Raw Food Diet Skin Breakouts

People on a raw food or living foods diet eat primarily uncooked, unprocessed fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds. By not cooking food, proteins are left intact and vitamins are preserved. Most importantly, raw food contains live enzymes that improve digestion and overall health. Usually "raw fooders" are healthy and have clear, beautiful complexions. When skin breakouts occur on a raw food diet, there are several possible reasons.

Raw food is generally healthy.

Significance

The first thing to consider in regard to skin breakouts on a raw food diet, is that years of accumulated mucus and toxins have to come out somewhere. The skin is the body's largest organ of elimination. Eating raw food frees the body to detoxify. Skin rashes are not uncommon in the first weeks and months of healthier eating, and are not considered serious. In fact, cleansing through the skin is milder and preferable to other "cleansing crisis" reactions that mimic flu symptoms. Once toxins are eliminated, the skin will clear up.

Identification

Allergies to fruits sometimes surface during a raw food diet and can be difficult to identify. They are thought to be the result of specific enzymes in the food that unlock toxins the body needs to clear out. Eating one food at a time and keeping a diary of breakout symptoms may help identify offending foods. For example, a skin breakout that occurred after ingesting 3 lbs. of organic strawberries might indicate a sensitivity to strawberries.

Just as in other cleansing events, when the toxins have been eliminated, the skin will clear up and the allergy will disappear. As long as the allergy does not cause difficulty breathing, the raw foodist is free to experiment.

Considerations

Many people go on a raw food diet to heal digestive diseases. The high fiber of raw food helps, as does the elimination of highly refined processed foods. Many with digestive diseases, however, have undiagnosed celiac disease and would benefit from the elimination of gluten, found in wheat, barley, and rye. Raw fooders do not eat cooked grains, but many do eat fermented foods. One of those foods is nama shoyu, a "raw" soy sauce. While it may be unprocessed, it does contain wheat. Even small amounts of gluten can cause skin outbreaks in sensitive individuals.

Misconceptions

Many people believe that raw foodists eat only fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds. In fact, some raw foodists also eat raw milk and eggs, and some even eat uncooked meat. Dairy products are known to cause acne. Even though it is not homogenized or pasteurized, raw milk may be the source of acne breakouts, particularly for adolescents. One 2005 study published in the Dermatology Online Journal of over 6,000 girls found that regardless of the fat content (skim, 2%, or whole), milk's metabolic effects caused acne skin eruptions.

Prevention/Solution

Many raw foodists overeat on fruits, juice, and nuts, those powerhouses of tasty vitamins, minerals, and good fats. The concentration of sugar and fats in these foods, however, are meant to make up a small portion of a healthy diet. The phytochemicals in greens will reduce inflammation and redness and help heal the skin. At least half of what is eaten on a raw food diet should be vegetables: dark green leafy kale, romaine lettuce, parsley and spinach, celery, red bell peppers, cucumbers, pea pods, sprouts, seaweeds, and blue-green algae.