Disclaimer: I am not a medical professional, and this post is not intended as medical advice. I’m simply sharing what has worked for me personally. Always do your own research and consult a healthcare provider if you have questions about your health.
TL;DR: If you’re overwhelmed by clean eating, start small. Replace seed oils, cut back on added sugar, read labels, and make a few staple foods at home. Progress beats perfection.
You’ve probably heard the advice before:
- Don’t cook with seed oils
- Processed foods aren’t good for you
- Eat less sugar
But what does actually eating cleaner look like?
The truth is, it’s deeper than simply avoiding a few ingredients and sometimes it’s much easier said than done. Thankfully, it doesn’t have to be overwhelming.
Before I Tell You What to Do, Here’s Why I Started
At 22 years old, just before my wedding, I developed adult acne.
I had never really struggled with acne in high school, at least not more than the rest of my peers. This was new territory for me with flare ups larger than normal, all out of nowhere.
In all honesty, I still don’t know exactly what caused it. I hadn’t drastically changed my diet or skincare routine. My body simply seemed to be reacting to something.
As I started cleaning up my diet, I noticed more than just changes in my skin. I also felt less bloated and inflamed. While I’ve always been relatively healthy, I noticed the lingering puffiness in my face started to disappear, and I even lost the small “pooch” around my stomach.
Everyone’s body is different, and I can’t promise you’ll have the same experience. But these changes made enough of a difference for me that they’ve become part of my everyday lifestyle.
If you’re curious about eating cleaner, here are five changes I’d recommend starting with.
- Replace Your Cooking Oils
Let’s start with the easiest change.
Get rid of the vegetable oil and canola oil you have sitting in the pantry.
Instead, I cook and bake with:
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Avocado oil
- Coconut oil
Each oil works best for different situations and has different smoking points.
- Olive oil: Great for salad dressing, baking, and lower-heat cooking
- Avocado oil: Excellent for high-heat cooking because of its high smoke point. Use this one on the stove over olive oil.
- Coconut oil: Great for baking and many stovetop recipes if you enjoy its mild flavor.
Once you start swapping these into your favorite recipes, you won’t miss the old oils at all.
- Try Coconut Sugar
If reducing sugar feels impossible, don’t worry. You don’t have to be perfect overnight. One easy swap I made was replacing refined sugar with coconut sugar in many of my recipes.
It has a slightly richer, almost nutty flavor that works especially well in:
- Cookies
- Homemade ice cream
- Muffins
- Quick breads
Honestly, if I don’t tell my husband I’ve used coconut sugar, he usually doesn’t notice.
Small changes add up.
- Become a Label Reader
This was probably the biggest adjustment, because at first it does take up more time at the grocery store and can be overwhelming. But food labels can be surprisingly eye-opening.
Many products advertise things like “Made with Olive Oil” or “Made with Avocado Oil.” While that’s technically true, they may also contain seed oils farther down the ingredient list. Yes, there’s less of it than other brands, but they’re still misleading you.
Some ingredients I personally try to avoid include:
- Soybean Oil
- Canola Oil
- Corn Oil
- Sunflower Oil
- Safflower Oil
- Cottonseed Oil
- Grapeseed Oil
- Rice Bran Oil
- Vegetable Oil
- Vegetable Oil Blend
- Shortening
I also try to limit products containing lecithins when possible. They’re processed differently than cooking oils, but I personally prefer minimizing them when I can.
Bonus Tip:
While you’re reading labels, take a quick look at the Added Sugars section on the nutrition facts panel.
Added sugar is everywhere, even in foods that don’t taste sweet.
I don’t obsess over it, but if I’m deciding between two similar products, I’ll usually choose the one with less added sugar.
One of my favorite places to shop for cleaner ingredients is Thrive Market. They’ve made finding better alternatives much easier and is a great place to start if you’re new to label reading.
If you’d like specific recommendations, check out my Favorite No-Seed Oil Brands.
While there are great brands out there working to have better ingredients in our food, sometimes it’s just better to learn how to make your favorites at home.
- Make Your Own Bread
This one takes a little more effort, but it’s probably the most rewarding.
Making bread at home gives you complete control over the ingredients you’re feeding your family.
Once I started making homemade bread, I realized just how much better fresh bread tastes than most store-bought versions.
Some of my favorite homemade recipes include:
- Sandwich bread
- Hamburger buns
- Pizza dough
- Tortillas
Sourdough is all the hype right now, but if that’s overwhelming for you, you don’t have to become a sourdough expert to make bread at home.
I have plenty of beginner-friendly recipes on my website that don’t require maintaining a sourdough starter.
If you are interested in getting started with sourdough, check out my tips and tricks.
- Make More Foods from Scratch
Once you get comfortable making bread, you’ll probably find yourself wanting to make more foods at home.
Now I regularly make things like:
- Salad dressings
- Desserts
- Snacks
- Sauces
- Marinades
Not only does it help me avoid ingredients I’d rather skip, but homemade versions usually taste so much better.
It’s one of those habits that starts small and gradually becomes second nature.
A Final Thought
Eating cleaner has been one of the best lifestyle changes I’ve made, but it’s important to remember that there’s no one-size-fits-all solution.
If you’re hoping changing your diet will completely clear your acne, just know that skin issues can have many different causes, including hormones, genetics, stress, and everyday home products.
For me, improving my diet was one piece of the puzzle.
If you’re interested in the rest of my story, be sure to read my About My Acne post, where I share everything I’ve tried, what worked, and what didn’t.
