gorgeous skin for teen eat your way to radiant clear skin

7/27/2019 Gorgeous Skin for Teen Eat Your Way to Radiant Clear Skin

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Erica Angyal is a nutritionist, health

consultant and author of Gorgeous Skin

in 30 Days. Since 2004 she has been the

official nutritionist to the Miss UniverseJapan finalists.

This is the perfect little guidebook for anyone who wants a better

understanding of how what we eat, drink and think can affect the

way we look, feel and act. Beauty really does come from the inside

out. I especially love Ericas Gorgeous Skin action plan.Miranda Kerr

Internationally respected nutrition authority Erica Angyal has done it

again! Her latest work, Gorgeous Skin for Teens, is essential reading

for all teens, educators, parents and dermatologists. Erica shatters

the myths surrounding diet and acne, while providing sound,scientifically based nutritional advice. The book is a treasure trove of

valuable information for the promotion of clear, glowing skin, and will

set the table for a lifetime of healthy diet and lifestyle habits.

Dr Alan C. Logan, best-selling author of The Brain Diet

Erica truly shows you the secrets to great skin from within.Riyo Mori, Miss Universe 2007

In this book Erica provides plenty of helpful advice on which foods

to eat to improve the health of your skin.

Ana Ivanovic, tennis player, ranked #2 in the world, 11 April 2008

Kenji Maeji


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First published in 2008

Copyright Erica Angyal 2008

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced ortransmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical,including photocopying, recording or by any information storageand retrieval system, without prior permission in writing from thepublisher. TheAustralian Copyright Act 1968 (the Act) allows amaximum of one chapter or 10 per cent of this book, whichever

is the greater, to be photocopied by any educational institution forits educational purposes provided that the educational institution(or body that administers it) has given a remuneration notice toCopyright Agency Limited (CAL) under the Act.

ARENA, an imprint ofAllen & Unwin83 Alexander StreetCrows Nest NSW 2065AustraliaPhone: (61 2) 8425 0100Fax: (61 2) 9906 2218Email: [email protected]

Web: www.allenandunwin.com

National Library of AustraliaCataloguing-in-Publication entry:

Angyal, Erica.

Gorgeous skin for teens / Erica Angyal.

9781741755275 (pbk.)

Includes index.

SkinCare and hygiene. Teenage girls. Acne. Diet. Beauty, personal.Teenage girlsNutrition. LifestylesHealth aspects.

646.726

Illustrations by Ian FaulknerSet in 9.5/12 pt Helvetica Neue by Bookhouse, SydneyPrinted in China by Everbest Printing Co., Ltd

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
mailto:[email protected]://www.allenandunwin.com/http://www.allenandunwin.com/mailto:[email protected]


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GORGEOUSSKINforteensforteensERICA ANGYAL


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PREFACE: THE TRUTH ABOUT TEENAGE SKIN 6INTRODUCTION: ACNE IS A FOUR-LETTER WORD 12

1 SKIN 101 17

2 NUTRITION 101 333 KISS THE SKIN ENEMIES GOODBYE 55

4 EAT YOURSELF GORGEOUS 75

5 THE SKIN PROTECTORS 1096 THE HEALTH AND BEAUTY MYTHS 133

7 FEELING GREAT FROM THE INSIDE OUT 147

8 GETTING PREPARED 161

9 THE GORGEOUS SKIN PLAN 171

10 GORGEOUS SKIN RECIPES 213

NOTES 243

APPENDIX 250

INDEX 266

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 270


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6

PREFACE

The truth about teenage skin

Oh no, its wake up time! The alarm rings and it jolts you

out of a blissful dream. Tired and totally lacking energy, the

idea of starting a new day is enough to make you want to

stay under coveryou cant even contemplate getting outof bed.

But the dreaded moment arrives: the wake-up-and-

check-your-face moment! As you stumble towards the

mirror for that daunting first-thing-in-the-morning

inspection, you cant stop thinking, How many zits have

sprouted on my face during the night? Will my face be anoil slick? Do I have enough time to apply a ton of make-up

to camouflage my bumpy red skin?

By the time you get to the mirror, you are almost too

afraid to look. Shock sets in as your sleepy eyes begin to

focus and you get a clear look at your face. How could this

be? How could I possibly have another pimple on my chin?

Could this get any worse? How am I going to face my

friends and be able to go out tonight?

We all have experienced our own skin nightmares at

some point in our lives. It happened to me, at fifteen,

when I was a world away from my regular life in Australia,

as an exchange student on the Japanese island of Kyushu.

On my first day in class, I was in for a real shock.Whats that? asked the girl sitting in front of me,

pointing right at my face.

Whats what? I responded, not knowing what she meant.


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PREFACE

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Those red spots on your chin, she said, and keptpointing at my face in front of everyone.

I didnt know what to say, and my face turned bright

red. Coming from Australia, I had thought pimples were

normal. But the whole class turned around and stared as

if my pimples were some infectious disease! I was

beyond embarrassed. I wanted to crawl under my desk.Looking around my class, I noticed that hardly

anyone had any pimples. How come none of the

Japanese girls and guys my age had acne? Why did

they have such perfect skin? Did they have some sort

of secret?

I couldnt figure it out. Here I was halfway across theglobe feeling like the ugly duckling among swans. And it

wasnt just that girl that turned my first day in class into

a nightmare. I still remember my first morning sitting at

my Japanese host familys breakfast table, starving.

Gross, I thought. How disgusting! I had no idea how I

was going to eat the food that was in front of me. I

wasnt used to soup in the morning, and this was not

just any soup. This one had little fish floating in it, and

their black beady eyes were staring straight at me.

Right next to the soup was a small dish of this slimy

brown sludge stuff that smelt like areallybad off blue

cheese.

This isnatto, my host sister explained. Fermentedsoybeans, very good for you.

Thanks, but no thanks, I thought, believing it was

some kind of a joke. Well, it wasnt.


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GORGEOUSSKINFORTEENS

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There were three generations living under the sameroof. My host mum was busy working, so my host

grandma made sure lots of interesting foods were served

up first thing in the morning: raw egg, pickled vegetables,

dried seaweed . . . Yuck!

So for the first week I lived mostly on rice. Then I

started nibbling on the more familiar-looking stuff like eggrolls and tofu dishes. After a while I discovered that some

of the food wasnt that bad at all, and I started to eat what

the family ate. My host grandma even brought us yummy

things like melon, sushi and red bean sweets.

About a month later something amazing happened. My

pimples slowly disappeared and my skin looked better thanever. My Japanese classmates didnt have some special

gene or mysterious secret after all. It was all the stuff that

my host grandma was feeding me every daya healthy

diet that happened to help my skin at the same time.

It wasnt until I got back to Australia, to tuckshop food

and all those sweets and snacks, that the pimples and

less-than-great-looking skin staged a comeback.

Ironically today, twenty-three years later, I am giving

nutritional advice to Japanese beauty queens, and I am

helping some of them to get rid of acne! What happened to

the blemish-free Japanese complexions?

Well, in the past twenty years, the typical Japanese diet

has changed at lightning speed. Meanwhile, in that sameperiod, acne rates in Japan have more than doubled. Now

Japanese teenagers are getting just as much acne as

teens in Australia, England and the United States.


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PREFACE

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My own experience in Kyushu shows that acne isnotso normal. And research confirms that you donthave to

get acne just because youre a teenager.

Way back in the mid 1900s, a doctor named Otto

Schaefer noted that acne was completely unknown among

the Inuit Eskimos in Northern Canada. Mirroring my own

experience in Kyushu, in the years before World War IIdoctors working on the Japanese island of Okinawa

reported not a single case of acne in any of the kids,

teenagers or young adults who lived there.

In the 1990s doctors examined 1200 Kitavan people on

the remote islands off the coast of Papua New Guinea, and

big groups of Ach hunter-gatherers in an isolated junglearea of Eastern Paraguay in South America. And you know

what? They didnt find a single spot in the entire teenage

population.

Now think about your classmates and almost every

other teen youve seen. It would be impossible to round up

a random group of teens that is completely acne-free in

Australiaor any other Westernised country.

So how come all these teens living in far-flung places

dont battle with their skin? They certainly dont all eat

traditional Japanese food. Perhaps theyve got some

special sort of anti-acne gene? Sounds interesting, but

nope, thats not it.

