27 Days of No Brasta (And Healthy Eating Tips for a Healthier You)
Hi Ya’ll,
I know what you’re thinking re “Brasta”, but slow your roll and keep reading.
BRASTA= B[read] + R[ice] + [P]asta
Ya, no—I didn’t go rogue.
I also expect you may think the second part of the title is pretty cliché. That’s because it is.
Anyway, 27 days of no Brasta started on Nov 1, 2019. The last day is Nov 27 because Thanksgiving is coming and I already will have to miss all of the delicious macaroni pie, potato casserole, curry chicken, curry shrimp, and so many other things due to new allergies :/ so the least I can do is treat myself to the delicious gluten that I will forgo for 27 days.
But more importantly, I am sure inquiring minds are wondering, “Why are you doing this? What is the point? And on that note why did you randomly become a trendy yoga instructor—really? vegan?”
Well I will start off by saying that my plant-based lifestyle just so happened to begin in tandem with my yoga journey by coincidence. And the lifestyle has nothing to do with a deeper love for animal welfare. I feel the same about animals and miss mozzarella cheese. I also now feel joy when purchasing fake fur instead of guilty about buying something I don’t need.
But ya, plant-based…it has everything to do with a year-and-a-half of frustration, unexpected health issues, disappointing doctors appointments, lots of trail and error, and an on-going path towards acceptance. Through all of this, I have done extensive, pain-staking research, learned many lessons, and I have a lot to share. However, for the purposes of this blog post, I will share only a few of my experiences/lessons, and hopefully I can offer insight into a helpful process, describe an experience you identify with and seek a remedy for, offer a deeper understanding of the impacts of food on the body, and perhaps I can offer further encouragement of a lifestyle change if you were looking for a sign. And no, I am not a dietitian or nutritionist, I am a yoga instructor (me when I discover a new asana). But I know when my body is out of wack.
P.S. I have kept a personal photo journey, and happy to share these pictures upon request.
P.P.S. If you are looking for related articles/sources for what I discuss, the bold text is hyperlinked.
P.P.P.S. Yes I wash my face. No I don’t over-exfoliate. Yes change my pillow sheets. Yes I use gentle face wash. Yes I’ve tried aloe and other natural remedies. Yes I’ve used Moroccan argan oil. Yes I use benzoyl peroxide. Yes I occasionally get facials. Yes I do face masks. Yes I do use toner. So we can rule those out now.
Here goes!
Dairy-Free Me
What does this mean: For me, “Dairy-Free” meant 8 months of lactose-free eating starting in July 2018, then a transition into dairy-free eating subsequent to the 8th month (no animal dairy at all).
But whyyyy though: So I’ve never had consistently perfect-perfect-perfect skin. I enjoy an occasional donut and used to love pizza, so I considered that totally worth the occasional mini flare-up. Plus menstruation. However, in July 2018, I came back from a fantastic work trip and discovered a constellation on my face like I had never seen before. In all of my years, including my adolescent years, it was never this bad. The pimples and cysts began on the apples of cheeks, soon spread to my temples and down to my jaw line. I honestly thought I had a rare form of shingles or something. So I scheduled an appointment with a dermatologist—the first time in my life. The thorough but incredibly understaffed doctor took one look at me and said that she’d seen cases like mine before, so she prescribed erythromycin and ordered that I cut dairy, sugar, and complex carbs. Little did I know, that when sugar and insulin levels spike in your blood, you’ve set a solid stage for inflammation. So I followed her orders for two months, in addition to getting more sleep (thanks mom!), and my skin was clear by September. I gradually added my beloved greek yogurt back into my diet and of course pizza reclaimed its home in my diet as well. Fast forward to December 2018/Jan 2019. When I traveled to Thailand, I came back with an even worse break out. Embarrassingly worse. I also noticed that around this time, I would get a stomach ache after consuming large amounts of dairy (i.e. macaroni pie, pizza, yogurt, cereal with milk—which I hardly did, but from time to time I would, and the result would be a stomach ache. So, I decided to take an allergy test. Low and behold, the results came back positive for a dairy allergy. So in my mind, that meant I was officially lactose intolerant. So after enjoying an afternoon of Lactaid ice cream and an evening of hell, I called the doctor to get a bit more details on my new allergy. I was not lactose intolerant, I was ALLERGIC to milk. Different. There is a protein called casein that is found in milk and other animal dairy products. It still remains there even when the lactose is taken out of the equation. From then on, I ALMOST cut out dairy. My last strike was going to get dinner with a friend at a Greek restaurant. I ate a fried cheese thing. I felt totally fine for the next 6ish hours. Once I reached the 7th hour, I could hardly sit up. Excruciating pain and nausea struck my body, and I thanked the Lord that I made this poor choice on a Friday, not a Monday. And from then on, I became dairy-free.
