Quote from saraleah11 on March 12, 2020, 11:59 am

  This is a bit long, sorry

I started 7/18/19 on low A, and am about  8 months on the diet. I started it after finding Grant's work through the Ray Peat forum. I was having a flare up of a sclerotic skin condition, I was put on Retin 2 months earlier (had been on it on and off for years) A month later I was desperate in pain but did not understand the Retin-A connection, until I read Grants book.  Started the change and haven't looked back.  Had to throw out a LOT of skin care, I was a skin care junkie.

   Waited to post progress until I saw my physician today, to get her opinion, she uses magnification. I felt better but cannot see what she sees.   There is no accurate test for the skin condition I  have, its incurable and progressive. Causes scarring, itching , raw skin.  I last saw her a year ago, before I ever even heard of zero A,  and things were not looking good.  

I did not want to use the powerful steroid she (and other doctors) prescribed, or estrogen, and was pretty hopeless from this condition, having had it 4 years already, she was physician #5.  

Today she she said "Whatever you are doing keep it up, skin looks great." The condition is in remission, no visible sign of any progression and past damage is healing.

 There have been setbacks and improvements in general, detox symptoms some ongoing, but this was much more than I had hoped for.  I am also trying to avoid glyphosate although its hard to do.

I'm going to try Garrett's Smiths basic program to see if it will help as well, for the long term, as I  understand this will be a long road for an ex vegetarian/sometimes vegan who had Retin A for many years. Probably the rest of my life. I'm 63.

 Diet is only low A, low oxalate, 1/2 t ACV in water am, lean beef (11 grams sat fat per serving) or bison, chicken breast, occasional chicken thigh(K2) or tuna, turkey breast. Bone broth. Collagen supplement for the glycine. Brown or white rice. Lentil, chickpea, lima bean celeriac root, small peeled red potato, kohlrabi, onion, sauerkraut. Apples and apple juice, occasional pineapple, grapes, blueberry. Crunchy rice rolls or fat free organic pretzel. I make my own organic white bread once in a while with flax seed. Avoid vegetable oils, PUFA. Coffee, organic sugar, honey, some white chocolate, small amount of coconut oil.

  I was eating oatmeal for a while, I love it  but it was causing setback for me, I think even organic oats are high in glyphosate, same with beans and lentils. Its amazing how I can see the change in my skin after trying certain foods, oats being the most recent culprit, just like Grant wrote about.  I started with 6 foods, added them one at a time.

Bless you all on this forum , and especially Grant and Garrett for sharing your knowledge and stories it has been so very helpful.  I was VERY happy today!