aghh! I've suddenly broken out in acne

Cairidh · Post by **Cairidh** » Wed 19 Apr 2006 03:24

I don't get acne!!!

I've eaten just fruit and brazil nuts for the past 2 weeks, is it detox? I've had lots of other detox symptoms...

But my skin was silky smooth - my skin always goes amazing when I detox with Juice fasting, water fasting etc and thats what its been like on just fruit/brazils.

It hurts. It's on my forehead and chin. And possibly about to break out on my nose.

It must be awful for some of you having it all the time. *sympathy*

(Even posh people have pimples - right on the end of their noses!)

nick · Post by **nick** » Wed 19 Apr 2006 03:32

since you have been on this strict diet, perhaps you are more sensitive to 'dirty' protein? I would advise that you cut out the brazil nuts for a few weeks. Sometimes they aren't totally fresh and can cause acne in some. That should hopefully do the job.

huntress · Post by **huntress** » Wed 19 Apr 2006 05:13

For the past one week, I have been eating dates/figs and not only did I break out terribly, I felt terribly depressed, sometimes manic. I felt very detached from myself. The feelings only gets worse at night. ARgh, no more sweet/dried fruits anymore.

Bambi726 · Post by **Bambi726** » Wed 19 Apr 2006 09:07

Hi, Cairidh

You've only been eating brazil nuts for protein? I know it's a great source of protein, but they also contain a HUGE amount of selenium. One ounce of brazil nuts (about 6-8 nuts) contains about 839 mcg of selenium, and the daily "upper limit" according to the Institute of Medicine is 400 micrograms.

"The best way to get selenium is from foods, as it is possible to overdose on this nutrient.

High blood levels of selenium can result in selenosis, a condition that results in mild nerve damage, gastrointestinal upset, hair loss, fatigue, irritability, white blotchy nails and a garlic odor on the breath. The most selenium an adult should get in a day is 400 micrograms, according to the Institute of Medicine's tolerable upper intake level."
(from http://www.articles-hub.com/Article/39893.html)

I'm sure our bodies can handle it quite a lot better from whole foods than in isolated supplement form, but I would say it's still something to be watchful about. If you're eating much more than an ounce per day, you may want to try cutting back or eliminate them for a while and try egg yolks and/or fish for your main source of protein for a while and see if your skin improves.

Does anyone else have anything to add or contradict about selenium intake? Thanks!

~Amber

Post by **Oscar** » Wed 19 Apr 2006 10:12

Nuts and dried fruits seem to cause acne in some people, so indeed leave them out (or eat less) and substitute with yolks/fish.

YouTube · Post by **RRM** » Wed 19 Apr 2006 15:05

We always recommend only one handful of Brazil nuts daily, and yes, many may get acne from eating (even raw) nuts.

Bambi726 wrote: You've only been eating brazil nuts for protein? I know it's a great source of protein, but they also contain a HUGE amount of selenium. One ounce of brazil nuts (about 6-8 nuts) contains about 839 mcg of selenium, and the daily "upper limit" according to the Institute of Medicine is 400 micrograms.

I wondered where you got his data from, and I went to the USDA database and was surprised that they now list very much higher selenium contents than they used to do. It used to be about the same as reported by Souci S.W. et al, Food composition and Nutrition Balance, Medpharm Scientific Publishers.
According to Souci, S.W. et al, Coconuts, for example, contain far more selenium (405 µg./100g) than Brazil nuts (36 µg./100g), and there are plenty of people eating coconuts very regularly without any adverse effects.
The USDA now lists 1917 µg./100 g. (100 g is about 3.5 ounces)

Bambi726 · Post by **Bambi726** » Wed 19 Apr 2006 18:06

Thank you, RRM - that's strange...I guess it depends largely upon whether or not the nuts come from a selenium rich soil? I can't find where coconuts have more selenium per 100g than brazilnuts. The most I see is 18.2 mcg per 100g...? Where do I find that? Thank you!

~Amber

YouTube · Post by **RRM** » Wed 19 Apr 2006 18:22

Bambi726 wrote:I guess it depends largely upon whether or not the nuts come from a selenium rich soil?

Yes, probably.
Its not uncommon for metals and trace elements to vary extremely widely in fruits, plants and fish (zinc contents in oysters are an excellent example).

I can't find where coconuts have more selenium per 100g than brazilnuts. The most I see is 18.2 mcg per 100g...? Where do I find that?

Again, Souci, SW et al, coconuts on average: 405 mcg./100g, in confirmation to the statement above...

Bambi726 · Post by **Bambi726** » Thu 20 Apr 2006 01:49

Oh, I see - duh!

Thanks, RRM

~Amber

Cairidh · Post by **Cairidh** » Thu 20 Apr 2006 02:31

Thanks for your replies!

When I started posting on the forum, I was eating egg yolks. I was doing the Wai diet, with no fish, and with munchfood of 2 raw veg per day.
But then a couple of weeks ago Gavriel said the veg was bad and I should have raw dairy instead. I stopped eating veg. I wouldn't use cow dairy because I was a reluctantly ex- vegan. I went to a vegan website to see if goat milk involves cruelty (it does) and while I was there was reminded why I wouldn't eat eggs, so I became vegan again. I haven't eaten yolks since.

So I've been eating brazil nuts - I don't think I've eaten more than a handful a day but it depends what you call a handful. I think I've had about 50g a day.

