Julie Doan – Pharmacist and Coach

Category: skin

Your A-to-Z Vitamin Guide to Natural Glowing Skin
When it comes to skincare, we all know that Vitamin A applied topically helps reduce signs of aging, and Vitamin C brightens our face. But what would happen if we not only applied our vitamins but ate them too?
No, I’m not suggesting you eat your Vitamin C serum. I’m talking about getting your skin-loving nutrients through your food.
In this post, I’ll share which foods to eat to incorporate 6 skin-loving vitamins and nutrients into your diet so that you can glow from within.

Vitamin A
Vitamin A is the hard-working gal you want on your team. She not only renews and repairs the skin cells you currently have, but she also replaces your old ones with sparkling brand-new ones. The end result: you have smooth, even and glowing skin.
To add to her list of talents, she also defends against UV damages to protect your skin from premature aging. Combine dietary vitamin A with suncreen, and you’re good to go.

How to add more Vitamin A to your meals
- Add ½ cup of roasted butternut squash or sweet potatoes to your lunch and dinner.
- Enjoy at least 1 cup of spinach or kale per day (in your smoothie, salad, or sautéed dish)
- Snack on ¼ cup of pumpkin seeds, or toss it into your salad.
Vitamin C
Vitamin C is the girl who keeps things tight, toned and bright around here. Firstly, she’s involved in the production of collagen and elastin, which are responsible for keeping your skin firm and supple. A lack of these two proteins will contribute to wrinkles and sagging skin.
Secondly, Vitamin C is a powerful antioxidant and protects your skin against premature aging caused by pollution, UV rays, and inflammatory foods.
Because she believes in building a powerful team to make your skin a better place, she also helps your body produce Vitamin E, which is another powerful antioxidant.

How to add more Vitamin C to your meals
- Enjoy ½ plate of roasted Brussel sprouts as a side dish with your dinner.
- Throw in ½ cup of strawberries in your morning smoothie.
- Add ½ of sweet Bell pepper to your salad.
Vitamin E
As stated above, Vitamin E acts as an antioxidant with her pal Vitamin C and prevents skin damages caused by pollution and other stressors.
She also keeps your skin and scalp moisturized. This not only ensures a dewy appearance but also protects your skin’s natural barrier and reduces irritation and redness.

How to add more Vitamin E to your meals
- When you’re in the mood for a snack, munch on ¼ cup of almonds or ½ avocado.
- Drizzle 1-2 tablespoon of olive oil on your grilled vegetables or salad to add flavor and Vitamin E.
Selenium
Often overlooked, but just as essential as the other players on team “Toned Skin”, Selenium works with Vitamin C and Zinc to maintains skin’s elasticity. She’s also BFFs with Vitamin E as spend their time together flexing their antioxidant muscles and fighting off premature aging.

How to add more Selenium to your meals
- Eat 1-2 Brazilian nuts per day (don’t eat more than that, since you only need a little bit of Selenium in your day. She’s small, but mighty).
- Prepare some overnight oats using 1/4 cup of regular oats.
Omega-3
Omega-3 is like your responsible friend who puts off fires at wild parties and makes sure everyone stays hydrated. She fights inflammation in the body and on the skin caused by the environment and your food choices, and also strengthens the skin’s barrier by keeping it moisturized. Women with acne, eczema, rosacea, and psoriasis should become friends with Omega-3 ASAP.

How to add more Omega-3 to your meals
Add 1-2 tablespoon of chia seeds or ground flaxseed to your morning oats.
Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of hemp seeds over a salad for extra protein and Omega-3.
Choose omega-3 enriched eggs.
Eat a palm-sized portion of wild-caught salmon twice a week (fresh, frozen, or canned).
Zinc
Just like Vitamin A, Zinc is a multi-tasker. Unfortunately, she’s often forgotten from people’s diets. But once they find out how great she is, they’ll be sprinkling her all over the place.
Zinc contributes to the production of collagen (remember, this helps keep your skin firm and supple) and aids in skin healing. She’s especially good for people struggling with acne as she helps regulate oil production (which can contribute to clogged pores), fights inflammation, and reduces redness.

