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A vegan diet is often touted as being the ultimate healthiest way to eat… then why is that some people who go vegan still get acne? Or worse, develop acne that they’ve never had before?
Find out why in this video!
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.
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93 Responses
I am vegan and I do agree that eating too much soy (which many vegans do for their main source of protein) will cause acne for some people. Like you said it can be an allergy and is very high in phytoestrogen which can lead to hormonal acne. For those reasons I eat a minimal amount of soy and when I do eat soy I stick to something like edamame and not a highly processed form of soy. And don’t worry, I’m not hating on you’re video just cause I’m vegan 😉
Hahah thanks!
Once you take a basic biology class in college or any type of nutrition course you realize just how important protein, cholesterol (found in primarily animal products) and fat is to the body. It’s literally in every single cell. Coincidentally, those 3 things are largely absent in both the vegetarian and vegan diets.
The vegan diet is simply not equipped to get all of the micronutrients and minerals that our bodies need. As anyone concerned with their health should know, there’s more to food than just Carbs/Fat/Protein and Vitamins/Minerals. There are compounds that we’re just beginning to discover and many more we don’t even know about. That whole eating chicken soup while you have a cold is actually partially rooted in science. All meats but poultry especially help your body produce antibodies to fight off infections due to bacteria and viruses. All enzymes in the body are made from proteins.
I’ve already posted my experiences going veggie and they weren’t pretty. In regards to it being the msot ethical way of eating, hmm. If you asked me that a year ago I would have agreed completely but I’m not so sure nowadays. The way I like to think of it is “circle of life, etc. etc. If this cow COULD eat me, you bet she would.” I don’t view eating animals as inherently good or bad. I think it’s inherently morally ambiguous/neutral. I feel bad that an animal had to die to feed me but I don’t feel bad about placing myself and my personal health before the animal.
There’s also very few ways to get minerals such as zinc without supplementation and frankly if you NEED to supplement something in your diet, it’s not a good diet. Supplements should be just what the name implies – something you take to make your already healthy diet just a bit better or more “well rounded” because as humans living in the 21st century we have certain limitations such as money and going to the grocery.
I agree… there is definitely a circle of life, and I don’t think that raising animals humanely and locally and eating them is a bad thing. Lions and tigers are not spiritually wrong for being predators and nor are we. How things have gotten with food production…. well…. yeah… that’s a different story. I also very much agree with what you say about having to supplement your diet. If it was the natural diet for humans, there would be no reason that you absolutely had to take a supplement in order to not become deficient in something.
Just commenting on a few things I disagree with:
“I don’t think that raising animals humanely and locally and eating them is a bad thing”
This statement is pretty vague. What do you mean by a “bad” thing? Bad for you or bad for them? Bad for them: Its impossible to find animal products on the market raised for consumption in a truly humane way.
Bad for you: Animal products simply do not contain any added nutrition besides B12 when compared to a whole food vegan diet done correctly with variety unless you have an underlying health condition.
“lions and tigers are not spiritually wrong” No they are not. Mostly due to the fact that they do not live in a modern society with supermarkets and close to 7 billion of their own kind. They also don’t know any different and aren’t capable of knowing any different either. Lions and tigers arn’t capable of having every other source of food available to them at any time. It isn’t a choice for them. It is pure survival.
“If it was the natural diet for humans…no reason…to take a supplement” Is the natural diet for humans even relevant any more and what do you mean? Natural as in making (not purchasing) the tools to hunt prey? Or do you mean picking vegetables out of the ground and eating things with poop and bacteria on them (natural source of B12)? I’m not sure how “natural diet” even applies any more to such a separated unnatural environment in which we currently live.
I’m not sure how purchasing packaged B12 supplements is any less natural than purchasing packaged animal products or even using modern transportation to travel to a farm that uses modern technology to produce the animal products? Aren’t you just then consuming a large, inefficient, unethical, environmentally damaging (when provided to a population of 7 billion) and realistically unnatural vitamin?
Interested in your thoughts.
Most omnivores aren’t getting half the nutrients they need for. “healthy” diet. There isn’t much reliable information for new Vegans so they tend to give up pretty easily and say misinformed things like “circle of life”…”not enough protein”. Whatever a vegan is lacking in their diet can be found in Vegan form. To say that plants don’t provide enough protein or nutrients is nonsense. the FDA, meat and dairy industry stands to gain so much from the miseducation of civilization and the increasingly vast amounts of meat consumed. The cows that we consume are supposed to eat grass so No they wouldn’t eat you if they had the chance, Gorillas eat plants all day and you wouldn’t say “Yo gorilla! You need to a hamburger you look malnourished” simply put, uninformed omnivores are going to be just as unhealthy as uninformed Vegans. But if you know what to look for and where to get the nutrients you need a vegans will be more healthy than someone who sucks down meat and dairy all week.
Sure if we’re comparing Vegans with SAD, yes generally they are much healthier. But I’m comparing health conscious people who eat quality food to each other, and personally I feel that a paleolithic diet that is mostly vegetables with a little bit of naturally raised organic animal products is healthier than a vegan diet full of wheat and soy.Now, obviously, not all vegans eat wheat and soy. I think raw veganism is actually incredibly healthy, however, over the long term, it does appear that many strict raw vegans end up with nutrient deficiencies such as vitamin D and B12 and tend to be low in important fatty acids like Omega 3. This could be addressed by incorporating some naturally raised organic animal products into their diets, and this is what many raw vegans end up doing in the end to address their deficiencies.
I wish those who feel compelled to opine on veganism would first educate themselves before spreading myths and untruths.
There is no beneficial nutrient that animal flesh can provide to humans that can’t be obtained from plants. Even the much-ballyhooed ‘protein’ canard is disproved the minute an educated person realizes that plants do indeed provide it, and in quantities that often exceed meat sources.
Conversely, there are many detrimental substances in meat including cholesterol, saturated fats and a smorgasbord of growth hormones, antibiotics and chemicals.
Red meat even contains more pesticides than produce. How could that be? Because the grains fed to cattle are permitted by law to have much higher concentrations of harmful pesticides than plants intended for human consumption. When we eat meat we’re eating pesticides stored within animal fat. Mmmmm good!
This is just a brief overview of facts. Please, before encouraging the repetition of lies and old wives’ tales, READ! There are many reputable sources on the web including renowned institutions such as the Cleveland Clinic, Cornell and many, many others.
Thank you. I am vegan again on my second go around. I started breaking out like I did the first time because I have am allergic to soy. I had been chowing down on Cliff Builder bars and didn’t realize they were chocked full of soy protein isolates. Nor did I realize that TVP was made from soy flower. I am back to juicing, fruit smoothies and eating fresh fruits and veggies. My acne is going away. I run about 20 miles a week and have been for a couple of years all on vegan power.
Something that you may be interested in knowing. Ground flaxseed is a great source of Omega 3 and is easily added to any meal. Our bodies produce vitamin D on their own with sunlight, it’s not that we’re supposed consume animal products to get it, it’s that the lifestyle and climate of a fair amount of people in the world doesn’t match what man would have had in it’s origins. The constant B12 arguments against plant-based diets are ridiculous. B12 is a bacteria that is only present in meat because it lives in the animals intestines. This same bacteria is found in soil, but isn’t found in most of the plants we eat because of how much more sterile our fruits and vegetables are nowadays. There are many vegan foods fortified with vegan sources of b12 as well as supplements that don’t come from animals. If you look at all the other negative effects animal products have on our bodies when we eat them to get the nutrients we need that we can easily get elsewhere, it’s pretty clear that we’re not really meant to eat them.
You are so wrong. B12 is NOT even close to being a bacteria.
Vitamin B12, vitamin B12 or vitamin B-12, also called cobalamin, is a water-soluble vitamin with a key role in the normal functioning of the brain and nervous system, and for the formation of blood. It is one of the eight B vitamins. It is normally involved in the metabolism of every cell of the human body, especially affecting DNA synthesis and regulation, but also fatty acid metabolism and amino acid metabolism.[1] Neither fungi, plants, nor animals are capable of producing vitamin B12. Only bacteria and archaea have the enzymes required for its synthesis, although many foods are a natural source of B12 because of bacterial symbiosis. The vitamin is the largest and most structurally complicated vitamin and can be produced industrially only through bacterial fermentation-synthesis.
^do your research. I haven’t fully switched to veganism yet but let me tell you, I fact check literally everything I read to my best ability and the informed vegans are infinitely more accurate than the “informed” non-vegans.
