Laura Skin Care

The basis for acne is when your hair follicles get clogged by your natural oil (sebum) picking up dead skin cells and bacteria; since your body is constantly shedding old skin, there’s always a possibility for the dead skin to get caught in the sebum, especially if your hormones (or other causes) are increasing the production of sebum. If your body is going to produce sebum no matter what, then your best plan of attack is to minimize the number of bacteria and dead skin cells that might cause a problem.

The What and How of Fasting

In comes fasting, a normal, evolutionary state of being for humans that improves our ability to remove toxins from our body. As we evolved, there were times (sometimes days) that we would go without food; this allowed our body to digest any food leftover in our digestive system, accelerate our natural detoxification and immune systems, and give our metabolism a break (this helps us absorb nutrients better after the fast). (Consult your doctor before making any drastic changes to your diet, especially if you have prior health issues!)

You can benefit from one day of fasting every week or two but consider longer fasts (or even long-term juicing diets) around three-to-five days to make up for years of an unhealthy diet. (Beware fasting for too long!)

Now fasting will likely not serve as a magic pill clearing up all your acne while you continue other unhealthy lifestyle habits; it works best when you pair it with eating clean foods, staying hydrated, and exercising.  If you’re already doing those things, then let’s talk about fasting.

There are plenty of methods when it comes to fasting, but the two main themes seem to be:

• Stay well-hydrated! – Water acts as your energy when you don’t have any food in your stomach; your body will soon switch to burning stored fat, but it never stops pushing blood through your veins or maintaining normal organ functions.
• 16-Hours is Key – For humans, the rule-of-thumb for fasting is to stick to it for at least 16-hours. A good way to do this is count the hours you sleep, then skip breakfast and lunch. (If you have coffee or tea, avoid sugar and creamers, since those calories will break your fast!)

How to Break Fast (Not Breakfast!)

When you come out of your fast, it’s important to focus on nutrient-dense foods and avoid sugary or high-carbohydrate foods. Consider drinking smoothies and shakes with: Yogurt, Seeds (Flax, Chia, and Hemp), cruciferous vegetables (Kale, Cabbage, Broccoli, and Brussels Sprouts), and low-Glycemic Index fruits (Blueberries, Grapefruit, and Apples).

When you’re not in a fast, don’t use the fast as an excuse to not take care of yourself; keep your meat portions small and accompany them with vegetables while avoiding malnutritious desserts and refined carbohydrates. It’s not like you can get healthy once and you stay healthy forever, it’s a constant exercise in self-care!