How to add more Zinc to your meals
- Add 1 tablespoon of chia seeds to your overnight oats, or to your bottle of water.
- Munch on 1/3 cup of roasted chickpeas as a snack or add it to your salad for extra crunch (so much better than those stale croutons).
What day filled with skin-loving foods looks like:
Breakfast: Overnight oats topped with chia seeds, hemp seeds, blueberries, and pumpkin seeds
Lunch: Salad made with spinach, pumpkin seeds, chickpeas, bell peppers, tomatoes, avocado, hemp seeds, and quinoa. Drizzle with olive oil and lemon juice. Add omega-3 enriched eggs or smoked salmon if you eat meat.
Mid-day snack: ¼ cup of almonds and ½ cup of strawberries
Dinner: Wild-caught salmon with roasted sweet potatoes and Brussel sprouts.

Tip: bring one of these skin-loving meals at your next pot-luck party, and impress all your beauty-obsessed girlfriends by naming the benefits of each item. Or simply share this article with them.
Bon appétit and bon glow!
Jules xo
Note: Article originally published in Beautiesandco.com
Pictures from Unsplash.com
April 27, 2020
The effects of sugar on your skin
As a Holistic Skin and Health Coach, I usually get asked a variation of the following questions:
Which foods do I need to eat to have clear skin? (click here to see my answers)
Which foods do I need to avoid to stop breaking out? (usually asked in a tone of despair)
If the last question is on your mind, fret not my friend, because I’ve got you covered.
In this post, I’ll explain to you how cutting down on sugar can help you clear your skin and get your inner glow back.

The types of sugar to cut down on
First off, let’s be clear on something.
I’m not saying you should cut ALL sources of sugar. (You can breathe a sigh of relief).
Instead, I’m inviting you to be conscious of the sources of sugar you choose, and how much you decide to consume. Because like most things in life, it’s the quality and quantity that counts.

Eat less of these sugar-rich foods:
Refined sugar added to pre-packaged foods, such a white sugar, fructose, corn syrups, high fructose corn syrup, and other chemical names referring to the sweet stuff. Just Google “names for sugar”, and you’ll find that sugar has many disguises.
Carbohydrates (also known as “carbs”) are a source of sugar because once they are digested, the body breaks them down into “glucose”, a type a sugar your body can use for fuel.
While carbs have gotten an overall bad reputation in the last few years (looking at you Atkins and Keto), not all carbs are created equal.
You’ll want to eat less of the “manufactured” or “refined” carbs that are found in white bread, pizza crusts, pasta, cookies, Fruit Loops and the neon Pop-Tarts of our 90’s childhood. Not only are they devoid of nutrients or fiber, but they also release higher amounts of sugar into your body than “whole-food” carbs do.
Examples of whole-food carbs you want to include in your diet are quinoa, wild rice, sweet potatoes, beans, and fruits.
Honey, maple syrup, pureed dates, and other natural sweeteners added to food. Even if it’s “natural” and better quality than “refined” sugar, you’ll want to mindful of how much you’re consuming in a day.
Instead, get most of your sugar from:
Whole fruits (1-2 portions a day. Avoid juices or purées.)
Whole-food carbohydrates (About 1/2 to 1 cup per meal)

Sugar Face: what excess sugar is doing to your skin
Dr. Nigma Talib, a naturopath who works with celebrities, has popularized the term “Sugar Face” to describe the effects that excess sugar has on the skin.
Supposedly, she can look at someone’s face and determine if they have a sweet tooth by the appearance and the location of their blemishes and wrinkles. (Interesting skill to have!)
Which leaves us with this question: What signs does excess sugar leave on your face?