All the studies and observations point to the samething. The societies with zero acne dont drink Coke and

eat Krispy Kreme doughnuts; they dont have Big Macs

and KFC; and they dont munch on M&Ms in between.


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They dont even have supermarkets, for that matter.Most of their diet is made up of natural stuff that hasnt

been processed in any way: healthy foods like fruit and

vegies, fish and hunted wild game and meat. The

Kitavan teens, for example, eat mostly fruit, fish, coconut

and root vegiesand they virtually never have dairy

products.Now think about what a typical Australian teen eats

and drinks every day. Maybe a sugary cereal like Rice

Bubbles with milk for breakfast, a mid-morning soft drink,

a white-bread sandwich for lunch, some Twisties, biscuits

or chips for an afternoon snack, and a pizza or burger for

dinner, with a sugary dessert to top it all off.In 2005, a research team led by Professor Neil Mann

from the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology did a

study with Australian teens living in Melbourne to see if a

less-processed, healthier diet would clear up their skin.

For twelve weeks, the teens in the study cut out

virtually all processed and bad stuff and switched to a

healthy diet with lots of fish, lean meat, whole grains, fresh

fruit and vegetables. And to everyones excitement, their

acne improved dramatically.

In fact, the study showed that simply cutting out sugar

and junk food for three months was a far more effective

weapon against acne than a bathroom cabinet full of anti-

pimple products!Acne isnt just the unfolding of a genetic timetable, and

its not just the result of those turbulent teenage hormones.

Its all about the stuff you stick in your mouth every single


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PREFACE

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day. Being healthy and looking good go hand-in-hand.The Gorgeous Skin Plan in Chapter 9 shows how you can

banish those blemishes forever, and welcome healthy,

glowing skin. A great diet, stressing less, moving more,

and getting enough zzzs, will not only give you clear,

radiant skin, but will also help you look and feel fantastic,

head to toe, inside and out.And dont worryyou wont have to eat any weird stuff.

N


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NAcne is a four-letter wordOne minute you have a clear, flawless complexion, and

then all of a sudden everything goes crazy! Out of

nowhere, spots, lumps, bumps and pimples pop up all

over your faceor you realise your skin looks dull, dry andjust plain blahright when you want to look your best. So

you squeeze your pimples and try to camouflage them with

make-up. You put on creams, toners and lotions, or take

antibiotics and other medications that promise to banish

blemishes and stop new breakouts in their tracks.

Yet no matter what you do, those zits keep popping up. Its

a constant battlesometimes your acne may get worse, it

may get better or it may even disappear for a while. Youre

not alone, almost nine out of ten teens in the Western

world go through the anguish of acne.

No wonder radiant, clear skin is at the top of the typicalteens wish-list. In fact, teenage surveys show that the

desire for clear skin is ranked even higher than the desire

to be thinner, smarter, taller or more attractive!

This book shows you how you can kiss your blemishes

and bad skin goodbye once and for all in three easy steps.It is designed so that you can read it from start to finish or

read only the chapters that interest you. Either way, its a

complete guide for getting you from where you are now to

where you want to be: having gorgeous, clear skin. And its

surprisingly simple.

INTRODUCTION


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INTRODUCTION

Three steps to great skinAcne, spots, pimples, and dull, dry skin dont have to be a

part of your teenage destiny.

Step 1Say goodbye to skin enemiesEverything you stick in your mouthor dont, for that

matteraffects the health and appearance of your skin.

You can probably imagine that day after day, stuff like pies,

chips and doughnuts arent going to be doing your skin, oryour body, any favours. You may be shocked at how many

everyday foods can aggravate acne and other skin

problems and turn your skin into a war zone.

Hormones, too, can affect your skin and kick-start the

whole pimple process. Heres how it works: eating skin-

enemy food causes certain hormones such as testosterone

and insulin-like growth factor (IGF-1) to go crazy, setting off

a whole series of reactions that can lead to acne.

Although giving up junk food isnt easy, I promise that the

results will be so worth it because youll look and feel

fantastic.



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Step 2Eat yourself gorgeousGuess what the coolest beauty tool of all is? Presenting . . .

the fork. Use it to eat your way to a brighter, blemish-free

complexion. A diet packed with nutrition superstarsgood

carbohydrates, fabulous fats and perfect proteincan help

your face look its absolute best and give you more energy.

Good looks come from good healththeres no way

around it!

You wont have to count kilojoules (calories) or keep track

of every snack or portion size and, best of all, youll get toeat yummy food. Youll discover delicious easy menu ideas

for all your mealsincluding power lunches for school

and snacks. Plus, you can totally mix it up and design your

own diet around the stuff you love from the foods on the

green light list. Youll also find lots of mouth-watering

recipes to keep you going through the day.

Step 3Add some lifestyle protectionOne of the most important parts of a great skin strategy is

the all-powerful skin protectors: lots of sleep, exercise and

some form of regular relaxation. Each of these protectors

has a huge effect on those hormones that are behind acne

and other skin problems.


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SKI101



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Take time to chill each day.

SKIN101


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SKIN101

Lets face it, your skin was probably the last thing on yourmind until you got pimples, zits, spots, or you noticed

that it looked dull or dry. But no matter how muchor how

littleyou think about it, your skin is super important. It is

the main thing that makes you look like you. It covers and

protects everything inside your body, and holds you

together. Think about it: without skin, your muscles, bonesand organs would be hanging out all over the place. Whats

more, your skin constantly protects your body from

unwanted visitors, like bacteria and viruses. It helps you

warm up when youre cold, cools you down when youre

hot, and lets you touch and feel things. And when you bite

your lip or skin your knee, your skin repairs itself perfectly

in a matter of days, often without any trace.

Your skin is pretty incredible. What appears to be just a

thin covering is actually the largest and heaviest organ in

your body. Its washable, stretchable, tough and

waterproof. Its amazing to think that even if you soak in

the tub for hours on end, your skin doesnt let any water in.

And when you grow, or gain or lose weight, your skin

expands and contracts with your changing size.

What you can see is only a tiny part of whats going on.

Underneath, your skin works non-stop around the clock

performing hundreds of tasks, all while constantly

renewing itself.

Taking it from the topYour skin isnt just a simple flat sheet. There is a lot more

to it than meets the eye. Learning how your skin works will

give you the power to improve it and maintain it, and will



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K

enjiM

aeji

To give your skin a real beautyboost, go for a salad a day with

green leafies. Add some protein tobalance out blood-sugar levels.


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see anything happening, the epidermis is a factory thatsproducing new skin cells all the time.

When the new cells are ready, they start moving from

the bottom towards the top of your epidermis. This trip

takes about two weeks to a month. And while they move

up, the older cells above them die and rise to the surface.

So when you look at your skin, all you can actually see aredead skin cells.

The horny layer (seriously!) is the name for the

outermost layer of your epidermis. You can impress your

friends by using its Latin name, thestratum corneum. The

horny layer is tough and strong, and the cells are tightly

packed together like scales, so theyre just perfect for

covering and protecting your body. But they dont hang

around for long. They soon flake off: when you wash, sit in

class, scratch yourself and as you read this book.

Although you cant see it happening, every minute we

lose about 30 000 to 40 000 dead skin cells. Thats almost

4 kg (9 lb) of cells every year! Your skin doesnt wear out,

though, because the epidermis is always making new skincells. A completely new epidermis is produced about every

28 days.

Anyway, the horny layer is covered with a thin film of

sweat as well as sebum, an oily, waxy substance secreted

by your sebaceous (oil) glands. Sebum is your skins

natural moisturiser.Your skin literally keeps all your bases covered. Just in

case any bad bacteria manage to slip through your armour,

your epidermis has another weapon waitingLangerhans

cells. These special cells help defend your body from any

invading bugs by activating your immune system.

Fun skin facts

About 6 squarecentimetres

(1 square inch) ofyour skin is home to:

*17 m (18 yd) ofblood vessels

*65 hairs

*71 m (77 yd) ofnerves

*100 sebaceous (oil)glands

*650 sweat glands

*1300 nerve endings

*9 500 000 cells

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SKIN101

What your epidermis doesnt contain, though, is bloodvessels. If you lightly scrape your skin, it will ooze clear

liquid, but youll see no blood. Bleeding only happens

when an injury penetrates deeper than the epidermis.

