The 7-Day Meal Plan to Banish Acne
It’s true—what you put in your body has a major effect on your complexion. It’s no wonder greasy pizza and sugar-heavy snacks wreak havoc on skin and cause breakouts: Where’s the health component in those types of foods? Additionally, eating foods heavy in toxins is a key offender in harming your skin.
Don’t get us wrong; we love snacking on junky foods during a Netflix binge just as much as the next person, but we understand we’re not doing ourselves any favors while doing so, especially when we wake up to a big breakout the next morning. As a result, we turned to Maria Bella, founder of Top Balance Nutrition in NYC, to find out what to eat to stop acne and get glowing skin.
Bella let us in on a few insider dietary tips for clear skin, the first (and most obvious) being hydration: She suggests having two to three liters of water every day and incorporating some detoxing green tea (the Ezisoul Insulated Stainless Steel Water Bottle, $20, is great for toting around both hot and cold beverages).
Next, Bella urges you to incorporate lean protein and fiber with every meal and snack, as well as reduce sugar and dairy intake—two food groups that are proven acne aggravators. Lastly, Bella suggests eating a diet rich in omega-3 fatty acids and vitamins A, E, and D to help clear your skin.
Keep scrolling for Bella’s seven-day clear-skin diet and kick acne to the curb.
Egg White Omelet
Ingredients:
1 box liquid egg whites (about 10 egg whites)
1/2 tbsp. olive oil
1/2 cup each chopped onions, mushrooms, spinach, and green peppers
Pinch of cayenne pepper to taste
Directions:
In a frying pan, heat up the olive oil. Add the egg whites and let simmer. Add onions, mushrooms, spinach, peppers, and herbs and cayenne pepper, being careful not to break apart the egg. Once the egg starts to bubble, flip over and cook the other side. Remove from heat, and fold the omelet in half. Serve with fruit of choice.
Autumn Soup
Ingredients:
2 cups dairy-free tomato, carrot ginger, or butternut squash soup (Amy’s Light in Sodium Organic Soups, $4, are great)
1 boneless, skinless chicken breast
Directions:
Make the soup as directed on the label. In a frying pan, grill the chicken breast until cooked all the way through on both sides. Cut into cubes and serve.
Steak and Cauliflower Mash
*For the steak, you can grill a 5-oz. tuna steak, tilapia, swordfish, salmon, halibut or cod
Cauliflower Mash
Ingredients:
1 large head cauliflower, cut into florets
2 tbsp. Tofutti Better Than Cream Cheese
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
Pinch of nutmeg
Salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
Steam the cauliflower over boiling water for 10 to 15 minutes or until very tender. Drain thoroughly. Mash with a fork and thoroughly blend in the tofu cream cheese, garlic powder, and nutmeg. Season with black pepper and salt. Makes four servings (3/4 cups each).
Pumpkin Parfait
Ingredients:
1 cup Greek yogurt [Ed. note: the probiotics fight against acne]
1/2 cup pumpkin purée
1/2 banana
1 tbsp. flaxseed
1 tbsp. cinnamon
Directions:
Combine all ingredients in a blender and serve chilled in a glass.
Mixed Avocado Salad
Ingredients:
1 cup romaine lettuce, chopped
1 cup spinach, chopped
1/4 avocado, chopped
1 small can of tuna (in water) or 1 hard-boiled egg
Shredded carrot
Shredded beet or any other non-starchy vegetable
Ingredients for Dressing:
Lemon juice
1 teaspoon olive oil
Directions:
Combine all ingredients in a bowl and top with lemon juice and olive oil dressing.
Spinach and Artichoke Pasta With Vegetables
Ingredients:
1 cup spiralized zucchini (try the Spiralizer 4-Blade Vegetable Spiral Slicer, $22)
2 tbsp. olive oil
1 large shallot, chopped
4 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
1 10-oz. box of frozen artichoke hearts, defrosted and halved
1 cup fresh spinach
1/2 cup dry white wine
Directions:
In a saucepan, heat 1 tbsp. olive oil. Add the zucchini "noodles" and let cook about two minutes until slightly soft. Set aside. In another skillet, heat up another tbsp. of olive oil and cook the shallot, garlic, and frozen artichoke hearts. Add the fresh spinach and dry white wine and let simmer for five minutes. Pour over zucchini noodles and serve.
Goji Berry Smoothie
Ingredients:
1 cup raw spinach
1 cup raw kale
1 small apple
1 cup raspberries
2 tbsp. goji berries
1 tbsp. chia seeds
1/2 cup unsweetened soy milk
Directions:
Mix all ingredients in a blender until smooth and serve chilled.
Herbed Lemon Salmon
Ingredients:
1 salmon fillet
1/4 cup parsley, chopped
1//2 lemon cut into slices
Directions:
Top salmon fillets with parsley and sliced lemon. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes on a baking sheet without added oils. Serve with side salad.
Easy Tuna Bowl
Ingredients:
1 can of tuna in water, drained
1 cup broccoli
1 cup quinoa
2 tsp. olive oil
Directions:
In a pan, heat up olive oil and sauté the broccoli. Set aside. In a saucepan, bring 2 cups of water to a boil and add the quinoa. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer about 15 minutes until the quinoa is tender. In a bowl, combine quinoa, broccoli, and tuna and serve.