Sugar and pre-mature aging:
When we eat a diet high in natural and artificial sugars, the excess sugar molecules that our body doesn’t require for fuel can attach themselves to collagen and elastin.
If you recall from my last article, these bad boys are protein structures involved in keeping your skin supple, strong and basically looking like a super-star.
When sugar attaches itself to collagen and elastin, it prevents them from doing their job correctly. (Kind of like that chatty co-worker who won’t let you concentrate on that report due in an hour).
The result of sub-par collagen and elastic productivity: wrinkles and sagging skin. Yikes!
The process of sugar attaching to protein is called advanced glycation end products. And coincidentally, as if nature was trying to give us a sign, the acronym for this process is AGE.
Therefore, it’s fitting to say that excess sugar causes you to AGE!

Sugar and acne:
A meal high in sugar and refined carbohydrates (bread, pasta, flour-based foods) leads to a high level of sugar in the blood once the food is digested.
This sudden increase in sugar sends a signal to your body to produce a hormone called insulin, whose role is to mop up the excess sugar in the blood and bring it to cells who needs it for fuel.
Once the sugar level in the blood is back to normal, insulin production goes down until your next meal.
Your body’s smart and can handle the occasional Sunday 3-stories pancake brunch. However, if you consume frequent meals high in sugar and refined carbs, this could lead to constant high levels of insulin.
Why this is bad news for your lovely face: Constant high levels of insulin will increase your production of testosterone and androgens (often coined the “male hormones”), which then sends a signal to your skin to produce more oil. The end result: higher risk of clogged pores, blackheads, and breakouts.
How do you cut down on sugar?
Now that you understand the effects of sugar on your skin (and have decided that you never want to be called a Sugar Face), let’s focus on some practical strategies to reduce your sugar intake.
Cut down on obvious sources of sugar:
If you add 1 pack of sugar to your coffee, try adding ½ pack for 2 weeks, and then cut it out completely.
Drizzle melted almond butter on pancakes instead of maple syrup.
If you usually drink sodas, experiment with sparkling water like Perrier or Bubbly and add your own slices of lemon or cucumber for flavor.
Share a dessert with someone instead of eating an entire portion by yourself.
While choosing the “diet” version of sodas is a way to decrease sugar intake, artificial sweeteners can affect your gut health, which is closely tied to your skin health. We’ll explore this topic in a future Eat Beautifully article. For now, swap for sparkling water.
Beware of “hidden sugars”. Many packaged foods contained added sugars. Examples of this are flavored yogurts, nut butters, salad dressing, sauces, cereals, and granola bars. Don’t be fooled by the “healthy” looking packaging. Become familiar with the different names sugar is concealed as (ex. brown rice syrup, fructose, dextrose, sucrose) and read your labels.
Swap the above for “zero-added sugar” alternatives or make your own. Buy plain yogurt and add your own fruit to it, choose natural unsweetened nut butter, make your own salad dressing, etc.
When buying pre-packaged foods with added sugar, choose brands containing under 5g of sugar per serving.
If you enjoy pasta or white rice, limit it to ¼ of your plate. Add ½ plate of green vegetables, and ¼ plate of protein to complete your meal.
Switch white rice with “cauliflower” rice (found in the frozen vegetable section), quinoa or wild rice.
Replace regular pasta and noodles with zucchini noodles or spaghetti squash.
On a final note, remember that it’s EXCESS and REGULAR intake of sugar and refined carbs that cause problems. One slice of pizza won’t ruin everything, just as having one salad won’t magically transform your skin.

How to implement these tips
While the allure of clear skin may tempt you into implementing all these strategies at once, experience has shown me that drastic dietary changes usually leave people feeling overwhelmed and saying “Screw it” by the end of the week.
Instead, I suggest you try out ONE strategy this week. Start with the one that seems easiest to you. When you’re ready, add a new strategy for another 7 days.
Slow and steady wins the (skin) race.
Jules xo
Note: Article originally published in Beautiesandco.com
Pictures from Unsplash.com
April 27, 2020
Why the Glycemic Index and Load is important for blood sugar control
Glycemic this and glycemic that. Does it matter?
You’ll notice that they both begin with “glycemic.” That’s one tip that they have to do with sugars and carbs. Not only how much sugar is in foods, but more importantly, how it affects your blood sugar levels.
In general, diets that are high on the glycemic index (GI) and high in glycemic load (GL), tend to increase the risk of diabetes and heart disease. They also contribute to skin problems like acne, eczema, and psoriasis.
FUN FACT: Starches like those in potatoes and grains are digested into sugar; this is because starch is just a bunch of sugars linked together. Digestive enzymes break those bonds so that the sugars become free. Then those sugars affect your body the same way that eating sugary foods do.

