• Eat real food.
• Eat that real food as close as possible to its original form.
• Don’t become a food fanatic.

• Minimize your intake of refined grains and sugars.
• Keep your dairy intake modest and of good quality.
• Get the right amount of natural source protein.
• Eat sufficient amounts of healthy fat.
• Increase your vegetable and water intake.
  

Body Detective Time

Secondly, remember that you are unique and that the skin challenges—acne, eczema, psoriasis, cradle cap, premature aging—you are trying to correct or prevent will require a personalized set of inner and outer natural skin care recommendations. While it is true that almost everyone will benefit by eating from the Begin Within Natural Skin Care Healthy Foods List and its food for healthy skin, there are a couple of factors that need to be looked at in order to determine whether or not your own food list needs to be modified.

Body Typing

Contrary to popular belief, a one-size-fits-all dietary plan is of no real value to anyone. Thus it is important to do a quick evaluation of your body type—I like the Dietary Needs Assessment (DNA) for that—and then adjust the Healthy Foods List as needed based on whether or not you are a Balanced Body Type (can eat a balanced mix of foods from the Healthy Food List), a Parasympathetic Body Type (with higher needs for the animal protein and healthy fats found on the Healthy Foods List and less need for grain carbohydrates) or a Sympathetic Body Type (less need for animal protein and healthy fat found on the Healthy Foods List and more need for vegetable and whole grain food intake).

One you’ve completed your DNA and understand the Healthy Foods List protein/grain/fat/vegetable ratio your body is best designed to be fueled on, it is important to evaluate both the overall health of your digestive system as well as the possibility of food allergies or intolerances.

Digestive System Health

Digestive health means taking a look at the way your intestinal tract is functioning and whether or not you have a healthy ratio of good/bad/neutral gut bacteria. The simplest way to determine whether or not a Candida Albicans gut bacterial imbalance is a factor in your skin issues, is to complete a Candida Symptoms Survey. Skin health is strongly tied to digestive health and I have found that almost every healthy skin-challenged client in my practice has had intestinal tract imbalances of one type or another.

Food Allergies and Intolerances

Next look at food allergies or intolerances. Skin issues are often at least partially caused or exacerbated by specific foods. Processed and refined foods that contribute little nutritionally but pack a big chemical, sugar and/or trans fat punch are usually the most damaging, but even foods on the Begin Within Healthy Foods list, what you would think would be food for healthy skin, can initially be problematic for some people.

• If you are allergic to any of the foods on the Healthy Foods List, avoid them.
• If you score high on the Candida Survey,use the Candida Foods List.
• If you have an auto-immune disorder, particularly psoriasis, or have tried both food lists and have had some, but perhaps not enough skin health success, try the Specific Carbohydrate Diet Healthy Foods List.

And lastly, note that healthy dietary change can result in skin outbreaks. As you begin to eat more and a wider range of the food for healthy skin, not only is there improvement in the way nutrients are carried to cells, but also in the way waste material is removed. Remember that skin is your largest organ and a primary elimination organ, take steps to manage any detoxification well, keep minimizing the foods that contribute to skin problems and increasing your intake of foods for healthy skin. Beautiful skin can be your reward!