But has it helped your acne: It did. I noticed my face was considerably clearer than that of my original July 2018 diagnosis, acne vulgaris, and I since have fallen in love with oat milk. And and and anddd...I also noticed that gas...the grosser kind…wasn’t really an issue for me anymore. Lastly, I didn’t realize that [low-fat] dairy can be anti-inflammatory for non-allergic people, whereas it is an inflammatory for allergic people. But ultimately, whether you are allergic to dairy or not, dairy that is low in saturated fat can work wonders for you in terms of inflammation (i.e.generally, high saturated fat diets are correlated with heart disease as many studies suggest). So for cow’s milk drinkers, maybe you can give low fat a try and see how you feel! Yay. So ya…there’s that. Also, I do not enjoy cashew cheese unless I can hardly notice the taste (love the texture), but I am hoping that Oatly makes cheese slices soon.
BUT FAST FORWARD TO SUMMER OF 2019 WHEN I REALIZED THAT THE ISSUE WAS DEEPER THAT JUST DAIRY…( ︶⌢︶ ') Keep reading.
Meat-Free Me
What does this mean: For me “Meat-Free” meant I wouldn’t eat anything with a brain. I used to say I would not eat anything with eyes, but then my uncle, in true Caribbean scholarly fashion, countered my life choice with, “potatoes have eyes, so you’re giving that up too I guess”. No uncle, I am not giving that up. So alas, here we are.
But whyyyy though: So it is now summer of 2019 and I am dealing this acne—again. :( In the midst of all this, I start to consider that, as a woman, there are lots of common bodily changes and health issues one must be aware of. Specifically, issues concerning hormones are what I have been monitoring as I can easily name at least 10 close friends or family who live with these. Read more here. So during the summer of 2019 with my new knowledge that meat causes inflammation and that there is a very severe type of acne linked to hormones, (and of course my yearn for better skin on my face), I thought, “maybe I should cut out meat. Less hormones and less inflammation. This could mean less acne!” So I read a TON of blogs about people who described their acne experiences and they were sooo similar to mine that I thought, “This surely has to be it. And I am always so moody, so, totes probably has to do with hormones.” So, I cut out meat and soy, and kept the fish. And so began my anti-inflammatory diet. I read this blog, and this blog…and this one, and so many more. All of them included diets with meat and eggs. So I figured I’d just do what the blogs said and exclude the meat. But after 2 weeks I got SO frustrated—after a year-and-a-half of allergy testing, dieting, creams, face masks, hormone-related stuff, and my face not seeming to get significantly better, I had had it (shout out to my aunt who was present for the melt-down). So I decided to cut out all meat (including fish after seeing this video about genetically modified salmon…). I decided I would go alkaline for a month (hence Alkaline August), and if my face didn’t get better I would get tested for all hormone-acne related diseases so I can get actual medication for it. To add context, alkalinity involves the PH levels in your body. A healthy PH in one’s body can be achieved via a balance of acidic and alkaline food intake. However, most processed foods are acidic, and many cultural cuisines/diets include high amounts of meat and complex carbs thus interfering with the PH of the body. In my case, I figured that perhaps higher amounts of acid consumption in the complex carbs I ate interfered with my health and more specifically, my intestinal health, so I went on this diet with hope and anticipation of a clear face. I ended the diet one day shy of 30 days because of my birthday.
