The Clear Skin Diet: The Six-Week Program for Beautiful Skin

by Nina Nelson, Randa Nelson

From YouTube rising stars Nina and Randa Nelson comes the doctor-approved, clinically-tested, low-fat vegan diet that instantly and dramatically transformed their skin.

The Clear Skin Diet is the natural and safe solution to banish acne and remain acne-free for good. The vegan diet, developed by twin actors and social media stars Nina and Randa Nelson (whose careers and personal lives were nearly destroyed by out of control acne) teaches people how to naturally conquer acne once and for all.

Before they created The Clear Skin Diet, Nina and Randa and-tried nearly everything to deal with their acne-expensive facials, lotions, antibiotics, and other painful procedures. Several doctors told them their only hope for recovery was Accutane. So they decided to try to deal with their problem from the inside out-by changing their diet. Their dietary intervention worked, and there has been no stopping them since.

The girls now share the good news about how they achieved beautiful skin without drugs with millions of people across the world, many of whom write regularly with their own heart-warming success stories.

The recipes Nina and Randa created for The Clear Skin Diet are based on diets eaten by a variety of people around the world who have no acne in their society, such as Papua New Guinea, Eastern Paraguay, and rural South Africa. The food is healthy, starch-based, low-fat, inexpensive, and delicious. An acne solution and easy diet, all in one.

Genres: Nonfiction, Health, Nutrition, Science, Food

288 pages, Hardcover

First published April 10, 2018

Reviews

[Mango · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I went vegan, this book really helped me! It has low-fat recipes, which really helped with my acne. I now have really clear skin!

They also had great recommendations for skin care products.

I took one star off for some of the recipes though. A lot of the recipes had inaccurate measurements and I had to improvise to make them alright.

But, otherwise this book helped me a lot! I am now a proud, gluten-free vegan. :)

[Anna Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm so glad to have found Nina and Randa Nelson's book on the Clear Skin Diet. I discovered these lovely young ladies on YouTube recently, and I immediately bought their ebook. I feel that we have so much in common! Plant-based eaters since childhood due to their mother's rare auto-immune disease, it was Dr. McDougall's Starch Solution diet that literally saved their mother's life and cured her body entirely. Similarly, my husband discovered the Starch Solution and implemented it into our lives as a preemptive response to his family's history of heart disease and diabetes. The Nelson girls never had an issue with acne as teenagers; neither did I. They got acne as adults, and their dermatologist was only able to offer medication that didn't help. While my acne is not severe enough for my dermatologist to suggest Acutane like Nina and Randa's did, she instead sent me to a gynecologist to try out different birth controls to manipulate my hormones; again to no avail.
Afterward, I tried a gluten-free diet, ordered mass amounts of supplements and vitamins, drank apple cider vinegar, quit coffee, tried fad skincare products, switched my blankets and pillow, and cut back on sugar. Finally, I read an article that suggested quitting peanut butter due to the high fat content. I was eating peanut butter EVERY morning on toast, but I found a significant enough improvement in my breakouts after quitting that I now refuse to eat it at all. This is the premise of the Clear Skin Diet! It's a fat-free vegan diet. You don't need to read the book in order to try it out (it came from Dr. McDougall's website after all), but the book is worth the price for the motivating before/after pics and stories from the participants of the study that the Nelsons conducted, the tips from experts, the lists of comedogenic products to avoid, the recipes, and the resources listed. Interested in what skincare products the Nelson sisters recommend? Check out the website they plan to keep updated: https://clearskindiet.com/skin-care-p...
All that praise aside, I do realize that this diet is very challenging. I have yet to go a day without eating oil in some form. It essentially requires you to eat rice and beans and little else. Luckily, that's basically my favorite meal, and I'll be going full Clear Skin Diet on or before January 1st. I will update when I have more results to share.