Glycemic Index (“how fast”)
The most common of the two terms is “glycemic index” (GI).
As the name suggests, it “indexes” (or compares) the effect that different foods have on your blood sugar level. Then each food is given a score from 0 (no effect on blood sugar) to 100 (big effect on blood sugar). Foods that cause a fast increase in blood sugar have a high GI. That is because the sugar in them is quickly processed by your digestive system and absorbed into your blood. They cause a “spike” in your blood sugar.
So, you can probably guess that pure glucose is given a GI rating of 100. On the other hand, chickpeas are right down there at a GI of 10.
Regarding GI: low is anything under 55; moderate is 56-69, and 70+ is considered a high GI food.
Remember, this is a measure of how fast a carbohydrate containing food is digested and raised your blood sugar. It’s not a measure of the sugar content of the food.
How the carbohydrates in food affect your blood sugar level depend on other components of the food. Things like fiber and protein can slow the release of sugar into the bloodstream, and this can make even a high-sugar food, low on the GI scale.
So, lower GI foods are better at keeping your blood sugar levels stable because they don’t increase your blood sugar level as fast.
FUN FACT: Can you guess which food has a GI of higher than 100? (Think of something super-starchy) White potatoes! They have a GI of 111.

Glycemic Load (“how much”)
The glycemic load is different.
Glycemic load (GL) doesn’t take into account how quickly your blood sugar “spikes”, but it looks at how high that spike is. Basically, how much the food increases your blood sugar.
GL depends on two things. First, how much sugar is actually in the food. Second, how much of the food is typically eaten.
Low GL would be 0-10, moderate GL would be 10-20, and high GL would 20+.

Example of GL and GI
So, let’s compare average (120 g) servings of bananas and oranges:
Food GI Serving size (g) GL per serving
Banana, average 48 120 11
Oranges, average 45 120 5
Excerpt from: Harvard Health Publications, Glycemic index and glycemic load for 100+ foods
As you can see, the banana and orange have almost the same glycemic index.; this means they both raise your blood sugar in about the same amount of time.
But, the average banana raises the blood sugar twice as high (11) as the orange does (5). So, it contains more overall sugar than the same amount (120 g) of orange.
Of course, this is all relative. A GL of 11 is not high at all. Please keep eating whole fruits. :)
If you want to know the glycemic load of your favorite foods, click here.

What does this all mean for your health?
Certain people should be aware of the effects that foods have on their blood sugar. People who have diabetes, pre-diabetes, PCOS, and other conditions linked to insulin resistance need to be aware of the glycemic index and glycemic load of foods they are eating regularly.
The GI and GL are just two factors to consider when it eating a balanced diet. Some high GI foods are pretty good for you but if you want to reduce the impact on your blood sugar, have them with a high-fiber or high-protein food.

Conclusion
If you have blood sugar imbalances or insulin resistance, you should be aware of the GI and GL of your food. You can database like this one to get this information or work with a coach to help you figure this out.
If you are at risk of diabetes or heart disease, you might try swapping out some higher GI/GL foods and replacing with lower GI/GL foods.
Oh, and try this low GI recipe I have for you.

Recipe (low GI): Mediterranean Salad
Serves 2
Ingredients
- 1 cucumber, chopped
- ½ cup chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- ½ cup black olives
- ¼ red onion, diced
- ½ cup cherry tomatoes, halved
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp garlic
- 1 tsp basil
- ½ tsp oregano
- 1 dash sea salt
- 1 dash black pepper
Directions:
- Place first five ingredients together in a bowl.
- Add remaining ingredients to a jar (to make the dressing) with a tight-fitting lid and shake vigorously.
- Add dressing to salad and gently toss.
- Serve & enjoy!
- Tip: Add chopped avocado for even more fiber and healthy fat.
Enjoy!
Jules xo