Digging deeper: the dermisThe next layer down, out of sight underneath the

epidermis, is the dermis. This layer makes up about 90 per

cent of your skins overall thickness, and its where a lot of

the real action takes place.

The dermis is home to tons of tiny blood vessels called

capillaries, which bring nutrients and oxygen to your skin

cells and take away their waste. Capillaries are hard to see

in young people, but you might be able to see them in your

grandparents skin, because the dermis gets thinner as it

gets older.

This layer also contains nerve endings, which provide

you with your sense of touch, and special cells that make

your skins collagen and elastin. Collagen is likescaffolding, giving your skin its strength and fullness. Elastin

consists of flexible fibres that work somewhat like rubber

bands, so that whenever you move, your skin stretches as

needed and then goes back to its original shape.

The dermis is home to the sebaceous (oil) glands, too.

These oil glands empty their sebum onto the skinssurface, the epidermis, through tiny openings called pores.

This natural oily substance then spreads out to form a

barrier against water loss, keeping your skin moisturised,

protected, soft and smooth. The flow of oil also sweeps

dead cells and bacteria out of your pores.



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You may be able to see the pores on your face if you peer closely atyourself in the mirror, but dont expect to see any pores on models inglossy magazine close-ups. Either theyve been airbrushed out or make-up artists have spent ages applying cosmetics to cleverly conceal them.

Sweat glands release sweat through their own pores,

and the moisture escapes into the air (and sometimes onto

your clothes). Although you cant necessarily feel it, you

sweat a bit all the time. In fact, you sweat up a storm

without realising itabout 3 cups every day, no matter

how hot or cold it is outside.

Your hair starts in the dermis as well. Each hair on your

body grows out of a tiny tube called a follicle. Hair follicles

cover almost your entire bodyexcept for your lips, palms

and soles of your feetand youve got more in some

places than in others. There are more than 100 000 follicles

on your head alone.

To see your skins film in action, pick up a pin with your fingers, putit down, wash your hands well with soap and water, dry them off

completely, and then try to pick up that pin again. It wont be so easybecause your sticky layer is gone! But its only gone momentarily, asyour glands will soon put out more.

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SKIN101

Sebaceous glands are connected to hair follicles bysharing the same pores, so the oil thats released gives

your hair its shine and keeps it waterproof. But this oil is

what can make your hair look greasy too. When the oil

meets the sweat, however, the protective film they form is

a bit sticky.

Beneath it all: the hypodermisWay down at the bottom of your skin is your hypodermis,

sometimes called the subcutaneous layer or the fat layer.

Its made mostly of fat, so it helps your body stay warm

and it absorbs some of the shock if you bang into

something or fall down. The hypodermis also helps to keep

your skin attached to the tissues underneath it.

Skin types and true coloursThere are different skin types and colour variations: no two

are the same. Which one is yours?

Oily skin: If your skin feels greasy, is often shiny, prone to

spots, blemishes and breakouts, and has easily visible

pores, you probably have this type of skin.

Dry skin: If your face feels tight and stretched (especially

after washing), if it never has areas that feel greasy, if it hasflaky patches, or if your skin is very fair, you probably have

this skin type.

Combination skin: If your face has some oily areas (like

the T-zone across your forehead and down your nose and



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chin) but the other areas (like your cheeks) are normal todry, youve probably got combination skin.

Normal skin: If your skin doesnt feel greasy, dry or have

obvious pores, then you probably have this skin type.

Normal skin might sound rather dull, but anybody with one

of the other types can tell you its something to be

thankful for.

Sensitive skin: Truly sensitive skin is fairly uncommon.

People with this skin type are often allergy prone and have

sensitivities or allergic reactions to lots of different things.

They also have particularly fair, thin skin and usually have

blonde or red hair.

Why do some people have light skin while others have

olive skin or dark brown skin or any of the shades in

between? Its all due to a pigment called melanin,

produced in your epidermis by special cells called

melanocytes. Everyone has roughly the same number of

these melanin-producing cells, but a fair-skinned persons

melanocytes make much less of the stuff than those of a

person with darker skin.

Melanin does more than give you your unique skin

colour, it also helps protect you from getting burnt by the

suns rays. Even though melanin is mighty, it cant shield

you all by itself, especially if youve got pale skin. Youllneed additional protection, particularly from the harsh

Australian sun. (For more information about the sun see

Chapter 6, Myth 8: a tan helps clear acne.)

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Q. FrecklesI hate them. Mine are dark and standout on my fair skin. Help! Hannah, age fifteen

A. Freckles are small flat brown, black or even orange

spots of melanin found in people with fair skin. Freckles

appear on areas of the skin that have been exposed to the

sun, thats why theyre sometimes called sun kisses. Fair

skin equals frequent freckling and thats just the way it is.

But, hey, freckles can be cutelook at Lucy Liu. Embrace

your fabulous freckle face!

Freckles, however, are signs of sun damage. So make

sure you protect your skin from too much sun: wear a hat,

use a good sunscreen (if possible go for a non-chemical or

physical sunblock like Megan Gales Invisible Zinc or

Avene Sunscreen SPF 30+).

You only need to worry about a freckle if it gets bumpy

or turns into a weird, irregular shape. If that happens, dont

freak out, have your doctor check it out, just to be on the

safe side.

Why you should love your skinYour skin holds no secrets. It tells the world about your

emotional state and whatever else is going on internally.

When something isnt rightif youre stressed out, sick,

tired, or most of all, not eating wellit shows up on your face.

Thats because your skin is connected to all of your bodyssystems, and its the only organ on permanent display.

So become best friends with your skin. When you take

care of it, your skin will do its best job. Healthy skin doesnt

just look pretty: it looks after you too.



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and helps to waterproof your skin. As

the oil travels to the surface, it also

carries away loose dead skin cells and

other junk from the pores lining.

Now heres the new part: certain

hormones can stimulate your glands to

step up their oil production. The extra

oil combined with the dead skin cells in

the pore makes a sticky mixture, kind

of like wet cement. This sticky stuff can

plug up the pore and seal it shut,

closing off its exposure to air. Bacteria

called Propionibacterium acne (P. acne

for short)which naturally live in the

skins pores and normally dont cause

problemsthrive in places with no

Acne! Yikes! Whatshappening to my skin?Acne is a condition of the skin that

shows up as different types of bumps.

These bumps can be blackheads,

whiteheads, pimples or cysts. Acnevulgaris is the technical name for a zit

attack. But any way you say itzits,

spots, pimples, whiteheads, black-

heads, blemishesacne still means

agony, and it will probably be the most

unwelcome guest in your skins life. Ifyou have it, you have lots of

companyalmost 90 per cent of teens

in most Western countries have to deal

with at least an occasional breakout.

Facing up to acneAcne is an inflammatory condition that

starts way down in a tiny world of its

own, in the hair follicle unit (the follicle

plus the attached sebaceous gland),

which you can see in the picture above

right.

Heres a quick recap: the

sebaceous glands make sebum (oil),

which normally travels through pores to

the skins surface, where it moisturises

SKIN101


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oxygen, so when the pores air supply gets shut off, theyhave a party and multiply quickly.

The trouble really escalates as excess oil continues

pouring into the blocked pore. Its got no exit to the skins

surface, so things go from bad to worse. The skin

surrounding the affected pore becomes red and inflamed.

And hey presto, a blackhead, whitehead, zit or cyst is

born. The pore may swell up and eventually rupture,

releasing its sticky debris of oil, built-up dead cells and

bacteria onto the skins surface.

Whats the difference between all those pesky spots,

bumps and blemishes?

Whiteheads: If a pore gets clogged up and closes butbulges out from the skin, youre left with a whitehead.

Whiteheads look like tiny, white grains of sand beneath the

skin.

Blackheads: If a pore gets clogged up but stays open,

the top surface can darken and youre left with a

blackhead. Although most people think the black in a

blackhead is dirt, the blackness is actually a reaction

between the oil and melanin when exposed to air.

Zits or pimples:(also called pustules) are basically the

next step along and they usually develop after blackheads

or whiteheads become inflamed. Theyre basically pus-filled bumps that form when the skins inflammation gets

worse.

Cysts: When the inflammation in the blocked pore is really

severe, the lump is called a cyst or a nodule. Cysts are



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large, solid and painful, and can last for months. A severecase of acne with lots of cysts is called cystic acne, and

this unhappy condition afflicts about 5 per cent of

Australian teens.