But has it helped your acne: NOPE. If I tell you the amount of cystic acne that took over my face as we made our way to the end of August 2019. It looked different to the original July 2018 acne, yet equally as embarrassing, if not more. You can see some of it in my IG photos although I did my best to hide it with make up. I will say however, my body felt way better. As you all know, I am a yoga instructor and practitioner, and frankly a resident New Yorker, who is always on the go—moving, teaching, etc. So a healthy body is important in maintaining energy, focus, and strength. I also noticed that I felt much lighter and better able to get into more complex asanas (yoga postures). Not to mention I lost 8 pounds. I gained them all back once I got off the diet though. #vegandonuts But ya, acne was still taking over my face, there were days where I was so irritable to the point of tears because I was so sensitive. I felt like a slave to my makeup, and didn’t want to leave the house because of embarrassment. I missed what looked like some fun BBQs/cookouts. Sure, some would say, “It’s not that bad though”. But that’s because I wore make up all of the time and wore my hair down often so that it wouldn’t look “that bad”.
SO ALKALINE AUGUST WAS A SUCCESS IN SOME WAYS, BUT I DIDN’T GET TO THE BOTTOM OF THE ISSUE. ( ‘⌢’ ) Keep reading.
Hormones
What does this mean: The title, “Hormones” acknowledges that there are quite a few hormone-imbalance related diseases and disorders that are linked to acne. The hyperlinked article is pretty dense, but I’d like to emphasize the section on PCOS (Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome). After reading about it, I wondered if I had the PCOS disorder. This disorder is highly correlated with acne. So I went and got my hormone levels tested.
But has it helped your acne: Ya’ll, I have never felt such strong feelings of frustration and joy at the same time. I was thankful to God that everything came back negative. But Lord knows I was sooooo disappointed that I STILL didn’t have the root cause of my BREAKOUTS!!!!! The same day, I made an appointment with the dermatologist.
SO LET’S FAST FORWARD TO TODAY.
Encouraging Statistically Significant Results
SO, against my Caribbean, bush-tea upbringing, I am now finishing the final doses of the oral antibiotic doxycycline, other prescribed topical creams, and a self/friend-prescribed supplement, Spirulina, for a cleansing intestinal detox. After about 2 months, I have seen a significant difference in my face. And I do believe this could be the result of a much needed intestinal detox, the oral and topical antibiotics, and mindful eating. I am still moving through the process, but my face is much clearer. While technically, I did not conduct a formal study, use a p-value, and determine whether the results of taking the meds was statistically significant, I would like to think that anyone who sees me daily/often can say that these results are likely not due to chance. So I will say that this current remedy to an unknown root, is working.
But now that I have only 3 more days of doxycycline, let’s see how the rest of November goes with my face.
All in all, I am so thankful for the friends, family, doctors, and Google (lol) for being there for me throughout this process. I am still journeying but it has been a nightmare at times because this can really interfere with your self-image. So if you know anyone who is struggling with adult acne, have them check the following before oral antibiotics or medication:
low saturated fat diet
dairy-free diet
meat-free diet
anti-inflammatory diet
complex-carb free diet
low sugar diet
hormone levels
Lots of folks have cured their acne with these, and maybe you or your loved ones will too! P.S. high stress, lack of sleep, and low amounts of water can certainly play a part in all of this. So as my mom says, “be good to self”.
Anyway, that’s all I have for you and hopefully in a months time I will be able to check back in with great news that my face has stabilized without meds. If you’ve struggled with adult acne, be sure to leave a comment below on what has worked for you!
Oh wait, I never even got to the original question of why I am doing No Brasta November lol. Well, it’s because I feel like it’s time for another carb cleanse. I’ve enjoyed Brasta way too much these days. So here we go! :)
xx