Thank you, Tracy and Sampson. I agree that you may need some animal products in your diet to be your healthiest, and my personal experience attests to that fact. For about 8 years, the only animal products I ate regularly were eggs and dairy (I occasionally ate fish). I had no acne, and I felt pretty good. Then, one year ago, I had to stop eating eggs and dairy because of allergies. My already-low cholesterol dropped to 122 (almost hypolipidemic), causing a hormone imbalance, which has caused headaches, fatigue, difficulty concentrating, and acne. My triglycerides also dropped well off the charts. I had no idea that I needed to fill the nutritional hole I was creating with other animal products. I feel awful; and I am currently trying to raise my cholesterol and triglyceride levels with fats, eggs, supplements, regular bloodwork, and a doctor’s supervision. I absolutely wouldn’t recommend a vegan diet, especially to anyone with low cholesterol and triglycerides. If you choose to be vegan, monitor your (lipid panel) numbers to make sure you stay in balance!
Great post as usual. I’ve done the vegan thing a few years ago thinking it was the healthiest diet. I wasn’t even doing it for my acne, but noticed my breakouts were lessened in some areas (I’m guessing from not eating dairy) but worse in other areas. It didn’t make sense to me at the time. I remember thinking, “If I’m on a perfect vegan diet and still have acne then I must be doomed for life”. Acne or no acne, our bodies need protein to function beautifully.
Yep. I think often people feel awesome when they first start on a vegan diet, because they are also paying attention to cutting out junk and eating lots of fruits vegetables which will make anyone feel good… but problems come with time, and it does depend on what sorts of foods are filling the bulk of the diet
This is interesting.
I’m a vegetarian and have been since.. well always. 😉 When I think about it, I don’t thing that I actually get all the protein that I need. I have two sisters who’s always been vegetarians too and one of them now has huge problems with deficit of vitamin d, protein, chalc etc. We both have a very small body masse index (though it might also be genetic..). The interesting thing is, that all the three of us have the same kind of acne! My sisters though have it less then me and it doesn’t really annoy them as much. I can se this because we get the same kind of scars, follicular macular atrophy (fancy word), though reeeaaaaally trying not to irritate it.
Tracy, I was wondering if you have any good sugestions of foods with high protin except from soy? 😉
Oh and yes, we all eat lots of grains too. I’m thinking of going to a doctor to check if I’m allergic to gluten.
Well other beans are alright for protein, as long as you soak them overnight and cook them really well in order to make them easy to digest. You could also drink milk kefir for protein if you could find a source of good milk (preferably raw, or goat’s milk), and you could eat eggs. I think it’s much easier to still be healthy as a vegatarian than as a vegan as you are still able to get that source of animal nutrients that are non existent in vegan diets.
The funny thing about veganism and the American continent is, that it’s kind of assumed there, that vegan is the healthiest diet. Here in Europe things are rather different – vegan people are almost always vegan due to ethical reasons and not due to health reasons. But here in Europe also dairy products aren’t viewed as the bane of healthy living. I think the local health paradigma is also an issue of cultural and economical differences, e.g. in Europe soy was never such a big economic branch as in the US, whereas especially in the Alp region dairy products of grassfed animals (cattle, sheep, goats) were consumed for centuries. I guess nearly all things are bad and potentially harmful for the human body (and therefore bad for acne) if they are consumed to excess – moderation is the key ;).
But back to the vegan topic: I really think that also a vegan diet can be healthy and sufficient in nutrients. The thing is however, that you really need to watch out what you are eating and how much and where it comes from (is it fresh enough? etc.) and so on. A healthy vegan diet is in my eyes a very designed and very controlled diet with little room for meanderings. I guess the problem with normal people who try to live healthy and vegan diets is that they don’t really have the vast knowledge and nerve for such a carefully composed diet and that can really lead to deficiencies.
I think some European countries are more on track with real food… they embrace raw milk and dairy products unlike here, where they’ve made them illegal in most places. I think there is a MAJOR health difference between raw and pasteurized dairy so that would make sense as to why dairy may not be viewed as the health monstrosity that it is here. As for your vegan comments, I agree…. it can be done, but it needs to be orchestrated very well, and I just don’t think if a diet absolutely needs supplements in order to not end up in deficiency that it is the healthiest diet. How could it be? Our ancestors didn’t have B12 injections available.
it’s called evolution.
I completely agree with this! When I developed acne my cousin told me it would help my skin to go vegan. I respect her beliefs..but I’m thankful I decided to follow your ebook advice instead 🙂 I am glad to say that I’m now clear. Although, I now have quite a bit of post acne red marks left. Apparently my body has a slow healing process. How can I get rid of them? When will they go away?
Way to go! Awesome to hear you got clear! The red marks will fade with time, it’s best to just go about your life and take comfort that they will go soon…. worrying about them will increase inflammation to the skin and keep them around longer. Look up my article called ‘how to get rid of acne scars naturally’ or something like that, there’s a mask I use that has honey, lemon and cinnamon in it that should help
Most health problems are caused by our diet. Ever since humans based their diet on seeds, we’ve been getting sick. It would be hard to be vegan without eating carbs. It doesn’t work. They just eat a bunch of neolithic food. A carb based diet is very acidic, while a ketogenic diet is very alkaline. You can’t get yellow teeth or cavities eating mostly fat. I’m not hating, but vegans are some ugly people! Especially the ones that have been hardcore for years. Bad teeth and nasty hair! YUCK!!! Getting sidetracked… Acne is usually a result of hormones that are out of balance because of constant high blood glucose. I suggest people buy a glucometer and test their glucose every morning. I’m consistently in the 60s and I have no acne. If I start pigging out on carbs, I can see my pores overproducing sebum. When will people learn that fat is king and the great beautifier. More for me, I guess.
hahah well I am not going to say all vegans are ugly …. but I agree that some are not in the picture of health that it “seems” like they should be. And I agree that lowering your dense, starchy carb intake is important. How much did it cost you to get a glucometer? I would actually like to get one… I looked into it a long time ago but I think I was too poor at the time
Beauty is an indication of health. Anyone can get sexy… just get healthy. Long term vegans don’t look right. They have that off complexion.
Glucometers are really cheap, maybe $20. The test strips is where they get you. It’s like $110 for 102 strips. The good thing is you’re not a diabetic and don’t have to check all the time. You’re just using them to see how your diet is affecting your blood glucose.
There is no room for carbs when you’re ketogenic. You can eat them now and then, but it cannot be a part of your daily diet. You see, carbs are nature’s way to fatten animals. Bison don’t eat grains all the time, only when they grow in the fall. Something like a winterization diet so they can go about with less food during the winter. There’s a misunderstanding that grass is a carbohydrate food, it’s actually no carb. Herbivores turn grass into fat and protein. So most of the time they are eating a ketogenic diet up until carbohydrates grow. Don’t follow the crowd and try to eat low calorie, low fat meals. Eating low calories with carbohydrates will eat your body up. It expresses hormones to store fat and use up protein. These are all symptoms of an acidic diet. The body has a harder time healing when the diet is not ketogenic. I hope you switch over to the default metabolism. It will change your life. I guarantee it.
You are aware that most vegetables also contain a certain amount of carbs? Just wondering…
I am a new vegan, so I am still learning. However, I have learned that meat and milk actually are acidic and our bodies use the calcium in our bones to bring the ph back to normal levels for our body. Plant eaters have been found to actually have stronger bones than meat eaters. There’s a lot more riding on going vegan, which is, not just our own personal welfare, but that of the animals (have you SEEN any raw footage of how the animals are treated?!) and also everyone in the world, and I am talking about the meat and dairy industry destroying our earth. Seventy percent of the Amazon rain forest has been cleared in order to make room for raising and slaughtering the animals. I will stop ranting and raving, there are tons of credible websites that give you the raw, hard facts that we simply choose to ignore. I also want to state that acne actually is one of the conditions that has zero indication of the health of your inner organs. I believe there are genetic factors at play, but I’m no doctor.
Pamela Anderson and Carrie Underwood are both vegans……..and hardly ugly.
