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Psoriasis can be a randomly appearing disease which can flare up because of certain trigger factors. It might even be hereditary. As a result, scale-like patches grow on the skin. These extra skin cells bring with them certain other symptoms as well. These symptoms entail itching and inflammation. There are treatments for this disease: both modern and home-based. However, what you eat in your daily routine has a more drastic effect on this disease that you might realise. Certain foods can relieve you of some if not all of its symptoms. While other foods can escalate the symptoms to a much more aesthetically unpleasing and painful levels, therefore, you should be aware of Psoriasis Diet: Good and Bad options. The doctors and the remedies will do their job, but you would have to do your part as well.
Psoriasis Diet- The Food Factor
Needless to say, what you put in your body has more to do with taste, rather than nutrition. As a result of that, you can expect a veritable smorgasbord of sickness. However, when you have a visible disorder like psoriasis, you have to be extremely cautious about your eating habits. The traditional and home-based treatments of psoriasis can only be effective if your eating habits are proper. If you are eating wrong, but still partaking in effective treatment, the effectiveness might decelerate. On the other side of this spectrum, if you are eating what you should be, the effectiveness of the treatments might accelerate. Therefore, the food factor plays the most significant role in psoriasis’s treatment.
Through the next phase of this article, we are going to be looking into two kinds of foods. The first kind would entail foods that you should certainly avoid, for they can escalate the symptoms. As for the second kind of food, you can call them treatment accelerants, for they can relieve you of your symptoms at a much faster pace.
Food Options which are Bad for Psoriasis Patients
When talking about the bad food options for a psoriatic individual, these are the ones that escalate the inflammation condition. If you are trying to prevent psoriasis from aggravating, you should stay away from the following foods:
- Alcoholic beverages: When the symptoms of psoriasis are eerily visible to you, you might feel like knocking a few cold ones. If you are thinking about it, stop! Alcohol is one of the major trigger factors of psoriasis. If you are drinking after you are psoriatic, then the chances of symptom escalation are high. There are no exceptions to this rule. To that end, even if you are a light drinker, you should abstain from even consuming light beers as well.
- Fast foods or junk foods that have trans fats: The reason that junk foods feel tasty too so many of us is because of that trans-fat. Furthermore, the highly processes sugar and starch in these foods contribute to making them delectable as well. That being said, all of these ingredients are an inflammation agent. While there is a chance that moderate consumption might not do you any harm, we would still recommend against it. Psoriasis can be unpredictable. Therefore, it is better if you don’t take any unnecessary chances with junk food.
- Dairy products: Dairy products are foods that have two facets. On one end, they can entail some of the healthiest products that provide you protein. On the other end, if you are psoriatic, you should know that they contain inflammatory acids. No matter what form of dairy product you are taking and regardless of how much dairy is in the food, they can be harmful to
- Saturated fats: Much like trans-fats, saturated fats are also found in junk foods. However, they are also found in dairy products and breakfast products as well. They are also inflammatory. If you have psoriasis or symptoms of psoriatic arthritis, you should stay away from such foods. Psoriatic Arthritis diet is similar to that of psoriasis because of inflammation part.
- Acidic triggers: Psoriasis is a disorder that happens to flare up due to certain triggers. The most prominent among these triggers are the acidic triggers. Caffeine, sugar, white flour, red meat, and noodles can act as an Acidic catalyst that can trigger psoriasis. Well, as for noodles, MSG is the one responsible for the triggers.
- Ketchup: if you are going to look into the ingredients of ketchup on the side of its container, you are going to find names like tomato, sugar, cinnamon, vinegar, Corn syrup, spice and others. You should know that most of the products that we have listed here are all inflammatory agents. Therefore, stay away from ketchup as well.
- Nightshade vegetables: Nightshades refer to one of the economic class of flowering plants and foods. Most of the members of this family of plants entail chemicals like alkaloids and lectins. Both of these chemicals have been known to cause inflammation. Furthermore, many of the members of the nightshade family of flowers entail solanine. This particular chemical can trigger intense pain.
- Eggs: Eggs, although high in protein, are also high in trans-fat. If you have gone through the previous points of this section, then you already know that trans fats are inflammatory. Therefore, a psoriatic should avoid eggs too.
Now that we are done with the bad food options, it is time that we look into the good ones.
The good food options
You can think of the following food options to be an antithesis of the above, for these are full of anti-inflammatory agents that can help with psoriasis.
- Fish and Seafood: Containing a large volume of omega three fatty acids, fish such as salmon, Mackerel, albacore tuna, sardines, can relieve you from inflammation. Furthermore, in addition to being an anti-inflammatory agent, fish oil also helps to increase the effectiveness of the immune. Include fish in your diet twice a week, and you can be relieved of some of the psoriatic symptoms.
- Carrots and Squash: According to a Pittsburg based dietician, Mangeiri, a diet that is high in fruits and vegetables is a diet full of inflammatory agents.There are specific vegetables like carrots squash, sweet potatoes, spinach and broccoli that can help a lot with psoriatic inflammation.
- Whole Grains: Whole grain, in addition to being high in fibre, also contain a lot of anti-inflammation properties in addition to being an antioxidant. Both of these properties combined help with regulating the blood sugar in the body. Some researches have established a link between better control of blood sugar and lower inflammation. Therefore, eat foods like pasta, and cereals that are made out of whole grains.
- Lean meats: If you happen to be an omnivore with your inclination more towards meats rather than vegetables, then you should exclusively eat lean meats. Such meat portions have good protein content. Additionally, there has been some evidence, anecdotal as the may be, that cutting down red meat helps with inflammation. Stick to protein cuts, rather than fatty cuts.
- Avocados: Avocados contain polyunsaturated fats. While they still pack quite a few calories, they are a good alternative to trans fats. Other foods with polyunsaturated fats are nuts, vegetable oil and soy. While not anti-inflammatory, they can act as an alternative if you want that fatty taste in your diet.
- Almonds: Nuts like cashew and almonds entail polyunsaturated fats similar to avocados. In addition to being non-damaging to the body in lower quantities, when eaten in the overnight water-soaked form, they can be pretty appetising in addition to being healthy.
- Blueberries: In addition to filled to the brim with vitamin C, blueberries also contain a lot of fibre, manganese, and unsurprisingly, anti-inflammatory properties. Additionally, they are quite delectable as well. Use blueberries and nuts as a breakfast diet. Both of these combined are quite filling and can reduce inflammation. Two birds with a single diet, you might say.
If you get the gist of the entire matter that has been established in the above two points, the goal for you is to eat a healthy and rich diet. As you might have noted in the bad list, the bad diet almost entails every possible food that almost all in the dieting community count as unhealthy. As for the good options, they might not be as delectable, but they are a better alternative to the consequences of the bad options.
Psoriasis is a pretty common condition that can have uncommon reasons to flare up. As food constitutes almost half of the reason for your existence, you need to ensure that what you are eating elevates your health, not puts it down. The bad options mentioned here, in certain conditions are good for your health. However, when you are psoriatic, your attention to every detail of your body is what is going to make a difference in your condition. The good options that have been presented here are not bad either. Yes, they might not taste as delectable, but they can ensure that your psoriatic symptoms can be lowered to a certain degree.
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