Eating Right for You…
So my long term supporters (family and friends) know that I’ve struggled with acne for a very long time. It started at age 13. Of course, that was puberty. The issue continued on through college and we thought that was a phase. Yet here I am today, still struggling with this issue. I have had moments of “clarity” though. That on again, off again relationship with my skin began in 2010 when my church decided to complete the Daniel's Fast. I planned to participate but wanted more of a challenge, as I ate pretty much that way already. I decided to do the Master Cleanse instead. Oh boy… It was a challenge alright! I was not going for weight loss, but that’s exactly what I got, as well as “clarity”. My skin was clear, fresh, and bright, and I loved it. It remained clear for a while, even after ending the cleanse. The acne started again, years later, as I added more foods back into my diet. I didn't try to pinpoint the exact problem as I didn’t really think it was a result of my diet. Around the same time, I started a facial regimen that returned great results. I loved it so much that I wrote about it in article titled "DIY Homemade Facial Cleanse Tone Moisturize with Products from Home" for CEO Magazine. I was also able to maintain clarity through the majority of my pregnancy, with all those hormones going on, so I knew I had a winner. Recently, my winning regimen stopped working. I was shocked and appalled. I didn’t know what to do. I was exercising consistently and eating right (making mostly healthy choices). So in usual fashion,
I began to research other ways to achieve clarity. I began to drink more water at different
temperatures at different times of the day, exercised more (Thanks Fitness Warriors), added green tea to the regimen, and continued to eat healthy. I also revisited some of my old skin care remedies that I have written down in a folder with all the other health and wellness topics/articles/books I’ve researched and utilized over the years. In that folder, I ran across a pamphlet I saved from Main Street Spa & Wellness Center, Inc. In that pamphlet, it gave a brief overview of the research of Dr. Peter J. D'Adamo that talked about eating for your blood type. The research focused on weight loss, but I applied it to my skin issue. According to the summary, people of my blood type should eat lots of red meat, seafood, kale, and spinach. Check, CHECK, check, and check. As I said before, I eat pretty healthy. The summary also went over the foods that people of my blood type should avoid. Awe man (Drake voice)… This avoidance list hit me like a ton of bricks as it was about to force me to give up the foods I so love. The list included wheat, corn, navy beans, and dairy. I already knew dairy was an issue, as I gave up milk a long time ago. But wheat and corn!?! I went into a panic... Corn itself is easy to give up, but there are so many corn derivatives, like corn starch, corn syrup, and malto dextrin, in the not so healthy foods I was choosing to eat.
Since I wasn't gaining any weight, over time, I added more and more junk food to my diet without even really realizing how it was possibly affecting my skin. I was going through it in that moment... It's tough admitting that YOU are the problem, and could have been all along. I was struggling with that, as well as the idea of "eating clean". That's basically what the avoidance list was saying, and I wasn't ready to give up my snacks and sweets. (I just couldn’t stop thinking about my favorite cereals, freshly popped popcorn, and my Grandmother's mac n cheese.) My man was able to bring me back by reminding me that I’ve given up ALL foods before, so this was definitely doable. He also reminded me that I push others on a daily basis to make the small changes that will make a huge difference in their lives, and bluntly (yet lovingly) told me to suck it up. So I did… I quit the junk and began to research replacement foods immediately. I cut the foods out of my diet that the list said I should avoid, replacing wheat with rice and oats. I buy individual packets of beans now, versus my bag of 16 beans, and I avoid dairy altogether (no cheese, no butter, no ice cream, no milk chocolate, etc). So this change has also forced me to stop eating at fast food restaurants and to read labels even more carefully. It’s been a challenge, but being able to see results so quickly motivates me to stay the course. The research says that it's OK to reintroduce items slowly to identify the culprits, but if I can maintain this, I’m stickin’ with it. I’m willing to step up, find more replacements foods, and add this practice to my lifestyle. Instead of focusing on what I can’t have (Sorry Gramma), I’m enjoying the things I can have. They say that if you know better, you'll do better… It’s a hard reality to face at times, but if it’s worth your health, in time, you’ll make the changes necessary to achieve your desired results. So are you willing to take the journey toward eating right for you? To learn more about eating for your blood type, click here (www.dadamo.com), or visit Janice Bonner Powell at Main Street Spa and Wellness Center or your local blood type practitioner. Here’s to healthier living!! Share your thoughts, plans, and struggles below.