Hey Tracy! I just found your website after googling vegan diet and acne, and it’s really making me think! I’ve been a vegetarian for 5 years, and I can’t say I have too many complaints about it. Recently (about 3 months ago) I started a vegan diet with my friend in the hopes of it just taking my health to a whole new level. It didn’t. We both have observed that we really haven’t lost weight (not that we need to, but it wouldn’t hurt ya know? haha) and our skin conditions have gotten worse. I used to get the occasional pimple here and there but now I usually have a few constant spots on my face and it’s not getting better. Shocking since the vegan diet is so raved about for giving you that perfect “vegan glow…” I’m starting to wonder what diet is really the best for my skin and for the environment. Sure, I’m an animal lover too and if I do decide to reintroduce some meat into my diet it would be extremely hard for me, but I think I value the environment the most out of all the “reasons for being a vegetarian.” Eating local is something new that I don’t know much about but would love to learn more of. I’m lactose intolerant so that’s not gonna change, but after reading your post about the top 3 allergies I’m wondering if I should try cutting out gluten and soy. As I’ve read more and more I really don’t think I want to be putting soy into my body anymore, research is just totally against it! Anyways, I could go on and on as this is something I’m super passionate about but I’ll stop here for now haha and keep reading your posts to learn more! Thanks! You’re blog ROCKS 🙂
Hi Katie!
Have you gone back to vegetarian and seen improvement? You should definitely look into local eating… I definitely think it’s the way forward for our health and environment! You should read The End of Food of Thomas F. Palwick… it’s kind of depressing, but it makes it quite obvious that relying on being vegetarian to save the planet isn’t the answer, because commercial and large scale (even organic) farming of plant crops is still hugely detrimental… of course it does help to stop supporting factory farming because they use so much land to grow grains for the animals…. but this doesn’t mean that eating local, small scale farmed meat shouldn’t be done… in my opinion 😀
Anyway!!! Thanks for the love~!
Tracy xox
Tracy, Please check out this information. You need to read The China Study. Watch Forks Over Knives. Look at the research.
Plant nutrients ARE more readily absorbed into the body than any animal products. Animal proteins CAUSE autoimmune diseases and cancer.
B12 is made by bacteria (either from bugs on plants or from animal intestines). People wash produce too much, therefore cleaning off the B12.
A well-planned vegan diet can and does cure acne. Many people experience acne as a cleansing symptom. If one eats to adequately cleanse the body, the acne will subside.
A well-planned vegan diet can cure acne for good.
diseases and cancer.
A well
I’ve read the China Study and seen Forks Over Knives. So we’ll just have to agree to disagree here..
Hello. Enjoying the posts. Would love to know why you disagree with “Forks over Knives”. The movie seemed to make a excellent argument based on science. Thanks
Then I’d suggest you revisit them. You might also be interested in Dr. McDougall and Doctors for Responsible Medicine (you can find their videos on YouTube and foratv.com). Other informative videos:
Milk causes type 1 diabetes
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MScEmjsVXNE&feature=player_embedded#at=515
Animal protein – meat and dairy — cause cancer
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yfsT-qYeqGM&feature=relmfu
Chocolate, cheese, meat, sugar – physically addictive
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5VWi6dXCT7I&feature=relmfu
The starch solution
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4XVf36nwraw&feature=channel_video_title
Make yourself heart attack proof
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AYTf0z_zVs0&feature=channel_video_title
Joel furhman – nearly everyone gets cancer
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sGrmA8iylds&feature=channel_video_title
(I think this guy has gotten a gold medal in the olympics for something)
Joel Furhman – nutrient density
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S6pYEaMb0Uo&feature=related
Joel furhman explains the ideal diet for active people
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dDCkJ0XRFqo&feature=related
I cannot understand how anyone can dispute science.
Okay I suggest you read these critiques:
http://rawfoodsos.com/2010/07/16/the-china-study-my-response-to-campbell/
http://rawfoodsos.com/2011/07/31/one-year-later-the-china-study-revisited-and-re-bashed/
http://rawfoodsos.com/2011/09/22/forks-over-knives-is-the-science-legit-a-review-and-critique/
Look – I’m not trying to advocate eating a pound of meat every day, or eating factory farmed food. It’s not asking you to eat oscar meyer weiners and spam for every meal. I’m asking you to eat small amounts of naturally, ethically raised or wild meat or seafood or eggs. I have read the China Study, I’ve watched videos by those group of doctors, I’ve seen the movies – and obviously it’s very convincing and I use to fully subscribe to it.
But then I started seeing and reading about the other side of the story, and personally it makes more sense to me. Look at evolutionary biology – we used to be hunter gatherers and we we don’t have a stomach like a cow. There are hunter gatherer tribes all over the world who eat meat and don’t have affluent diseases. And I have read countless stories about vegans becoming deficient in certain nutrients over time. YES they feel awesome when they first give up animal products because most of the time, they are very health conscious people! They are generally healthy! They eat a lot of vegetables! That’s wonderful and I fault no one who ever decided to give up processed foods for their health!! But I now fully believe that having SOME animal food in your diet is essential to good long term health. You don’t even have to eat meat if you don’t want to!! You can eat an EGG!! It doesn’t really matter.
And as for all plants being good just because they’re plants is not justified. Plants can be poisonous. And wheat and soy particularly have characteristics that are just not healthy. And I refuse to advocate that eating lots of them is better for you than a little bit of healthy, naturally raised or wild animal food. I’m sticking by it. Anyway…. if you reply again, I’m not going to after. I’m sure we could argue all day…
Lots of passion in the reply. Interesting. Thanks Tracy. Looking forward to reading critiques. Struggling with life long moodiness and a irritating skin problem. It is amazing how complicated trying to figure out one’s diet can be; especially with our western diet conditioning and our evolutionary development. Thanks for the posts. Very Nice.
Thanks Antonia for the youtube lectures. Looking forward to watching those.
hello!
i’m a newly converted vegan,dont really know what i’m doing,just know i feel great. minus the acne that had progressed over the last week, it makes since about the fat,i notice when i eat alot of nuts and avacados my skin does look better. i have though fallen into the category, im afraid, of too much soy. i eat tofu products, replacements for dairy and meats,and soy milk. i do use coconut milk occasionally and that may make a difference only time will tell. i love my beans! and my dark greens! but i need to know, these people commenting about carefully planned diets for vegans..???? what does that entail?
im not a member of peta by any means, more of a dietary vegan, for weightloss and health due to the research connected with veganism and lower risks of cancer, diabetes and heart disease….what amount is too much soy? hmmm…ive lost ten lbs and its only been two weeks. i think its accounted to the dairy free portion as i wasnt eating too much meat to begin with-mostly lean organic poultry and fish….im just happy about the weightloss but im not completely willing to trade ten lbs for acne!! just not ready to give up yet on veganism… any thoughts? thanks
You might benefit from the book “Becoming Vegan: The Complete Guide to Adopting a Healthy Plant-Based Diet” a great resource. It covers how to get a balanced diet and eat a variety of foods, so you are not eating too much soy. The only soy that is a real concern is isolated soy protein. The cookbooks I enjoy are The Kind Diet and Clean Start. You can also find some good recipe/health vegan blogs just by searching on google. FYI, my acne broke out at first due to cleansing side effects, but I am now clear. Just give it time. Good luck!
Hi,
You are very misinformed about this subject. Being a vegetarian or vegan is not the healthiest diet out there. The healthiest diet would be a Raw food diet. It can literally stop and in many cases reverse diseases. from heart disease to cancers. A strict Raw food diet can clear your Acne. I’m not going to post a huge comment, I have better things to be doing, but i’m sure their are many people out there looking for answers on how to cure their acne. The simple answer is a raw food diet, this is the first thing i read that made me realize most of the things I have been eating, were really causing my acne. If you have been told that acne and diet are not related. You have been lied to. Just read this if you are serious about getting clear skin and making yourself healthier.
http://www.absoluteacneinfo.com/diet/introduction.html
I will have to disagree with this comment. I went raw vegan last summer for 6 months, 801010 style, fruits, veggies, nuts, seeds…i lost 30 lbs, still had acne and was constantly stressed. It did nothing for my skin nor did it do anything but damage for my health. I was eating huge salads every night, 3000 cals of fruit a day (yes, expensive) and running 5-6 miles a day. I had my blood work done, I was deficient in several minerals…and the doc said my body weight to height was terrible (6″1′ at 135 after raw vegan). I studied more about diet, came to the same findings as Tracy and feel the same way. After only 4 months of eating animal products and working out in the gym I’m up to 165 lbs and growing. I suppose you’ll come back and say I did something wrong? I followed that book step by step and I will never try veganism again. I will, however, support farm raised animals, stop eating refined sugars, gluten, and dairy.
