Dermatologists are finally coming to the realization that nutrition plays a big part in the causes of menstrual acne. It wasn’t always like this, and the journals are full of research studies where chocolate was thought to not make a difference in acne breakouts during or before the menstrual cycle.

But there’s a world of difference in chocolates on the market. Some are dark chocolate, rich in polyphenols that nourish the body while others are regular chocolate laced with a lot of sugar. Wherever you have sugar, you will have pimples. Thus, you can count diet as one of the causes of menstrual acne – although not all chocolate is bad.

The ideal chocolate to consume during your period if you want the endorphin rush is dark chocolate with a minimum of sugar added to it. Usually the dark chocolates that are upwards of 65% dark chocolate are the ones you will want.

It’s the sugar that ruins your skin, literally. Sugar stops all white blood cells from engulfing bacteria for a minimum of two hours – and during that time, guess what is happening… The bacteria that causes acne on the skin is multiplying rampantly. Thus, if you don’t have a regular program of skin care to remove this rapidly multiplying bacteria that causes acne, you end up with acne.

Foods To Avoid and Foods To Eat

The #1 food to avoid for clear skin is sugar. Here is a list of other foods that you can expect will interfere with the body’s ability to have healthy skin:

• Rancid oils such as what’s found in fried foods

 

• Processed foods that rob your skin of nutrients

 

• Chemicals and preservatives

When you read this list, you’ll quickly see that it’s most of the American diet. But you have a choice to make – do you want clear skin or not? Top models will avoid these foods, and you should, too. The sugar will also affect the hormone insulin and cause you to pack on the pounds so there’s one more reason why sugary desserts simply don’t look good anymore.

Foods to eat are the basic components of diet – meats, protein foods, dairy products, fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds. Grains are optional – so if you can eat them without having breakouts, then keep them in your diet.

You can consider diet changes one of the ways to reduce acne breakouts – and one way of how to prevent acne via natural treatments. So far you’ve read about 5 tips to eliminate acne, but there could be even up to 100! Don’t forget to take herbals. A good strategy is to either take liver detoxification herbs such as milk thistle and chanca piedra or take herbs specific for acne.

One thing I discovered over the years is that cat’s claw was an excellent choice of herbs to get rid of acne. The herb has immune system boosting properties that can keep the bacterial count on the skin lower, and offers acne relief. You can take 2 capsules of cat’s claw herb three or more times a day and there’s no toxic dose of the herb. Cat’s claw also contains a few medicinal constituents that help decrease depression as well.

Lastly, vitamins and minerals to take to prevent acne include vitamin A, C, E, D and zinc. A period vitamin is the easiest way to remove any guesswork about how much of each of them to take.

You can’t be everything in life – a nutritionist, a good cook, a career woman, a mom, a good wife, good at sports, etc. so sometimes you have to trust that a good company put together a good formula for you with vitamins, minerals and nutrients that will support the needs of your reproductive system. That’s why a period vitamin may be the best bet for you for all of your PMS symptoms, not just acne.