The skin on your face, chest and back contains the highestconcentration of sebaceous glands, which is why youre more likely tohave acne in these areas.

When and why does this nightmare start?

In most cases, acne starts between the ages of ten andthirteen and usually lasts for five to ten years. Acne affects

guys and girls in approximately equal numbers, but there

are differences. For example, guys are more likely to have

more severe, longer-lasting forms of acne.

Hormones play a central role in the whole acne drama.

Youve probably heard of a hormone called testosterone.Although its often called a male hormone, both girls and

guys produce it. Anyway, testosterone breaks down into

the powerful hormone dihydrotestosterone (DHT) that

regulates how much oil your skin produces.

Just like too much testosterone on a footy field can

cause trouble, high levels of testosterone can act like an

accelerator on your sebaceous glands, making them pump

out more oil.

But testosterone isnt the only hormone involved. There

are others, such as insulin-like growth factor (IGF-1), that

can cause trouble for your skin too. IGF-1 not only steps

TIP

Keep yourfingers of f your

face! A pimpleyou leave aloneheals twice

as quickly as

one you messaround with.


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products claim that with a few applications, they canvirtually eliminate the most stubborn skin condition. If

only . . .

Although many of the zit zappers may work in the short

term, after a while their effectiveness will fade. And they

generally fall short because they dont get to the root of the

problem.

Great skin from withinRemember those Inuit teenagers living in Northern

Canada, the Kitavan teenagers in Papua New Guinea and

the Ach teenagers in Paraguay? Theyve all got the

normal teen hormones, just like us, but they dont get

acne. Zero, zip, nada, not a zit in sight! And thats all

because of what they eat.

Topical (surface) medications fight the symptoms, and

often not very effectively. You have to attack acne where it

starts: with your diet. Diet is acnes cause and also its

solution.Take care of your skin from the inside outeat a great

diet, get enough zzzs, and keep your stress levels in

checkand your skin will love you for it, and you will love

your skin!

TIP

If you have

severe acne,consult adermatologist.

TIP

If you have

severe acne,consult adermatologist.


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Youve probably heard the expression, You are what youeat. Well, its true. The food you eat literally becomes

part of you. It helps determine whether you become tall or

short, weak or strong, thin or fatand whether your skin

looks good or not. Food can also change the way you

feelyes, its that powerful!

During your teen years, you dont just need any kind of

food, you need fantastic food. Heres the deal: you are in

the biggest and most critical growth spurt of your life! This

is the most important time to eat whats right and give your

body the nutrition it needs.

Between the ages of eleven and seventeen, youre

gaining 20 per cent of your adult height and 50 per cent of

your adult weight. Your bones are growing longer andstronger at a fast and furious pace. Youre forming your

bodys framework for life.

Sadly, Krispy Kreme doughnuts, lollies, fries and pies

just dont give your body everything it needs for its rapid

growth and changes. Instead of junk, your body needs

more good-for-you nutrients. And it definitely needs morekilojoules (a kilojoule is a unit of measure of energy, in the

same way that kilometres measure distance) from theright

foods.

Eating the right food helps you perform better at every

level, and youll have fewer icky sicknesses. Whats more,

it will give you great skin and a radiant, healthy glow. Tobuild the body you wantand to look and feel fantastic

you need to make every bite of food count. How? By

making food your favourite four-letter word.


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and seeds. Even fruit and vegies contain small amounts ofprotein.

The specific protein you need depends on your age,

size and activity level. You use protein every single day, so

youve got to get some good-quality protein daily to have

great skin and avoid a whole stack of health and beauty

problems.

In general, growing teens need about 1 gram (32 oz) of

protein daily per kilogram of their body weight. So if youre

50 kg (112 lb), you need about 50 g (1 oz) of protein a day.

Q. What about those high-protein diets like

Atkins? Megan, age thirteen

A. High-protein diets including the Atkins Diet typicallyrestrict the amount of carbs you eat. The problem is that

your body was designed to run on good carbs, and you

absolutely need them to fuel your body and keep your

brain working. When you exclude carbs from your diet, you

miss out on the vital nutrients they provide for growthand

youre dropping some of the healthiest foods, like fruit andvegiesthe sources of fibre.

Remember, your teen years are the most critical time to

provide your body with the right nutrition by eating from all

the major food groups in the best possible balance.

Beefing upQ. Im really skinny, and I try to eat huge amounts

of food to gain weight, but it just doesnt work.

People make fun of me and call me anorexic, but I

really do eat! Can you help me? Sarah, age fifteen

Check out Proteinpower in the Appendixto see how muchprotein is in yourfavourite foods.

Check out Proteinpower in the Appendixto see how muchprotein is in yourfavourite foods.


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The body breaks down carbs into glucose, which is aform of sugar. Glucose is used for many important

functions in the bodyespecially for providing energy, so

that you can think, breathe and moveand is the main

source of fuel for your brain. If you lack carbs, you get

fatigued, dizzy and moody. Carbohydrate-rich foods keep

you revved. All foods give you energy, but carbs do it

especially well. Carbs also play other important roles in

your nervous system, muscles and organs.

Q. Why is blood sugar such a big deal? And what

does insulin have to do with it? Chloe, age fifteen

A.Blood sugar is to your body what petrol is to your car:

its the fuel that makes it go. If your car ran out of petrol, itwould splutter, cough and come to a stop. If you ran out of

blood sugar, you would soon go into a coma and dieits

that important.

To stay alive every organ and cell in your body depends

on a steady supply of blood sugar for energy. Blood sugar

is a good thingbut you can have too much of a goodthing.

Your goal is to keep your tank of blood sugar full, but

not too full. One of the key tools in achieving this goal is a

hormone called insulin, which is made in your pancreas.

Think of insulin as your own personal fuel-injection system,

because its job is to inject blood sugar into your cells.When you eat, your digestive system turns the carbs in

your food into glucose, your pancreas cranks up the

production of insulin, and the insulin sends the glucose

into your cells. Goal achieved!


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You may have heard about bad carbs and goodcarbs. Whats the difference, and what do they have to do

with your skin?

Simple carbs = badCertain carbs have always been, and always will be, the

bad guys. These are the simple carbs, which are

sometimes called refined carbs because theyve been

processedlike white flour, white sugar and most other

white foods. Refining takes out all the good stuff, so these

foods have little or no nutritional value. Well call them

junky carbs.

Junky carbs are digested quickly and cause yourblood-sugar level to rise quickly. Have you seen the

Glycaemic Index (GI) labels on stuff in supermarkets? The

GI is a measurement of a foods effect on blood-sugar

levels. The higher the GI number, the more the food pushes

up your blood sugar. Junky carbs are generally high GI.

Examples of junky (simple) carbs: White bread,sugar, biscuits, cakes, lollies, bagels, doughnuts, cereals

like Rice Bubbles, potato chips, soft drinks and pastries.

Eating junky carbs causes your blood-sugar levels to

skyrocket. This bumps up your insulin level, which causes

a whole hormonal cascade that can lead to acne. So the

junky carbs are the ones youve got to give the boot to ifyou have acne, pimples, spots, blemishes or dull skin.


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insides a good, gentle clean-out. This is one of the ways

that fibre helps keep your digestive system in top form.

Eating fibre-rich foods fills you up and leaves you

feeling satisfied for longer. Fibre slows down your

digestion, which puts the brakes on the release of blood

sugar into your bloodstream. And thats why fibre-rich

foods are fantastic for your skin.

Examples of high-fibre foods: Fruit, vegies, oats,

barley, lentils, peas, beans and whole grains.

Fats: your staying powerDont be scared of fats! Most fats arent eviltheyre just

misunderstood. Like carbs, not all fats are created equal.There are good fats, bad fats and terrible fats!

You absolutely need good fats for brain development

(your brain is 60 per cent fat), balanced hormones, immune

function, eyesight, wound healing, maintaining your

metabolic rate, absorbing certain vitamins, glowing skin

and shiny hair and much more. In short, you need goodfats for life! Fats insulate your body and protect your vital

organs from temperature change and physical trauma. And

fats can make food taste so yummy.

Figuring out fatsThe three natural forms of fat are:

Saturatedfound in animal sources, like meat and dairy

products;

Monounsaturatedfound in cold-pressed olive and

canola oils, avocados and nuts;

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Polyunsaturatedfound in vegetable oils, linseeds

(flaxseeds) and fish.