References:
http://www.health.harvard.edu/diseases-and-conditions/glycemic_index_and_glycemic_load_for_100_foods
http://lpi.oregonstate.edu/mic/food-beverages/glycemic-index-glycemic-load
April 23, 2019
5 ways to cut down on sugar
It’s undeniable that cutting down on sugar plays an important role in improving your diet, building a healthy lifestyle, heal your skin, and preventing chronic diseases like diabetes.
But like many things in life that are worth doing, reducing sugar is easier said than done!
When I first started paying attention to what I ate, I realized that sugar was added to almost every packaged food item. I was even surprised to see it in foods sold at the “health” stores…
I quickly understood that avoiding sugar was going to be trickier than I thought, and that it was up to me to educate myself and come up with a plan to reduce my intake, which I’ll share below.
So if you’re looking for ways to cut down on sugar, here are the 5 strategies that have worked for me and my clients.
1. Read food labels and watch out for hidden sugar
When I first started paying attention to what I ate, I was reading the food labels and searching for the word “sugar” in the ingredients. When I didn’t find it, I would feel so proud that I was purchasing something that was “sugar-free”.
Little did I know that sugar has many nicknames!
Just because you don’t see the word “sugar” in the ingredient label doesn’t mean there’s none added. Sugar is available under several different forms, and it’s unfortunately up to us the consumer to know this. Below is a list of natural and artificial sugars.
Natural Sugars:
- Honey
- Coconut or palm sugar/sweetener
- Pure maple syrup
- Molasses
- Barley malt syrup
- Brown rice syrup
- Fruit puree/concentrate
- Evaporated cane juice
- Organic cane sugar, brown sugar, raw sugar, turbinado sugar
Artificial sweeteners:
- Aspartame
- Sucralose
- Splenda
- White sugar
- Corn syrup
- High-fructose corn syrup
- Fructose, glucose, sucrose, dextrose
- Maltodextrin, mannitol
- Sorbitol, sorghum, xylitol
My suggestion is to first cut out all artificial sweeteners from the products you buy. Unlike the natural sugars, they offer zero nutrients and the long-term effects on your health are often unknown.
While natural sugar is a better choice than man-man sweeteners, it still raises your blood sugar and can lead to long-term insulin resistance. If you do purchase an item with natural sugars in the ingredient list, make sure it doesn’t belong in the first 3 ingredients listed on the label.
Since ingredients are listed in order of the most predominant to the least, you don’t want sugar to be a main ingredient you’re eating!
Now that you know the different names of sugar, in what foods is it added to?
If you think it’s exclusively added to “sweet” foods, think again! Added sugar can be hidden in many savory foods. Examples of this are tomato sauces, ketchup, pesto and soups.
The first time I paid attention to the ingredient labels, I was shocked to see sugar added to my spaghetti sauce. Sure, I was expecting sugar in my Nutella, but not in my “dinner” items!
Also, don’t fall in the same trap as I did by thinking that foods purchased in a health store should have no added sugar. Pick up granola bar, and there’s a 1 chance on 2 that it contains brown rice syrup, evaporated cane juice or palm sugar. Gluten-free items are also often full of added sugar.
1. Ditch the sugar-filled drinks
The following tip comes from my husband: swap your sodas for flavored sparkling water.
He was a big Coca-cola drinker, and reducing his intake was tough for him. But the thought of drinking 35g of sugar (that’s 7 teaspoons!) per can didn’t sit well with him anymore. –
Since he loved the fizziness of sodas, he decided one day to try flavored sparkling water. While the taste obviously wasn’t the same, the fizziness of the sparkling water gave him a similar “kick” that the soda provided him with. While it took him some time, he got used to drinking sparkling water and now barely touches soda pops.
Unfortunately, sodas aren’t the only sugar-filled drinks on the market. You should also be careful about energy drinks, sport drinks and fruit juices.
So what CAN you drink?
Here’s a ground-breaking answer: water.
Okay, you may be rolling your eyes at me, but seriously. Water is the best way to hydrate yourself.
