Hi, my name is Kevin. I'm relatively new to raw foodism, and am still eating only about 60% raw (under my current circumstances, to stop eating cooked "foods" totally is extremely difficult). Anyway, I had cystic acne breakouts, which is simply an extreme form of acne that usually scars the skin of host of the disorder. In short, it's horribly horrible; I've had some very frustrating and depressing moments due to it for years. The good news is, a few weeks into my change of eating habit to semi-raw foodism I began to notice that the severity and frequency of breakouts began to diminish considerably. I'm also noticing that I'm exfoliating much more rapidly, and my skin isn't nearly as oily as it was before.

While I'm still working towards 100% raw, do you guys know any raw vegan foods that are particularly effective against skin disorders? I've learned that apricots and mangos are a few; what are others?

yes!!! i suffered from cystic acne too...until started eating more raw foods. but, there are few essential things that were a great addition to my diet:

1) FLAXSEED OIL!!!!! 2-3tbsp a day will do wonders for inflammatory conditions in the skin. it is also a wonderful remedy for eczema. mix it in smoothies, or make salad dressings out of it. you must take this dosage daily for about 3-4 weeks, then you can cut down to about 1 tbsp/day maintanence.

2) probiotics help boost immunity, decrease candida which may be contributing.

3) i get fresh aloe plants and rub the gel on my face every night before i go to bed. this has done wonders for my scars and i rarely get pimples anymore.

i hope this helps!
m.

I think all raw food helps. But I know of some things to avoid, and that is bread. ( I forgot the link of where I found that information, but for me, I got rid of bread and my acne has cleared up soooo much.)

One thing to remember is that there is nothing medicinal or curative about raw vegan foods, but its that when you eat a health raw vegan diet, that you are introducing very little of the foods that cause the problems.

The foods that cause a lot of problems on the Standard American Diet in terms of skin disorders are animal products, processed foods, and grains. If you are to eat cooked foods, the cleanest foods are steamed vegetables. If this doesn't provide enouogh calories, then the next cleanest foods are steamed starchy root vegetables, say like sweet potatoes or yams.

As for foods on the raw vegan diet, all foods that are whole, fresh, ripe, raw, organic fruits and vegetables that taste good in their raw state are great.

I totally agree with the flax seed oil suggestion, that stuff is magic for the skin.

I would also suggest adding dark leafy greens, wheatgrass juice, E3Live blue green algae, seaweeds. Greens are very healing.

Your skin will probably be the last to heal as you journey to raw - your body heals from the inside out.

Acne results from toxins in your body, as the skin is a major elimination organ. As toxins exit your body via your skin, visible eruptions emerge (acne).

Good luck!

I agree with the aloe. Invest in a decent size plant and let it have lots of light.

I use fresh aloe - just snip off about 3" worth, slice it down the middle and then I angle the edges so there is nothing rough. I rub one section directly on my face and wrap the other section to use the next night and keep it in the fridge so it stays moist....just what works for me!

Thanks for the suggestions, everybody! You guys are great. I like this forum. I think I'll stick around for some time.

As for what Bryan said:

"One thing to remember is that there is nothing medicinal or curative about raw vegan foods, but its that when you eat a health raw vegan diet, that you are introducing very little of the foods that cause the problems."

I think the latter part is very true. But to say that diet can't have medicinal properties is like to say that herbs don't, either, which I believe isn't true. Herbal medicine has been around for thousands of years and have compounds which synergetically influence functions of the body; I don't see why living fruits and vegetables, which are also plants, do not also.

It seems I may have posted the topic a bit late. My acne is dwindling down to occasional breakouts, rather than the violent storm that was before when I was 16-19 years old. So, I hope the suggests posted will help some of you new raw-foodists (the not-so-new-ones probably don't get breakouts) out there who have skin troubles.

Reflecting back, I think the cystic acne has taught me some spiritual lessons (very rough lessons, indeed). Beauty within is more important than that which is superficially apparent.

Thanks, again.

tigon-ridge,

you're right food can be very medicinal. and equally important is rest, excersise, sunshine, laughter, water etc...

something I suggest is burdock root and/or turmuric root (juice it for serious skin detox and healing) and GREEN yes yes!

