Eat your way to better skin

Yes, you can have better skin and you do not have to necessarily take drastic and scary measures to get it.

I never had problems with my skin and suddenly in my early twenties I was having so many breakouts and they just seemed to come out of nowhere and I had a very hard time making them go away!  It was embarrassing and can really affect your social life.  I tried cream and lotions, facials and pills - it was frustrating!  But I never thought at looking at my diet - could it be that what I am putting inside my body is having an affect on the exterior?

I know we have all heard that eating junk food and too much chocolate doesn't cause breakouts but what about other foods?

Check out this book The Clear Skin Diet . It makes a lot of sense (plus you may even shed those last 10 lbs too)

Here are the Cole's notes on the diet.

1.  WATER.  Drink lots of it.  It helps flush out toxins, makes you feel full, hydrates you and can keep unhealthy food cravings at bay.  While drinking water eliminate sugar drinks, too.

2.  DAIRY.  Eliminate or drastically limit milk consumption.  Look at other alternatives for calcium and if you can't eliminate dairy completely stick to yogurt (it has fewer hormones due to the fermentation) or opt for a 400mg calcium supplement taken daily

3.  PROCESSED FOODS.  Stay away from white bread cookies, cakes, crackers etc.  When grocery shopping stay out of the middle of the store (that's where you find those types of foods)

4.  PROCESSED MEATS. Stay away from processed meats like hot dogs but if you like a good steak (I do) look for organic or free range options (again, less hormones that get passed on to you)

5.  OLIVE OIL. Has beneficial fats, corn and veggie oil do not.

6.  FISH.  Again, lots of good fat there look at options like mackerel, sardines and wild-caught salmon.

7.  COLOUR. Eat your colourful veggies!  Carrots, spinach, broccoli etc...and eat them raw or steamed to get the most out of them!

8.  WHOLE GRAINS AND FIBER-RICH CARBS Brown rice, quinoa, whole-grain pasta, lentils and sweet potatoes are good options for starch and have lots of good nutrients for the whole body.

In the meantime, if you are suffering from breakouts but still want to be social - there are great makeup secrets to help you look and feel your best.  Cassandra Bankson, has these great videos on Youtube and she outlines how to cover even the worst breakouts and she is speaking from experience.