Hormones are the reason people have acne, and sometimes food has nothing to do with it, other people it does. Topical acne also exists just like in Tracy’s case…there is no cure all answer to acne for everyone. Stress, diet, hormones, growth, sexual hormones, they all play a key factor in concert with each other. “Fixing” one will not fix all. Usually if your body aches for something, it’s pretty much telling you to have it.
Hi Tracy! It is good to eat meat everyday? I usually eat 80 gr. 2 days per week, the others days eggs. Or you think that is too much?
I think it’s fine to eat meat every day if it’s good quality. I definitely don’t think what you are eating is too much – I usually eat some with both lunch and dinner every day – but only small portions, like… the size of a deck of cards or less.
Seriously? You’re suggesting eating meat twice a day? Didn’t you read the article in the LA TIMES from march 13th? Quote: “All red meat bad for you, study says”
Hi! You’re video really got me thinking. I just wanted to post my story- I’ve had acne every day for 15 years (from age 11 to 26 now). I’ve seen 7 or 8 dermatologists, tried everything from pro activ to prescriptions, to switching laundry detergents. I went vegan 2 months ago. I don’t have acne anymore. It’s crazy- I’m still in shock that it worked. Trust me, I want to drive out to Wendys and eat a cheeseburger now, but it’s worth it. I did it the right way- I see a doctor and I take about 8-12 pills twice a day (B12, B6, zinc, fish oil, etc). I don’t want people to be scared to go vegan- it can work! You just gotta make sure you are getting the nutrients still.
Kristi,
If you’re taking fish oil, this is not a vegan diet. Try flaxseed which is an omega 3 just like fish oil, but without the animal product.
I had acne pretty consistently over a 13 year period. I’m also lactose intolerant, so my dairy intake was extremely minimal (sometimes I just couldn’t resist those In-N-Out milkshakes!). Sure it cleared up a bit with Pro-Activ and some other products but zits still appeared, albeit fewer.
What’s weird is that after moving from the West coast to the East coast my zits immediately began leaving hyperpigmentation marks. I do have an olive skin tone, but I still don’t understand why my skin would suddenly have that reaction, when it never did over the previous 8 years. (Any ideas?)
Then I went from the East coast to the middle of the Pacific Ocean where I was much more physically active. Still had zits & hyperpigmentation.
A year later, I went vegan & I don’t remember if it was a sudden change or if it took a few months, but my skin skin would be clear for weeks at a time. I would still get a zit–literally just 1–at most once a month (probably period related, but I didn’t pay attention to that, so idk for sure). I still used acne wash in the shower, but I stopped applying acne products afterwards. Stopped using foundation even. Just my skin & moisturizer.
Now, I went vegan for environmental reasons, so I had no expectations in regards to this & just sort of figured that I was growing out of my “zit stage” of life. So I wasn’t impressed or anything.
What did amaze me were the compliments I began receiving from other people. Even during my 1-zit periods! Suddenly complete strangers, everywhere I went, were telling me how incredible my skin was. Now, I’m not someone who takes compliments seriously, I always think “they’re just being nice”. But SO MANY people were telling my how amazing my skin looked & asking me what products I used (uh… Oil of Olay?) that I started thinking okay this has to be diet related.
I was pressed to write this only because Katie–who commented above–kind of makes it sound that the “vegan glow” is a load of crap. I’m not trying to defend it or anything, but wanted to share that apparently I had this “glow” & I can only warrant it to my change in diet.
So, after almost 2.5 years as a vegan, is my skin awesome? Nope. BUT, I can’t say that it’s necessarily diet related. My acne started up again the weeks prior to my move from Hawaii to California – and it hasn’t cleared up since. My physical activity level went from 8 to zero & I’m pretty sure that my acne is more so related to that & the stress I’ve been under, than my diet.
But alas, I am still here, on the internet, trying to figure out how I can optimize my chances of getting rid of this acne once & for all!
Hi Audrey!
I’m really stoked for you that veganism has worked so well to clear your skin, especially if that is what ethically jives with you!
The way I see it, some people can do well on a vegan diet if you supplement correctly, and some people’s bodies are a lot more suited for it than others. And if we’re comparing vegans and vegetarians vs SAD, they are generally MUCH healthier (well, ones that do it for health reasons, there are many extremely unhealthy ethical vegans), as they don’t eat processed food and usually eat a lot of vegetables.
But anyway, yeah – what I’m trying to say is that veganism can really help some people and make it worse for others. For example, maybe your acne was caused and aggravated the most by dairy products? Those are gone, the zits are gone.
For others, their acne is exasperated the most by many wheat or soy, and all of a sudden, now they’re eating SO much more of it and things just don’t go that well.
On a different note, have you read my article I wrote the other day about fluoride causing acne? it seems like you have issues with acne coming and go as you travel, and maybe that has something to do with it? But yeah, it’s probably just stress
I don’t know why the belief that Vitamin B12 isn’t available in any plant food is so widely spread. There’s plenty of B12 in Sea Buckthorn!
Also, it’s worth mentioning that meat that isn’t organic often doesn’t contain B12 at all. It only occurs if animals are kept appropriately to their species.
Animals release a lot of stress hormones before/when being slaughtered, and humans absorb them when eating meat. It’s a lot more likely that you get acne from meat consumption than from going vegan.
You are very ignorant on the subject. Sorry that you tried veganism and you were so misinformed. All the nutrients our body needs can be found in plants. You refer to B vitamins and I assume that you think you were vegan because you stopped eating animal products but there is more to it than to stop eating certain things. Nutritional yeast has all the B vitamins we need and since quality is always better than quantity our body’s absorb B vitamins that come directly from the source (like NY) much faster and better than the ones that a cow has to eat from the grass to then pass it on to us. Has it ever occur to you that maybe you got acne because you were detoxing, if you health issues when being a vegan is because you just didn’t do it right. As a very informed vegan and nutritionist I can assure you that you must have done something wrong. Eating a whole food plant base diet is the healthiest way to eat, this includes eating at least 70 percent of raw food. It is not about eating bread and pasta. Please next tine you want to speak to the public at least inform yourself correctly. It will save you an embarrassment.
OKAY…..I have been reading all of your comments and trying to figure out what in the world you are thinking. I am a fitness coach and part of my job is to inform people on nutrition. I personally would never recomend the vegan or vegitarian diet, For several reasons….Why do we have canine teeth?? because we are suppost to eat meat this is a fact based on evolution. If you are worried about acne, vitamin B12 found in meat and other animal products, Is something new to try. a vitamin B12 deficiency often results in acne and other skin problems. Thus why vegans may have more acne then say a person who loves meat! A diet that I often recomend to kick start weight loss and healthy living is called the paleo diet! …..Look it up! It is very intresting and it is based on a high protien, very very high VEGGI, fruit, nuts and seeds, NO SUGAR DIET! I have never seen a diet with better results, the most important thing when doing any type of diet or lifestyle change rather, is always knowing what you are putting in your body! NO processed foods! xx part of the paleo diet includes no grains. …SORRY! Another part also includes eating organic or whole foods, so for example getting your meat and eggs from a local farmer and even growing your own veggies. This is one of the hardest parts if you do not have access to whole foods. The reason for most all health problems is no doubt linked to the food we consume and where is COMES FROM!! MEAT EATERS PLEASE CONSIDER that what ever the cow eats or the chicken eats, will soon be in you!! what ever hormones and antibiotics they are fed will be in you!! VEGANS PLEASE CONSIDER that not all animal products are bad, and i think if you had a better understanding of local ranchers and farmers you would no longer feel like you could not eat animal products!!
Canine teeth really. have you compared our canine teeth to every other animal in the world? Especially omnivores and carnivores. Since we’re talking about our equipment, why don’t you have a look at all other things that make carnivores, carnivores. Omnivores, omnivores. Herbivores, herbivores. Canine teeth is the worst argument for convincing people that we ate meat. B12 comes from bacteria, if you eat “clean” meat, there’s a good chance you aren’t getting enough B12 either. Thousands of years ago before we introduced factory farming, we grew our own food and the soil had bacteria on it since we didn’t run our food under a cold tap and scrub it before we ate, we got our B12 from our “dirty” veggies.
Refer to compartive anatomy of eating to see further evidence of what we are best equipped to eat.
http://www.vegsource.com/news/2009/11/the-comparative-anatomy-of-eating.html
Canine teeth! WHAT! Have you looked at your teeth? All with the exception of 2 are blunt and flat. Also out digestive tracts are long compared to carnivores in nature. This is bc meat isn’t meant to be in our system putrefying and rotting in our bodies. Sweet jesus educate yourself before you say silly things like this. I know plenty of “fitness instructors” that survive on protein powder and detour bars. Hardly qualifies you to give dietary advice!