[Shinta Wirasti · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Clear Skin Diet - 692 pages

I read this book when I had the worst, craziest acne of my life.
Just so you know, I'm a medical student, but I also admit that I don't know much about nutrition.
I like the way they explain the science and medical side in this book.
It's surely increase my knowledge and I learned a lot too.

I've tried everything before to cure the acne (for about 3-4 months)..
I went to the doctor, used a lot of skincare (which actually can make it worst), even got antibiotic injected, but nothing worked.
So, after reading this book, I decided to do the diet.
The main concepts of the clear skin diet are:
1. Very very low fat
2. No oil
3. Plant-based diet
I did only about 80-90% of the guide, but it's really really working on my skin already.
I saw improvements on my skin only 2 weeks after I started the diet.
But now that I've applied this diet by myself, I can say that this is not 100% safe.
Why? Because you can easily.. very easily lose your weight.
I lost 3 kilograms in about 2 weeks, and then around 2 months after that, I experienced syncope for the first time of my life, and I found out that I had my conjunctiva anemic.
Based on my experince, we still need proteins from animal. And the diet still need to be adjusted individually.

HOWEVER.. I FOUND THIS DIET SO GOOD FOR MY SKIN.
Now it's 5 months and a half, and my skin is free from acne (only hyperpigmentation remains).

I can confirm it now that it's true..
What you eat, is what you wear ;)

[Shiv · Rating 5 out of 5]

Super helpful info that you can take in in one sitting. Through the elimination diet outlined in this book (after already being a whole food plant based vegan) I discovered I was sensitive to corn, wheat, soy, oats, apple, cinnamon, and cocoa. (Confirmed by a mediator release test several weeks after I was able to figure this out by experience alone.) This not only resulted in clearing my skin but helped eliminate joint pain!! If you have not read starch solution yet by Dr mcdougall, read that first. If you are familiar with starch solution and feel like you need more help healing something chronic, skin related or not, this book will probably be helpful!

[Crimelpoint · Rating 1 out of 5]

Ta książka to prosta droga do zaburzonej relacji z jedzeniem. Autorki każą odrzucić większość produktów, jednocześnie powtarzając, że codziennie można jeść to samo bez zamartwiania się o niedobory witamin. Co więcej pojawiają się tutaj stwierdzenie typu „nie ma miejsca na żadne odstępstwa od diety”. Po takiej książce człowiek może wpaść w głębokie zaburzenia odżywiania. Co więcej autorki bardzo często same sobie zaprzeczały. Książkę czyta się długo i nieprzyjemnie.

[Jaidyn · Rating 2 out of 5]

This program made me unhealthily lose 20 lbs and lose all of my energy. It may work for some, but not me.

[Johanna · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐️ such a helpful guide. I’m a big fan of Dr McDougall and Esselstyn, so to see their links with this book was a big reassurance. This is a great guide especially for acne sufferers. I don’t have significant acne but know all too well that what you put into your body has a massive impact on your health and wellbeing (which includes your skin) so I’ve learned loads of tips which I will be trying, as well as great new recipes!

[Aycan Doganlar · Rating 4 out of 5]

I came across Nina and Randa’s YouTube channel while I’m desperately trying to heal my acne. After seeing more than 3 dermatologist (none of them were suggested changing my diet and they were only offering chemical medications) I was so overwhelmed. I was always planning to try plant-based diet but I wasn’t even a vegetarian. So, long story short, this book helped me to do that without trying so hard. I didn’t cut the oil or completely follow Clear Skin Diet but I tried my best. It had sounded so easy thing to do after seeing all of other participants to this diet.

After going plant-based I felt better and better. It took three months to see the results but I was aware of the healing on my face and body since third week. I gave a little break after those 3 months but from now on I’m planning to continue eating only plant-based and try the recipes in the book without being obsessed about cutting oil. In Turkish cuisine oil is everything and I need to live alone if I really decide to go for it. Also, I still don’t think that avocado is not healthy for me.

