How to Treat Acne and Clear Up Your Skin

Ever since I was a teenager, I've always struggled with that damn acne on my face.  Sometimes it'll be really bad, other times it'll clear up and I'll finally think I'm growing out of it.  But it never fails to return.  Over the years, I've experimented with just about everything under the sun to treat it (including the sun itself actually).  Just off the top of my head, and remember that this goes all the way back to the late 90's...

Stridex pads, Oxy pads, Swiss apricot scrub, probably 5 different types of Clearasil, all varieties of that white spot-treatment cream you put on at night...

More recently I've tried the hippy route and experimented with different combinations of castor oil, grapeseed oil, jojoba oil, coconut oil, the cod liver oil / butter oil blend...

I've tried washing it once a day, twice a day, after each meal, every other day, two days a week, once a week on Mondays at 8:00 am sharp... 

I've also tried for as long as I can remember to find a dietary connection to acne.  First I thought it was dairy, then gluten, then alcohol, then carbs, then vegetable oils.  There were several occasions when I would eat super healthy for weeks and struggle with acne, then go out and party one night, stay up late and drink alcohol, and wake up the next morning with a face clearer than I'd seen in weeks.  What gives??

Never mind the hair... focus on the acne.  It wasn't excessive, but it was just enough to be a problem.  I can remember this night specifically... it definitely ruined my confidence.  No one wants to deal with that.

In the end, after all those years of experimentation and wasted money, I ended up right back where I began... frustrated, confused, and clueless...

...until recently.  I've been experimenting with something for several months now, since early November, that has worked extremely well for me.  It hasn't cleared up my skin completely, but it's made a big difference.  I rarely break out anymore, but even when I do get the rare pimple here and there, it'll be gone in just a day or two.  It's pretty incredible.

Primal Wellness Bundle - $479 of eBooks for $39!!

In the past 2 months, Todd Dosenberry (also known as Primal Toad) emailed more than a few dozen well-known bloggers to see if they wanted to be part of an epic wellness sale. Thankfully, 25 unique authors (including himself) said yes to contributing their ebook(s) into what is now the Toadally Primal Wellness Bundle.

All 25 authors have taken control of their own health through an alternative lifestyle that encompasses nutrition and food in a way that goes against conventional wisdom while savoring tradition from less than 100 years ago. With the world getting more and more sick at a rapid pace, why not?

Nutrition may be the most important but it's meaningless without other lifestyle factors. These include play, sleep, skin care, fitness, socialization and in comparison to today's society, slowing down and enjoying the countless blessings that we are all surrounded with.

How will the ebooks in this bundle benefit YOU? They will help you to...

• Heal your PCOS
• Plan grain-free meals
• Boost your metabolism
• Nourish your baby well
• Cure your skin compulsions
• Travel and stay Paleo with ease
• Homemake dairy-free ice cream
• Lacto-ferment any food you want
• Educate your kids about real food
• Smartly indulge in treats guilt-free
• Heal your acne without antibiotics
• Restock your pantry with real food
• Live a simpler, more meaningful life
• Complete your next Whole30 with ease
• Go on a semi-strict 21 day Paleo cleanse
• Cook with real food via 6 unique cookbooks
• Experience your best family camping trip ever
• Learn what it means to be an exuberant animal
• Give a hospital birth naturally with minimal stress
• Blend smoothies made with real food that taste great
• Homemake skincare products for those you love including your baby
• Discover the relationship between music, language, evolution, and the human brain
• Complete a 30 day introduction to Paleo while building your relationship with food
• Sneak past the traditional Paleo way of eating and go Wild instead
• See the other side of the Paleo story with 12 Paleo myths
• Then discover 21 Paleo myths that then get debunked!

What is the Toadally Primal Wellness Bundle?

• 33 ebooks with a total value of $479
• On sale for 7 days - January 7 to January 14
• Sale price of only $39 - 92% savings of the total value!
• Includes automatic entry into the epic giveaway with a total value of $1122

Important notes

• The sale ends on Monday, January 14 at 11:59 PM EST.

