with nutrition and your skin,nails, hair,etc.

I am a self proclaimed wine-o! I love wine.Depending on what we have for dinner, I may ( not every night, maybe 3 nights a week) have a glass of wine. I have noticed that red wines will make me brake out it drink it to Manny nights in a row. White wine does night. interesting thought. I don't drink any other alcohol but maybe 2x a year. When I started the Atkins, I had to stay away from wine, (which I did not like) because of the sugar.

I had a friend of mine tell me once that she wondered if I had celiac SP? disease. Which is a wheat allergy. I don't have enough of the symptoms to promp any tests, but I obviously respond to wheat.

Karen, have you tried goats protein? I know Garden of Life is a really good company. I have tried quite a few of their products. I have not tried the protein shake, but everything else is really good.

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Posted By: Susan W
Date Posted: Jun 9, 2007 at 9:23am

Alisa, me too! I used to love red wine, but then I started getting migraines in my late 20s, so no more of that for me. White is slightly less problematic for that so I still have some of that time to time.

Karen, Wow, that is terrible! This is the first time I have heard of penicillin causing acne, but wow, ...terrible! I wasn't going to bring up the yeast issue, but since it is also a problem for others we may as well talk about it!

(IF female troubles are a problem for anybody reading this, this is probably TMI, so stop reading now.)

I had a big problem with that for years and years, and I was eating lots of meat and no sugar for years (and was very depressed about giving up chocolate and ice cream for years). I think I gave up sugar around 1996 and was on one of those No Yeast diets which was eating only veggies and meat, and some bread, and drinking only water until about 2001. In 2001 my problems were so bad, I realized it wasn't working. (I mostly avoided bread, but not entirely, I did eat plenty of pasta). All it did was get worse and worse until I was having recurrent yeast infections every TWO WEEKS! As soon as I cured one, I'd just get another one. Thank GOD I fixed it, I was getting seriously mentally stressed out and I felt miserable.

I learned that body ph being too acid is what caused the yeast overgrowth. The things that make your body the most acid are meats (especially fish), sugar, flour, alcohol, tea and coffee. Not only had I already tried giving up sugar, coffee and tea, and almost all alcohol. Even without those, I was still getting way too acid eating big'ol steaks and pork chops everyday. I was also on birth control pills.

The first thing I did was get off the pill, that started showing some improvement within about 6 months, but I was still getting infections occasionally. Then I became vegetarian in I think it was the beginning of 2003. This was a vegetarian that didn't eat bread or sugar the first year. It took a few months, but soon the infections entirely stopped. I re-introduced ice cream, but if I ate any bread (because of the yeast I guess, like you) I started getting another infection, even until 2005. So, it took awhile. I had some Ph paper handy, and doing the saliva test, I found that at the start of all this when everything was bad, I was 4.5 (that is about as acidic as coca cola - no wonder I had problems). In 2005, when I wasn't getting any infections unless I ate homemade bread, I was about 5.5.

So, now, 4 years after beginning the vegetarian diet, I can now eat a lot more sugar, and bread. I eat ice cream every day after dinner, homemade bread, coffee, and a glass of alcohol on occasion (beer usually, sometimes white wine), and I haven't had any infections since 2005. Yay! It took forever, but I finally did kick this problem with the right diet. My Ph is now 6.0. It would probably be better if I quit the sugar, but not getting any infections was the goal for me, so this is good. (You are supposed to be around 7.2 they say).

I guess the key is balance. If a person doesn't want to give up meat, maybe they would be fine eating it only in small amounts, then giving up more of the sugar and other bad things. After being on my diet for 4 years, I am used to it, and don't even like the taste of meat anymore, but am really glad I didn't have to give up my dessert.

If anyone is interested in the Ph diet, you can find charts online that list what different foods do to your body, whether they acidify it or alkalize it. For the most part fruits and veggies all balance each other out, because most of those don't swing you too far either way. I guess the reason it is so hard to counter the heavily acidifying things like meat is because there is really nothing that can swing you alkaline as hard as the bad stuff swings you acid. So eating only fruits and veggies (and milk, eggs and cheese also don't have that much of an effect) is the easiest way to adjust. Good luck everyone.