Included in the polyunsaturated group are the essential

fatty acids or EFAs, which your body cant make itself.

You need EFAs as much as you need vitamins and

minerals. There are two types of EFAs:

Omega-3found in fish, linseeds (flaxseeds) and walnuts;

Omega-6found in vegetable oils, seed oils and nut oils.

Finally, theres a seriously bad form of fat, called trans

fatty acids or trans fats, which is typically artificial and is

sometimes listed on labels as hydrogenated oilsand

partially hydrogenated oils. If you want great skin and

good health, avoid trans fats!

Still too complicated? Lets summarise it simply.

Good fats to eat more of, found in: Healthy oilsolive, flaxseed, macadamia nut, pumpkin

seed, coconut, avocado and cold-pressed canola oil

Linseeds (flaxseeds) Nutsalmonds, pecans, walnuts, cashews, hazelnuts, etc.

Fishsalmon, mackerel, tuna, sardines, etc.

Avocados.

Fats to eat less of, found in: Butter

Refined oilssunflower, safflower, soybean, corn, cottonseed

Ice cream

Full-fat cheese

Processed meats.



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Trans fats to avoid completely, found in: Margarine

Snack foodschips, crackers, some biscuits,

commercial popcorn

Baked goodsdoughnuts, pastries, pies, sausage rolls

Junk foodburgers, fries, nuggets, etc.

Fried foodshot chips, etc.

Palm oil

The good fats, especially the face-friendly omega-3s, are

an absolute must if your goal is gorgeous skin. They help

moisturise and keep your skin hydrated from the inside out.

Extra virgin jokes aside, when it comes to oils there is ahuge variation in quality, even among the healthy oils. Look

out for oils that say cold-pressed, extra virgin, or even

organic cold-pressed. Theyre more expensive, but cold-

pressed oils are the highest quality oils available. Theyre

generally extracted by a simple mechanical pressing

operation and without the use of high temperature, whichcan destroy some of the beneficial compounds found in

the oils.

Most commercial salad dressings unfortunately include

oils that are refined. They often use heat (i.e. they arent

cold-pressed) and other processes that can damage many

vitamins and phytonutrients naturally found in the oils. Sowhen you buy oils, make sure they are cold-pressed.

Power bitesSnacking can helpyou avoid energy

crashes by keepingyour blood sugar

steady. Eating acombination of

complex carbs andprotein with a dashof healthy fat is your

smartest energybooster. Try easy

options like almonds(or other nuts)

mixed with naturalyoghurt or almondbutter smeared onapple slices. Yum!

Power bitesSnacking can helpyou avoid energy

crashes by keepingyour blood sugar

steady. Eating acombination of

complex carbs andprotein with a dashof healthy fat is your

smartest energybooster. Try easy

options like almonds(or other nuts)

mixed with naturalyoghurt or almondbutter smeared onapple slices. Yum!

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What these vitamins are and whereto get themThere are two basic types of vitamins:

fat-soluble (these dissolve in fat) and

water-soluble (these dissolve in

water)and you need both types for

great skin.

Vitamins A, D, E and K are fat-

soluble. When you eat foods that

contain fat-soluble vitamins, those

vitamins end up being stored in your fat

tissues and liver. Then they wait around

in storage until your body needsthemsome for a few days, some for

up to six months.

Water-soluble vitamins, like C and

the B vitamins, dont get stored for very

long. Instead, they travel through your

bloodstream and then whatever isntused gets filtered out by your kidneys

and comes out when you go to the

bathroom. Because they dont stick

around, you need to replace them

often.

Heres a rundown of the keyvitamins for healthy, glowing skin:

Vitamins: vitalising your bodyYouve probably heard your mum or

granny say, Eat your spinachits

packed with vitamins! But what exactly

are vitamins? Vitamins are a group of

thirteen vital nutrients that your body

needs in tiny amounts to grow and stay

strongand just about everything else.

You cant live long without them.

Although your body is a powerful

machine thats capable of manu-

facturing many things it needs, it cant

make vitamins. Luckily, you can get

them from the food you eat.

Different foods contain different

vitamins, each with a special role to

play. Think of vitamins as a softball

team: it doesnt matter how good your

pitcher is, if you dont have all yourother fielders, you wont have much of

a gameyou need the lot.



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Vitamin CBest sources: oranges and other citrus

fruits, kiwifruit, broccoli, parsley,

capsicums (peppers), tomatoes and

strawberries.

Beauty benefits: vitamin C is a

fantastic antioxidant and an absolute

must for gorgeous skin. It guards cells

against damage, promotes cell renewal

and blood circulation, and helps the

healing process. Its also needed to

create collagen for firm skin.

Vitamin EBest sources: egg yolks, sunflower

seeds, avocados, nuts, green leafy

vegies and whole grains.

Beauty benefits: vitamin E is anotherpowerful antioxidant that helps protect

your skin cells from damage, and your

tissues need it for repair and healing.

Check out Vitamin power in the Appendixfor more info on vitamins and their best foodsources.

Vitamin ABest sources: eggs and cod-liver oil.

You can also get vitamin A from foods

like carrots, sweet potato, pumpkin

(squash), broccoli, rockmelon

(cantaloupe) and spinach. These are

rich in a substance called beta

carotene, which your body can convert

into vitamin A.

Beauty benefits: vitamin A is key to

keeping dry, flaky skin at bay, plus its

essential in the normal shedding of

dead skin cells that would otherwiseplug up your pores.

B vitaminsThere are eight B vitamins.

Best sources: leafy green vegies,whole grains, chicken, egg yolks,

legumes (like lentils), lean red meat, fish

and bananas.

Beauty benefits: the big-beauty B

vitamins help with just about

everything. They help rebuild and repairskin tissue, and are needed to keep

your skin in top form and function,

including your sebaceous (oil-

producing) glands.



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poultry, legumes (like lentils), peas,

beans, cabbage and lean meats.

Beauty benefits: zinc is a zit-zapper

extraordinaire! Not only does it help

prevent your skins glands from over-

producing oily gunk, but it reduces

inflammation, promotes healing and is

vital for healthy collagen too. When youdont get enough zinc, you increase the

production of all those pimple-

promoting hormones.

SulphurBest sources: fish, eggs, beef, lentils,garlic, and some vegetables, especially

the cabbage family (they are

sometimes called cruciferous

vegetables and include Brussels

sprouts, broccoli, bok choy,cauliflower, Chinese cabbage,

watercress and Japanese wasabi),

celery and onions.

Beauty benefits: sulphur is another

must for gorgeous skin. The cells in

your skins outer layer, as well as your

fingernails and hair, are especially rich

in this mineral. Sulphur gives gloss to

your hair and strength to your nails.

Minerals: movers and shakersLike vitamins, minerals arent needed in

large amounts, but they are essential to

good health and great skin. Your body

uses minerals to carry out countless

daily functions, which include building

strong bones and teeth, transporting

oxygen from the lungs to all your

tissues, making hormones, and

keeping your heart beating.

There are two basic groups of

minerals: macro minerals and trace

minerals. Macro means large in Greek,

so this term is used to indicate that you

need these minerals in greater

quantities. The macro minerals include

calcium, magnesium, sodium (salt) and

potassium. You only need the trace

minerals, like zinc, iron, copper,manganese, chromium and selenium,

in tiny quantities.

Heres a rundown of the key minerals

you need for healthy, glowing skin:

ZincBest sources: oysters, pepitas

(pumpkin seeds), Brazil nuts, almonds,

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and sardines with bones, leafy green

vegetables such as bok choy, broccoli

and spinach, nuts such as almonds,

and sesame seeds.

Beauty benefits: calcium is needed for

skin cell turnover as well as skin repair,

and its absolutely vital for great bones

and healthy teeth.

IronBest sources: red meat, liver, poultry,

oysters, fish like tuna and salmon,

eggs, whole grains, legumes, spinach,almonds, pepitas (pumpkin seeds),

dried fruit like figs, prunes and raisins.

Beauty benefits: this mineral is needed

for haemoglobin, the key pigment in

red blood cells which transports

oxygen to different parts of the body,including skin. So iron ensures that skin

glows from within.

Flip to the Appendix on page 256 for more

info on minerals like calcium and iron, thatare especially essential during your teenyears.

Flip to the Appendix on page 256 for more

info on minerals like calcium and iron, thatare especially essential during your teenyears.

