Vegan, Insulin Resistant, Acne
I need help!!
So what's going on is that I've been vegan for a year now, I absolutely love it. But I eat items like: potatoes, pasta, breads, etc. That I'm starting to wonder if it's causing my massive acne break outs? In high school I didn't have acne, after high school I had very mild acne (ate a lot of meat and fat, not as much carbs) and then now that I'm vegan I have really bad acne on my chin and cheek bones. I just recently started thinking that it might have something to do with my upped intake of carbs. I'm insulin resistant, and the doctor never really explained that to me. He basically told me to lose weight and then I left. But here I am, vegan... eat WAY healthier than ever, I eat less, and yet I can't lose a single pound and my acne is getting out of control. I'm at my wits end about it. Has anyone else gone through this? Did you find out what's causing it? Carbs? Gluten? Soy? High GI foods? Helpppp.
First off, I'd like to say that this is probably a question better directed towards a medical professional. Breakouts and stubborn weight could be caused by a lot of things ranging from hormone imbalance to food intollerances, so it would definitely be a good idea to talk to your GP or a nutritionist/naturalpath about it.
In the mean time, while you are waiting for your appointment, you could potentially start cycling out the foods that you've recently added to your diet or sharply increased since you switched to vegetarian or veganism. If you eat soy now and never had before, try taking it out for a while and see how it goes. If you're eating a lot of natural fats like olive oil or avocados and bananas, cut back on those. If you eat way more gluten rich grains, cut back on those for a while and see what the results are.
Try to restrict with one item at a time and see what the effects on your body are.
Best of luck figuring this out, I hope it's nothing serious!
It could just be coincidence, especially if you are still in your 20s, but your major diet change might play a role. It can be really difficult to get all of your nutritional needs met on a vegan diet, and believe it or not, you might have been doing better nutritionally eating more meat and fat.
This might piss people off, but I don't think that eating a diet high in carbohydrates is a good solution for someone insulin-resistant. You might have gone too far in the other direction! Many doctors keep pushing this low-fat, high in whole grain diet, but people are not getting healthier overall. Something to think about, for sure!
This is a good link about nutrition for vegans:
http://rawfoodsos.com/for-vegans/
I really like this woman (warning: some vegans *hate* her because she says that a vegan diet isn't the best nutritionally), but she provides a lot of good information on how to make the most out of a vegan diet. Hope it is helpful!
Original Post by ronum1:
You should check your fat intake because when you ingest more fat and carbohydrates tend to slow down so it's very important that you keep your fat intake low in this way you won't have any such troubles of insulin resistance with diabetes etc
Durianrider tell you that?
Enough with the non-science bs.
Do you exercise? That's the first line of defense for IR.
If your diet is really carb heavy, especially refined carbs, then that could absolutely be contributing to your issues. It's not the vegan aspect, it's the lack of nutritional balance. Why not experiment a little to see if eliminating certain foods helps you feel better?
I have insulin resistance also, and i was advised to limit my sugar and refine carb intake. So no white bread or pasta. Switching to whole grains and limiting very sugary fruit would probaly help to balance out your sugar levels.
But that doesn't usually cause severe acne. My insulin resistance is cause by PCOS or Poly Cystic Ovarian Syndrome, a hormonal imbalance. Not to get too personal, and you do not have to answer, just think about it. Are your periods regular? Have you noticed some odd hair growth, usually on your chin or stomach. And you did already mention that you are having trouble losing weight and the acne which are symptoms of PCOS.
You would need to see a GYN to get diagnosed.I was originally just put on birth control to regulate my cycles, which did help with my acne. I just recently started Metformin, a diabetes drug, which has helped with the weight loss, but causes some stomach problems.
Good luck, and I hope I was able to help some.
It very well could be the carbs-- too many creates an inflammatory responce.
I limit my carbs to only fruits, vegetables, nuts, and seeds; I also eat LOTS of fat, and I even WASH my face with fat!(coconut oil).
I have never had better looking skin 
