This One-Day Diet Will Eliminate Acne + Give You Clear, Glowing Skin

It never ceases to amaze (and not in a good way), how the bane of our adolescent existences can follow us around—or appear for the first time, for some—in adulthood. Working in nontoxic personal care, I've come to understand the link between food and acne, and I know what I should be making and eating to keep things in balance.

Sometimes I know that a smoothie stop isn't going to happen (and it also adds up, cost-wise), so I grab a yogurt (probiotics are great for inflammation reduction), ideally with my own added fruit for more antioxidants. And sometimes it's just a Starbucks oatmeal (hold the sugary add-ons) and a cup of hormone-balancing tea, like chamomile.

Sometimes the biggest thing I can do during a day at the office is to say no to the expected. When other companies have a fattening-food-laden party, we'll have in-office sushi. In addition to keeping us light (read: productive!), we all get loaded up on anti-inflammatory omega-3s.

When 3 p.m. rolls around, I definitely get a sugar craving. By now I know that unrefined sugar will pretty much always show on my face. So I try to keep it as healthy as I can without denying myself. 88 Acres Craft Seednola in Chocolate Sea Salt is a good option. I like that it's upcycled (made from scraps from cutting their bars!), and it's got a lot of inflammation-reducing flax.

I'm wiped out at night, and I want to spend as much of my time as possible with my family. Luckily, I live in a city where there are lots of options, so that if we find ourselves without the wherewithal to cook, we have options beyond ordering pizza (all that dairy = hormones = surefire path to a breakout).

If we happen to have a sitter, we might feed our son and then head out after he's asleep to a local restaurant/bar where we can get lots of small-plate, nutrient-rich variety (kale salad, grilled carrots, grilled mackerel). More often, it's simply the prepared section of Trader Joe's or Whole Foods. I'll load up on guac (that vitamin E is great for cell hydration), and simple stuff like carrot ginger soup (ginger is a powerful anti-inflammatory, too).

Living the way I do keeps me pretty zit-free, even with the stress of running a young, growing business with a young, growing actual child at home. But when I do have a breakout, it's often food ingredients that I turn to. I'll make a paste of May Lindstrom's The Problem Solver (with antioxidant-rich raw cacao and natural antiseptic clove) and manuka honey (an anti-inflammatory) and apply it to the angry area. It works quickly! And there are a couple of Follain staffers who've been known to sneak a taste!