As for what Bryan said:

"One thing to remember is that there is nothing medicinal or curative about raw vegan foods, but its that when you eat a health raw vegan diet, that you are introducing very little of the foods that cause the problems."

This is akin to Dr. Fred Bisci's statement to the effect that it is not what you add to your diet that heals you but what you leave out completely.

This is a valuable point of view I think because many of us think that by adding more of the "healthy" foods to our diet that we can offset the effects of the "bad" things that we are attached to and so keep having from time to time. I'm as guilty of this as anyone. In fact, the cleaner your body gets from eating predominately live, pure, and wholesome foods, the more sensitive your reactions to offending foods.

Glad you brought this out Bryan. I've just been introduced to Fred Bisci and I've had some of his thoughts on my mind.

~Kathleen

"nothing medicinal or curative about raw vegan foods"

This is a valuable point, i've mostly heard this from natural hygeienists such as doug graham and many others. i agree mostly that it is the absence of bad stuff that allows for the body to heal on its own.

It is also true that some things natural hygeinists suggest avoiding can also play a role in healing. this is my opinion.

certain herbs, flowers, roots, juices,... there could even be a time for spicy foods, some people will disagree, of course.

shine on!

"nothing medicinal or curative about raw vegan foods" is totally wrong.
The body is constantly looking to heal itself and all living food that help the body achieve that goal are medicinal. Living food bring harmony and balance to the body.

Raw vegan foods provide us with fuel and nutrients. It is the body that heals itself. I don't know if people are familiar with fasting, abstaining from all foods and getting total physiological rest, but when we fast, and there is no food being comsumed, this is when the body is able to perform its greatest healing. If raw vegan foods were necessary for the body to heal itself, then with the absence of food we would see an absence of healing. But my experience shows the opposite, that in the absence of food and with adequate rest and sleep, tons of healing occurs.

When viewing foods as medicine, we propogate the medical model that is currently used in western medicine. This model is that the body is a machine that requires the correct medicines to heal itself. This model requires a "healer" to make the decision of which medicines to use for the broken body to correct itself. By the way, this is the same model used by the alternative medicine community (herbalism, homeopathy, naturopathy, TCM, ayurveda). I prefer the model that the body has its own incredible wisdom, and that when we get out of its way, it can heal itself.

your healer is you

Bryan you have provided very useful info in past forums but in this one you are totally wrong. Just to say that fasting heal is not a proof that food cannot heal too. They both heal. It all depend on the condition the body is in and when and how you use them. Fasting heal thru a cleansing process where the body and the digestive system take a rest, living food heal by bringing to the body the nutrients it need to do its work.
The body is a healer it is true but it was made from the nutrients provided by the living food. Here is a page discussing the healing properties of lettuce
[www.botanical-online.com]

I understand Bryan's point: pure/raw foods are not "medicinal" per se. Yet
SOME foods ARE medicinal. I also think Bryan is alluding to the fact that humans do have the ability to live healthy live without significant food at all (breatharianism)



"Valid criticism does you a favor" Carl Sagan

When you are talking about the medicinal properties of food should not we focus on what is going on with 99.99 percent of the population. I meet regular joes every day but I have never seen a breatharian.

youre missing the point: some foods are more medicinal than others. A vegetarian diet vs. a SAD diet will be healing, a livefood diet vs. a cooked vegan diet will be healing... some foods are medicine, some foods are just food, is my point (a variation of Bryans point)

hey Bryan,

I've read a lot of your posts and they are insanely sane.
but this last one was the MOST sane of all

luved it!!

i agreeeeeee....

not so much that raw foods ain't medicinal
but that fasting is MORE medicinal

(and cheaper too ... heh heh)

Bryan wrote:

"If raw vegan foods were necessary for the body to heal itself, then with the absence of food we would see an absence of healing."

I don't think its necessary to over-complicate this point. With the continual "absence of food" the body will die, so obviously food is essential, and pure, whole, healthy food optimal for healthy regeneration of cell tissue and the proper functioning of the whole body system.

