Ah, Nuts

Before I forget, I wanted to share a recent epiphany I had about almonds. I have decided to stop eating them in the name of healthier looking skin. Even though I love them and think they're an amazing source of protein and healthy fats - I've dropped them like a bad habit and I'll tell you why.

I've been fighting a skin rash on my cheeks and forehead for the better part of a year. Sometimes I can cover it with make up and sometimes I can't.

I noticed it getting worse right after I did my second Whole 30 in January 2018. On that 30-day diet you are asked to eliminate a whole lot of food groups to see if they are causing weight gain, bloating, skin issues, sleep issues etc. 

I never had acne as a teen or young adult, but when I reintroduced all the old foods into my diet, my skin lit up like a Christmas tree, so I visited an allergist and a dermatologist and both agreed my skin issue was likely rosacea, nothing more. I used medicines both orally and topically and nothing made it clear up. Nothing. Some days it looked even worse.

I avoided the sun, alcohol and spicy or hot foods because that's what a rosacea sufferer is supposed to do, but continued to suffer.

And then, early last month, I ran out of almond milk for my coffee. A few days without it, turned into a week and then a switch to some coconut milk instead. And before I knew it - my face looked better and better. Truthfully, I only stopped drinking it because I was too busy to go buy more but the absence of it became too noticeable to ignore.

When I did the allergy tests at the onset of the rash, I tested positive for a cashew allergy. The other nuts were fine. So, how could this be?

​Well - according to the internet - almonds can causes rashes for some who eat too much. I was definitely guilty of this. I drank two almond milk lattes a day, ate protein bars with almonds and snacked on them raw. Sometimes they were toppings in my acai bowl or salad. Bottom line:  I think I was poisoning myself.

Deverly, my good friend and fellow instructor, told me she had a similar issue with coconut milk. It was causing a skin rash on her arms. She stopped drinking it and it cleared.

I still have some of the facial rash but I am thinking it's also related to eating some of the foods the allergist asked me to eliminate like corn and flour. Gonna try curbing those to see if I get a better result. I'll keep you posted.