07 Dec How I cleared my acne easily with the simple FODMAP diet

How I tried everything from supplements to roaccutane, and finally the FODMAP diet cleared my acne.

By Vicky Hadley: Okay, so firstly the before picture isn’t even the worst, it’s just all I hadn’t deleted.

A few years ago I went on roaccutane to clear my acne. It worked amazingly I didn’t have spots for around 2 years, but like everyone kept saying to me they will come back.

This time when they came back I wanted to be gentle to my body and try and heal the root course of the problem rather than just turning to pills that aren’t really very good for you.

Top: Before and after: Below

The FODMAP Diet

I cleaned up my diet properly, I started eating Low FODMAP foods. You can easily find out what foods are low FODMAP by using the FODMAP diet app. FODMAP usually means easily digestible foods that help improve gut health, including aloe vera juice diluted in water.

Together with employing the FODMAP diet principles, I started taking probiotics to put good bacteria back in my gut. It is true that the gut is the key to overall health. I now eat a diet rich in berries, vegetables, fish, eggs and lean proteins, I choose dark chocolate as my snacks with Trek bars. I have tried to cut out refined sugar as much as possible.

I also removed dairy, which I actually did ages ago and found a HUGE difference to my skin. However, I hadn’t realised that I’d accidentally put it back in my diet with a sauce I was using as it was a hidden ingredient that I hadn’t seen!

Protein Options on FODMAP

If you’re a meat lover you will be pleased to know all meat is allowed unless it has gluten so no sausages, however HECK are an amazing brand with gluten free sausages as well as vegan and gluten free variations which I love and am currently using on my FODMAP diet plan.

I used to love crisps like popchips and vinegar based crisps but I started swapping it for dark chocolate or if I really wanted crisps I’d use Shore Seaweed Puffs which contain a unique source of key macro and micro nutrients, antioxidants, electrolytes, vitamins and minerals, so your diet is easily boosted with protein, fibre, calcium, iron, iodine and vitamin C.

If you’re new to a clean FODMAP diet then I’d recommend using the new wellness book Tummy Revolution 21 (£19.99) which introduces you to the low-FODMAP diet it has over 50 recipes to improve your gut health, a full FODMAP guidance plus much more.

Externally I wash my face with natural products that are calming rather than harsh like La Roche Posay, and I use a cooling spray in the morning and evening to close my pores as London’s city air is so polluted it can cause breakouts.

As well as using a sheet mask once a week, sheet masks work so well for me as they seem to hydrate my skin without making it oily, I’ve been using spot control masks from Skin republic.

Try to ensure you avoid products with oil as oil really did seem to make my skin worse and I drink a lot of warm water to keep my skin hydrated.

Best of luck and remember you’re not alone with your skin problems, we all get them – Love Vicky xx