I suffer from bloating, belching, gas (haha- sooo attractive), irritability, fatigue and acne. As far as I know, I'm not allergic to anything;however, I do think that I have some unknown food sensitivities or intolerances. For simple articles on how these terms are different go here or here. Basically, an allergy triggers an immune system response and causes your body to fight the substance you came in contact with. In contrast, a food sensitivity or intolerance is a digestive system issue in which a person cannot properly break down the food, causing all sorts of issues like nausea, stomach pain, gas, cramps, bloating, vomiting, heartburn, diarrhea, headaches, and irritability. Allergic reactions happen soon after ingesting the food, while sensitivity and intolerance reactions can happen up to 5 days later! Because of this, doctors are hesitant to acknowledge food as a cause for acne.
For awhile now, I've suspected that my acne is related to the things I put into my body and my hormones. My parents are both sensitive to wheat and gluten. My dad is also sensitive to grapes and corn. All his life, my dad has had digestion issues....after he stopped eating these foods, they completely went away!
The food sensitivity test is way out of my price range, so I can't know for sure, but I think that genetics and food sensitivities are playing a HUGE role in my acne prone skin.
In the weeks to come, I'm going to try to eliminate some common foods that cause sensitivities, including the foods my dad is sensitive to.
My skin has improved over the past few months as a vegan,/whole-foods eater, but the dermatologist still classified me as having moderate acne. Also, I plan on taking pictures of my skin for you guys to see and hopefully, I can document some change and progress.
For an interesting article about food intolerance and skin conditions (including cellulite!) please go here.
