I had a bad breakout last month.
I tend to have clear skin, except for one or two teeny zits during PMS, but apart from that, relatively clear skin.
Until last month, little red bumps that looked liked acne started popping up all over the face (horrors!). I had a tough time looking at myself in the mirror (yes, I am vain like that), and even a tougher time telling myself never to pick on those zits.
Maybe it was the hormones that went berserk last month, or stress, but I decided that I should do something about my diet and see if it improved things. So I gave myself a challenge, to start with breakfast.
My breakfast used to look like that :
The most, after a weekend of over-eating, I would have a guilt-free detox breakfast like that (but over-compensate it during lunch)
So, I tried to improve my breakfast, by eating mom’s freshly baked Hot Cross Buns during breakfast and some fruits.
Then I figured I should try to reduce process foods out of my diet, stopped buying Betty Crocker’s quick mix pancakes. Made some changes to a recipe that I found online, and started making my own pancakes.
Here’s some home-made pancakes on a healthier day with yogurt and nuts. I still allow myself some maple syrup and fruit compote over the pancakes some mornings.
Breakfast got a bit healthier, when I discovered Wafu sauce, a Japanese Soy Sauce and Sesame dressing from the supermarket. That sauce makes any type of fresh vegetables taste better.
And I discovered that cream cheese on bread with cherry tomatoes actually tasted quite good.
And experimented with some Bento-style arrangements by using cookie cutters on leftover pancakes from K. Don’t try bolled Lotus in your salad though, it might look quite interesting on the plate, but tasted quite vile with Wafu dressing.
I still can’t do without tea or decaffeinated coffee every breakfast though, and a spot of butter on my toast.
And started to make that consistent effort to have a good balance of fruits and fresh veggies every breakfast. Even K was convinced that Mommy’s breakfast looked alot more interesting than his, and starting sharing my breakfast on some mornings 
It was when I started adding a fresh salad and a mix of fruits, the process of setting up breakfast every morning got a lot more fun. I started trying different combinations of fruits, different spreads for my toast (I still can’t cut out white bread from my diet, as I am not a fan of whole-meal).
And the result after a month?
My skin is now clear. Only with a teeny little zit during PMS recently, and I am feeling alot more energetic through the day.
Do give this healthy breakfast challenge a try, or try adding more fresh fruits and vegetables into a meal daily. I am quite sure you will start feeling the difference to your skin and energy levels after a few weeks.
Do share what does your regular breakfast consists of?
Your breakfast photos are gorgeous
I get my inspiration from here: http://simplybreakfast.blogspot.com/, modifying various ingredients to suit my dietary requirements, of course. The pretty photos help!
Rachel Reply:
May 16th, 2012 at 10:32 am
Hehe..coming from an expert at cooking
My food is really simple, it comes down to plating, colors and arrangement. But I do agree that making it look good on the plate, really makes the food taste alot better 
Your breakfast pictures sure look really yummy. I’m trying to add more fruits into my diet too. I would like to have belgium waffles, pancakes etc for breakfast but it’s quite difficult with the time constrain so it’s mostly cereal and milk with some fruits for breakfast daily.
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Rachel Reply:
May 16th, 2012 at 10:31 am
The ingredients that I used are really very simple, it is the colors from the fruits and vegetables that makes the food alot more interesting. Pancakes are great for weekends when I have more time…but stocking up on fresh veges and fruits really help to get more fibre and vitamins into my diet.
Thanks for sharing, I sure need more motivation to get healthier breakfasts. My ideal is oats with milk and fresh fruits, but that takes time to sit down and enjoy (which I usually don’t have). So I usually end up with a kaya toast set in the office. But you’re right, just that little bit of effort to get fresh fruits and veg into our diet can make a world of difference. Will try and let you know how that goes!
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Rachel Reply:
May 16th, 2012 at 10:28 am
Would love to see u share about the results of your change in diet…it will be worth it, I am sure of it 😉
I’ve been ogling your breakfasts every morning! I’m embarrassed to share mine: Usually nothing, sometimes cereal + instant coffee on a “good” day. Need to work on this!
Rachel Reply:
May 16th, 2012 at 10:26 am
Cereal is a good start if u cannot get any extra time to cook. Do try the fruits and vegetable alternatives, cos alot of time is saved as u can eat them fresh, and cutting out processed food out of your diet at least once a day will make a difference.
your breakfast pictures look so appetising and healthy! i’m ashamed to say i’m one of those who usually end up skipping breakfast cos by the time i finish feeding my girl her breakfast, i’m off rushing off to get things done. and by the time my stomach starts rumbling reminding me i’ve not eaten, it’s almost lunch time so i mix them together.
i should remember to treat myself better.
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Rachel Reply:
May 16th, 2012 at 10:24 am
Definitely must start treating yourself better. But I do agree that it gets challenging to plan for your own breakfast when u have to take care of your girl’s as well. I usually get K’s breakfast ready first, send him off to school then come back to prepare my own.
Rach, lovely photos you have of your breakfast. You know I had very bad complexion too but after being on medication it cleared up alot. But I would also like to think that exercising to detox plus watching my diet has made my skin clear up a lot faster. I’ve decided t call it quits on the meds as I cant get pregnant if I’m eating them plus I really hate the idea of eating meds over the long-term.
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Rachel Reply:
May 16th, 2012 at 10:23 am
Good choice to quit the meds and take a more natural option…I am sure very soon u will have clear glowing skin, keep up the discipline 😉
Wow! So disciplined! I doubt I’ll be as disciplined as you.. My breakfast is just bread and chocolate milk.. haha
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Rachel Reply:
May 15th, 2012 at 6:39 pm
It’s hard to keep up though…but it is like a good habit that we can try to maintain. With the difference in skin and energy levels, the effort is all worth it