Skin

I’ve had problematic skin for a while now, whilst it isn’t severe enough to be called acne it is a nuisance. I’ve tried many things and they seem to be working, but it is an ongoing process. This series will set out what I’ve done and how you can do the same. The things suggested in the following post will seek to address the root of your skin problems. There are many remedies to use, from medicine to lotions that promise clear skin but they merely mask the symptoms. Find the root cause and heal it.

What not to eat

Gluten/grains – I love my carbs from pasta to rice and being tall and tight with my money they fuel me on a budget. The sad fact is that when you eat a wheat based carbohydrate it causes damage to the small intestine (take a look at my previous post on gut health). When you eat any type of carb it creates blood glucose, the body then releases insulin to tackle this, stimulating the production of insulin-like growth factor-I, this stimulates the production of sebum and we’ve all heard about this bastard. Your cells can become insulin resistant, insulin is important for many bodily processes including how you use glucose. When you become resistant to insulin your pancreas creates more insulin to get the required effect, until it can’t supply the adequate amount for the demand – that’s when your blood sugar rises – high blood sugar = inflammation – which contributes to acne and other immune problems. 

Ergo, reduce your grain intake and keep your blood sugar low, reduce your acne – in theory. You can get your carb requirements out of fruit and veg and unlike the carbs supplied by grains you also get a lot more vitamins, mineral, phytonutrients (good stuff). However, that being said, be cautious when eating fruit and sweet veg (think carrots, sweet potatoes and peppers) as these can also cause blood sugar to spike. Also while we’re here anyone who loves juicing be careful - try not juice sweet things, juicing means there is no fibre, so sugars cannot be slowly released with fibre, it's hitting your system hard and will spike your blood sugar. Also try mono juicing – just juicing one type of veg at a time. When you juice two types of veg (a carrot and an apple for example) the different pH values of the digestive enzymes means that they effectively attach each other and you’re left with a nicely coloured sugary drink.

Milk – milk contains a lot of sugar and hormones, these things are needed for baby cows to help them grow quickly, alas we are not baby cows. The sugar and hormones contained in the milk is doing us no good. Also cows are fed all kinds of rubbish to increase their yield, and yup this stuff finds its way into the milk that we pour down our throats. And we wonder why men have breasts and girls are starting puberty earlier than ever (three years of age if you can believe the Daily Mail – you can’t, so don’t). It’s estimated that even in your organic and bovine growth hormone free milk there is over 60 hormones in it.

Milk causes blood sugars to rise and helps create sebum, high blood sugar + sebum = sad and bad times.

If you’re struggling to cut it try goats milk – unhomogenised, homogenised basically means that the milk has been forced through a sieve to break down the fats to make them more digestible (hence why we don’t get a build-up of cream on top of the milk anymore L anyone remember the foil lids?). Sounds nice and cute but this is actually creating a problem, people who were previously okay to digest milk now have problems, before the fats and sugars couldn’t be digested and just passed through the system, now that they have effectively been broken down it’s getting digested and boom – making people intolerant.

The Nightshade Family – potatoes, tomatoes, tobacco, all types of peppers (excluding black pepper) and aubergine (eggplant) belong to this family, and while I’ve had limited success cutting grains and dairy, cutting this shower of bastards has led to a huge difference in my skin. I’d already worked out that tomatoes were a trigger and everything was going fine, until I turned vegetarian. I couldn’t work out what had gone wrong. Until I stumbled across an article that blacklisted these foods and I realised I’d be going hard with the aubergine. These plants contain glycoalkaloids which basically protect the plants from pests by killing them. These are concentrated in the leaves and stems of the plant but there is also smaller concentrations in the fruit/veg themselves, particularly in the skin. Glycoalkaloids are not usually a problem, however, if your digestive system is compromised, then it’s going to have troubles with these plants, the cell lining can begin to be attacked and leaky gut can ensue, they also promote inflammation.  I cannot stress enough how important your gut is for clear skin! Cut them out, and if you can’t live without them (missing tomatoes big time) slowly reintroduce them. Things that might catch you out – potato starch is in a lot of things from the sticky bit of an envelope to many readymade sauces. Also potato = vodka, sorry to blow that one out of the water as we are approaching the weekend.

Sugary Shit – Coke, Redbull, sweets, doughnuts – whatever your addiction – sort it. These contain a pile of nasty chemicals, most of which we don’t know the long-term implications for consuming them. Also can you even trust the companies who label the products? What really is in our food? Coke (and most drinks) contain aspartame – a chemical which basically excites brain cells till they burst. This is your only body, respect yourself, why are you giving your taste buds a higher preference over your liver which has to deal with all the junk you eat? Listen to your body – if you have acne it is clearly saying that there is an issue that needs to be addressed.