Cantaloupe Bowl
Ingredients:
1/2 cantaloupe with seeds scooped
1 cup of unsweetened soy yogurt
1 tbsp. ground flaxseed
1 tsp. cinnamon
Directions:
Place the yogurt inside the cantaloupe. Sprinkle with ground flaxseed and cinnamon to taste
Mixed Bean Salad
Ingredients:
1 can canned cannellini and kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 cup each of spring onions, parsley, bell peppers
1 tbsp. lemon juice or mustard
1 teaspoon olive oil
2 butter lettuce wraps
Directions:
Combine beans, spring onions, parsley, bell peppers, lemon juice (or mustard), and olive oil in a bowl and mix. Scoop evenly into butter lettuce wraps and serve.
Seared Chicken With Avocado and Cucumber Salad
Ingredients:
1 boneless, skinless chicken breast
1 tbsp. olive oil
1/2 avocado, diced
1/2 cucumber, diced
1/4 cup fresh cilantro
2 tbsp. lime juice
Directions:
In a frying pan, heat the olive oil and sear the chicken breast on both sides until slightly golden brown. Remove from heat and set aside. In a bowl, combine the avocado, cucumber, cilantro, and lime juice. Serve with chicken and enjoy!
2 large boiled eggs
1 fruit of your choice
Tomato Cucumber Salad
Ingredients:
1 cup sliced tomatoes
1 chopped cucumber
1/4 sliced white onion
1 sliced green bell pepper
1 tsp. olive oil
Pinch of parsley
Directions:
Combine all ingredients in a bowl. Top with parsley and olive oil. Serve with 1 hard-boiled egg or 1 small can of tuna mixed with 2 teaspoons hummus.
Burger and Turnip Fries
Ingredients:
1 ground beef patty, 100% veggie burger, or salmon burger
2 large leaves of iceberg lettuce (or enough to cover your burger)
Directions:
Heat the burger in a frying pan until cooked to your desired doneness. Remove from heat and wrap with iceberg lettuce.
Turnip Fries
Ingredients:
4 turnips, trimmed and peeled
2 tbsp. olive oil
1 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 tsp. chili powder
Directions:
Heat oven to 425°F. Cut turnips into two-by-two-inch sticks. Place on a foil-lined baking pan. Drizzle with oil and season with salt and chili powder. Toss with your hands to coat. Roast fries 30 minutes, turning halfway through cooking time for even browning. Serve with the burger and enjoy!
Mediterranean Breakfast
Ingredients
2 hard-boiled or poached eggs
1/2 avocado, diced
1 cup cucumber, diced
1 cup tomato, diced
Parsley to taste
Directions:
Cook the eggs either hard-boiled or poached and serve with avocado, cucumber, tomato, and parsley.
*Optional: Serve with 1 cup berries of your choice.
Tuna Salad Zucchini Boats
Ingredients
1 zucchini, halved and centers scooped out
2 cans of tuna in water
2 tbsp. hummus
1 cup each chopped carrot, celery, and white onion
Directions:
Set the zucchini halves on a plate and fill with tuna, hummus, carrot, celery, and white onion.
Spaghetti Squash With Chicken, Mushrooms, and Spinach
Ingredients:
1 spaghetti squash
1 boneless, skinless chicken breast
1 cup white mushrooms
1 cup fresh spinach
Directions:
Cut a spaghetti squash in half length-wise, scoop out seeds, and place flesh-side down on a pan. Cook in the oven at 400ºF for 45 minutes, or until tender. Scrape out the squash with a fork and place in a bowl. In a separate frying pan, sauté cubed chicken breast and mushrooms until chicken has browned and mushrooms are tender. Wilt some fresh spinach in a steamer and add to the chicken and mushrooms for a few minutes. Pour over squash and serve.
Oats
Ingredients:
1 cup dry oatmeal
2 cups unsweetened soy or almond milk
1/2 cup berries
6 walnuts, halved
Pinch of cinnamon to taste
Directions:
In a saucepan, heat the soy or almond milk and bring to a low boil. Add the oats, reduce heat, and simmer until the oatmeal has soaked in all of the milk and is tender. Add berries, walnuts, and cinnamon. Serve and enjoy!
Simple Grilled Chicken Salad
Ingredients:
2 cups mixed greens
1 boneless, skinless chicken breast
Your choice of non-starchy vegetables (tomatoes, cucumbers, etc.)
1 tbsp. lemon
2 tbsp. olive oil
Directions:
In a pan, heat olive oil and grill chicken until slightly brown on both sides. Remove from heat and set aside. In a bowl, combine mixed greens and vegetables of choice. Cut chicken into strips and place on top of the salad. Sprinkle with lemon and olive oil and serve.
Baked Salmon and Asparagus
Ingredients:
4-oz. salmon fillet
1 roasted asparagus
1 tbsp. olive oil
1/2 cup quinoa
Directions:
In a frying pan, heat olive oil and grill the asparagus until a slight char appears. Remove from heat and set aside. In a separate pan on medium-high heat, cook the salmon fillet thoroughly (about three minutes on each side). In a saucepan, bring one cup of water to a boil, add quinoa, reduce heat, and simmer on low until the quinoa is tender.
Bella recommends two snacks per day, one after breakfast and one before or after dinner. Here are some of her favorite choices:
6 oz. unsweetened soy yogurt or 1/4 cup pomegranate seeds (or other fruit)
10 raw almonds and 2 dried apricots or whole fruit of choice
1 banana and 1 tbsp. peanut or almond butter
Sliced banana rolled in unsweetened cocoa powder
2 clementines and 1 hard-boiled egg
Celery stalks topped with 1 tbsp. peanut butter + 10 raisins
1/2 cup carrots and cucumber with 1/4 cup hummus