Hey guys (all five of you reading), guess what your favorite love-obsessed writer has done! SHE’S VEGAN NOW, Y’ALL (AND TICKING OFF HER FRIENDS BECAUSE OF IT). Okay so here’s the dealio, I’m a vegetarian and I have acne that literally makes me want to smack my face until my hand falls off. Now, on top of that, I’ve tried what’s felt every-freaking-thing under the sun in order to get rid of it. But clearly (Ha, that’s an acne pun), nothing has done the trick
So full of hopelessness and acne oiliness, I decided I’d try the unthinkable: I, Victoria Coats, would become a vegan.
I’ve found that sometimes desperate times call for desperate measures. As much as I’d love to say “screw it” and load up on high fructose corn syrup and saturated fat, I just can’t. I’m sick of my acne. I’m sick of piling on makeup. If I’m being real with you guys, I’m no longer hopeful when an old cyst heals up, because I know that just as quickly a new one will take its place.
And not only that, it feels like I’ve tried everything. Topical creams have worked, but not without breaking me out first and, to be honest, I don’t wanna go down that road again. I’ve walked into Ulta before laying down a crap ton of money for spot treatments that never quite do the trick. I’ve dried my skin out with everything all the way from natural cleansers to ones way, way, way too high in salicylic acid.
The worst and best part of all this is the seemingly endless list of acne-clearing options. Some do supplements. Others recommend oil cleansers. On the contrary, another blogger will suggest you do the opposite. It’s overwhelming and hopeful at the same time. And after countless stories, articles, podcasts, and more I’ve found a consistency: diet.
The correlation between acne and diet definitely sounded familiar. It’s just that growing up, and even up until now, I really didn’t want to listen. If you’re like me nothing hits better than twizzlers, ramen, chocolate, and anything else that with ingredients on the label that are completely and concerningly unpronounceable.
But in reality, it makes sense. Acne is a symptom that reveals a much bigger problem on the inside. It communicates inflammation. It communicates your body’s discomfort to some thing, substance, or food you could be consuming or using. By using topical creams, face washes, you’re only putting a bandaid on the issue. I’m not saying that’s a bad thing, but it won’t cure it forever. From what I’ve found, acne is usually caused by two things: a hormonal unbalance or digestive problems.
After further research, courtesy of Natasha St. Michael, a certified health coach, I’ve found you can cut three things out of your diet that can lead to better skin. For most, after they’ve cut dairy, high fructose corn syrup, and oil out of their diet, they, of course over time, found themselves with clearer skin. So with basically nothing to lose, I was like, what the hay, I’ll give it a whirl. So AFTER EVEN FURTHER RESEARCH, I found the WSLF diet.
The WSLF diet is a vegan diet that focuses on green vegetables and starches. The acronym (that looks like wolf hehe) stands for Whole Starch Low Fat.
Here are some foods that you avoid:
Meat (uh doy)
Dairy (double uh doy)
Flour
Processed Foods
Oils
Here are some foods that a freaking Gucci for WSLF:
Beans
Legumes
Potatoes
LITERALLY ANY VEGETABLE
Oats
Grains
Starches
A wee bit of Fruit
It’s all about trying new things. And it feels good. I think that the biggest thing that I’ve taken away from my weird acne-obsession driven research, is that treatment, whether external or internal, is different for everyone. Some things work for others. Some things don’t. Our bodies are finely tuned, specific, and unique. I don’t know for a fact if this diet change will work, but the thing is I won’t give up. I’ll genuinely solve this annoying enigma and once I find out what works with me, I’ll let you guys know. :)