And if you don’t like the taste of water, here are some ways to jazz it up without adding sugar to the mix. Just add to your water:
- Slices of lemon & ginger
- Slices of strawberries & orange
- Slices of apple & a cinnamon stick
- Chopped pineapple & mango
- Blueberries & raspberries
Tip: You can buy a bag (or several bags) of frozen chopped fruit and throw those into your cup, thermos, or uber-cool mason jar in the morning. You’ll save time because they’re already washed and cut. Plus, it will help keep your water colder longer.
1. Add only half the sugar you normally use
Back in university, I remember a friend offering to buy me a cup of coffee. He asked me what I wanted in it, and I told him 2 packs of sugar.
He joked that I wanted the “diabetic combo”.
While I knew he was kidding, it made me realize that maybe adding 2 packs was a bit of an over kill.
If you have the same habit as I did, consider adding only 1 pack of sugar the next time you have a coffee. You can do this for a week or two, and then decrease that amount by half again until you cut it out completely.
Here are other ways of cutting down on added sugar:
- If you usually pour maple syrup on your pancakes, drizzle melted nut butter (that contain no added sugar) on top. Peanut and almond butter have a natural sweetness to them and provide that rich texture that will leave you feeling super satisfied. Plus, it contains healthy fats and proteins that will keep you full and prevent sugar cravings.
- When baking, cut the sugar in the recipe by 1/3 or half. Often, you won’t even notice the difference. You can also experiment with adding cinnamon, nutmeg, or other flavorful spices. Vanilla and almond extract is also a great choice to enhance the flavor of your recipe.
1. Flavor it yourself
Referring to my husband again, flavored yogurt was one of the first thing I swapped for him when he asked me to clean up his diet.
Why, you ask?
Depending on the brand you buy, some flavored yogurts can contain up to 36 grams of sugar per portion! Considering that the American Heart Association recommends a daily limit of 25 g from women and 36 g for men, that little cup of yogurt is not contributing to your plans of healthy eating.
Instead, chose natural yogurt, which usually contain no added sugar, and add fresh, frozen or dried fruit.
Other food items that you can flavor yourself are oatmeal and cereal. Just buy the plain variety and jazz it up yourself!
1. Do it gradually
Going cold turkey on sugar isn’t realistic for most people.
From what I see, when people suddenly cut out ALL sources of added sugar, they hate how food tastes, have major cravings and end up with headaches, which is a common withdrawal symptom.
No wonder they only last 2-3 days!
Feeling defeated, they say they can’t do it, and just go back to their usual way of eating.
How about we just skip this drama, and decide to GRADUALLY cut down on sugar.
You can do this by committing to ONE of the above strategies for a week or two. Once you get a hang of that strategy, add a new one to your list.
For example:
- Week 1: Add 1 pack of sugar to your coffee instead of 2
- Week 2: Add ½ pack of sugar to your coffee
- Week 3: Add 0 pack of sugar to your coffee
- Week 4: Replace the strawberry flavored energy drink by strawberry-infused water.
- Week 5: Mix half of your flavored yogurt with half of plain yogurt.
- Week 6: Just eat plain yogurt and add fruit
- Week 7: Check your pantry for all the items that contain added sugar
- Etc.
See how it doesn’t have to be done all at one time?
Doesn’t it feel much more manageable?
Now it’s your turn to come up with a plan! How are you going to cut down on sugar over the next 4 weeks? To increase your chances of success over the long-term, chose to change one thing per week.

Recap
There you have it! My 5 tips to cut down on sugar when you’re just starting out.
- Read your food labels and become familiar with sugar’s various names
- Replace sugar-filled drinks with flavored water
- Add half the sugar you normally use
- Buy the plain version and flavor it yourself
- Cut down on sugar gradually
If you want more tips on how to reduce your sugar intake, come join my Naturally Sweet Challenge! It’s a free challenge designed to help women with prediabetes and Type 2 diabetes reduce their sugar cravings and daily intake, without giving up on delicious food. Click here for more information.

Warmly,
Jules
December 22, 2018