Food for Youth

You are what you eat. The cliché is as old as dieting itself. Still, for the medical and dermatological staff at Neu Medical Aesthetic Center, the phrase is the easiest way to explain their anti-aging program—and its results—to patients.

After years of fielding requests from clients for ways to extend or amplify the results of their cosmetic procedures, Dianne White, the center’s medical supervisor, and Michelle Dow, a licensed aesthetician, devised a program that would enhance the skin and restructure the body from the
cellular level. “You can use an arsenal of designer skincare products,” says Dow, “but if you aren’t taking care of your skin from the inside out—through your diet—the results will be short-lived.”

Their solution, which they’ve dubbed the Skin Diet, is a three-month program that uses techniques clinically proven to diminish signs of aging such as liver spots and wrinkles. (Some clients have even whittled their waistlines, though that is a nice bonus rather than the point of the program.)

But this anti-aging, cell-renewing, body-enhancing, skin-saving diet isn’t just targeted at the older crowd.“There isn’t a single person who would not benefit from this program,” says White, who, along with Dow, regularly treats teenaged patients who have already damaged their skin through overexposure to UV light and imbalanced nutrition. This diet-centered skincare plan also benefits people in their 30s and 40s, many of whom are starting to see visible proof of past skincare sins such as smoking, tanning, and living off cups of noodles in college, as well as clients simply looking to take preemptive measures to protect the skin and prevent visible signs of aging for as long as possible.

In the case of Tyler Sweatman, an event planner and lifestyle expert for Good Morning Texas, the Skin Diet struck him as a way to care for his body, mind, and spirit. “I see a difference in my skin, and I have more energy,” says Sweatman. “Nutrition has become important to me because the Skin Diet taught me that good, healthy food equals health, vitality, and a natural glow.” Of his initially skeptical friends, he says, “My results are the best revenge.”

The Science:
Reducing Cellular Damage

Neu Medical’s diet plan is challenging but not unrealistic and is backed by extensive research in medical journals: Clients are taught to eat a healthy combination of protein, fat, and carbs. The program hinges on limiting sugar intake because high levels of sugar cause cellular inflammation, or cell damage, which initiates the aging process.

“Most foods break down into sugar when eaten,” explains White, and the pancreas is the organ hardest hit by processing consumed sugar. Picture a runner sprinting at top speed for as long as she can—to the point of exhaustion. This is the effect of sugar spikes on your pancreas. Regularly consuming foods that cause these spikes can lead to conditions such as diabetes, obesity, and coronary vascular disease, as well as accelerating the aging process. “So it’s easy to see that a 40-year-old who eats well can be healthier than a 20-year-old college student living on fast food,” says White.

The Skin Diet teaches the importance of the glycemic index, a scale that measures the rate at which sugar enters the blood stream, causing spikes in blood glucose levels after certain foods are consumed. Clients are instructed to avoid (or at least limit) foods high in sugar—including some “healthy” foods—to ward off cellular damage.

A food’s glycemic index is represented as a number on a scale of one to 100 (100 indicating the increase in blood sugar levels after eating table sugar). The lower a food’s glycemic index, the better, from the Skin Diet point of view, and so the plan excludes foods with a glycemic index higher than 50 and encourages clients to limit foods with an index over 46. For example, French bread has a glycemic index of 95, and pretzels have an index of 81, so you can see why bread and carbs are not diet-friendly. Grapes and carrots might seem like safe bets, but they, as well as many other seemingly good-for-you options, each have a glycemic index greater than 45. While still better for you than ice cream and potato chips, these foods cause damaging spikes in blood-glucose levels. If clients have to snack on these foods, if they simply can’t give them up, White is prepared; she advises eating less than a fistful of grapes or carrots and limiting bananas to one or two per week. “You can still enjoy your favorites,” she says, “just practice moderation.”

The Groundwork:
Dos and Don’ts

When starting the Skin Diet, clients meet with White to go over a typical week’s diet and discuss cravings, favorite foods, allergies, and eating patterns. Then Dow conducts a skin assessment and designs a customized skincare regimen. In addition to the initial cost of the diet ($500), clients generally spend another $150 on skincare products over the three months.

