Acne riddle, solved

[alexandrab27]

Story time As I entered my second and third week of Whole30, I started breaking out a lot -- like, A LOT more than usual. I had some occasional acne before, but it was flaring up like crazy around my chin/mouth. I wondered what it could be and searched the forums, but it didn't seem like the common comments about nuts or eggs applied. I had actually been eating fewer nuts than I had in my pre-Whole30 life, and I was being thoughtful about buying organic meats whenever possible.

Anyway, I finished my Whole30, but I was annoyed! I felt better, but certainly did not look better, and I was feeling super self-conscious about my skin, which seemed to be getting worse by the day. 1 zit turned into 5, which turned into 10. And how is one supposed to be a glowing Whole30 success story with way worse skin than on Day 1? Ugh.

 

I dug and dug around online, and I finally stumbled upon an article mentioning the BPA in coconut milk cans, and how it's an endocrine disruptor and therefore can mess with your hormones. What!? I'd been drinking coconut milk like it was going out of style since Week 2, when I started making a coconut milk latte every morning and adding coconut milk to recipes.

As a test, I eliminated the coconut milk from my diet, keeping the rest consistent (and also keeping some coconut oil in), and my skin cleared up within a couple of days. Huzzah! Apparently there are BPA-free coconut milk brands out there, and perhaps I will seek some out at some point, but in the meantime, I'll happily skip the coconutty goodness for clear skin, not to mention avoiding the unknown havoc happening inside my system.

 

I hope this info helps another Whole30-er troubleshoot Keep it up, friends! 

[MTNan]

Glad you figured it out, thanks for sharing with us!