Food Sensitivities and Acne

I was getting super frustrated as I felt that I did all the right things from the functional medicine prospective to heal my skin from inside out and not seeing the results I wanted.

Something was still not right. There was a missing piece in the puzzle of my skin breakouts. I knew it had to be something else that could be causing my blemishes. I felt frustrated because I’ve tried almost everything and was running out of the options.

I’ve spent almost five years to get my Master’s Degree in Nutrition and I was determined to find the answer. That’s why I love functional medicine nutrition because it looks for the root causes of any health issues including acne.

I later found out through food sensitivity testing that I was very sensitive to egg whites. I wish I had done that test earlier. I always recommended it to many of my clients. The food sensitivity testing helps to determine many underlying health issues and not just acne.

What is food sensitivity? How is it different from food intolerance and food allergies? Let’s break it down.

Food Allergies
Food allergies are immediate and severe in nature. For example, you have an allergy to peanut butter. You eat it and got an allergic reaction right away. Food allergies are mediated by food-triggered basophil or mast cell histamine release.

Food Intolerance
Food intolerance refers to a non-immunological mechanism of adverse food response. For example, lactose intolerance and MSG sensitivity. Many people don’t produce enough or adequate lactase enzymes to properly digest dairy foods.

Food Sensitivity
Food sensitivity is caused by foods that you eat a lot. It’s a delayed hypersensitivity reaction which can take more than 24 hours and sometimes even up to seven days which makes it extremely hard to pinpoint. Food sensitivity can often be developed later in life. You can even have sensitivity to a healthy food. These are the foods that you often crave or say that you can’t live without it.

From my personal experience, I grew up eating fresh, pasture-eggs from our chickens in Ukraine. It’s always been my go to breakfast meal ideas. I did this test and it was no surprise that it showed high sensitivity to egg whites. Everything else looked good.

Before I did the test, I noticed more breakouts and even small rashes and rough patches on my arms. I couldn’t figure out what’s going on. My dermatologist friend recommended to use a moisturizer. I’ve tried it and it didn’t help. I knew there must be a reason for these rough red patches on my arms.

It all disappeared in a few weeks after I removed the eggs completely from my diet and followed an elimination diet.

The most common food sensitivities that can contribute to acne are eggs, corn, soy, dairy and gluten.

The Solution:
What can you do to determine whether you have food sensitivities?
You don’t need to start with a food sensitivity test. You can try an elimination diet for 21 days and then introduce foods back and see how you feel. The elimination diet often removes the most common food triggers, such as corn, soy, gluten, dairy and eggs.

Food Sensitivity Test:
The Food Sensitivity Test (FIT) detects both IgG antibody and Immune Complexes together to find out the reactivity of foods. It’s a functional medicine test that can be ordered through functional doctors and nutritionists.

Cost: varies from $100 and to $400 depends on the specialty and how many foods are measured.

I often recommend to start with a 21-day Elimination Diet first. When you introduce foods after 21 days, you want to do it one food at a time. Pay close attention to how you feel. If you get bloated, digestive discomfort, rashes, headaches or any other symptoms, it’s often a sign that you are sensitive to a particular food.

Long-Term Solution
The best ways to avoid food sensitivities is to eat a variety of foods. If you eat almonds all the time because you love them, make sure you also include other nuts, such as walnuts, cashews, macadamia nuts, etc. Just like we don’t like eating the same meal every day, our body loves variety too. Try to rotate all your foods. That’s the best way to avoid developing food sensitivities. Just remember that your body loves variety of foods.

Have you tried an elimination diet or a food sensitivity testing for your acne?

References:

1. Lord R, Bralley J. Laboratory Evaluations for Integrative and Functional Medicine.
Revised 2 nd  ed. Duluth GE; Metametrix Institute. 2012
2. Pizzorno JE, Katzinger J. Clinical Pathophysiology: A Functional Medicine
Perspective. Coquitlam, BC Canada: Mind Publishing; 2012.