To keep this on the skin care topic. I'd say the acne is better now since I got my Ph more balanced, but it is not entirely gone since I can't give up the proactiv without breaking out a little. I am still playing with the diet and experimenting with skin, so I will post more anytime I get any new conclusions from my experimentations.

Oh, and Karen, I do drink Spirutein on occasion, but not that much since I can't get the banana flavor locally anymore (I don't really like any of the other flavors). That spirulina does seem to help my skin, though I haven't checked the label so see if there are any breads in it yet. You could check it at the GNC store, they usually sell some flavors.

!)) C ed``d ` %44`r #.,bb $ !,) ! (!) !!$` ,.

Posted By: Karen Shelton
Date Posted: Jun 9, 2007 at 9:32am

#t $ @ ` d

Hi Alisa,

No...I have not tried goat's protein but I am going to check it out. It sounds good. Do you get it at Whole Foods or online?

Yesterday I bought Earth's Promise - Green Taste Life -Strawberry Kiwi. I have not had the courage to drink it yet because it just sound yucky but it has lots of good "stuff in it".

As I type this I am sitting here with my Karin Herzog weekly skin mask. It has a lot of oxygen and it really seems to make my skin feel soft. I really don't like to try products that are not mostly natural but sometimes those don't work as well and I have to step back into the more traditional formulations.

I resisted Herzog for awhile but my facialist has the most gorgeous skin I have ever seen and she is in her 40s and only uses that product line after testing just about everything. She finally converted me because that is what she uses on me.

I was concerned it would cause my candida to go crazy but actually the oxygen kills candida so it is a double win.

Raw honey on my skin used to work so great as a softener but it did cause candida reactions.

Thanks again for the tip on goat's protein. I will let you know how the Earth's Promise work out.

!$ Shab` dbe ,%4 b` , 8bp - )%! )-% !$ -,$`r /2

Posted By: Karen Shelton
Date Posted: Jun 9, 2007 at 10:02am

<@@.$& R00 $@$

OMG Susan...you are a lifesaver. I had not really ever thought about the Ph factors before even though they had been mentioned to me I guess I just dismissed it.

I have a confession to make. All my life I have always "worked on myself". I always have a "big project" underway. My projects have included getting my hair totally healthy and down past my waist. It has included skin, teeth, nails, feet and lots of personal & spiritual growth projects. I also do practical projects such as learning to get and stay organized and learning to make things. And so on and so on.

I usually have a series of different projects every year and when one is completed to my satisfaction I work on the next one. I do the same with business which is why HairBoutique.com is constantly changing and everyone who works there has ongoing "projects". :-)

My confession is that I never have figured out, made peace with or co-existed happily with my body. This is my biggest failed project of all time. While I understand the issues of what caused my original candida I have never been willing or able to really completely and absolutely either co-exist peacefully or wrestle it to the ground.

As a result I have regular outbursts of symptoms includihng skin breakouts and irrational weight gain where I eat healthy but "cheat" with a piece of apple pie and then wake up the next day with 5 extra pounds. And I eat a small piece...not the entire pie....

And sometimes when I have a flare-up of candida, everything goes crazy incuding the dreaded bladder and kidney infections, the skin breaking out, the hair shedding (yes candida or related yeast will cause hair shedding) and all sorts of other problems.

A naturopathic doctor told me once that you can control candida but once it has overgrown you can never completely get rid of it and he told me that I would have to watch what I ate the rest of my life.

That pisses me off. I think my rebellious Catholic Girl side comes out and I deliberately refuse to stop until I do have an outburst and then I am sick as a dog.

The last candida attack which came with the last pencillin motivated me to really try and figure out how to fight it better and after a lot of research I found some things that really really helped kick the candida to the curb. Yes, eating right (Susan - I love home made bread but it always takes me out) is key.

