Beans, never something I thought would be the medicine to my cystic acne and hormonal issues. Since going off birth control in 2019 it’s been a rollercoaster trying to balance my hormones, regulate my menstrual cycle and clear my cystic acne. At 30 years old, these were issues I had never dealt with.

Where I heard about The Bean Protocol

With this issue top of mind, I saw a food and wellness blogger I follow on Instagram, Juli Bauer, share her experience trying The Bean Protocol for cystic acne and I was immediately intrigued by her results. I learned a lot through her 3 month and 1 year recap where she broke down how the protocol works, who it works for, and what her journey looked like.

What is The Bean Protocol?

I’ll do my best at giving a high-level explanation of The Bean Protocol but note there are experts out there who have great resources that I will also link to.

Beans contain soluble (and insoluble) fiber, which clings to toxins in the body so you can excrete them and get rid of them. So simply put, you’re adding beans to your diet to excrete unwanted hormones. If you can’t get rid of these hormones in a healthy way (?), your body recycles them and excretes them in undesirable ways, like acne.

What I eat on The Bean Protocol

When deciding to proceed with the Bean Protocol I had to do more than just add beans to my diet. I also removed drinks/food that caused a hormone response. Those included: caffeine, sugar, processed foods, dairy, alcohol, and gluten. It sounds like a lot, I know, but for someone that had a healthy foundation and a desire to fix my issues once and for all, I was committed. I of course left room to be a human in there – I am not perfect, and this has always been a journey. One of the hardest parts at first was to make sure to eat the beans with little to no fat in the meal. This means watching things like oil and dressings. Fat clings to soluble fiber and which means the hormones and toxins can’t cling to the soluble fiber. I usually saved my fat snack for the evening and enjoyed something like nuts or almond butter.

You might be wondering, what CAN you eat on The Bean Protocol? I still enjoy my beverages, dairy, and gluten now and then but for a good 2-3 months I was strict on the above items I could and couldn’t eat and how often I ate beans. Here is what my eating looked like during the few months while I was strict:

• ¼ cup beans 3-6x a day – black beans are the easiest to digest for me so I started there
• Leafy greens, veggies, animal proteins, potatoes, rice, oats
• Healthy fats/fat snack

Some things I found helpful when starting The Bean Protocol

• Batch prep on Sundays. I usually made a bean mixture or two with veggies and animal proteins for easy grab and go.
• Breakfast food can be anything – don’t be tied to your stereotypical breakfast foods
• Do remove caffeine but don’t do it cold turkey – this was rough
• If you’re worried about gas, start slowly with the beans (a tablespoon here and there) and figure out what beans digest best for you.
• If you decide to eat at a friend’s or you’re not home, have a scoop of beans before you leave or when you get home. Or own your journey and BYOB (bring your own beans ?)

What The Bean Protocol has done for me

It’s been almost a year since I started this journey. While I have not always been strict, I have been consistent and found the balance in what works for ME. My cystic acne is gone, and my cycles just started reaching a normal 30 days. I am still working on remaining as strict as possible because what I have found is when I am strict, I reap more benefits. Like, more pain-free cycles, better mood, less anxiety, more energized, and sleep improvement. This can be such a powerful protocol for people beyond acne. I know women have found success in this when trying to get pregnant, have issues like Crohn’s or Diabetes and more.

Additional Resources and where I learned about The Bean Protocol

If you want to learn more about the Bean Protocol, here are the resources I used to educate myself:

• Juli Bauers 3 month recap and 1 year recap
• Episode 83 of the Expanded Podcast with Unique Hammond
• Episode 75 of the Expanded Podcast with Karen Hurd
• Unique Hammond Bean Protocol Ecourse 

Wishing you success in whatever healing journey you are on. Food is such a powerful tool!