Going vegan = bad skin??

[TofuPup]

Hi there

I wonder if anyone could offer any advice... I went vegan about 18 months ago but ever since I have had more problems with spots and blocked pores than ever before in my life. I wondered if it was a soy allergy, but I have been drinking soy milk every morning for about the last 4-5 years without any problems.

My diet is good and clean - lots of fruit and veg, proteins, raw veggies too.

Any ideas as to why this might be?

[beforewisdom]

A similar thing happened to a vegetarian friend who I convinced to go vegan. It eventually went away, but we never found out what the cause was. She worked at her diet for a while in reducing the junk and eating more vegetables.

[KaliBaby]

on your face or on your body? that is quite weird. could it be something to do with your training? sweat and dirt could clog your pores.

[vegimator]

Are you eating enough omega 3s?

[beforewisdom]

Excellent point. Some vegan diets can be very low in fat and the high fat vegan foods ( nuts, seeds, avodcaoes, soy, etc ) have many of the things that give people healthy skin.

[TofuPup]

That might well be it.

I have hemp protein powder every morning, though I have been trying to cut down my fat intake of late to get rid of Christmas-related tubbiness. I'll get some extra brazil nuts and avocados in and see how I go.

Thanks!

[VirtueVigilante]

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[erske]

I don't know if it's related, but I have a theory that when I eat lots of carrots, containing lots of beta carotene (vit A) I get less acne. (On the other hand, my acne outbreaks seem to be more stress related, which also coincide with more junk food, and less vegies and carrots... But I still like to entertain the Idea! )

[Gelert]

Another possibility:

Going vegan properly often prompts a search through the bathroom cupboards for soaps, shower gels etc that contain animal products (or tested upon) and their replacement with animal-friendly products.

Has this happened, and if so, is it possibly that the replacement may contain something which doesn't agree with your skin?

[Kayzerino]

Hello, I have eczema and am vegan. You need to make sure you're eating alot of anti-oxidants (berries are amazing for this.) You also need to cut down artificial sugars (candies and sweets) and salts as this is what dries the skin out. I find that if I eat candy in the day my hands get very dry. I try to make sure to eat Omega 3's as well (as someone stated above.)

I hope that helps

[TofuPup]

Thanks for your good advice, everyone.

I also suspect I may have a soy allergy - I've upped the amount of soy products I consume since going vegan which might explain why my skin has got worse, so I'm going to cut out soy for a month or so to see if anything improves.

[ProteinVegan]

I learned that the higher fat Vegan foods do different things for people. The extreme change in diet was a big factor for me. I had to gradually change my diet over a period of 4-5 months. Starting with breakfast, and protein drinks after workouts. Then adding lunch and gradually dinner. Sometimes the body reacts differently to such a drastic change in food.

[V-Igor]

Thanks for your good advice, everyone.

I also suspect I may have a soy allergy - I've upped the amount of soy products I consume since going vegan which might explain why my skin has got worse, so I'm going to cut out soy for a month or so to see if anything improves.

That's the right way...

[BlueRose]

Whenever I either go off my fitness routine or start up a new one, I get breakouts. Beyond hormones I haven't found anything in my diet that affects it one way or another. I do my best when I keep my face clean, wash in the morning and at night, and drink a lot of water.