“After meeting with Dianne I realized that, at 24, I was causing premature aging of my skin without even knowing it. I made dietary choices that I thought were healthy, like eating granola and carrots, but were actually not in my best interest,” says Leigh Goodall, an account executive with Michael A. Burns and Associates, Neu Medical’s public relations firm. Neu Medical asked Goodall to be among the first to follow the three-month program to get an insider’s overview of the diet.

“Now my skin glows,” she says. “I have a lot more energy. And I’ve learned so much about food that I can literally watch the effects of what I put into my body appear externally.”

White and Dow meet regularly with clients to tweak anything that needs extra attention. For instance, if a client has difficulty giving up Starbucks, White customizes a healthier option, such as coffee with skim milk and Splenda. She even tailors entire meal plans, right down to portion sizes and product names. Dow’s role is to monitor the client’s skin, especially during the initial two-week detox period.

“In the first two weeks, it’s important to speed up skin renewal and flush impurities,” she explains. “My job is to watch this process and adjust the client’s skincare regimen to combat the negatives and improve the skin’s condition. Once they see results, clients are motivated to stick with the plan.”

The three-month timeframe gives clients ample time to overcome the typical dieting hurdles of adjusting to new portions and new foods. And there’s also the support-system factor: “This isn’t like picking up the latest diet book and going it alone,” says White. “The one-on-one element is a major success factor.” At the end of the three months, she says, clients walk away with healthy portion sizes, wholesome grocery lists, and nourishing menu suggestions ingrained in their minds. Their diet has become a healthy way of life. Or as Goodall puts it, “I have a completely different outlook on the foods that I order in restaurants and buy at the grocery store because I understand how what I eat affects everything from my mood to my appearance.”

The Skin Diet: What to Expect

illustration by Getty

Weeks 1-2
Referred to as the “detox” period—and by far the hardest part of the process—this is when clients notice strong sugar cravings. Side effects can include hunger, irritability, fatigue, and moodiness, which get worse before they get better. The initial change in diet may cause
temporary blemishes or breakouts. To bolster motivation, the Skin Diet allows clients one cheat day each week to indulge their cravings.

Weeks 3-6
“The diet gets easier at this point,” says White. She advises preparing meals and snacks in advance, which is not only more convenient, but also gives you handy ammunition against cravings. The once-weekly cheat days begin to lose their luster. Clients say they no longer enjoy greasy pizza or fried food in the same way and may feel nauseous after eating them. At this point, clients report an increase in energy and a boost in self-confidence; moodiness, irritability, and bloating decrease. Skin becomes more radiant, and blemishes begin to disappear.

Weeks 6-12
Choosing the right foods has become second nature, and junk-food consumption is next to nil. Clients report that they feel good from the inside out and see a slight change in their waistlines, continued energy, improved mental acuity, and healthy, blemish-free skin.

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
A handy list of good-for-you foods to stock up on, stuff to steer clear of, and edibles to avoid.

The Good
Enjoy any of these tasty treats; each has a glycemic index of less than 45 and helps to maintain balanced blood sugar and eliminate damaging cellular inflammation.

Nuts
Berries
Apples
Peaches
Pears
Plums
Most citrus fruits
Avocado
Tomatoes
Bell peppers
Celery
Dark-green leafy vegetables
Chicken
Turkey
Salmon
Shrimp
Clams
Cod
Egg whites
Feta cheese

The Bad
With a glycemic index between 46 and 63, these foods are responsible for immediate, severely elevated blood sugar levels, which causes inflammation of vessels, nerves, and skin cells and triggers the aging process.

Alcoholic beverages
Fruit juice
Bananas
Grapes
Mango
Papaya
Dried fruit
Bacon
Hot dogs
Carrots
Potatoes
Peas
Bread
Bagels
Granola
Pizza
Popcorn
Pasta
Rice