• Click on the links to the ebooks to learn more about them.

• Paleo Crock Pot Cookbook is linked to Caveman Feast. Please understand that the PDF you will receive includes 31 crock pot recipes.

• The PCOS Unlocked: The Manual you will be receiving is 52 pages worth; not the entire guide. Why? It has a specifically unique value and thus $47 selling price. A significant discount code to purchase the rest of the guide is inside.

• The giveaway ends at the exact same time of the sale. I will announce the winners on the giveaway page and email them too. Please go to PrimalToad.com/Giveaway2013 to learn more about the prizes.

• Due to the unique nature of this sale, no refunds will be offered. With the bundle containing 33 ebooks at a cost of 92% of their normal price point, everyone is bound to find immense value well worth $39.

Paleo, real food, grain free & coconut oil cookbooks

• I Love Real Food Cookbook ($12) by Svenja Trierscheid @ Paleo-Foodporn.Blogspot.de
• Beyond Grain & Dairy Cookbook ($17) by Starlene Stewart @ GapsDietJourney.com
• Grain Free Meal Plan Cookbook ($18) by Cara Faus @ HealthHomeHappy.com
• Well Fed Cookbook ($15) by Melissa Joulwan @ TheClothesMakeTheGirl.com
• Cooking with Coconut Oil ($20) by Jennifer @ HybridRastaMama.com
• Paleo Crock Pot Cookbook ($10) by Abel & George Bryant @ CivilizedCavemanCooking.com

Lacto-Fermentation, pantry overhaul & freezer guide

• Restocking the Pantry ($10) by Kresha Faber @ NourishingJoy.com
• Lacto-Fermentation ($20) by Wardee Harmon @ Gnowfglins.com
• Freezer Cooking Guide for Grain Free Meal Plans ($18) by Cara Faus @ HealthHomeHappy.com

Indulge in treats without feeling guilty

• Indulge: 70 Grain Free Recipes ($25) by Carol Lovett @ DitchTheWheat.com
• Toadally Primal Smoothies ($10) by Todd Dosenberry @ PrimalToad.com
• Paleo Ice Cream ($10) by Ben Hirshberg @ BenHirshberg.com

Give birth, nourish your newborn, then educate him/her on real food

• Real Food Nutrition for Kids ($20) by Kristen Michaelis @ FoodRenegade.com
• My Buttered Life Baby Edition ($5) by Renee Harris @HardLotion.com
• Nourished Baby ($19) by Heather Dessinger @ MommyPotamus.com
• Unbound Birth ($5) by Jenny Yarbrough @ UnboundBirth.com

Heal PCOS & boost metabolism

• PCOS Unlocked: The Manual ($24) by Stefani Ruper @ PaleoForWomen.com
• Eat for Heat ($10) by Matt Stone @ 180DegreeHealth.com

Simplify, live exuberantly, camp w/ your family & play music

• 3-2-1 Stop: Stop Running and Start Living ($5) by Lorilee Lippincott @ 321-Stop.com
• Family Camping Handbook ($7) by Katie Kimball @ KitchenStewardship.com
• The Musical Brain ($3) by Abel James Bascom @ FatBurningMan.com
• Exuberant Animal ($10) by Frank Forencich @ ExuberantAnimal.com

Paleo time: travel, myths, cleanse, start anew or go wild

• 30 Day Intro to Paleo ($15) by Bill & Hayley @ Beta.Primal-Palate.com
• The Wild Diet ($17) by Abel James Bascom @ FatBurningMan.com
• 12 Paleo Diet Myths ($10) by Matt Stone @ 180DegreeHealth.com
• 21-Day Paleo Cleanse ($24) by Neely Quinn @ PaleoPlan.com
• 21 Myths About the Paleo Diet... Debunked! ($19) by Aglaee Jacob @ Eat-Real-Food-PaleoDietitian.com
• Eating Out and Traveling on the Paleo Diet ($15) by Aglaee Jacob @ Eat-Real-Food-PaleoDietitian.com