Thank you for informing us and writing this book. You made me look from a different perspective. 🌱

[Colleen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've been vegan for several months now (albeit a junk food and processed one) and the Clear Skin Diet is what really pushed me to the next level. The low-fat, starch-based, and plant-based program has done WONDERS for my skin and energy levels- My skin is the clearest it has ever been since I was 16 and my energy levels are off the charts. In the age of high-fat and highly refined foods, we sorely need to go back to the roots (no pun intended) of clean eating- vegetables and healthy starches, for the sake of our minds and bodies. This book is a great reminder that will cause you to feel amazing and glowy af!

[Riikka Iivanainen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Better and more science-based than I expected. It seems like Nina and Rands truly consulted several plant-based doctors to write the book. My favorite part are the brief encouraging greetings from several plant-based experts scattered throughout the book.

I've been on the Clear Skin diet for 3 days now and my acne has already reduced. If I remember, I will report back after doing it for longer.

[Samantha · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was intrigued by the idea of a plant-based diet clearing acne, though I found this book a little insincere. They lost me when they tried to replace a hot dog with a pressure-cooked carrot.

[Liz · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a practical guide to good skin written by young women and for young people. It is an accessible and quick read that any college student might find helpful in battling severe acne. The authors also touch on the emotional and traumatic effects of acne while offering advice for how to quickly and cheaply cook the right foods to clear skin and, if one is interested, effortlessly lose weight. While I am a grown woman long past the days of severe acne, I can honestly say that I will use these guidelines to help my two girls, one of whom is headed into puberty. I also wish that I had known about these nutrition principles when I was young rather than using Accutane, which wreaked havoc on my skin and my mental state. I was lucky enough to hear this book recommended on one of my whole foods plant-based podcasts; further, since they use guru Dr. McDougall’s time-tested principles of staying away from fat (even plant fats) to cure their skin, the information is scientifically sound. I am giving this book four rather than five stars due to the lack of cited sources, but I commend the authors for their efforts, which I believe will help many people suffering with acne. The photos of before and after results are quite compelling, and I even went online to view the authors’ video about their personal struggles. They are delightful and positive young women who have a bright future ahead of them.

[Jakprzezokno Jola · Rating 4 out of 5]

Przyznam szczerze, że oczekiwałam naprawdę dużo od tej książki. Mam cerę problematyczna, wiec wydawałam sie idealnym kandydatem do przetwstowania diety. Jednak proponowane przez dziewczyny produkty w większości są tymi, za którymi ja po prostu nie przepadam. Dieta, na której sie to opiera to dieta wegańska, a wiec juz sama w sobie dosyć restrykcyjna i wymagająca wielu poświęceń od kogoś, kogo nigdy ten rodzaj diety nie pociągał. Nigdy nie chciałam i nie miałam potrzeby zostać weganka. Jako osoba wybredna pewnie skończyłabym z jednym albo dwoma daniami na okrągło. Tez niektóre z rad wydały mi sie sprzeczne z tym, co dotychczas słyszałam, na przykład o ciastach z proszku. Zbyt dużo tez w tej książce samego piania nad cudownościa tej diety, a za mało konkretnych rozwiązań dla czytelnika. 1/3 książki to właściwie mówienie o tym samym (jaka dieta jest cudowna) w różnych słowach, co moim zdaniem było zbędne.
Niektóre z przepisów na pewno wypróbuje, ponieważ wydają sie naprawdę pyszne, a do zasad ogólnych (rezygnacja z tłuszczów) na pewno sie zastosuje

[Liisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I gave this book a 4-star rating instead of a 5-star rating because I'm a bit stricter in my approach to nutrition than the Nelson twin authors. I think their approach will work for the purpose of eliminating or improving skin afflicted with acne. Before I had read this book, I had given up animal products and had begun to reduce the oil and other fats in my diet, both of which they suggest. Concurrently, I noticed that my diagnosed rosacea pustules were lessening. However, the recipes included in "The Clear Skin Diet" use non-WFPB items. (WFPB means "whole food, plant based.") Thus, the authors include white bread, rice, and flour in some of their recipes. Such items are not considered "whole foods." A WFPB diet has been found scientifically to be more health-promoting. The Nelson twins support a diet pretty much in line with John McDougall, M.D., which is surely far more healthy than standard American fare.

