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Want to know what my top ten favourite anti-inflammatory foods for treating acne are?
Then simply watch this wonderful little movie I made and you shall find out!
httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U65T3Cr7WFA
How many of these acne-fighting foods do you incorporate in your diet?
Blog author Tracy Raftl used to have severe acne — now she teaches thousands of women how to take back control of their skin through natural, holistic, and mind-body methods.
The following is a repost of an interview with me by Beautiful with Brains (click here for original). Read on – I share all
This is a guest post from Jessica Gremley of the Natural Acne Clinic Are you well over your teen years and still struggling with stubborn
Hi, my name is Krista and I am a recovered acne sufferer after a 5 year battle. I have tried for months to bring myself
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28 Responses
Thanks for the info, Tracy. I have a question about oils. If you use coconut oil for cooking, does it alter the taste much? And, do you know if vegetable oil is bad or good?
Some people notice a change in the flavor. I personally do not at all. Try it a few times! Coconut oil is the best fat to cook with.
Vegetable oil is evil. Cook with coconut oil, palm oil, butter, tallow, lard…
Drizzle macadamia oil and olive oil over salads, veggies, etc. Do NOT cook with PUFAS like olive oil – it oxidizes when exposed to heat.
Evil, haha. I’ll keep that in mind. That’s a bummer because I just bought a bottle–it’s so much cheaper than olive oil. I have a thing of coconut oil, which I’ll try though. It’s kind of hard to find where I live :(. Thanks for the advice 🙂
It’s hard to find coconut oil? Buy it on Amazon! You will be amazed at the gems you can find on amazon!
try lard! Personally that’s my favorite thing to cook with. coconut oil is pretty expensive
Yep, I mostly use tallow, because I had a lot of fat from my grass fed cow, so it was WAAAY cheaper than coconut oil. But then I recently discovered that in some cases (depending on the way it’s been refined), refined coconut oil is actually fine to use (I think I’ll do a blog post about this). So then I bought a giant tub of it (3.5 kilos) from Omega Nutrition brand for 40 bucks, and now I think it’s actually pretty dang cheap!
http://www.amazon.com/Omega-Nutrition-Coconut-Oil-lb-Tub/dp/B004L3Z0TI
Great video post! Most of those (if not all) would also be in my top ten as well. I have one question for tonight though. As you’ve written about in another article, it’s really important to let go of anxiety over what we eat all the time. I had an amazing family cook a gluten free meal for my sake, however it was rice pasta mac and cheese followed by gluten free cheese cake, yowza! Although everything was organic and wholesome I am a wee bit anxious about how my skin will tolerate so much dairy at once. Is there any supplement or way to avoid a post dairy breakout? Or must we ride out the storm? As always, many many thank you’s!
Hi Melanie!
Hmm… I don’t have anything off the top of my head to prevent it except for not stressing. I’m just realizing lately how potent the stress really is for creating acne compared to the actual dietary misnomer.
There is one supplement though, actually, that I’ve been experimenting with lately and it’s an herb called gymema sylvestre, which is supposed to block some of the sugars from a high glycemic meal from being absorbed, and hence, lowering your blood sugar. It’s a super cheap supplement… Sampson, a regular commenter around here, recommended it, and I think he has a blood sugar monitor… he said he tested his blood sugar levels after eating pizza or something and then taking it, and he said it definitely created a smaller blood sugar swing than it would have otherwise. So…. you can try that 🙂
Hi,
Great video Tracey…you are glowing 🙂 Just thought Melanie & yourself may be interested to know that aside from the herb/supplement Gymnema Sylvestre & the mineral Chromium Picolinate…I’ve researched Apple Cider Vinegar and this has the ability to reduce the GI ( glycemic index of a meal…just add a teaspoon to a glass of water & sip during your meal or straight after, much more cost effective too, if you don’t mind the taste…I actually enjoy the taste 🙂 It has many other health benefits too, including detoxing the body & helping digestion.
Hi Annette! Thanks for the suggestion…. I wish I liked the taste of apple cider vinegar!! I’m jealous! I really don’t like it :/
You said coconut products and forgot about shredded coconut (super cheap), coconut flakes, coconut cream, coconut vinegar (its awesome), coconut butter (my favorite meat form), coconut flour and I’m sure there are a few more… just an fyi 😉
AWESOME list all around. My list would be different by only a couple foods… I’d have to think about it! Glad to hear about grass-fed beef – one of the major benefits is the CLA – an anti-cancer fatty acid that is basically non existent in grain fed beef.
P.S. You looked super calm, relaxed and alive in this video. Keep it up!
hahah what do you meeean… I said coconut products…. those are all coconut products 🙂 silly.
China blocks all of your videos, so I’m relying on posts and comments for info. I’ve heard you mention the coconut oil before. I’m trying to avoid shipping products from the US (it gets crazy expensive) and all I’ve noticed at my local grocery store is coconut milk, coconut juice, sunflower oil, vegetable oil, olive oil and butter. Is there a way to concoct some sort of homemade healthy cooking oil, like the homemade rice flour you described? I’m still trying to find all of the loopholes linked to eating healthy in a third world country.. hah!
