Sunday, July 17, 2011

Oh How I've Missed You!

Today marks my return.

There have been many changes during my absence: I gave birth; I got married; I moved, twice! Amongst all of this I wondered if under the pressure of having a child, would I still adhere to my particular ways of eating in which I have placed much importance. I can happily conclude that I've done better!

Recently, I mentioned to my father-in-law (a homeopathic doctor) how my hair has dried out considerably and acne has broken out on my face ever since I gave birth. He said that my thyroid is probably weakened and its a normal thing that happens to women after giving birth...

"...ok cool...

...but this is NOT cool. What should I eat?" He told me seaweed; but I also decided at that moment to be more digestibly responsible and steer clear of 2 main ingredients that could be stressing my systems and worsening the symptoms of dry hair and blemished skin:

Sugar and Dairy.

Its been about a month since my personal pledge and I must say I've been VERY diligent. The 2 main pieces of sugar I consume regularly now are fruit (mostly organic) and juices. I am weening myself of juice. I want it! But I dilute my glass with as much as half water and I don't allow more than 16 oz. worth in a day.

I had started to notice success in the skin department around 5 days out. That motivated me to continue and stick to it and do better! I stopped buying bread that lists 'sugar' as an ingredient. ( My bread of choice for the moment is Healthy Delights). I stopped using ketchup and stopped picking at white breads and white flour crackers at gatherings.

Its been about 4 weeks now and my pimples have all receded, most are completely gone and the quality of my skin now has a mild 'glow' rather than a dull yellow-tinted appearance.

Dairy intake has been low but not gone. About 1/2 the week I am dairy free and when it is consumed it has been in the form of waffle batter, Caesar dressing, or some other small or mild version of it. Interestingly, I do not believe that it has much of an effect on my skin. I say this because if I eat, lets say, pasta with an alla vodka sauce (which has cream) I may get more phlegm-y, but my skin doesn't have a reaction. In my case, it looks as if sugar does much of the damage and small amounts of dairy (at least on a low sugar diet) does not effect my acne.

My face is not perfect yet, but I will keep you updated.

p.s. One Time For The Sun
I would also like to add that about 2 weeks in, I spent a few hours at the beach under the sun and within 24 hours there was a vast improvement in the appearance of my pimples, so 1 TIME FOR THE SUN AND ITS ABUNDANCE OF VITAMIN D! I SEE YOU SUN!