More completely uneducated out of touch from the real natural world vegans lol. We are %100 meant to live on an omnivorous diet. It is what we evolved on and on this topic there is absolutely no debate. It’s why our closest relatives chimps and bonobos still hunt and kill animals every so often when they need more nutrients. You silly vegans are all going to end up with 4 foot tall mentally retarded children due to a lack of omega 3 fats . Yeah omega 3 fats, you know, what your brain is mainly composed of other than water! FYI plant sources or omega 3 ala convert over to omega 3 dha(the kind your brain and nerves can actually use) at only like a %10 conversion rate. Anyone who thinks we evolved eating 20lbs of flax seed a day is a dumbass. We were nothing but monkeys until we started to eat meat which was high in key nutrients and omegas. Fish, shellfish, pasture raised eggs, meat and dairy.
Please note that most local farmers that do not run a ranch or farm for a huge profit and do actually have other jobs to pay the bills love there animals more then you love them. The animals do not know when they are going to be killed because they are not taken to a slaughter house. most of the time they are shot dead and die instantly out of the view of other animals. please also consider that most ranchers AI (artifically inseminate) their cattle with the sprem of one of their bulls. So in the end the animal would have never been born.
You never had acne, this is a corporate website and you are their spokesperson, they digitally altered photos of you to make it seem like you had acne. Or they paid you to use your face and you are actually a corporate PR person pretending to be this girl who cured her bad acne with this thing, but to know what the thing is, pay us!
Lol
Hahaha you’re great Tracy!! You know your stuff, these people saying you don’t know what you’re talking about are wrong!! Just keep doing what you do and don’t let those who disagree get you down. I just read all the comments and some people are just so close-minded, they don’t even want to consider the fact that you might be right!
haha thanks. It’s like anything though – people believe what they believe and only seek information that supports their beliefs and reject everything else. Everyone does this to some degree, including me so I can’t blame anyone. It would be nice if people weren’t so rude though :/
Hi Tracy well after 3 longers years i would like to change my vegan diet for a lots of reason i think my diet is not that healthy at all i have acne which i didnt have before not even in my teenager years and for the past 7 months i develop some weird acne on my neck and forehead + i can tell that my look has changed too (i used to be more cute lol ) i really love animals true is that it really makes me sad when i see so much cruelty against them but i also have to see for myself (mainly) so any tips how to be vegetarian again and maybe start eating fish in the future…do you think should i go to a nutritionist or dermatologist to check up my acne you look such a nice helpful person thank you
Hi there – I wouldn’t advise going to any kind of mainstream doctor or nutritionist… perhaps a holistic nutritionist, but not a medical dietitian. And dermatologists will just prescribe you drugs like antibiotics or birth control which will harm you and make your acne worse in the long run.
Before you spend your money though, I would recommend trying to integrate some animal foods into your diet… start with eggs, fish if you can, and raw dairy (kefir perhaps). See if it improves anything.
I recently adopted a vegan diet and after a few weeks of tweaking I am in the groove and loving it. I think people need to do what works for them but I don’t feel animal products are neccesary to health. If done properly a vegan diet is really as healthy as it gets. Of course existing on potato chips and cookies won’t do anything for you the same way eating meat three meals a day won’t. It seems the biggest critics of veganism are the people who try it and can’t overcome their cravings and are kind of looking for an excuse or just won’t educate themselves on the reality of the meat and dairy industries and what these foods do to our bodies. It’s pretty hard core and a complete lifestyle change but if you commit to it and ensure you are getting all the things your body needs you will live a long healthy life. Listening to the FDA or the USDA or the Meat Assosiation is foolish. Do you have any idea how much they have to lose of their dirty secrets were aired out. The disgusting conditions and amount of diseased meats that make it to our dinner tables. These companies (yes they are companies making money like any other) are in bed together. The meat and dairy associations pay the FDA billions to approve their products. It’s not easy to find products that are clean and humane. There is a saying that if slaughter houses had glass walls everyone would be vegetarians. But keep pretending it doesn’t happen. That makes it not real right? If everyone would lessen their consumption of meat and dairy and only buy organic humane products we could decrease the demand for crap meat and dairy and increase the demand for quality humanely treated products. Veganism isn’t for everyone. If you choose to eat meat and dairy do it responsibly.
In an effort to try a new diet, I became vegetarian at the beginning of the year for my resolution. A few months in, my acne got awful. It had never been this bad. My family insisted it was hormones. Anyways, April 30th I decided to become vegan, thinking that it would clear my acne. Wrong, it mad it way worse.. I didn’t know why, because after all, this is the “healthiest” way to eat. I still couldn’t understand why my face was worse than when I was eating meat. (When I was eating meat, my face was pretty clear. Just a few here and there) This really helps me pinpoint some of my problems. Soy and wheat. I eat a lot of soy. Soy milk, tofu, soy cheese, etc.
I am thinking about returning to eating poultry and fish, no red meat unless local bison and elk, and some dairy. Tracy, do you think that it would help my acne out?
Hi Hannah – based on this story, I definitely do think returning to eating some meat and animal products will help you. Add it back in and see how your skin goes.
Rather than listen to Tracy, you told us you ate lots of soy, try cutting some of the soy out, especially the fake cheeses and soy milk. Try almond, hemp, rice, oat or coconut milk instead. I avoid anything with carageenan, it’s in most non dairy milks but not all and it gave me acne and belly aches.
The fake cheeses and meats aren’t nessisarily healthy, don’t confuse the word vegan for healthy.
Hello! I respect Tracy’s opinion on her idea of a healthy diet. It is great that you have found what work for you but it is important to realize that “the healthy diet” can only be found within each individual. We all have different allergies and things that we are sensitive to. For some people, meat and animal products work, and for others (like me) our bodies really don’t do well with it.
***I would like to point out though, B12 vitamin is something that IS found in a vegan diet. Along with every other vitamin and mineral needed. For some vegans, it is a choice to take a supplement because they don’t want to put in the effort of a carefully planned diet, or they just don’t want to worry about it. In our busy society today, supplements have become a really easy way to get important nutrients. This is a great choice for some people. However, I am a Vegan that does not supplement at all. I’ve studied nutrition and plan out where I am going to get these nutrients through the food that I eat. It takes more time and planning and is honestly just a personal choice. I actually had TONS of deficiencies when I ate meat. Including iron…Doctors told me to eat more red meat to fix this issue, but I went Vegan instead. And guess what!? My Iron is through the roof now! I too, have suffered with acne since I was about 11 years old. (I’m 20 now) I tried EVERYTHING that the dermatologist had,except for accutane (the pill). Nothing even began to work. The only thing that has ever made change in my skin was changing my diet, and discontinuing my use of make-up and other all other products. The only thing that touches my face now is WATER and sometimes watered-down Tea Tree Oil. (a natural antiseptic) My skin has this wonderful glow ever since I quit the animal products and make-up.
***Also, it was talked about on here how FATS are really good for the skin….I would just like to point out that there are some really great ways to get healthy fats through a vegan diet, such as nuts and avocados!! These are much healthier fats than the fats of animal products.
Thank you for reading. And happy eating!! Remember, do what’s best for YOUR body.
Hey Vegan!!
Wow, no supplements? Please post what ur diet is specifically like (like what ur daily meals and snacks are, and ur macronutrient %…some vegans go too high on carbs or fats)
Thanks!
Hi 🙂
I also started a vegan diet, but i avoided wheat and soy as much as i can. And i did notice a difference in my skin. But im worried about if im getting enough nutrients as im looking rather pale (i look like edward from twilight -.-) So i was wandering if i should reintroduce stuff like eggs or wheat? Im not eating meat or dairy because i know they might break me out.
Thanks for your help.
I would say try eggs first… there’s lots of nutrients in eggs, much more so than anything in wheat. But also,… you can eat wheat if it doesn’t cause you any problems. There isn’t much point in avoiding it if it really doesn’t help your skin, so you can introduce it and see if it makes any difference in the way you feel and your acne
I’m sorry but some of the innate beliefs some of you have about veganism are utterly preposterous.
Let me begin with a few undebatable statistics
1. “Red Meat Consumption Linked to Increased Risk of Total, Cardiovascular, and Cancer Mortality”
http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/news/press-releases/2012-releases/red-meat-cardiovascular-cancer-mortality.html
2. “Calcium, dairy products, and osteoporosis: Implications of lactose intolerance”
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/1068607X96867849
Note: If human beings were meant to consume the breast milk of another animal during adulthood, then why are so many humans lactose intolerant?