SeleniumBest sources: seafood, salmon, whole

grains, nuts (like Brazil nuts), garlic,

lean meats and mushrooms.

Beauty benefits: selenium is a star

antioxidant that also protects your skin

cells from damage and inflammation.Studies show selenium levels are

significantly lowered in people with

inflammatory acne.

MagnesiumBest sources: dark green leafyvegetables, almonds, cashews,

buckwheat, Brazil nuts, tofu, brown

rice, dried figs, apricots and avocados.

Beauty benefits: magnesium puts the

brakes on inflammation. It also lowersyour stress hormones. Stress seriously

messes up your skin, and if you dont

get enough magnesium, your

production of sebum is stepped up.

CalciumBest sources: dairy products such as

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The fabulous phytos: fighting for your faceFor a long time its been known that people who eat lots of

fruit and vegies are much healthier than those who dont.

Everyone thought this was because fruit and vegies are so

rich in vitamins and minerals. But, as it turns out, they also

contain thousands of other substances. These substances,

called phytonutrients (or phytochemicals), give plants

their colour: they turn a tomato bright red and a carrot

orange. On top of that, theyre nutritional superstars.

Despite its high-tech ring, the word phytonutrient

simply means nutrient from a plant. Well call them

phytos for short. Some of them, like zeaxanthin and beta

cryptoxanthin, sound like something from another planet,

but youve probably heard of one or two, like beta

carotene or flavonoids.

So what are they? Phytos arent classed as essential

nutrientsnot yet anywaybut youve got to go for these

every day. Heres why: phytos naturally safeguard plants

against disease, insects and other dangers in theenvironment. So theyre actually a plant protection

systemand when you eat them, they protect you too.

Phytos are vital for great skin and good health because

many of them act as powerful antioxidants, which help

fend off damage and fight off the bad guys known as free

radicals. You can think of free radicals as molecules gonewildand when molecules go wild, theyre up to no good.

To give you an example, tomatoes contain a phyto called

lycopene, which is a pigment that makes a tomato bright

red. It also acts like a sun-shade for the tomato, protecting


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LycopeneBest sources: tomatoes, guavas, watermelon, apricots

and pink grapefruit.

Beauty benefits: lycopene is a powerful antioxidant that

protects your whole body from all sorts of damage,

including the harm to your skin caused by the suns

ultraviolet (UV) rays. If you have acne, youll want to upyour intake of all things lycopene. Research shows that it

helps bring down levels of those acne-inducing hormones.

FlavonoidsBest sources: broccoli, apples, onions, berries and tea(black, green and white teas).

Beauty benefits: flavonoids (a group of related phytos)

encourage healthy skin-cell function by strengthening the

walls of the capillaries that bring nutrients to your skin.

Flavonoids also speed cell turnover and repair.

PolyphenolsBest sources: dark (bittersweet) chocolate (hooray!), raw

cacao, green tea and fruit like lychees, strawberries and

grapes.

Beauty benefits: antioxidant-packed polyphenols help

speed up cell repair, encourage healthy cell function and

improve the look of dull skin by increasing cell turnover.

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AnthocyaninsBest sources: blueberries, dark cherries, pomegranates,

purple cauliflower, black grapes, beetroot and basically any

other fruit or vegie thats purpleeven those yummy acai

berries from Brazil.

Beauty benefits: the anthocyanins are bursting with

antioxidant power, theyre anti-inflammatory, and theyimprove blood supply to your skin.

Variety is the spice of lifeThousands of different phytos have been identified and

scientists are still discovering more. With so many phytos,you can imagine that they do lots of healthy things in

addition to making your skin look gorgeous. No wonder

your mum or granny nags you to eat your fruit and vegies.

Getting the benefits of many phytos is why its so

important to eat a wide variety of different coloured fruit

and vegies.

Water: the river of lifeDid you know that your body is made up of 6070 per cent

water? After oxygen, its your most important life source. Every

single system in your body relies on it, and without regular top-

ups, you wouldnt survive for longer than a few days.

Getting enough water is critical for transporting nutrients

and oxygen to all of your cells. Water regulates your

Did you know?Just like us, cells grow old

and die. When old cells die,new ones replace them.

Within 120 days every single

one of your red blood cells

is replaced by a new one.

And the whole top layer of

your skin is replaced every

single month. So feeding your

body good nutrition is key

to building and maintaining ahealthier body and skin from

the inside out.

Did you know?Just like us, cells grow old

and die. When old cells die,new ones replace them.

Within 120 days every single

one of your red blood cells

is replaced by a new one.

And the whole top layer of

your skin is replaced every

single month. So feeding your

body good nutrition is key

to building and maintaining ahealthier body and skin from

the inside out.



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temperature, flushes out wastes and toxins, and performs

countless other vital functions to keep you alive and healthy.

Plus, being well-hydrated gives you beautiful skin. Water is

the number one dull-skin reviver. Dehydrated skin looks

ashen and grey, but hydrated skin looks moist and plump.

Its really important to keep yourselfand your skin

hydrated by drinking about eight glasses of water a day. If

you exercise, youll need even more water to replace thefluids you lose through sweating. And by water, I mean

water, not soft drinks, tea or coffee.

Putting it all togetherBy now, you might be wondering how you can put all thisinfo together. Its easy: make sure you eat some protein,

complex carbs and good fats with each and every meal

and snack. That way youll get all the nutrients you need to

grow, burst with energy, and look and feel fantastic.

Whats good for your face, is good for your healthand

what you do now can make a huge difference to yourhealth later in life. Remember: the process of building great

skin and a healthy body is in your hands, and it all starts

with the food you eat every day.

Moisture zappersUnfortunately, you cant countsoft drinks, frappuccinos

and iced teas as part of your

daily water intaketheyre

far too heavy on sugar,and too light on water. The

other problem with all those

drinks is that caffeine (found

in coffee beans, tea leaves

and cacao) is a diuretic,

which means that caffeinated

drinks cause you to urinate

(pee) more, sapping the

moisture right out of you andyour skin.

Moisture zappersUnfortunately, you cant countsoft drinks, frappuccinos

and iced teas as part of your

daily water intaketheyre

far too heavy on sugar,and too light on water. The

other problem with all those

drinks is that caffeine (found

in coffee beans, tea leaves

and cacao) is a diuretic,

which means that caffeinated

drinks cause you to urinate

(pee) more, sapping the

moisture right out of you andyour skin.

KISS


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K

enjiMaeji



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Skin enemy 1: sugar and junky carbsGiving up the sweet stuff is the single most important step

you can take to get clear, blemish-free skin because sugar

and junky carbs promote and aggravate all forms of acne.

Its not just the sugar you sprinkle on your Cornflakes

or stir into your coffee, its the rest of the junky carbs as

well: yes, all those yummy biscuits, cakes, crackers,

refined cereals, muffins, doughnuts, bagels, white bread,

chips, lollies and soft drinks.

Remember the blood sugar info in Chapter 2? Heres

an example of how it can happen to you:

You eat a yummy bagel and jam or a Krispy Kremedoughnut

your blood sugar soars

insulin and certain other hormones go into overdrive

your skin steps up production of that oily goop called

sebum

hey presto, a perfect breeding ground for pimples is

created.

Okay, one little bagel may not take you directly to

breakout city. But say you eat a bowl of Rice Bubbles for

breakfast, a white-bread sandwich for lunch, some biscuits

or chips as an afternoon snack, and then a pizza for

dinner: it all adds up to huge amounts of sugar and junkycarbs. And this kind of high daily consumption causes a

real problem for your skin.


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Check out the GI powerchart in the Appendix so

that you can sift throughthe sweet stuff.

You can also go to thishandy website to find the

GI of almost any food:http://www.glycemicindex.com. Click on theGI Database tab on theleft side of the page, thentype in the name of thefood youre interested in,and youll get its GI.

Diet diaryNikki, Year 7

Meal GI score

Breakfast: Rice Bubbles with milk Rice Bubbles: 81 for 30 g (1 oz)

Lunch: chips and gravy Hot chips: 75 for 150 g (5 oz)

Snack: two choc-chip cookies Cookies: 57 for 50 g (1 oz)Dinner: curry with rice Rice: 65 for 150 g (5 oz)

Whats the big deal about a high-GI number? As you

might have guessed, it comes back to insulin again. If a

food bumps up your blood-sugar and insulin levels, itslikely to put bumps on your skin too. Research clearly

shows that acne thrives on a diet full of high-GI foods.