The point made earlier, that "its not WHAT you eat that heals you but what you DON'T eat." is valuable for understanding how it is that people heal from serious degenerative illnesses on diametrically opposed diets. Take Macrobiotics for instance, which has a terrific track record for facilitating the curing of cancer, and yet is predominately a COOKED food diet. How is this possible? Because all of these "healing" diets LEAVE OUT THE SAME THINGS! No processed foods, no refined sugars or starches, no dairy (or only raw dairy), no to very little meat (and in most cases only free-range, "organic" or pesticide, hormone-free animal products) and so on. So, take away these "offending" foods and what's left? Fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, legumes and whole grains. That's it.

Also, what is most valuable about this point is that it protects you from the illusion that eating blue-green algae everyday (or whatever ones "pet" healing food may be) will "save" you from degenerative disease, premature aging and so on WITHOUT having to sacrifice the foods consensually considered harmful in the long-run to our bodies. Blue-green algae may be a "super" food, but it will not compensate for abuses inflicted upon the body otherwise.

I, for the most part, agree with the Natural Hygienists and Bryan that "if we get out of the way the body will heal itself", but I also believe that we are co-creators of health and healing and so we must also do our part in disciplining ourselves to choose the healthiest food available for regeneration (as well as the healthiest thoughts and actions).

My arguement with the Natural Hygienists is that they seem to me to run risk of the same errors as do some christians I know. It's not faith versus works, it's faith AND works. It's both what you do and what you don't do. You can't leave either out. Obviously Bryan realizes this or he would not be eating a raw food diet. He'd be fasting several times a year and then eating whatever crap he wanted in between.

~Kathleen

Another thought related to this: Yesterday while at the check-out stand at the grocery store one of the ubiquitous magazines caught my eye. On the cover were photographs of "the rich and famous" who had either ballooned in size or become emaciated. Ballooning people are not unusual in our society so it was the emaciated that particularly drew my interest. Now obviously fasting would not be a prescription for health in this case. Healing the emaciated requires eating. My point is that one can't make a hard and fast rule concerning how the body heals itself. "Getting out of the body's way" sometimes requires not eating and sometimes it requires eating; sometimes it requires rest and sometimes it requires exercise and so on.

Just thoughts,

Kathleen

Seems this thread has gotten off topic but what the heck - I'll throw in my .02

To me each body is different and it's trial and error to see how my body reacts to different methods. For me, 80% raw is good. This rest is usually steamed vegs, a little rice or fish.

There are times when my body feels like fasting and I just go with it. The fasts only last on average of 2-3 days and I have heightened energy when it's going on. My body tells me when it's time to go back to foods.

Fasting does allow the body to spend those resources on other endeavors like detoxing and purifying. It's scary to think that the SAD has the body utilizing one-third of it's daily energy in just digesting food.

Fasting is great for me but only on ocassion.

~raine~

Kathleen,

Quote

My point is that one can't make a hard and fast rule concerning how the body heals itself. "Getting out of the body's way" sometimes requires not eating and sometimes it requires eating; sometimes it requires rest and sometimes it requires exercise and so on.

I agree with you on this point. My body tells me it wants. What makes it difficult for me to hear my body's messages is my previous conditioning in terms of what society has taught me that my body "needs". So first there is my mental interference based on societal misinformation (like I need to get a lot of protein to be healthy). If that weren't enough, then my emotions can kick in, and give me emotional reasons do certain behaviors my body wasn't asking for (like eating a bunch of avocados when I am feeling ungrounded). How I ultimately found what worked was to constantly observe and focus my consciousness on the problem, and throw out the stuff that didn't work. The societal misinformation that didn't work was thrown own. Same for the emotional stuff. When I eat those avocados, and I get to not feel my emotions temporarily, well, that worked a little bit, but ultimately didn't work. So I found other ways to express and release my emotions rather than suppress them.

One of the most difficult things for me to do in my process is to do nothing. Doing nothing is what is being called for when my body is tired and fatigued from lack of rest and sleep. This might mean just getting more sleep. Or looking at why my mind wants to keep me up so late at night for its mental stimulation. Or perhaps doing a total physiological rest - a combination of not eating and resting when symptoms appear.

The same challenge is true of knowing when to eat. I usually eat at the same time every day, and I will eat even if I am not hungry, because my mind has its idea of how much food I need. So is my body asking for food every night at 6pm? Not really, but I eat anyway.