3. “Chronic dietary mercury exposure causes oxidative stress, brain lesions, and altered behaviour in Atlantic salmon”
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0166445X03001048
These are academically legitimate studies
Now here’s my take on raw veganism.
To those of you who think that a raw vegan diet causes acne should take a course or two on detoxification.
Acne is nothing more than the elimination of lymphatic waste through the skin.
The human organism has 4 main eliminative pathways:
1. Urination (Peeing out toxins)
2. Defecation (Toxins in stool)
3. Respiration (Coughing up Toxins)
4. Perspiration (Toxins coming up through the skin)
What raw vegans experience when they begin their diet is a detox of all the accumulated metabolic wastes in their lymphatic system(artificial colors/flavors, preservatives, endotoxins in meat, heavy metals from the atmosphere/mercury in fish, undigested animal protein molecules, etc)
The reason so many people quit the raw vegan lifestyle is due to them thinking they are getting sick when in reality they are DETOXIFYING themselves. This is the misconception that has literally confused millions of people.
So when you go raw and you experience acne, it is a good thing because you are cleaning your body from the inside out. I guarantee you 100% that if you follow a raw vegan diet that consists mainly of fruits, leafy green herbs, and enzyme activated soaked nuts and seeds, your skin will not only be crystal clear, you will glow with vitality.
If you want a real world example of what this lifestyle can do to a person, look up LOU CORONA on youtube. The man looks 35 years old, and he’s 60.
If you think you are not getting enough PROTEIN in a raw food diet, or think raw vegans are deficient, let me share this valuable insight:
The Human Organism Needs Amino Acids, Not Proteins
When you ingest proteins, millions of enzymes in your GI tract work away at it to break the protein molecule apart into amino acids, which your body then uses to build hair/skin/bones/etc.
This “breaking down” of protein molecules doesn’t always work completely, because human beings are normally enzyme deficient. What happens when undigested animal flesh is left in you GI tract? Much of it is “packaged” into a fat soluble capsule that sticks to the wall of your colon, preventing the absorption of other nutrients. Some of it is also absorbed into the bloodstream causing “oxidative stress” and then stored in the interstitial fluid in the lymphatic system.
When you consume predigested almond-coconut milk, for example, the proteins are broken down into amino acids and thus much easier on your digestive tract.
I would advise any meat eater to get a colonic at least twice a month to rinse out all of the crap blocking the lining of your colon.
I knew a teen that drank about 2 quarts of whole milk a day and he had quite bad acne. He reduced it to about a pint and his acne reduced to about 25% of the original. I know another teen that consumes soy, snacked on breads and sugary types of foods and consumes about 200 calories from dairy (cheese, ice cream) a week. An increase in lean meat and a reduction of the snacks cut this teen’s acne about in half after about 2 weeks.
As a vegan & Registered Nurse who specializes in nutrition I find your content to be highly misinformed. Of course, soy can be one of many reasons for acne, but no more than dairy. Dairy is one of the main causes of acne. A standard American diet is the cause of many diseases. (heart disease, obesity, as well as many cancers) youentuoned going vegan for a few months and not feeling well. That is common of any major change until your body adjusts. If you quit smoking cigarettes you would still have cravings for awhile. I don’t mean to be negative because this is actually the first time I’ve posted under a comments section on a page, but it concerns me when I see this kind of information put out there.
It gets Increasingly frustrating reading some of these comments. Besides the one guy who has low cholesterol, (which 99.9999% of the population has has the opposite problem) there is nothing you can get from animal foods that you can’t get from plants. To say that animal foods cure an acne problem is ridiculous. Until you can identify the particular nutrient deficiency it’s irresponsible and defeatist to suggest someone start eating animal foods again. Whenever someone goes vegan and has a hard time with it you hear the same thing over and over, “I got so sick….I had no energy….I couldn’t take it….I needed protein” etcetera etcetera. Nobody ever tells us what “sickness” they had or what their diet consisted of. It’s so frustrating reading these comments and nobody talks about the content of their diet, just that they tried veganism and they got acne. It’s even more frustrating that this woman keeps advocating animal foods without even asking what their vegan diet consists of. She claims to be against mainstream doctors and dieticians but unfortunaley she is doing the same thing they do, advocating a cure without investigating the cause. Anyone can start a blog, this blog is perfect example of why that’s a bad thing, the fact that she posted a link to another blogger in respose to the china study is another great example. I have no acne, nutrient deficiencies, IBS, heartburn, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, migraines, tension headaches, light sensitivity, fatigue, depression, achy joints or bad breath as opposed to when I was an omnivore and had every one of those. If you are already vegan and having a problem with acne, or anything for that matter do a little research into what foods may be causing it rather than listening to anything in this blog and just jumping back into animal foods. You don’t have to compromise between medication, animal foods and ethics to have clear skin contrary to what this woman advocates.
For example, before I was vegan I tried soy milk and it gave me a stomach ache and my acne got even worse and I thought “I’m allergic to soy” until recently I found that I’m not allergic to soy, I’m allergic to carrageenan an additive used to thicken the consistency of plant milks. It took a long time to figure this out but now I know it I avoid carrageenan and I’m fine. Tracys mentality would be for me to quit veganism altogether and start drinking milk, maybe my acne would clear up, maybe it would get slightly better but I’d still be allergic to one tiny, optional, easily avoided part of veganism and I’d just be another failed vegan with some obscure nutrient deficiency to add to the list.
There are so many unsuccessful vegans because there is so little information out there on how to be a healthy vegan, there isn’t much information out there on how to be a healthy omnivore for that matter. Again, don’t get your information from a blog, especially this one.
Hey rob!
Thanks for that comment, rob! Can u give an example of ur daily diet, so that others can see how a well-planned, healthy vegan diet looks like?
Also, what are ur macronutrient %s, so that people can see how to better balance the diet (some vegans go really high in carbs and other too high in fats)
Lastly, are u a proponent of food combining principles (ie, fruit alone, etc)?
Thanks, Rob!
Uh yeeeaa, I’m not sure if I believe a word you just said in your video. It seemed extremely vague and subjective–especially to your own specific skin condition. Not one source of credible evidence was put forward that makes me believe that veganism causes acne or can intensify acne. On the otherhand, I will closely monitor my skin as I am making the transition into a vegan diet for it is the healthiest way to eat (with vitamin supplements of course) and it doesn’t directly support the extremely unethical and desensitized industrialized practices of modern agriculture.
Well, I’m going to read the comments of other posters because they seem to contain more information in the form I’m seeking–not a vlog.
Yes, Tracy, where are your sources? to believe in what you are telling us. If you just say it based on your experience, that is not valid for everyone else.
The majority of what you said is totally false, I’m sorry you’re so misinformed. “some vegans think eating animals is like cruel” Well yeah, It is, no way to go around that. Every creature fights hard to live. Veganism is the healthiest diet, IF done right. You’re chances of dying from the diseases that take people out daily, are cut in half if not more. You realize we make our own cholesterol right? We’re not supposed to be eating another beings as well, it’s detrimental to our health. Our arteries wouldn’t clog if we were meant to eat it, simple as that. If you look at our teeth, jaw and intestines you’ll see we’re meant to be herbivores. I suggest you give Forks over knives a watch. I’m sure the award winning heart surgeon(s) pushing a vegan diet know a little bit more than you, and myself. They reversed on-coming heart disease AND diabetes by switching to a plant based diet. Oh, and not all vegans eat soy for breakfast, lunch and dinner. ;)Cheers.
Zero information, a lot of personal opinion. Please do some research!
Here’s a good example, varied vegan diet can provide you with enough protein, and it doesn’t have to be soya:
http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/protein-full-story/#protein_alike
And yes, killing animals and eating them IS cruel. Is it really so hard to comprehend?
Hi Tracy and other lovely people,
What I have found from reading your words (books and blog) is various useful things. The stuff about not over-washing with nasty chemicals. The stuff about being at peace with yourself, dealing with anxiety, meditating and gaining confidence. The stuff about getting in the sunshine for a bit. And being as happy as our life situations allow us: then a little bit more! This is all great advice and you present it really well. I’ve learnt a lot.
One thing you’ve said elsewhere that is worth mentioning, and it ties in to a recurring thread on many of your blog posts: “REMEMBER! Food is only ONE piece of the acne solving puzzle. And arguably not even the most important.”