I am definitely going to get some Ph papers. Does the one you dip in your urine work as well?

Things that worked really well with systemic candida:

1. Enzymedica Candidase - This is a different and new enzyme based approach to candida overgrowth because it actually is formulated to help remove candida from the body.

2. Yeast Defense by Nutrition Now.

I used to take Candida Cleanse which are tablets. They worked well but Yeast Defense was spectacular. It contains all the anti-candida tools such as Caprylic Acidk Pau D. Arco, Deodorized Garlic, Grapefruit Extract Chlorophyll Concentrate and a blend of various Lactobacillus strains.

3. Collodial Silver. There is a lot of controvery about this but I took a tiny 1/2 teaspoon a day and it really helped me a lot.

4. Country Life Power Dophilus. It is milk free. It says to take 1-3 tablets with meals but I took it 3x a day and I could really feel it working.

5. Fresh lemon in warm water (use a straw to protect your teeth) in the morning to kick up the liver and get the immune system going to fight off the bacteria. This might not be such a good thing if you are having bladder problems because it might cause burning but if not...it works really well.

6. Magnesium powder drinks. This seems to actually help my skin glow.

7. Crystal water - Souley - which also helps balance the body.

8. Pau D Arco tea.

Since I had to give up coke, soda, coffee (so sad) wine, beer and champagne (one of my favs) and margaritas (so pop here in Dallas) and resort to water and smart water (I drink the generic kind that is less expensive that you can get at Whole Foods) I started drinking Pau D Arco and taking it with me. It actually tastes OK after you get used to it and it helps keep the candida down.

I hope that helps anyone who struggles with candida related skin problems or the other dreaded issues.

I also noticed that when I take all the pills faithfully I have more energy and sleep better.

Unfortunately some of the supplements are pricey but if you shop carefully online you can find them on sale sometimes. I realized that the last candida outbreak cost me several days of work and extra visits to the acupunturist for pain so buying the supplements and eating right will balance out the extra expense for me.

Finally...sorry this is so long...I hope you will all continue to post on this topic because my current project is finally figuring out how to deal with my body and being willing to try and eat right. This is a hard one for me so thanks for all the help and support.

!$ Shab` dbe ,%4 b` , 8bp - )%! )-% !$ -,$`r /2

Posted By: Alisa06
Date Posted: Jun 9, 2007 at 11:34am

I started the Atkins diet because of a weight issue, but also because of a suspected yeast over growth. I have been struggling for the past several years with an energy problem. I have always been more on the easily fatigues side because of a heart murmur, but this went above and beyond. At first we thought it was because I had 3 kids in 3 1/2 years, and nursed them all until almost 1 yr or over. with my first two,there was a month were I was pregnant and nursing, and did not know it. I ended up with post pardum depression with my 3rd. This started me on a long road of anti-depressants. I eventually ended up in a psychiatrist's office. He in turn sent me to a sleep specialist after watching me for a year. After doing two sleep studies, I was diagnosed with idiopathic hypersomnia. For those of us in the real world, this means unknown sleepiness. I was so sleepy, I was almost diagnosed with narcolepsy. To be diagnose with narcolepsy, you have to all asleep in under 5 min. My average was under 2. I was put on Ritalin, which gave me anxiety. I already had been diagnosed with an anxiety disorder by my psychiatrist, so this wasn't good. I decided I wanted " heal myself" with as natural means as possible. I have always been intrigued by natural medicine.

In the middle of all this I developed acne, and chronic sinusitis. I have never had acne, even as a teenager, so I was put on birth control pills, and oral antibiotics.After two years, they quit working, and the meds were changed.My father in law came up with the possibility of a yeast overgrowth. In Jan, when I started the Atkins diet, I also started taking a pro biotic that claims to kill yeast by eating it. After about 3-4 days, I felt like I had the flue! I can honestly say, that I believe he was right. My skin had cleared up, and my energy had gone through the roof. Every now and then , when I forget to take the pro biotic for a few days, or cheat, and eat sugar or flour , I start to get sluggish again, or my skin starts to brake out.