Hi Kalyn… China blocks my videos?? Damn them! 😉
Well, for you, the list was: Leafy green vegetables, wild salmon or fish oil, berries, avocadoes, coconut products, sweet potatoes, turmeric, extra virgin olive oil, grass fed beef, green tea, and an honorary mention to water.
Honestly, if you need something to put in your pan to cook, of those that you have access to – I would choose butter as long as you aren’t frying (because butter does burns). But it stays stable at heat because it’s saturated like coconut oil.
But yeah, I don’t have any way to concoct an oil… extracting oil from plants is a pretty intense process! Everyone gets it wrong thats why almost all vegetable oils are bad for you – they’re heated and damaged and toxic. Extra Virgin Olive OIive seems to be the only one that has a safe extraction process. But then everyone goes and heats it when they cook and it turns toxic anyway.
Also: PS: I tried making some other sort of pancake that was very similar to the muffin recipe I gave out the other day, except I only used rice flour and I also didn’t have any baking powder or soda, and it was good…. but it wasn’t fluffy like the muffins…. it was very dense, and then it felt kind of like a brick in my stomach afterwards. So I don’t know what the problem was ….. if it was the baking powder to make it rise, or the almond flour :/ …. anyway! Just a warning!!
Great video..I have a really busy lifestyle and I was wondering if you could do a video/post about foods/dishes that will fill you up, not mess around with digestion, are easy to eat in front of people and you can carry around easily…its driving me mad having to eat on the go or at work and not have anything to eat, plus it makes my energy levels wayy low. Also im not really eating fruit because the sugar in it breaks me out…thankyou! It would be much appriciated!!
Hi Amy!
Okay until I get around to that – I would suggest salads. Not necessarily like a bunch of lettuce (because I know that doesn’t sound filling), but just a whole bunch of vegetables + lettuce, thrown together with things that will fill you up – avocadoes, some meat (like cold chicken or something), maybe a little bit of feta if you eat any dairy, nuts, hummus, beans, squash, use olive oil and nut butters as dressings…. be creative with it. It’s delicious. The only problem with this fitting in with your life is that when you eat salad meals, it needs to be a fairly big portion so that you feel satisfied (and it is really filling, believe me!)… but you can pack it into the biggest tupperware container you’re willing to carry around and you’re golden 🙂
thanks for this list, tracy! this list is going on my fridge as a reminder. 🙂 i haven’t been getting enough greens as i would like to, so this week i’ll be doing your full meal salad idea as much as possible!
Hi Tracy I have a question about cod liver oil. I remember in one of you past videos you mentioned how much you take a day but i can’t remember the amount. My bottle of carlsons cod liver oil says 1 teaspoon is one serving and you should have one serving a day according to the bottle. but i was wondering can you and should you take more than that?
Hi Sarah…. I take like…. 1 tablespoon per day. I think. It’s like a medium/large kind of spoon and I fill it up and swallow it. You can definitely take more!! The more the merrier… I find that I can only remember once a day though…
I’m so happy i found this site! I’ve suffered with acne since i was 13 yrs old and now I am 20 yrs old and its been a long time coming. I wanted to know if eating whole wheat bread is good since you said no whites. I am looking forward to trying all of your steps especially the healthy eating part its gonna be hard lol but, anything to clear my skin! I have mild acne now, mostly black heads and white heads ,scaring and pimples under the skin. I was on accutane and it cleared me up but, after i stop using it my acne came back:( I am now trying to clear my acne on my own rather than going to these dermatologist who haven’t help me in the pass. IVE TRIED ALMOST EVERYTHING FOR MY ACNE! Now i have just recently started taking vitamin D pills i heard its good for acne, I am washing with clean and clear morning burst detoxifying cleanser in the morning and washing with st.Ives naturally clear apricot scrub blemish and black head control at night then i apply acne stress control salicylic acid medication after. My fingers are crossed hoping for results along with your seven step plan. Wish me luck xoxo:)
Hi Ronelle! Welcome to the site and good luck on your journey to clear skin the natural way! 😀
Nice video tracy!! I love your videos…they help me a lot!
I didint know green tea its an antiinflamatory drink…I miss drinking caffeine so now Im going to drink green tea! xD And I thought avocados was a fruit that contains too much fat and so I used to avoid eating avocados..didint know its and antiinflamatory food! Im love it avocados..Im going to make avocados cream and eat together with honey! yummyyy
Avocadoes are the best…. I love them so much. And you don’t have to avoid good fats!
Are Brazil nuts ,walnut,carrots,Bell peppers and the fruits rich in vitamin c like gooseberry are not good anti-inflammatory Foods for Treating Acne ?????
Sure, that stuff’s good too!
thanks Tracy !! (^ – ^) ……
but you did not mention it. thanks….
Hi Tracy!! Love your blog! I finally got rid of the worst of my outbreak, which I believe was caused by proactive (king of evil products). I now have anti-inflamatory acne I’m fighting. Do you have any tips on how to best treat that type?
I am really confused as to how Olive Oil can become toxic? I love coconut oil but not on m meats or savory dishes to cook with.