I’m vegan, you’re not. And no, this isn’t a defensive or aggressive comment – I don’t care! We all decide what is best for us. As long as we’re all making informed decisions then I’m not in any position to judge. I always prefer to see the similarities, the points where agree with someone. Maybe it’s because I’m also a writer and love to empathise and see things from other people’s views. Maybe because I’m just a peaceful and friendly person. Who knows? But in this case I think everyone agrees: we should all eat more fresh stuff, cut back on processed food, eat more local stuff without air miles. We only vary on what makes up the other 20% of our diet (e.g. meat, dairy, soya). As you’ve said elsewhere regarding diets, it’s the 80-90% that is important and not the remainder – we can treat ourselves. In the same way I bet it is the 80% healthy and fresh stuff that makes the biggest difference to acne – beyond that the rest is just personal preference depending on your views. Vegan or not, eat healthy, and make sure the other factors aren’t ignored (e.g. the things covered in your 7 top tips book). Tackling the mental issues and our habits re: washing and so on can be far bigger factors and harder targets.
Since I came across the blog and your thoughts and e-books I’ve been having a good old think about tons of subjects, making positive changes to my life and so on. You usually ask people for their own views, and I thought I’d pop in some of my thoughts about veganism as it applies to me. I’m hoping the stuff I said above is enough of a caveat that I’m not arguing, I just thought I’d get my views down. I’ve spent all morning thinking about this, since I have come across quite a few references to vegans on your blog. As I said, I don’t care about other people’s diets, it is only my own that I have control over and therefore consider, but various comments I read did lead me on to various thoughts that I’ve been pondering since last night. So as a vegan of over 22 years (ha ha, that’s a shock working it out and writing it down, time really does fly!) I just wanted to give my perspective on a few comments. It’s just my view, what do I know? etc etc. 🙂
Oestrogens – I’ve got to admit to being a bit bemused by comments on the phyto-oestrogens from soya. Vegans probably do eat more soya products than non-vegans, though increasingly milks and other products are also made with rice, oats, nuts etc. This isn’t true in every case – my (vegan) girlfriend can’t stand soya milk, yet I know quite a few non-vegans who prefer it to dairy milk, so it’s never as simple as we’d like. Still, I’ll work on this assumption. If you drink dairy milk then instead of phyto-oestrogens you are drinking a product with animal oestrogens (often along with other stuff like artificial growth hormones, antibiotics, and allowable ppm’s of pus and blood). So my question is: which type of oestrogen is likely to have a bigger effect on human biology, oestrogen from other animals, or oestrogen from plants, which have quite alien biology compared to us? As far as I can see a guy drinking a pint of milk will be getting a lot more bio-available oestrogen than someone drinking a pint of soya milk. Maybe I’m wrong, my science background is based on astronomy and geology rather than life sciences, but it is a thought that often pops into my head when I read about plant hormones. [As an aside, since vegans tend to be concerned about lots of issues, they also tend to prefer organic, or at least non-GMO, soya, but I got the impression somewhere that GMOs are much more common in the US where Monsanto et al are much ‘friendlier’ to the Government.]
Difficulty – some people find going vegan difficult. It is definitely much easier now than when I first switched to a vegan diet – the options in shops and restaurants weren’t great, thought the good side of that is I learnt to cook! I think difficulty with anything just depends on where you’re coming from. If you really believe in something then you are more likely to just spot the positives; if you have mixed feelings you’re more likely to look out for negatives. It’s just the way our brains work. To me I can’t understand how some women have the time to put loads of makeup on (and take it off, and choose it, buy it etc) and shave legs and armpits all the time, but for millions of women it is just what they do. Perception of difficulty just depends on your values. The great thing for me is that I actually saw amazing opportunities. When I ate meat my diet was quite restricted and traditional, a Manchester ‘meat and two veg’ approach with chips being seen as a veg! Once I went vegan and bought my first cookbook I started to discover a wealth of new ingredients and flavours, because vegan cuisine tends to be very international, adopting the best from each culture (whilst still leaving the option of what you know – I have to admit to still loving a good Sunday roast sometimes, or sausage and mash! Vegan versions, obviously). I find that as a vegan I meet lots of other vegans, who usually have many of the same interests (compassion, peace, environment, fitness, human rights etc). My friends are a mix of vegans, veggies and non-veggies. As to eating out, we focus on places that do good vegan food, but my favourite option is when we get together and cook in each others houses combines with drinks, noisy chat and games!
Vitamin B12 – this often gets mentioned too. Maybe there’s truth in it, I only know of my own situation. I often volunteer to take part in human studies, supporting that rather than animal testing. About 5 years ago there was a study to see the effects on B12 absorption of different food combinations (I think). I volunteered and had a B12 test. And was rejected from taking part because my B12 levels were ‘optimal’, i.e. the study couldn’t show any improvement since the levels were ideal. That was after 17 years of being a vegan! Most people don’t have optimal levels, even meat eaters. My levels were probably because most products now have some level of B12 supplement (margarines, cereals etc) and I do love a bit of savoury yeast extract in cooking! I occasionally take supplements, not even every year, just when I feel like it, so it is nothing obsessive. Probably one small tub of supplements, shared with my partner. Although I am wary of the supplement industry as a whole, marketing things on people’s fears and often trying to pump in more than you can absorb. Nowadays our soil is being denatured; mass agriculture is not the best way to grow anything nutritious; hygiene removes all the specks of dirt we once ate; it’s no surprise that everyone nowadays gets a lower amount of nutrients from many of the products they eat. Whatever your diet, it’s no surprise that we need to occasionally make sure we boost some of the nutrients we need.
Health – I noted from a few comments about differences in the US/Canada and Europe, that in the latter people go veggie/vegan more for ethical reasons, and in the former more for health reasons. It may be true in a general way, I don’t have enough knowledge to be sure. [Personal view alert] I went vegan because I didn’t see why other species should be enslaved and killed for me. At that point I didn’t care whether it would be healthy or not, I just couldn’t justify putting my own desires above the needs of other beings. I’d have done it even if it was bad for me. Luckily I’m healthier than I ever was before according to the obvious measures (I have the lowest sick leave rate out of anyone I’ve compared too, c. a tenth of the national average; fitness levels really good; no health issues), so it has been a bonus. I’m really interested in fitness. Currently this involves cycling and running, bits of yoga and kayaking, other exercises along the way, and for many years I used to practise and teach martial arts. I seem to do pretty well in challenges, so being vegan is either hugely beneficial to me, or at least not a detriment to my general fitness.
Eating animals – as I said, this was why I went vegan. My views are complicated and some of them probably seem silly to many people. I care about all life and don’t want to see it enslaved and killed just because I like the taste of its flesh. Going vegan was a challenge in one way, in that none of my family had even been vegetarian – the concept was quite alien, and I grew up eating all sorts of meat (hearts, liver, kidneys etc). But once I decided that my desires didn’t justify imposing them on other beings I never looked back. And now – well, this is the bit I have trouble explaining without looking daft. But I believe that when an animal is killed, and all that fear and sadness and hopelessness runs through its body – if I ate that, I‘d be absorbing it. Whether through chemicals, or miasma, or karma, or guilt, somehow it would get under my consciousness. And I’d need to repress it in order to deal with it and continue. And repressed stuff of that type is really bad for the psyche. So by not eating them I can face this issue, and apologise/make amends for what I did in the past, in the same way that I try to tread lightly on the Earth and apologise to it for the impact of my life, make amends and act like a caring and protective guardian rather than an owner with a right to exploit. I was vegetarian for a very short period before I went vegan, but once I realised that you can’t have dairy products unless you kill the calves and keep the cows permanently pregnant (and therefore lactating) I went straight to vegan.
Environment – I think I read comments about unsustainable mono-crop agriculture. I agree totally, we should be aiming at low-intensity organic production, locally produced. I avoid supermarkets and buy my fruit and veg from independent greengrocers (one of them is completely organic) who source locally where they can; the rest comes from either an organic box scheme (again, much of it is local) or grown in our garden/swapped with friends who also grow their own. Going back to the issue of soya = of the Earth’s soya crop, around 85% is actually grown for animal feed. This article has some facts and figures: http://gentleworld.org/as-we-soy-so-shall-we-reap/ This one is also useful – http://www.sustainabletable.org/260/animal-feed since it shows that by eating animals, we require around six times the protein value in soya and other crops, since they act like a reverse protein system. I.e. if we ate the grains ourselves, we’d need six times less land. I know you’ve talked about local meat, grass-fed, so much of that won’t apply, apart from the bit about 6x land needed to make one pound of beef over a pound of plant protein.