Take care of your skin homemade style & heal acne

• Ultimate Secrets to Acne Freedom ($29) by Tracy McCullough @ TheLoveVitamin.com
• Cure Your Skin Compulsions ($29) by Tracy McCullough @ TheLoveVitamin.com
• Guide to Homemade Skincare ($19) by Roxanne King @ TheHolisticMama.com
• My Buttered Life Gift Giving Edition ($5) by Renee Harris @HardLotion.com
• My Buttered Life Summer Edition ($5) by Renee Harris @HardLotion.com

Please remember that no refunds will be offered due to the unique nature of this sale. Enjoy the bundle if you choose to invest $39 in YOUR wellness!

5 Misleading Health Claims

The grocery store is a dangerous place.  It's a constant battle between you and the the big food companies, constantly throwing their health claims at you, hoping to reel you in like a Largemouth Bass.  The truth is, there's very little truth to what they say.  Here are 5 of the most common misleading claims...


1.  "0 Grams Trans Fat"
A few years back, the FDA decided to crack down on the amount of trans fat in the food supply, since it's just about the worst thing you can ever put in your body.  Trans fat, for those of you who don't know, is created by the chemical process of hydrogenation, which turns liquid oils into solid fats (think vegetable oil into Crisco).  It was (and still is, to some extent) common in a lot of processed foods, especially baked goods.

Recently, the FDA added trans fat to the nutrition label, so that consumers could easily see if a product contained trans fat.  Unfortunately, they also created the term "0 grams trans fat", in which "Zero" doesn't mean zero at all, and instead means "less than 0.5 grams per serving".  So if you were a food manufacturer, what would you do??  Obviously reduce the serving size until the amount of trans fat per serving drops below 0.5 grams.  Nice little trick!  In many cases though, the regulation has forced manufacturers to replace hydrogenated oils with other fats or other ingredients.  Probably a good thing.

But still, zero doesn't mean zero.  If you see "0 grams trans fat" on the label, there's a good chance that product actually does contain trans fat (ironic isn't it?)  Check the ingredient list.  If you see "hydrogenated oil" anywhere in that list, you're eating trans fat.  Put it back on the shelf.

Recipes! Roasted Cinnamon Sweet Potatoes

So I'm trying something new here at The Healthy Cow... recipes!  I don't know why I haven't though of it before.  I'm constantly cooking for myself so why not just document it and share it?  But the recipes I post here will not be the typical recipes you're used to.  Here's the plan...

1. Most of my recipes will be original, created by me.  If I get the inspiration from somewhere, I'll make note of it.  I don't typically follow recipes anyway.
2. The food I make is simple, easy, and delicious.  I don't normally make long, complicated dishes.  I don't have time to be in the kitchen that long, and I doubt you do either.  My recipes will be simple and easy to make.
3. I'd like to share some simple cooking techniques.  I've been a part-time cook for a few years now, in addition to always cooking at home, so I feel like I have some useful knowledge to share.
4. The recipes will be mostly healthy, probably even paleo, but I'm not going to limit myself in that way.
5. Overall, I'd like to give everyone a glimpse into what I eat in my day to day life, and to show you how easy it is to make healthy food that tastes good.
6. I reserve the right to change any of this at any time, even if I decide to scrap the recipe idea altogether and post videos of myself eating entire pizzas.  Who knows, maybe one day.

So without further ado....  I give you Roasted Cinnamon Sweet Potatoes!

Prep time:  5-10 minutes
Cook time:  45 minutes

Ingredients:

• Sweet potatoes:  ~3 lbs
• Virgin Coconut oil:  ~2-3 tbsp
• Cinnamon:  A shit ton.  Seriously.  You cannot have too much cinnamon.  Maybe 2-3 tbsp.
• Salt:  As much as you need.  I probably used about a quarter teaspoon.