What to eat

More good fats – coconut oil, avocado, olives, nuts and seeds. Omega 3,6 and 9 play a huge role in our bodies, one of those roles is skin maintenance. If you are lacking in fats it will have a knock on effect on skin – particularly if you’re short on linoleic acid, which goes hand in hand with acne. You can find this in nuts and seeds (please soak before you eat them – article on this coming). If you go to the bathroom and after you’re finished ‘stuff’ floats (sorry to be vulgar) then you could have a problem utilising your fats – take chromium, a deficiency in which is common, it basically helps you metabolise and store fats effectively. Eating as clean as possible is only going to benefit your skin, try eating only organic food or as much as you can – this is going to reduce the toxic load on your body and reduce the toxins that your liver has to process.

Foods containing  Pantothenic  Acid and L-Carnitine – Pantothenic Acid (B5) also helps with fats. Studies indicate upping your dose of this can help with acne, either through supplementation or eating foods that have high levels – shiitake mushrooms, avocadoes, eggs, sunflower seeds, sweet potato (to name a few).  L-Carnitine transports the fats around the body this combined with B5 has had noted success rates ‘in reducing or eliminating acne.  An added advantage is a good cosmetic result with smaller pore size and smoother skin.  The vitamins are safe with no adverse side effects noted.’ A good brand for supplements is Viridian – the ingredients are non-GM, non-irradiated and nothing artificial.

Hopefully I've given you some new ideas and methods to help you on your way to beautiful and clear skin!

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As usual you are responsible for your own health, I am no expert in this field.

The Death of a Salesman

It’s been a pretty long week here, I’ve been searching for job and I’m looking for someone that pays well but will allow me to skip off to castings at the drop of a hat. Needless to say - it’s a tough gig. I’ve had to sell myself, talk the talk, be witty and charming and answer all those repetitive questions – ‘what interests you about this position,’ – well to be honest with you, nothing, I need money to pay my rent and eat. End of. I’m pretty tired of talking about myself at this point - I just need to hide in a hole somewhere!

So one area I’ve been looking into is legal recruitment, having chatted to a fella at a recruitment firm he puts me forward for three interviews at different legal recruitment firms in one day. The first one didn’t go too well, I was late to it but with good reason. I desperately needed a wee but when I did so someone from the fella’s recruitment firm called. Awkward, and these people had a knack for timing because this happened another two times and both in toilets while I was weeing. Smooth (I also wee a lot). So I’m weeing in this cramped little weeing room, my head is at 45 degrees so it doesn’t touch the ceiling, and I’m all elbows and knees trying to get closer to the toilet but not too close because its pretty grim. Phone rings, mid-wee, (sorry for the details but they’re necessary) I panic, it’s a long wee and the phone won’t ring for that long. So I quickly grabbed some toilet roll and put it in the toilet to muffle the sound. Genius. Feeling pleased with myself and whipped out phone and answered it, only while I bringing it up to my ear I accidently activated and hand dryer and this women is literally talking hot air. Mortified - she knows I’m in the toilet. I have 20 minutes to get to my interview and here’s my next dilemma – if I flush the toilet she’ll know that I answered my phone whilst using it, and it would be rude to leave without flushing, (British problems). So she runs through what’s going to happen, and runs through and runs through and runs through some more. In the meantime I’ve finished quietly weeing and I’m staring at it wondering what to do and then looking at my watch. This pattern continues for a bit and I’m getting more and more stressed and anxious. It dawned on me that I’d have to leave without flushing. Grim. So I quietly twist the lock and look out, there’s a queue and I’ve been spotted, I’ve got to go through with it now. I don’t make eye contact with first person, they’ll probably think I have some weird problem and that I’m not toilet trained yet. I am, I promise! It’s just a series of unfortunate events! I hit the street and I’m walking along with my swag feeling pretty bad ass in my shades and suit and whilst on my phone whilst she’s running through and running through. The conversation comes to an end and I freeze, because while I’ve been swagging, I’ve been doing it aimlessly and I don’t know where I am. Interview is 7 minutes and 10 seconds. I get onto Google Maps and pray the gods are with me and that I’ve got a signal, I haven’t, bastards. So I start to run, and I don’t do running. I look like a gazelle across the savannah. I vaguely know where I’m going. I’m ducking and diving and weaving like a motherfucker and everyone seems to walking like it’s a summer day, I got hopelessly lost and ended up being two minutes late – not bad considering. I walk into the room looking like Smeagol (my bun fell out and there’s strands stuck to my sweaty forehead) but no one’s here yet, all good. I fix myself and start to smell myself when the interviewers walk in on me with my nose to my armpit. NICE.