Karen, I absolutely agree! Eating right along with the supplements is sooooo much worth it in the long run.It takes some time to get into the routine at first, but I feel so much better, that it is like night and day.

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Posted By: Alisa06
Date Posted: Jun 9, 2007 at 1:29pm

Did one of you say that candida will make you shed more? I believe that this is what I read. I was just going to post about this on the long hair care forum. All winter I have been sheding really badly. I mean REALLY bad. I know you are supposed to loose quite alot of hair daily, but I loose a huge hunk in the shower, and whenever I comb. It is not coming from any one spot, just all over like regular sheding.I am starting to get nervous. I have alot of hair, so it has taken me a while to get nervous,now, I am. I know this is not skin care related, and I am sorry, but do any of you have any suggestions?

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Posted By: Karen Shelton
Date Posted: Jun 9, 2007 at 9:07pm

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Yes...candida flareups always makes me start to shed. Not sure why but it seems to be connected somehow.

!$ Shab` dbe ,%4 b` , 8bp - )%! )-% !$ -,$`r /2

Posted By: Susan W
Date Posted: Jun 10, 2007 at 9:19am

I have always shed a lot since age 15, so I never made any correlations with shedding.

Alisa, this was what I was worried about with what you wrote initially, the Atkins diet actually making yeast worse. The atkins is similar to the anti-candida diet, and that was what I tried in the 90s before figuring out it actually hurt me by lowering my body's Ph to an acidic environment the yeast loved. In theory, you'd think it would work, since meat and veggies aren't what yeast eat and carbohydrates and sugar is, but it didn't turn out to work the way they said it would (I was MAD too when I figured that out! How could they publish a book that was so wrong!)

Both of you: I did take probiotic stuff for awhile too, I took lactobacillus acidophillus in pill form, ate yogurt and raw garlic (I loved it! My SO in the 90s didn't mind, my husband now does though so I quit that - he even said the odorless garlic pills made me smell too garlicy so I had to quit those). The raw garlic definitely helped, the yogurt and acidophilus pills - I didn't notice any difference. I also drank a combination of herbs, including the colloidal silver (I used 10 drops silver twice a day, and I never had any problems from that. I used it for a year before stopping). This is what got me through 2004.

Karen, I hope you will be able to avoid the antibiotics in the future...I do remember now that all my problems way back when also started after antibiotics. I can't state enough how wondrous the turnaround has been for me with the Ph diet. Now I never get yeast no matter what I eat (thought I'm still veggie) and my only battle now is the occasional acne. Its so nice to largely do and eat what I want now without fearing problems, or like you said, feeling like I was at war with my own body! It does take years but its SO worth it to live in health. I do the same thing with working on myself projects! I actually have to take a form of penicillin every time I go to the dentist (every 6 months for cleaning) because of a heart condition, but since I've gotten my Ph up, I just eat a yogurt the day after to replenish and I no longer get any trouble from it. Ph really is so important. I'm also mad at all the doctors and gynecologists who didn't know that and could never tell me anything that would help me! Not that they weren't trying to be helpful, I even had one look up my birth control pills when I was on those and she said they were one that was not supposed to cause acne or yeast. Sometimes we really do just have to figure it out ourselves.

One of you mentioned the lemon and water, that IS a great way to start your day! Most of the food we consider acidic actually turns your body alkaline, lemon and vinegar are two of those things, so they are both excellent to eat for candida conditions and the Ph diet. (Like I said, nothing really swings a body alkaline as hard as the bad stuff swings it acid, but eating a lot of the right stuff can help add up).

I am not familiar with the urine test. I think the Ph of urine is supposed to be around 6? I could be wrong, but I'm not familiar enough with it to know if that is a good way to test the body's Ph. I think it might not be because you can make your urine more acid just by taking vitamin c or eating lots of cranberry (things suggested for those with bladder infections), but I don't think those things affect the body's Ph that quickly. I always used laboratory grade Ph paper (you can probably buy on lab supply websites online) and did the spit test. My paper ranged from about 4 to 8, with different colors all numbers in between so I only needed the one kind.