At first I felt wonderful - so light and healthy and calm. I couldn't believe how much more energy I had. I was amazed at the difference cutting out veg and/or yolks made.

After about a week, a healer who visits me because I have health troubles, visited and she said "You've changed your diet. I don't know what you're doing but it's working! You're so much better. Your blood is running freely like a river. Your energy is flowing, there's no blockages. I don't know what you'd done, but keep doing it, because it's doing you a hell of a lot of good."
She kept going on and on about it.

Just after she'd gone I was struck with a tummy bug, throwing up all night long. For a couple of days I ate or drank nothing but fizzy water - I couldn't remember if this is bad or not. I think it must be, because I never drink it, but I couldn't remember why. Anyway it was the only thing I could keep down.

Since then I've felt crummy. And now the acne.

I know it's better for your health to eat fish and yolks but I can't.

Cairidh · Post by **Cairidh** » Thu 20 Apr 2006 02:33

Thanks for the information about selenium!
Blimey, I didn't know it was so easy to overdose.

I was going to try making brazil nut milk, I won't now.

I don't have the garlic breath (how dare you!) but I do have the fatigue and the irritability. *cairidh picks up a banana and brandishes it in a threatening manner*

sula58 · Post by **sula58** » Thu 20 Apr 2006 04:09

Hey Cairidh,

Well, at least we know why you've broken out! (not eating anything for a couple days, sick. I wonder what it is? And are you feeling better?)

I think it's great that you are so conscious and selfless when it comes to animals. Animals have lives just as we have lives and cruelty is never okay. I agree with that and I have a lot of admiration for someone who can stick to her beliefs and act on them accordingly.

BUT --but--(

) I would still just like to suggest for you to try adding back some yolks, even if just a couple, into your diet. If you get them from a good place where the chickens have relative freedom to run around, no one is getting killed/hurt.

Plus, yolks are so, so good for you, and if this is a dog-eat-dog, survival-of-the-fittest world, we need people like you to be the strongest and survive! It's true!

nick · Post by **nick** » Thu 20 Apr 2006 05:48

Cairidh wrote:Thanks for your replies!

When I started posting on the forum, I was eating egg yolks. I was doing the Wai diet, with no fish, and with munchfood of 2 raw veg per day.
But then a couple of weeks ago Gavriel said the veg was bad and I should have raw dairy instead. I stopped eating veg. I wouldn't use cow dairy because I was a reluctantly ex- vegan. I went to a vegan website to see if goat milk involves cruelty (it does) and while I was there was reminded why I wouldn't eat eggs, so I became vegan again. I haven't eaten yolks since.

I'm not trying to scare you or convince you over your strong beliefs.
Humans need animal food. They need the cholesterol, which is good for your mood and fertility. Vegetarians do experience weaker menses and lower fertility rates in some. Also, you need the protein and iron, unless your eating veggies high in those nutrients. Plus the healthy fats are essential as well. Not eating animal food on this diet would definitely cause more health problems for you. Perhaps you can substitute certain vegetables to make up for those in yolks, especially the iron. The diet is 'designed' to have animal food included.

Did you notice any improvement while eating the yolks?
What about when you went off of them?

Since then I've felt crummy. And now the acne.

Your body hasn't had any food, thus causing it to 'eat' the lean muscle which can cause spots. I hope you get better. I notice that when sick, my appetite goes down considerably.

I know it's better for your health to eat fish and yolks but I can't.

Why?
Why is so hard for you to do?
You must feel extremely deep about animals!

Cairidh · Post by **Cairidh** » Thu 20 Apr 2006 06:57

sula58 wrote:Hey Cairidh,

Well, at least we know why you've broken out! (not eating anything for a couple days, sick. I wonder what it is? And are you feeling better?)

It's about a week since I was sick and I have been eating for several days now *nods*. Yes the sickness has gone now thankyou.

Haven't regained my apetite though.

It was like food poisoning - but it can't have been....can it????

At first I thought not eating properly had weakened my immunity because I've never been sick since "going raw". But then I started reading "12 Steps to Raw Food" again and it said when people have time off work or switch to a raw food diet they often get sick because when your body has more energy it takes advantage of it to detox. And a virus or an infection is your bodys way of detoxing. And at the clinic where she worked people who switched to a raw diet would get sick and have other nasty symptoms and when people didn't, the staff saw that as a bad thing because it meant their bodys were too weak to detox.
I didn't get sick when I "became raw". I didn't have any detox symptoms at all... so maybe thats what's happening now. Or maybe it is that my immune system is weakened????

Or maybe Nick's right - on a more restricted diet, my body's more sensitive to dirty protein and the nuts are causing the acne.

Thankyou for both being nice to me *grateful*
I expect RRM to tell me off and tell me to leave the forum in disgrace for not sticking to the diet!!

Cairidh · Post by **Cairidh** » Thu 20 Apr 2006 07:07

Perhaps you can substitute certain vegetables to make up for those in yolks, especially the iron.

I was doing. *nods*
But then Gavriel said they would damage my teeth and interfere with the absorption of fats, so I stopped.

I felt so much better when I cut out the veg and yolks (I felt wonderful until I got sick)
But it may have been cutting out the veg rather than the yolks that caused the improvement - I've never tried just fruit and yolks.
If I knew somebody with chickens or ducks I would eat their eggs but I don't (my aunt keeps ducks but she's too far away) and I can't eat shop bought.