On another occasion I applied for an ‘events promoter’ a posh wording but it essentially means setting up a shitty stall outside of London and trying to sell crap services to people that they don’t want or need them. It was training day, and oh boy what a day. I decided to leave my coat at home, it’s been pretty hot in London the past few weeks but on this particular day it’s -16 degrees. Good one. Outside all day – good one! So I rock up and there’s this kid explaining away but not giving any firm answers to my questions, he’s giving patronising stories and metaphors and the works – if I wash cars and I get 1000 through what do I do – well you tell 999 to fuck off (I am employable honestly). I wanted to be sarcastic now because this kids got too much energy and I’m hating him. So out rolls the first task and he writes on my notepad ‘HOW TO BE A GOOD LEADER’ and then ‘HOW TO BE A GREAT SALESMAN’ down the side and says to me ‘now I want you to write a word and matches each letter in the phrase.’ Are you serious? I can’t think what this is called off the top of my head but we’ll call it bullshit. Here’s the best bit – we have two hours to this do. Alarm bells were ringing, now their fucking off the wall and I wanted to swot him with my notebook. So I do it in about 15 minutes and I’ve thrown words in like demagogue, elan, gallantry and temerity just to be a shit because this is wasting my time. He’s gives me another task which we’ve got 2 hours to do and I think nah. This is not for me, there’s a lad stood next to me who is struggling to take notes and spell at the same time. Nah. I’m pissed off and cold and spent a fair bit of money on the tube to get here.  So I walked, I thanked him for his time and I walked away.

I got through to the final round of one of the three interviews, they absolutely loved me but I HAD to have my hair cut for the next interview. This was a tough one for me, it was a cross roads. Do I cut my hair, get a really good job (40K potentially in the first year if you believe them), and get sucked in and that becomes my life? Or do I say no, keep my hair, have the flexibility to model and just work and get by, by being a waiter/barmen? I chose the latter, I stuck to my guns and if I regret a few months down the line at least I was true to myself and denied some crappy worker bee existence. I came to London to model not fit with some bullshit corporate image, I could have stayed at home if I wanted that. I feel pretty good about it to be honest - it’s a huge gamble but I’ve never played it safe, but hey, that’s just me. If there is one thing I know, it's how to survive.

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A Word on ‘Dreams’

First things first, I despise the word ‘dreams.’ Hopes and dreams are fluffy, intangible and lack substance. Have goals, ambitions and 5 year plans. Break each goal down into minor goals to enable you to execute the outcome and never give up and stop working towards it. Don’t let anyone put you off. That being said self-observation and awareness is key. We've all seen the talent show audition were a contestant has been told they’re no good (and it’s the truth) and they've stormed off screaming and ranting in a cloud of abuse. Don’t be that guy, don’t be delusional and deny reality, try, admit defeat if needed and learn from it. You've tried that avenue now try another one.

Don’t be scared to take the jump.  Just make sure you have back up plans and things in place should things fall down and crumble. I'm not overly keen on celebrity culture but I do think there are important values that can be learnt from certain individuals. Often these individuals have had nothing and have come from dire situations and prevailed nonetheless and worked their way to the top. It’s just learning how you can do the same with the cards you've been dealt. What are your talents and skills? How can you exploit these? What is it about these skills that they can be exploited?

Cultivate a ‘fuck you attitude.’ This has taken a long time for me to achieve and it’s still an ongoing process. It’s difficult for me explain but I guess it comes from an ‘inner knowing’ (sounds a bit mystical, I know) and self-belief. Many people (including some family members) have tried to hold me back and bring me down. Recognising this and stepping away from and actually having the power to step away from it is crucial. You cannot doubt yourself. Words and quotes really help me out at times two of my favourite are ‘you are never as good or as bad as people say,’ and ‘there’s only one thing worse than being talked about it, not being talked about.’ People are self-centred shits – I live on a small island and the second anyone see’s you prospering they shoot you down. It’s small minded – rise above it and think ‘fuck em.’ In 5 year’s time will they matter? Will you even remember them?

Another good quote – ‘every no takes you closer to a yes.’ I'm a firm believer that there is a positive to every situation. It’s just a matter of your perception and how you've been conditioned. Try not to view situations as black or white, good or bad, and do not get caught up in victimhood status. I recently went ice skating which was a massive deal for me. This is the kid who went to Center Parcs and tried roller blading and spent an hour crying, falling over and watching shitty 3 or 4 year olds(I hate children, and I don’t have plans to procreate) glide past me. Traumatic is the understatement of the year.  This time it would all be on ice. My legs are like match sticks (I've accepted this – an article on body image is coming), balance isn't a strong point and I hate making a show of myself. 5 minutes in I thought fuck this (this attitude on the other hand is well cultivated) and really wanted to give up but I thought no don’t, then I hit the ice – cringe. My mate tried to help me we ended up sliding and recreating something out of the Karma Sutra – double cringe. I got back up and carried on and it wasn't that bad. I learnt how to recover well pretty quickly shall we say, and after an hour I’d improved a fair bit – not Olympic standard yet though.

Accept help – no one’s is an island, this is tough one for me. I trust no one and I hate relying on other people because ultimately everyone lets you down and is in it for themselves – fair enough. I'm slowly learning to get over this. A strong support network it crucial. For me personally I think I self-sabotage or test myself. I’ll occasionally burn friends and family off and I think I do this to see how well I cope and if I can. I've realised that this isn't the wisest of strategies and that I am temperamental. This being said I think it’s important to not be a doormat for people and to allow yourself to be used and stepped on – article on self-respect is coming too.

Try, try, try, go in at a different angle, try, try, try, get back up and try again.  If someone tells you you’re no good – headbutt them. (Joke – please don’t).