Hey all

I`m really tempted to go 100% raw-mostly to lose weight and clear up my acne. Well I still eat cooked vegan food, often not the healthiest options. And I have this " all or nothing" mentality especially now that I`m suffering from acne.
I`m just wondering whether something "magical" happens when you go 100% raw as opposed to say 90%? I`m going to really transform my eating habits and would like to be aeat 90% raw but not if I dont get the same benefits, not if it slows down the rate at which my acne heals-it sounds vain but I`m so fed up with bad skin. A year and a half ago I was a vegan with beautiful skin, pretty close to my ideal weight. I ate lots of rice, fried foods, sweets etc...I`d read extensively about the raw food diet but didnt really think of changing over to a raw lifestyle. Now maybe this is a blessing in disguise, my skin is clearly telling me that cooked vegan isnt working for ME.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/20/2008 06:50PM by sweetlime.

Do whatever makes you less stressed.....

I am skeptical that 100% raw would do much for hormonal acne. But it's certainly worth a try. Try it and let us know what happens for you.

Also make a note of which foods your skin seems to have the best response with.

<I am skeptical that 100% raw would do much for hormonal acne.>

Really? I'm skeptical that any % cooked would do much for hormonal acne.

The risk of diving in 100% raw is SERIOUS backslides. If you are truly 100% committed to changing your lifestyle in a flash of lightning overnight--go right ahead!

That is more or less what I did. There were days when I just HAD to have a baked potato. There were other days when I fell off completely and ate a greasy falafel wrap... and learned with great dry-heaving, knifing stomach pain what a mistake that can be. It's better to stay at 90% and eat that steamed broccoli, or eat that baked potato. Conscious choices are key.

Conversely, setting smaller goals that you can stick to with no trouble is a sure recipe for success. Just start with an all-fruit breakfast. Then, when that's second nature, go for 100% breakfast and lunch raw. Weed out your non-raw snacks. Then slide into 100%.

I understand the feelings of URGENCY. Just think long and hard about how much you are truly willing to commit to.

Even within the realm of 100% raw, I still have to work with small goals to be eating truly healthfully. For me, this means not eating after a certain hour at night (for years I would binge at 1-2 AM). It also means watching my fat intake more closely. It also meant seeking out organic produce. But these are all goals that I have that I want to reach, so I'm employing the necessary steps to A) meeting them and approaching them in a way so they are met for life, not, "Wow, I went on this super crazy diet for a month!" and then suddenly find myself at the ice cream shop.

Move only as quickly as you are ready to move, be patient, and forgiving.

100% raw with high fat is also not good for acne. Lots of fresh fruits and veggies, over time, should clear your skin, as well as the rest of your body (given you watch the fat factor, there are threads all over this board discussing these in awesome detail).

Good luck!

Right. I agree with Phantom 100%. If you start SLOW....with a PLAN....you can always speed up if things are too easy. If you set big goals and 'crash'...it's harder to recover mentally. It's all about consistent LIFESTYLE changes for a LIFETIME. If it's good enough to do....it's good enough to do forever. So: start out slow...and then increase the pace...as you feel comfortable. But honestly? You won't KNOW that experientially until you start making those changes. So go for it!

Here's a thought: As you eat healthier (say 90%) you might be that much MORE sensitive to 'crap'! Ha! ha! As such, eating at 90%...and then eating (what YOU think) is crap....might not be a good thing! (If you follow my thinking...).

-David Z. Mason

WWW.RawFoodFarm.com

Omega Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> >
> Really? I'm skeptical that any % cooked would do
> much for hormonal acne.

I agree with you. I don't think diet has much to do with hormonal acne.
At least, not a sustinence diet, and especially not if it is already
pretty "clean."

You can change the fatty acid composition of your sebum and the
quantity slightly, but typically starvation levels are required.
At least that's the way it works on the grand scale, when you
have lots of subjects to observe.

On an individual basis, different people claim different things.
It's hard to say whether they would hold for larger groups of
people or not.

I disagree with some posters here.

I believe diet has everything to do with 'hormonal' acne. Note - I'm not saying that hormones aren't INVOLVED..

Until you have been 100% raw for several months, you cannot be sure that it is not specific foods in the cooked 10% of your diet that your body is desperately trying to eliminate through the skin. The very foods that we cling on to can be the ones that are doing us most harm.

If after being 100% raw for six months (and that means no 'nama shoyu', 'Bragg's, nutritional yeast, no cooked meals to be 'polite' on social occasions, etc etc!) and your acne hasn't improved, please contact me at www.rawforlife.co.uk. I will then go and find a hat to eat and revise my hypothesis.

Alternatively, if there are any Raw Food Support members who have been truly 100% raw for a year and are acne-ridden, please contact me.

Love, Debbie Took

I also believe (no I am not a doctor or medical professional) that hormonal diseases (such as ireegular periods caused by hormone problems and also acne caused by hormone problems) can be corrected using raw food diet.

I read in Dr Shelton's articles about how toxins affect the glands that secrete various types of hormones. He explains that when the diet is corrected and if the toxins are allowed to leave the body, glands often repair themselves and some of the problems are corrected.

So I do believe that acne etc can get better when switching to raw food 100%. In my own case, in about two months, my irregular periods which Ihad for 20+ years (for which doctor said that I need to take medicines for ever) was cured.

Just my opinion.

Take care
A Iyer

IMO beauty starts on the inside with a high fiber diet and plenty of clean water to remove toxins. Good luck.

My daughter has been struggling with hormonal acne for the past year. Eating 75%/80% raw has helped her hormonal imbalance improve, thus improving her acne.

Many females with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS causes major hormone imbalance), have been able to achieve hormone balance by eating "high" raw. This resulted in their skin clearing as well as restored fertility.

So, my opinion is that diet does affect hormone activity and can clear up acne.

Yes, I agree there will be hormonal problems if coming from a horrific diet especially if there is overweight or obesity--more fat in the body, more of the sex hormones running aroudn and wreaking havoc. That is usually the case with PCOS, although not all PCOS sufferers are either.