When I don't listen to my body's first message, it is certainly happy to give me another message to let me know it didn't like what I did. For example, if I eat when I'm not hungry, my body then gives me a sore belly, or my digestion isn't that great. If I pay attention to the cause and effects of my discomforts in my body, I can learn to get out of its way in spite of my previous societal conditioning and the influence of my habits and emotions.

Good thoughts Bryan. Thanks for sharing them. The whole emotional/mental thing may be the biggest challenge of all, as is breaking away from consensual reality ie "where do you get your protein".

Something troubling that I've been experiencing during my transition is restlessness and boredom. I haven't been bored since I was 15 for chrissakes! Honestly I think its because I have more energy now than I have since then. It's almost as if I'm outgrowing the parameters of my current life situation. I've also been waking up spontaneously at 4:30 or so in the morning rearing to go!

But yeah, wow, we have gotten way off topic here.

As always though, good talkin

Kathleen

I used to have quite painful cystic acne and i remember the emotional pain around it. I tried so many different things over many years.

As far as cooked eating went, one of the biggest helps to me was when I cut out cooked oils and salt. These both became major no-no's if I wasn't in the mood for another cyst. Then moving to raw, I noticed my skin was still a big problem until I switched from a high-fat, spicy, oily, low fruit combo-a-bombo diet... to my current high fruit, low-fat, mostly food-combined diet with no oil or spices. Also exercise, rest, emotional and spiritual work, the whole package.. it's all related. But diet was a major factor for me (what I left out).

Nowadays breakouts are not the norm for me, and if my skin does flare up, it's a sign that something is out of balance and I can use it to tune in. Whereas before, breakouts were just the normal state of things.

Uma

I'm currently on my second course of accutane. I also recently made some significant changes in my diet. It's hard to tell what is the results of the accutane and what is the result of my diet. All I know is that the 1st try at accutane helped, but nothing like what is happening this time! Also I'm not experiencing the horrible side effects I did last time.

I'm making sure I get some sun on my face every day. Also I've started some early morning yoga on the beach.

I was following more of a McDougall/Ornish, high starch, low fat diet, then moved on to an Eat to Live diet and quit eating gluten, and have gradually moved onto more raw foods. My fruit consumption has drastically increased as my grain consumption has dwindled and I now use very little salt.

I'm not sure exactly what was the magic, but I smile as I look in the mirror now :-)

Hi There

What has worked for me in the past for my skin issues is to eat a low fat diet and to drink a glass of fresh juice everyday. When I juice fasted my skin was totally radiant. If I eat too much fat I start to break out, it's a signal for me to cut back.

Best Wishes

Cecilia

Get Your Free Raw Food Starter Guide E-Book at:
[www.rawglow.com]

Find Your Inner Glow!

I agree with the flax suggestion also. Many people who don't see a change in their skin with usual tweaks in the diet do see a difference when they take in adequate amounts of clean essential fats in the right proportions. This basically means no more junk food, no more processed or refined oils, no more trans fats, but adding flax is a big step because it means you might, for the first time in your life, have a healthy balance of omega6:3 essential fatty acids.

And your raw diet in general, which will be very rich in antioxidants and protective phytochemicals, might also help you to heal faster and without scarring. You might also get that fabulous glow.

I've almost completely stopped my breakouts by drinking 12-14 glasses of water a day, exercising lightly for at least 30 minutes per day, taking a turmeric tablet with each meal, eating a LOW GLYCEMIC diet (crucial), lots of omega 3's (flax, hemp) and drinking Healthforce Nutritionals "Intestinal Drawing Formula", which has herbs, bentonite and activated carbon to cleanse the colon. I'm sure there's other formulations with similiar ingredients too. I stay away from things with psyllium seed in them, though.

I used to have horrible cystic acne, and I still have a lot of the scars and red marks from it. But I strongly believe it was from a toxic colon, and lack of exercise. When the colon is toxic, and the liver is stressed, there's no where for the toxins to go but through the skin. Keeping the colon clean, the liver happy, and bowels regular is absolutely essential to stopping acne.

I'm not even 100% raw, and I'm still clearing up. I've had constant acne since I was 12 (I'm 19 now). This regime is the only thing that's really stopped it.