New Year's Resolutions: 3 Things You Can Do to Be Successful

So I've been thinking a lot lately about New Year's Resolutions, and why they so often fail.  I see it every year in the gym... As soon as January 2nd hits, that place turns into a mad house, a clusterfuck if you will.  A clusterfuck full of everyday, hardworking people who have been neglecting their health all year long, especially over the recent holiday season, and are now determined to get in shape and lose weight.  But this clusterfuck never lasts.  It slowly ebbs away as the winter months go on, finally reaching a low in the Spring and Summer when the weather is nice and people return to their normal lives.  Hey, at least it gives people something to focus on other than the harshness of post-holiday Winter.

Of course not everyone fails in their New Year's Resolutions; about 12% of us succeed, according to a 2007 study (1).  That's right... just 12% succeed...  88% fail.  This year, 9 out of 10 of us will fail with our resolutions.  And what do we want?  No surprise, weight loss tops the list (2).

Why the horrible success rate?  Why do we fail at our goals to begin with?  And how can we be successful?  After some serious reading and thinking, I've come up with the following:  three things you can do to succeed in your New Year's resolution this year!

What Christmas Cookies and Heroin Have in Common

First of all, Merry Christmas to everyone!  And if you don't celebrate Christmas, then you know what I mean... don't be all hypersensitive and get offended.  The way I see it, if someone said "Happy Hanukkah" to me, I wouldn't take offense, and I'd wish them a Happy Hanukkah back.  When someone wishes you a happy-anything, why would you inject negativity into the situation?  Besides, Christmas has become more than a Christian holiday; I don't really consider myself a Christian to be honest (at least not in the traditional sense), it's just a cultural thing to me, and it's a tradition in my family.  So that's my take.  Of course, this has nothing to do with today's post, but screw it, I needed to get that out there.  Stop being so sensitive.  I'm only disrespecting you if you take it that way. 

So today, I just want to briefly talk about something I read about on Whole Health Source about food and opioid receptors.  The opioid receptors, just like they sound, are the receptors in the brain that are hijacked when you take drugs like heroin.  They're responsible for the addictive nature of drugs.  This "reward" system is what calls at you to have a cigarette, snort some coke, or inject some heroin.  And the more you do it the more you want it.

But this wiring in your brain has a practical purpose; it's not there solely to make sure you end up living in a cardboard box with nothing but your dog and your needles.  Although it's pretty good at that too.  But it's there to encourage behaviors that promote your survival, so that you'll continue to do them.  Like eating food for example.  Obviously, eating is important for survival, so this reward system encourages us to eat foods high in calories and important nutrients.  Eating grass wouldn't get us anywhere; there's no calories for us in grass, and that's why you don't crave it.

How to Fix Cavities Naturally

If I polled 100 random people out on the street… if I asked them “Is it possible to reverse cavities?  No dentist, no fillings, do you think you can heal cavities with food and supplements?”  I’d be willing to bet 99 of out of 100 would say no.  Maybe more.  Maybe 99.5 if there was a little person around.  In fact they’d probably think I was out of my mind for asking.  Many of us haven’t even thought about the prospect of healing cavities; why would we?  It’s been jammed into our heads from birth that when you have a cavity, you get a filling.  And that’s all there is to it.  I had several cavities as a kid.  Actually, “several” may be an understatement.  It was too many to count, but I do remember one specific visit to the dentist that revealed seven cavities.  SEVEN!  And now I’ve got a mouth full of fillings made of mercury and heavy metals... definitely not something I'd prefer to have permanently situated in my mouth.  But as anyone who’s ever had a cavity knows, there’s not typically any pain associated with them.  Sure they can develop into something worse, like an infection, but there’s no pressing reason to get a filling.  I would have appreciated it if someone suggested to me that I could try a more natural approach.

So that’s why I’m writing this article, and that’s why this information is so important.  It IS possible to heal your teeth naturally.  And not only is it possible, it’s surprisingly easy.  I’m not sure exactly why this information has disappeared over time; I assume it has something to do with the fact that it would ruin the dental industry.  But this is something you need to know.  This is something everyone needs to know.  You have options.  You CAN re-mineralize your teeth, and here are the people that proved it...