We’re all on a road to improvement and I’m hoping this hasn’t been taken as an attack. It’s just my views on why I went vegan and some of the things I’ve experienced. At the end of the day there are other factors that contribute to acne beyond diet, as you point out so well; and other factors that are of ethical concern. There’s an article on The Guardian site about some of the areas I was interested way in back in 2003 http://www.guardian.co.uk/money/2003/aug/12/ethicalmoney.ethicalliving4 – they’re now so entrenched in my life I don’t even think about them, and focus on new areas of improvement instead. Your writing has directed me to some of these, so many thanks! There’s so much good advice here. I have recently began doing a daily meditation, and find it really useful. And before we go to sleep at night my partner and I tell each other one positive thing about our day, so that we end on that note rather than going to sleep worrying or stressing about something.
Another area I want to work on is freshness of food. I try to listen to my body and for years it was telling me it wanted more raw fruit and veg. In the last couple of years I’ve gradually altered some of my habits and now feel a meal isn’t as satisfying without a lovely salad to accompany it. It’s not an obsessive thing, I genuinely love my smoothies and my tubs of fruit at work. I think your 90/10 rule is great, since I don’t have to miss out on my pizza or burgers; but the stuff I eat at other times isn’t a chore, it is gorgeous, and every meal that’s healthy and tasty makes me really happy and I acknowledge how lucky I am. Oops, now I am sounding very hippie! I’m going to go and eat some of the cake we baked last night as part of my daily 10-20%. 🙂
Whether you’re vegan or not we all have the same underlying emphasis and concerns, such as being healthier, eating more fresh ingredients, avoiding too much processed food, thinking about food miles and ethical issues. Peace and love, whatever your views. As long as we’re all aiming to improve ourselves and the world, we’ll make it a better place.
Beautiful. Thank you!
To the girl in the video, who by the way seems lovely, I recommend you look up multiple peer edited scholarly sources and research a topic before speaking on it publically. Your videos come across as merely your opinion instead of factual information. If you mentioned it was your opinion and only that somewhere and I didn’t notice I apologize.
Reading all these comments has made me very sad and angry..
Everyone has different opinions, yes. We all won’t agree on everything.
I’m vegan PURELY 100% for ethical reasons. Sure, I enjoy some of the health benefits that go with it, but I personally couldn’t live with myself knowing that I was inflicting pain and suffering on any creature. I value all life equally.
I like to SHARE, my views.. Not jam them down peoples throats. I do not think that I am “holier than thou” because of my diet. Can someone tell me why we deserve all This hatred and criticism because we simply do not like the idea of killing and eating other living brings for our pleasure??
I should have known I’d find this. 🙂 I just left a couple other comments.
I’m going to school right now to be a registered dietitian, and I’ve been a vegan 3.5 years. My experience, is that my skin cleared up. Cognitively in this time period, I’ve felt more on key than ever. I remember things better, I can get 100% on my tests after studying only 45 minutes… That’s my own experience and it could be because I had an intolerance to something that was affecting nutrient absorption in my GI tract, it could be multiple factors. Every body, as you say, and I agree, is different.
The position paper of the Academy of Nutrition of Dietetics on Vegetarianism (including Veganism as a big sub-group, which they mention in studies frequently throughout the paper), says that veganism is equally healthy as an omnivorous diet, and in some instances, better. Many studies that the paper refers to, show that vegans and vegetarians actually have advantages over omnivorous eaters. These papers are formed on the evidence of hundreds of studies, by people with phd’s who research and study the subjects and come up with conclusions based on the latest, most relevant research and a conglomeration of hundreds of studies done over the years.
Now. Who will I believe. Hundreds of studies, nutrition professionals, and my own personal experience, or a website with a person giving advice who does not cite her sources.
Thanks for your time. 🙂
PS: I take a great B12 supplement, as all vegans/vegetarians should. It’s the one nutrient that should be supplemented by vegetarians/vegans.
P.P.S: The ethical reasons–factory farming is the main concern for myself and many people who consume plant-based diets. It’s not just, “Oh, poor cow, don’t eat it.” It’s the neglect and cruelty that animals in the modern-day meat industry in the US are subjected to. A lot of vegans actually don’t mind family farming practices. I would not propone factory farmed animal products, but have no issues with people who buy grass-fed meats and dairy. I know that may shock some people, but I’m a believer in solving the biggest problem first.
One correction***B12 is the one nutrient that should be supplemented by ALL vegetarians/vegans. 🙂 I should emphasize that correction. After all, regardless of what diet you are on, you may eventually need to supplement something. So that was very silly to say. Sorry about that. 🙂
And, **Academy of Nutrition AND Dietetics. Oy vey!! Haha. 🙂
It is really funny how she ignores all the criticisms of this article. I find it to be embarrassing to write on a topic you have zero knowledge on..
Actually my face has become to the worst version since going vegan one year ago.. I was wondering if my acne has something to do with vegan diets.. Thanks!
I honestly believe that diet works differently for everyone. While we may all seem the same internally, we all have different things going on in our bodies, and in our external and internal environment. We all have different food allergies and allergies in general. We experience different things on a day to day basis. Stress, sleep deprivation, caffeine intake, etc, it all affects our hormones. It’s about figuring out what works for you. If you’re trying to figure out what works for everyone you’re wasting your time. “The End of Illness” by David B. Agus is an interesting reading for thinking about the body and its internal environment. I don’t think vegan is the most healthy diet, but I also don’t think a diet with meat, eggs, and dairy is the best diet. I have heard major success stories on both ends of the spectrum. Again, figure out what works for you.
I myself am transitioning into a vegan diet for several reasons, but my tipping point was when two professional health physicians (one in Europe – a naturopathic dotor – and one in the States – a traditional doctor) told me to “break up with dairy”. Since I am already vegetarian, a vegan diet is the next step. I am not sure what kind of results I will have, but I truly do not believe it is possible for my skin to get any worse from experimenting with a new diet. Like I said, I also believe everyone is different. Trial and error! We will all figure out what works best for us eventually.
Hi,
I am not trying to criticize you but please try to put a little more research into your discussion on both sides. You can get all the nutrients you need from plants without the bad cholesterol from meats. B12 comes from the ground/dirt. So even people who eat meat can become deficient in it. If we were growing our own plants organically there would be b12 on it naturally. Also Iron is easily found in things like lentils, beets, etc. Also vitamin A is in lots of vegetables likes spinach, brocolli, and kale. And its easier for our bodies to digest raw plants. Vitamin D comes from the sun but also you can have fortified drinks like rice milk. When you eat meat you are also getting lots of soy and corn because that’s want most of the animals are fed. Just some information to share with you. Have a good day!
First of all, there is no 100% pure veganism. Not even vegetarianism.
I’ve been for maybe 8 years on a vegan diet ( including raw vegan and 2,5 fruitarianism). I didn’t see much different in my skin. I would even to say, my skin looked better before raw veganism.
I had acne since 16 ( now I am 29) and it wasn’t a big problem, and it was located only in the same area. Later my acne developed in different area of the face, plus a lot blackheads and red scars.
http://www.markusrothkranz.com/go_raw_now/raw_markus_video.html
our primates, live of fruits, nuts, seeds and vegetables, mostly leafy ones. vitamin b12 naturally occurs in SOIL, meaning as nature intended, we are supposed to get b12 from organic fruits and vegetables ….. and I have never heard of anyone who goes raw vegan to add meat into their diets that’s ridiculous.. http://www.markusrothkranz.com/go_raw_now/raw_markus_video.html look at him, and be inspired. spiritually also, meat is toxic. the animals for human consumption suffer like the jews did in the holocaust… that’s the suffering you eat. and for lions etc, they are carnivores, so yeah of course they will eat other animals, look at their teeth it’s designed that way. then look at our teeth, like our raw vegan primates, they do not have teeth to bite into other animals, we are not designed for that.
Hi I’m 15 and I’ve been vegan for 8 months. I’ve had acne since I was 8 years old and was expecting a vegan diet to clear my skin. My skin got a little worse instead and I’m not eating soy or gluten at all! I have superfoods like spirulina, coconut oil and cacao. I don’t have cystic acne but i have lots of blackheads and red scars on my face and mild acne on my back. Is there anything I can do to clear my skin???