Professor Neil Mann from the Royal Melbourne Institute

of Technology conducted a study with Australian teens,

and concluded: Eating rapidly digested carbohydrate

foods [high GI] which are mainly processed snack foods,biscuits, cakes, pastries and bread along with rice,

potatoes and sugary drinks causes a rapid increase in

blood-sugar levels and insulin production in the body. This

causes blocked skin pores as well as an overproduction of

oil in the skin pores. The trapped oil then becomes infected

and acne results.For healthy, blemish-free skin, always opt for foods

with a GI score of less than 55. These low-GI foods cause

a smaller, slower rise in your blood-sugar and insulin levels,


so they are far less likely to trigger breakouts As a bonus
http://www.glycemicindex/http://www.glycemicindex/http://www.glycemicindex/


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TIPWant to knowa clever way to

lower your foodsGI? Squeeze

lemon juice over it.Adding lemon oreven vinegar to a

carb-rich meal hasbeen shown to lower

its GI score by upto 30 per cent! Itsthought to work byputting the brakeson your stomachs

emptying, whichslows the rate ofdigestion.

so they are far less likely to trigger breakouts. As a bonus,

low-GI foods provide a slow release of energy that will

keep you going and going. So nix the high-GI foods.

Low-GI doesnt always equal healthy

Sometimes, however, low GI isnt so good. Youve

probably noticed your schools tuckshop has introduced

lots of low-GI options. That sounds great, but the problemis that low GI doesnt always equal healthy. Potato chips

are low GI, and so are chocolate cake and chicken

nuggetsbut theyre high in trans fats and other things

that are bad for your skin and your health. So its helpful to

remember that in general, low GI or not, the less processed

a food is, the better it is for you.

Spice it up with cinnamonThis yummy spice is what makes apple pie taste so good,

and cinnamon has some surprising health and beauty

benefits, too. Studies have found that just teaspoon of

cinnamon significantly reduces blood-sugar levels and

improves blood-sugar metabolism.

This is great news, because as you know, you want to

keep your blood-sugar low to prevent breakouts and beat

acne, and its very easy to add cinnamon to what you

would normally eat. Even soaking a cinnamon stick in your

tea produces this blood-sugar lowering effect!



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Simple food switchSure, lollies may be fat-free, but just one innocent-looking

snake has more sugar than a sugar cube, plus artificial

colours and flavours. So when you start crashing at 3 p.m.,

do yourself a favour and have a sugar hit from nature

instead. An orange, an apple or a slice of pineapple should

do the trick.

Sweeten up your life naturallyDont worry, you dont need to say goodbye to all things

sweet. To sweeten things up from time to time, raw honey,

stevia, agave syrup or xylitol are all great choices (most ofthese are available at health food stores). These dont

bump up blood-sugar levels as much as other sugars do.

But stay away from artificial sweeteners. Some of them

have never even been proven safe. And although theyre

kilojoule-free (calorie-free), that doesnt mean that youll

lose weight or be healthier if you use them. In fact, studies

have shown that artificial sweeteners actually cause people

to eat more.

There have also been more health complaints about the

synthetic sweetener aspartame than any other food

additive on the market today. How come? In your body,

aspartame breaks down into formic acid and

formaldehyde. Remember formaldehyde from science

class? Its a smelly, toxic chemical used to kill bacteria and

preserve dead bodies. Yuck! Who wants to eat that?

For girls only:PMT pimplesIf youre plagued with

pimples just before your

period, you can blame it

on your shifting hormonelevels. After ovulation (the

release of an egg from yourovaries which happens about

fourteen days after your

period starts), hormonalchanges make your body

more sensitive to sugar

and junky carbs than

usualprobably right at

the time that you crave thesefoods the most! For the sake

of your skin, its absolutely

essential that you cut back on

these foods, and make sure

you include some proteinwith every snack and meal,

to balance out your blood-

sugar levels.



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Skin enemy 2: dairyCows milk is right up there among the top acne-

aggravators. When you look at the GI chart, milk and dairy

products rank pretty low, so youd think theyd get a big

thumbs up. But research has shown that milk causes a

strong insulin response, even though its low GI.

Scientists believe that the lactose (the sugar thats

naturally found in milk) and other components in cows

milk (such as whey and casein) increase insulin secretion.

Studies show that choosing milk as your primary protein

source for just seven days doubles your insulin levels. Its

even been shown to spike insulin when combined with

other food at a meal.Milk also promotes acne in another way: drinking milk

is associated with higher levels of that pimple-promoting

hormoneIGF-1, which we discussed in Chapter 1. IGF-1

sends a signal to your skins oil glands to step up

production of oil and you know where that leads.

Ditch the dairyLots of research backs up the acnemilk connection. In the

late 1960s the Californian dermatologist Dr Fisher studied

1088 of his teenage patients for ten years and found that

milk was the main contributor to their acne. He alsoreported that their acne tapered off as the teens reduced

their milk consumption.


More recently, scientists at Harvard University in the US


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y, y

analysed food records from 47 355 women dating back totheir teen years and found that:

Teens who had three servings of milk daily were 22 per

cent more likely to have severe acne than teens who

had one serving or less

Non-fat (skim) milk actually causes worse acne than

full-fat milk

Non-fat milk is higher in certain proteins that stimulate

the skins oil production, triggering acne.

So if you do have acne, cutting back on milk is

essential. You can go ahead and enjoy your yoghurt

though. The fermenting process that turns milk intoyoghurt causes lactose to turn into lactic acid, so yoghurt

doesnt appear to bump up insulin levels. Plus it contains

lots of the good bacteria that help keep your digestive

system in top form.

Calcium boostersYouve seen all those milk-moustache ads and maybe

youre worried that if you give up milk, you wont get

enough calcium. Fortunately there are plenty of other ways

to ensure adequate intake of this important mineral, like

eating more leafy greens, sesame seeds and canned

salmon. Goats milk and sheeps milk are high in calcium

and are great alternatives to cows milk. Rice, almond, soy

and oat milks are good high-calcium substitutes too.

Flip to Mineralpower in the Appendixto check out the topnon-dairy food sourcesof calcium.

Flip to Mineralpower in the Appendixto check out the topnon-dairy food sourcesof calcium.



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Skin enemy 3: soft drinksSoft drinks are a special category of junky carbs because

theyre a pure sugar rush. Its no wonder theyre called

liquid lollies!

Heres what many Australian kids drink every week:

Age Soft drinks Approximate total sugar1618 3 litres (104 fl oz) 72 teaspoons

1216 1.8 litres (62 fl oz) 43 teaspoons

811 1.2 litres (44 fl oz) 29 teaspoons

Thats a serious stack of sugar!Unfortunately many other drinks, like cordials, flavoured

mineral waters, sports drinks, fruit drinks and iced tea

drinks, arent any better than soft drinks. Check out these

sugar shockers: a typical 500 ml (17 fl oz) blackcurrant juice

drink has 14 teaspoons of sugar; a 380 ml (13 fl oz) energy

drink, about 13 teaspoons; a so-called healthy 500 ml(17 fl oz) tea, 11 teaspoonsthats even more than a Coke!

By the way, its not just acne and pimples that you have

to worry about when it comes to soft drinks. Research

suggests that a high intake of soft drinks can also cause:

Weight gain

Tooth decay, cavities and tooth erosionBroken bones and osteoporosis.

The caffeine in many soft drinks can make you irritable,

give you headaches and disturb your sleep. And to top it


all off, soft drinks are a complete brain drain. Why? They


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can affect your brain function and your mood by interferingwith your calcium absorption. Calcium is one of the

substances used by nerves in order to talk to each other

and pass along electrical signals.

So as you can see, soft drinks and all sugar-sweetened

drinks are a definite no-no if you want great skin and good

health.

Fruit juice alert!If you think a glass of orange juice first thing in the morning

is super healthy, think again! In the process of juicing the

fibre is removed, leaving lots of sugar. If your stomach isempty, your body absorbs all this sugar super fast, and

when it hits your bloodstream it triggers a huge insulin

spike. So go for whole fruit instead.

Skin enemy 4: beauty busting fatsThe types of fat you eat can make the difference betweenhaving radiantly gorgeous skin or a dull, blemished and

troubled complexion.

