The Clear Skin Diet (Hardcover)

by Alan C. Logan (Author), Valori Treloar (Author)
Key Phrases: proactiv solution, clear skin diet, medium salmon fillets, Archives of Dermatology, United States, United Kingdom (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
While acne has long been a problem for adolescents, in recent decades--the last fifty years specifically--acne has been on the rise among adults as well, particularly among women. Many scientists have traced this upsurge to changes in the dietary habits of North Americans. The Clear Skin Diet is designed to help those who suffer from acne to understand what it is, why they have it, what it has to do with their eating habits, and what they can do to prevent it or lessen its impact.

The Clear Skin Diet introduces the acne diet and lifestyle. Dietary requirements for protecting the skin are also listed--along with suggested food supplements when they cannot be easily met--and summarized, as well as mind-body medical interventions that can influence acne hormones and lessen their impact.

Most interesting are the 50 acne-preventive recipes that are provided, along with information on how one can locate the ingredients that are no readily available in most grocery stores.

About the Author
Alan C. Logan is a member of the Harvard Medical School's Mind-Body Medical Institute. A graduate of the State University of New York and the Canadian College of Naturopathic Medicine, he also has studied at Harvard Medical School and at Georgetown University School of Medicine. The nutrition editor of the International Journal of Naturopathic Medicine, Logan has written for Alive and Health & Vitality magazines, and for Mercola's nutrition Web site. He is the author of The Brain Diet and resides in Yonkers, New York.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 304 pages
• Publisher: Cumberland House (September 1, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1581825749
• ISBN-13: 978-1581825749
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.2 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #15,863 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

28 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Must Read for Anyone with Acne, December 2, 2007

By	Sarah C. Zampino (Toronto, Canada) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This is arguably the most important book on skin care in the last decade. It is not about hearsay, old wives tales etc, and it is not based on opinion or testimonials it is about scientific advances that have clearly shown that diet and acne are linked beyond any doubt. In addition to the updated diet and acne research from Harvard, Australia and other centres, there are some 300 scientific references in the back to support the connections. I thought it was an interesting combination of authors, a naturopathic doctor and a conventional dermatologist, and this seems to pay off for the reader. The chapters provide scientific explanations for why sugar, milk and so-called bad fats can promote acne. On the other hand, they also describe why whole grains, fibre, antioxidants, omega-3 fish oil and green tea can help acne. The authors provide shaded boxes for some specific anti-acne nutrients like zinc, selenium and some others, and they explain why acne patients may need more of these nutrients and where they can be found in foods. I liked the stress-acne chapter, how stress influences dietary choices, and the guidance on stress management was appropriate. This book should be in every high school library and the waiting room of every dermatologist's office.

20 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Its About Time!!, September 22, 2007

By	James G. Phillips "Brain Reader" (New York) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Having read The Brain Diet, I was fairly confident that Dr Logan would do justice to this topic. This book seems even more polished which may be due to the involvment of his dermatologist co-author. The full scientific bibliography of references I found to be helpful.
If you are looking for a superficial book that simply breezes thru what foods to eat and what to avoid, this is not the one. It does provide that, lots of menu plans, recipes etc and an easy to understand plan for diet, but the book is so much more. Lifestyle factors which are also important in acne are well represented. There is lots on the history of why dermatologists turned away talk of, or even consideration of a diet and acne connection. There is a depth to the book not typically found in pop health books. Based on the science and research studies covered in this book, there is full validation for anyone who has ever thought that diet, stress and acne are all interconnected. The book validated my own experiences with acne and provided information on some key nutrients that have helped. The authors write in easy to understand language, even in sometimes complex areas, especially in the area of omega-3 fatty acids and acne. Helpful resources yet no product salesmanship.

27 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Apparently well-researched, yet confusing., September 22, 2008

By	A. Kim "A. Kim" (New York) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Basically, this book attempts to confirm most people's suspicions about certain types of food causing acne (ex. milk and cheese). As expected, the book immediately launched into various theories about how milk, dairy, and generally inflammatory foods all can cause acne through hormonal changes, insulin reactions, and sebum modulation. It's all very logically sound in the way it is presented.

The book then goes into foods that prevent acne, mostly centering around those with omega-3 fatty acids. The basis for the argument is omega-3's anti-inflammatory effect.

However, up to this point, it is still information pieced together from various credible sources and made into a sort of "acne theory."

The book then goes into a dietary plan and list of foods for avoiding acne.

To my great dismay and confusion, the book confirmed my worst expectation: this is a general "eat organic, exercise, widen your diet to more exotic food" plan, based on health fads and feelings more than science.

After condemning milk and dairy for half the book, the author then recommends CHEESE as an anti-acne food! He then goes to list all kinds of flavors, with a caveat of "May worsen acne in some people" at the end!

"May worsen acne in some people?" For God's sake, you just spent half the book convincing us that dairy was the Devil's own conspiracy to create acne!

Then, he recommends Olive, Sesame, and Canola oil, all of which are Omega-6 dense, omega-3 scarce oils, which he just spent the last 100 pages trying to convince you were the Devil's second conspiracy!

The rest of the list is made up of common sense fruit and vegetables, with exotic carbohydrates such as hummus and quinoa thrown in for good measure.

Now I agree that avoiding dairy helps avoid acne, and also that eating large amounts of Omega-3 fats provide many health benefits, as did both before I read this book. I'm just disappointed in the consistency of the author.

The recipes at the end are great templates to make exotic meals one might not normally think of, but are just generally healthy foods, not some kind of special anti-acne food concoction. In fact, many of them use milk and omega-6 dense fats!

If one is a complete novice to health issues, I would recommend this book, however most people who have spent some time researching on the internet will not find anything new, and may actually find contradictory information.

Perhaps a version 2 is in order?