I do wish you both luck with your health, and I'm glad everyone is posting their experiences. Hopefully this thread can help other people too.

!)) C ed``d ` %44`r #.,bb $ !,) ! (!) !!$` ,.

Posted By: Alisa06
Date Posted: Jun 10, 2007 at 9:56am

Well, doesn't that just take the cake!

Thank you so much for you insight and thoughts. I guess I am going to have to re-evaluate my diet. I had been border-line vegetarian most of my life until I started having babies, then my body just screamed for meat. Well with my boys, anyway, with my daughter I had to stay as far away from meat as possible until I figured out to smother it in a sauce.

Before I forget to ask, I had a homeopath tell me to stay away from all dairy, if I was fighting Candida. Is this something you have also found to be true? What other foods have you found to stay away from or are beneficial. I have also heard that mushrooms are a no no.

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Posted By: Susan W
Date Posted: Jun 11, 2007 at 7:09am

I have always eaten mushrooms. I have heard also that they are bad, but I think that's just because they are fungus so people think "how can fungus be good for fungus?" But I never had any problem with them or with the spirulina drink (which is algae).

You can't eliminate eating any new yeasts from your diet. I have learned this, that like bacteria yeasts are everywhere and it won't do you any good to peel and scrub every fruit you eat just so you don't eat any more. Changing the environment of your body is the best way just to keep any you eat from taking over.

I love, eat and drink lots of dairy. Even at the point when I gave up ice cream because of the sugar, I never gave up milk (or its sugars). I can imagine there that someone may think its bad for yeast because there can be a lot of antibiotics in it if you don't buy organic (because they were fed to the cows and chickens and they excrete it). For this reason, I do always buy organic. For the Ph diet, dairy is fine though. Milk, cheese and eggs are all almost neutral as far as what it does for your Ph.

!)) C ed``d ` %44`r #.,bb $ !,) ! (!) !!$` ,.

Posted By: Alisa06
Date Posted: Jun 11, 2007 at 10:28am

thank you, Susan, and Karen you have been so helpful.It is good to know about the dairy. I love cheese. Any kind of it. I don't drink milk to much, but I love ice cream,I thought I had to live without it until my husband brought some home that was made with splenda. I don't have it like I used to (every night) but I feel better knowing I can have it if I really want.

I also try to buy organic when I can. I went through a faze a few years ago where I would only eat raw foods, and organic. My husband thought I had gone nuts!

He lovingly calls me his health muffin.

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Posted By: Karen Shelton
Date Posted: Jun 11, 2007 at 12:27pm

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Hi Susan,

Well put. I totally agree. It is impossible to try and remove everything. I think you have to do it on a case by case basis or else you will wind up starving. When I got sick the last time I was down to chicken soup and yogurt (the no sugar added type) and it seemed to work. Needless to say I was hungry all the time but was worried about adding anything back. So I did go slowly. I can not eat mushrooms but can eat cheese. I can also eat some meat but not others. Salmon and some fish works great and some ground beef but not steak or fajita meat. I can also do chicken and turkey.

Since meat is not supposed to be good for the PH balance I am not sure why I don't have problems at this point.

I agree that it is an individual issue and that everyone just needs to find what works best for them and go from there.

Again...I need to get my body figured out. Maybe I will after I try long and hard enough. :-)

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Posted By: Karen Shelton
Date Posted: Jun 11, 2007 at 12:29pm

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Ahhhhhh...how sweet...health muffin is very very sweet.

Yes....try different versions to see what works. Unfortunately Spenda gives me a reaction but I have certainly tried it enough times. :-)

!$ Shab` dbe ,%4 b` , 8bp - )%! )-% !$ -,$`r /2

Posted By: Alisa06
Date Posted: Jun 11, 2007 at 3:09pm

I do ok with splenda. I only really have it in the ice cream, and in flavored water. I don't bake or anything of tht sort that would require suger/ sugar substitute

In the past I have done really well on no red meat. I respond surprisingly good. I have eaten only pultry and sea food, and do great. Hearing about the ph thing, it makes perfect sence.

