Question: Do you love nuts and seeds, OR do you stay away from them because they are high in calories and fat?
I personally love nuts and seeds, but I do not eat them too often, AND it is not because they are high in calories or fat.
In fact, if you have been following me for awhile, you know that I don't believe in counting calories, EVER. To me, and for all the women I work with, honoring cravings with high quality food, while avoiding processed food, is the key to optimum health and to CLEAR SKIN!
Why I don't recommend nuts and seeds as a good source of protein, fat and fiber for my acne clients.
They are difficult for most people to digest, especially if you have compromised digestion.
Most of the nuts sold in grocery stores are coated in inflammatory industrial 'vegetable' oils, like soybean or canola oil and low quality salt.
Most 'roasted' nuts are actually fried. This means producers can use nuts that aren't fresh, bad oils and salt to make them palatable, so you eat them quickly and then buy more.
They are high in phytates (phytic acid), which can put you at risk of zinc, iron and other mineral deficiencies.
Phytates are hard to digest which can cause inflammation of the digestive tract, and they block minerals from being absorbed.
This means that nuts & seeds can cause inflammation, and inflammation is at the root of all acne.
This doesn't mean to stop eating nuts and seeds. They can be a healthy part of every diet, you just need to know what nuts to buy and how to prepare them so they support your body, not hurt it!
Purchase them raw. This means they haven't been roasted (fried) in inflammatory oils, and haven't been heavily salted.
To remove phytates (referred to as an anti-nutrient as they bind to some minerals: calcium, iron, magnesium, and zinc, reducing their absorption) you have three options:
1. Soaking: Soak overnight in water to reduce their phytate content
2. Sprouting: Sprouting seeds allows for phytate degradation
3. Fermentation: Fermentation promotes the breakdown of phytates
Important! Iron-deficient individuals, vegetarians and vegans need to be especially cautious as phytates can inhibit iron absorption. Since non-heme iron found in plants is already poorly absorbed, you don't want to inhibit it further.
*** To read more about iron and the vegetarian/vegan diet click here.
If you want to know my EXACT routine and all the products I recommend for every skin type, I invite you to check out my Acne Skin Care Guides. They can make all the difference in the health of your skin. Learn more here!