Bad skin fats Trans fats (hydrogenated and partially hydrogenated oils)

Refined polyunsaturated oils (corn, safflower, sunflower,

soybean)

Saturated fats (in processed meats)

TIPIf you cant giveup your morningglass of juice,

dilute it half-and-

half with water.That way it wontbe as concentratedand you wont getthat insulin spike.

Its not going totaste as good asusual the first fewtimes you drink it,but your taste buds

will slowly adjust.And always enjoyyour juice with

some food.


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Any foods fried in polyunsaturated oil, like French fries,


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are cooked in trans fats. This includes fish and chips tooand the batter on the fish soaks up lots more fat. So when

you eat fish, make sure its either grilled or lightly pan-fried

(sauted).

If you are having complexion problemssuch as pimples, very visiblepores or acneyoull especially want to avoid any oil thats been fried.Short-term stir-frying with some antioxidant-rich garlic in the mix is

fairly safe, but cooking and frying in oil at hightemperatures isnt.

Why are trans fats so bad for my skin?

You have about 75100 trillion cells in your body (try

counting out all those zeros!) and each cells membrane is

made up of fats. When you eat lots of good fats, like olive

oil and the fats in fish, nuts and avocados, they make your

cell membranes flexible, so the cells can absorb nutrients

well and respond properly to your hormonesincludinginsulin, the hormone that triggers acne.

But when you load up on bad fats, they end up being

deposited in parts of your cell membranes that should

really be filled by good fats. When trans fats build up in

your cell membranes, they can become stiff and inflexible,

causing a whole stack of health and beauty problems.Inflexible cell membranes make it much more difficult for

nutrients to get into your cells, including your skin cells.

Blood circulation can become sluggish, which contributes

to greasy pores, acne and dry, flaky skin.


Stiff membranes make your cells less responsive to


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messages from your hormones and other importantmolecules. As a result, you can end up pumping out more

insulin than normalseriously bad news for your skin.

In terms of general health, trans fats also have a nasty

habit of bumping up levels of bad fats and cholesterol in

your bodyyes, even in teenswhich greatly increases

your risk of future heart disease. Another very good reasonto avoid trans fats.

So when you combine refined sugar, junky carbs and

trans fatsay a doughnut and a soft drinkwhat do you

get? A complete recipe for a skin disaster.

Refined vegetable oilsArent vegetable oils like sunflower and safflower supposed

to be healthy? The big problem is that most vegetable oils

these days are refined and were eating far too many of

them. Refined vegetable oils are full of omega-6 fats.

Omega-6 fats, described in Chapter 2, are important for

health when eaten in the right amount. But eating too many

omega-6 fats is bad news if you have troubled skin: its like

putting your foot flat to the floor on your inflammation

accelerator. And they can cause dead skin cells to stick

together, which can block your pores.

The problem is most of us get huge amounts of

omega-6 fats in our diet without realising it. Virtually allprocessed and takeaway food is loaded with them. Even

salad-eaters cant get away from them, as most

commercial dressings are made with refined oils.

TIPStick to cold-pressed olive,

avocado,macadamia nutor flaxseed oils. Afew other oils to

consider are walnut,mustard seed,

coconut or pumpkinseed. Steer clear ofmargarine: a littleunsalted butter is

always a better bet,as is some avocado

or hummus.

TIPStick to cold-pressed olive,

avocado,macadamia nutor flaxseed oils. Afew other oils to

consider are walnut,mustard seed,

coconut or pumpkinseed. Steer clear ofmargarine: a littleunsalted butter is

always a better bet,as is some avocado

or hummus.


STIPTIP


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Saturated fatsEating too much saturated fatfound in red meat, icecream and full-fat dairy productscan be a problem as

well, especially if youre plagued with bad skin. Saturated

fat has been shown to boost levels of the pimple-

promoting hormones (including androgens and IGF-1).

And according to a US-based doctor, Dr Alison Levitt,saturated fats inflame the skin, inviting puffy pores and

angry pimples.

So choosing your fats carefully is key to improving your

skin and your health.

Skin enemy 5: fast foodIt goes without saying that fast food is the equivalent of a

toxic waste dump for your body and skin. Fast foods are

turbo-charged with sugars, bad fats and junky carbs that

pollute your body, and I wont even mention what they do

to your skin! If you fuel yourself with junk, your engine

wont run well for anythingsports, school, study, you

name it.

But if you really cant resist a burger attack, try a

Sensational Salmon Burger and Spicy Sweet Potato Fries

(see the recipes in Chapter 10). I promise, theyre just as

satisfying.

Youre busy workingon the weekend,

you dont think youhave time to packa healthy lunch orsnack, and fast

food seems to bethe easiest thingto grabbut it

will undo all yourgood work. Go forsomething delicious

and nutritious,like a sushi rollor a SumoSalad.

SumoSalad offersa range of salads,wraps and lots ofother healthy buttasty takeaway

options (find yourlocal SumoSaladatwww.sumosalad.

com).

Youre busy workingon the weekend,

you dont think youhave time to packa healthy lunch orsnack, and fast

food seems to bethe easiest thingto grabbut it

will undo all yourgood work. Go forsomething delicious

and nutritious,like a sushi rollor a SumoSalad.

SumoSalad offersa range of salads,wraps and lots ofother healthy buttasty takeaway

options (find yourlocal SumoSaladatwww.sumosalad.

com).


Sk d
http://www.sumosalad/http://www.sumosalad/http://www.sumosalad/http://www.sumosalad/http://www.sumosalad/


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Skin enemy 6: fat-free dietThis may come as a surprise, but a fat-free diet is a big-

time skin sin. Living on lettuce, fat-free yoghurt, diet soft

drinks, non-fat salad dressings and rice cakes will ravage

your looks and ultimately cost you your health and beauty.

You cant go fat-free and expect gorgeous, radiant skin.

You need good fats for that healthy glow and to help beatinflammation. A deficiency of good fats eventually leads to

an imbalance in your hormones. If you cut out all fats for

the sake of your weight, your skin will be lacklustre, dry

and dehydratednot a pretty picture.

About 30 per cent of the total kilojoules you eat each

day should come from fat. So if you eat 8400 kilojoules(2000 calories), then about 2520 of these kilojoules (600

calories), which is equal to about 70 grams, should come

from good fats.

Pass on the processedTheres so little nutrition in most packaged and processedfoods that you may as well be eating the cardboard box.

Packaged foods also contain all sorts of chemical

preservatives, flavours and colours as well as bad fats and

stacks of sugar, which do nothing to contribute to good

health and great skin. Check out the ingredient list on any

processed product you buy. If you dont recognise what an

ingredient is, or if it doesnt sound natural, dont eat it.

TIPFats get a bad

rap, but good fats

give you shinyhair, glowing skinand good joint

movement. P lusthey can help fill

you up, keep weightoff and they makefood taste good.So, enjoy somegood fat each

dayjust dontoverdo it.

TIPFats get a bad

rap, but good fats

give you shinyhair, glowing skinand good joint

movement. P lusthey can help fill

you up, keep weightoff and they makefood taste good.So, enjoy somegood fat each

dayjust dontoverdo it.


Allergy alert


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Allergy alertOh, and one more thing. Food allergies can trigger all sorts of bad skinsituations, including acne. The main offenders are wheat, milk, eggs,

peanuts, fish, soy and gluten (found in wheat, rye, barley and oats).

If you suspect you could be allergic or sensitive to wheat or gluten,for example, tell your mum or dad. Your local doctor will be able to doa simple blood test for gluten sensitivity. Or you could try removingwheat and/or gluten and all foods that contain them from your diet fortwelve weeks and see if your skin improves.

Now you know just how many of the foods you eat

every single day can trigger breakouts. Does this mean

having to cut out all your favourite foods forever?

Absolutely not, but if youre serious about getting rid of

your acne, youll want to get rid of the skin baddies too.

Gorgeous skin action plan

Say so long to sugar. Sweeten your life naturally withsome stevia, xylitol, raw honey and agave syrup.

Pass on junky carbslike biscuits, cakes, sugary cereals,doughnuts, pastries, bagels, white bread, chips and lollies. Takea sugar hit from nature instead with a handful of dried

figs, apricots, pears or dates (dates are sky high on the


GI, so make sure you eat some prote

gorgeous skin for teen eat your way to radiant clear skin

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