The only down side is, it is now barbeque season, and we normaly barbeque steaks, and porks chops quite a lot.

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Posted By: Susan W
Date Posted: Jun 12, 2007 at 8:21am

Tell me about that! My husband is a bbq and steak nut. It was hard at first to go with him to all-meat restaurants and not order any. I have gotten used to it though, no matter where I am its my right to order only veggie side dishes if I must! Surprisingly I haven't gotten any dirty looks from waitresses so far!

Update on the "no grains" for acne diet:
This week's experimenting has confirmed that it seems to have a cumulative effect. I can cheat a little and not break out, as long as I avoid the wheat mostly (I had had pecan pie for lunch one day - bready crust - and I only got a pimple...no major aching breakout like when I ate breads more frequently). Its a lot easier knowing I don't have to avoid it like the plague, I can just mostly avoid it, and have some if I really want something. I can deal with a pimple or two, its the bigger breakouts that start to get me feeling self conscious and depressed.

Edited to add: I also found that using the proactiv 3 step system once a day, and using the neutrogena bead scrub, witch hazel and regular 10% benzoyl peroxide for the other wash (meaning also once a day), is a great mix! My skin is much better when I use both systems than it is when I use either alone. Unfortunately this isn't what I was going for. I was trying to find a cheaper solution that would work as well as proactiv. I am still working on this too.

Susan W2007-06-12 08:26:30!)) C ed``d ` %44`r #.,bb $ !,) ! (!) !!$` ,.

Posted By: Susan W
Date Posted: Jul 9, 2007 at 12:05pm

Update on the "no grains" for acne diet:

I've been off the wheat for a few weeks straight now, it really does help to just not eat it most of the time, even if I cheat on occasion. (I guess that makes sense since if its an allergy it would still be sitting in your intestines making you allergic otherwise). I'm still utterly impressed with how great my skin feels, and even managed to get off the proactiv for a week. (Then I hit my hormonal week and got one zit so I switched back to it, and still use both it and the neutrogena scrub).

Whenever I cheat and eat a little bread, that is definitely what makes my face and neck itch. This may be the whole reason it makes me break out (since I scratch and get hand dirt on my face), or maybe its just a side effect.

Its not as hard as I thought it would be, after not eating wheat for a month, I've noticed I can cheat once or twice a week and sometimes not even get a zit. I love being without congestion so much that I really hardly even miss it. Since I know I can cheat once or twice a week, I don't feel like I'm hurtin' for it or anything, so this diet didn't turn out to be as hard as I thought it would be, even as a vegetarian.

Oh, and I still do eat as much sugar as I want, and drink a low-caf coffee in the morning. Neither seems to cause acne at all for me.

!)) C ed``d ` %44`r #.,bb $ !,) ! (!) !!$` ,.

Posted By: digitaldiva
Date Posted: Jul 9, 2007 at 12:23pm

The couple of people that I have met that are allergic to wheat have the most beautiful skin I've ever seen. !'"!$00 ,"0 " $ b .,! !- % ), $(` /0

Posted By: digitaldiva
Date Posted: Jul 9, 2007 at 12:29pm

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Red wine has more toxins than white. Red gives me a headache if I drink more than 2 glasses. White doesn't do this.
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Posted By: Karen Shelton
Date Posted: Jul 9, 2007 at 12:32pm

Hi Susan,

First...I wanted to let you know that I found the banana Spirtene BUT it was almost out of date. I asked the manager of the health food store and he told me "they discontinued banana and we just had some left". The expiration date was 9/07. If you want me to try and pick some up for you...I am happy to do so but was concerned about the expiration date.

Second....my facialist made me promise to give up caffeine and decaf for 30 days. I had already given up caffeine some time ago but would have a decaf 2-3x a month.