[Dazzlinglatte · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first book having to do with veganism that I ever bought. I've been vegan for 2 years now and I think it was time. The recipes were the biggest reason I bought this book. I wanted to get some more healthy foods into my diet. There are some interesting ones that I think I'm gonna try. There was really only one thing that I disagreed with in this book:

• I read in the start of chapter 11 that you should just throw away the food you're not going to eat and I heavily disagree with that. If you're not going to eat something, it's still in it's packaging and it's not expired, you donate that. There are a lot of people in need that could really use that food.

Other than that, I think it's really informative and a nice read.

[Ghada Allam · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very good book taking veganism to the next step by eliminating fats, even the vegan sources of it. It is mostly addressed to teenagers and young adults so I felt it didn’t always speak to me, but it’s good work. The book had too many testimonies in the beginning which were repetitive and boring. I have been exploring the different kinds of diets and reading other books such as “the obesity code” so it’s good to have an overall perspective on the various views on what’s good for our health. I will be certainly considering some of the principles in this book in my own diet.

[Ayoka · Rating 2 out of 5]

Basically it's a low fat and vegan diet:
- no eggs, meat, dairy
- no nuts, seeds, foods cooked in oil
- no tofu or soy
- no alchohol
It also suggested cutting out certain citrus fruits, gluten, and reducing sugar to see if that helps.
It doesn't seem that realistic to do this diet tbh and there wasn't that great a recipe selection. Might try the skincare stuff though or do the diet if I try I can plan a lot for it.

[judy · Rating 1 out of 5]

I‘d give it 0 stars if I could. This book encourages a deeply disordered relationship with food and overall nutrition. It is unacceptable to write in a way that will make people feel guilt about their meals and have constant thoughts about why they should not est certain foods.
Please do NOT read this book if you‘ve ever struggled with eating disorders, depression or likewise. Also, I would recommend you to NOT read this book at all if you do not want to fall into an eating disorder

[Diana · Rating 2 out of 5]

Eh. I mean, I didn't really think all the advice was super sound and I am not convinced the diet is super healthy or nutritious (though it certainly does seem difficult!) but I guess I am willing to give it somewhat of a try? I thought the parts dealing with the effects of acne on mental health (particularly for young people) were important.

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

My acne was never severe, but it did bother me. Following the principles loosely in this book helps! I still drink caffeine, but half caff. Also I eat gluten.
Dairy and oil are big time acne triggers! Be aware.

[Avina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Low-fat vegan diet to help tackle the scrouge of many a teen's existance (acne). Key ideas include lifestyle change over medication, program guidelines, recipes, skin care tips. Definately recommend reading and trying it.

[Carolyn Avery · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the real deal

I'm beyond my teenage years but this book really has the acne cure. My skin is always at its best when I follow their guidelines. I recommend this book heartily!

[Michelle Olms · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book

[Shide · Rating 5 out of 5]

I would like recommend this to all my friend

[Fifa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved this book...they have covered every aspect of skincare internally as well as externally...great read !!!!

[Dianelys · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book with excellent tips and vegan information!

[Nasar Ali · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great

[Zofieandbooks · Rating 3 out of 5]

W skrócie - bądź wege

[Rebekah · Rating 5 out of 5]

I know from experience that the plant-based vegan way of eating can help clear skin, among so many other benefits. Minimal plant sourced fats can be just fine for many, but larger amounts, or even smaller amounts in some, can make acne flare (I’ve experienced that as well). While I’ve read the works of many of the experts quoted here, this is specifically for the young and more acne-prone.

[Adrian Perez · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty good book on treating acne and other illnesses that is prevalent in the U.S. (and other western countries). I'll have to get a copy soon, and start examining some of the references in the book.