I did give it up 30 days ago and my skin is just glowing. People are actually asking me what I have done to my skin. I think it is because I am drinking just water now (nothing else) and I have been following a religious skin care program (I tend to forget).

I am glad decaf is working OK for you. I bet your skin looks great.

Thanks for keeping us all updated. :-)

On my front....my candida is still retreating and I am still pounding it hard. Progress, not perfection is my personal motto.

Have a great day all.

!$ Shab` dbe ,%4 b` , 8bp - )%! )-% !$ -,$`r /2

Posted By: Susan W
Date Posted: Jul 10, 2007 at 10:05am

Hi Karen! Awww bummer! No more banana ever! That's okay though, you don't have to go to the trouble of getting it for me (that's supersweet of you to offer though, thanks!) At least the vanilla is pretty good if you mix it half and half with milk and orange juice (I really don't like the chocolate, very chalky).

I'm glad your problems are getting better. That's interesting about the caffeine, I'm surprised giving up decaf that you only had a couple of times a month made a difference. But we are really all different! I had gone through periods where I didn't drink anything but water, but my face didn't improve really, so I gave that up and went back to my beloved caffeine. (I'm not really drinking decaf, which I didn't find very satisfying, I'm drinking Turkish coffee, which takes about 15 minutes to make in the morning, but it lets me get the balance between having the pleasurable caffeine, but cooking it just long enough to not let it get very caffeinated at all so I don't get tmj). So, its really low caffeine, and I like it too much to give it up! I guess that's why the answers to our problems are so slow in coming, so many of us have problems with so many different things. Good luck with your journey, I'm glad things are looking up healthwise for you!

Oh, and I did learn something about the urine test....I think your urine is supposed to be about 6.0, and if its more alkaline than that it may mean that your kidneys are putting out ammonia in response to your body being too acid (I'm not sure why it works that way though). If your urine is more acid, that would probably be okay since eating stuff like vit. C and cranberries can supposedly make it more acid to help prevent UTIs. I don't have any direct experience with testing urine, so I don't know how true it is, but it sounds reasonable. (I always did the saliva test for pH).

digitaldiva -. What toxins does red wine have? I hadn't heard it had toxins, but I know it has way more tannins, and if you are prone to migraines (which it sounds like you are since you said red gives you headaches and white doesn't), tannins are definitely no good. They are supposedly good for helping cleanse toxins from your body, which is why they say drink tea and red wine, and even caffeinated coffee, but for those of us with migraines, its not worth it, all those things cause them. (I drink a half gallon of water a day just so I can get away with my turkish coffee without getting a migraine...drinking lots of water does help wash out the tannins, but even a ton of water is not enough to prevent a migraine for me after red wine, or anything with cherries in it).

!)) C ed``d ` %44`r #.,bb $ !,) ! (!) !!$` ,.

Posted By: Alisa06
Date Posted: Jul 10, 2007 at 10:15am

I have heard about the tannins as well. Red wine dosen't give me a head ache or anything of the sort, I just brake out if I drink it to many nights in a row. I have also heard that it is higher in sulfur. Sulfur is one of those tricky things. It has been used for hundreds of years for skin ailments, and is actiually used in homeopathy for acne and several other skin ailments. Mabye it is one of those thingse where it has to get worse before it gets better? )! ,`p "$ !-2 )((0 " -, %!,$ -) ( `r "

Posted By: Susan W
Date Posted: Jul 11, 2007 at 11:02am

Yeah, those not susceptible to migraine are lucky without knowing they are lucky (like I was before I got them...now I realize!). It just makes another class of foods to have to avoid in whats turning out to be an already complicated diet.

I heard sulfur was good, I even took that for awhile in my late teens, but I didn't notice any improvement with that either. Maybe its one of those things that just work for some. I noticed my bottles of white wine have "contains sulfites" on them like its something I should be worried about, but I don't know if this is the same kind of sulfur that is supposed to be good, or even what's bad about it if not.

!)) C ed``d ` %44`r #.,bb $ !,) ! (!) !!$` ,.

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