The food we eat and the liquids we drink have many effects on our health and wellbeing. That is why doctors recommend eating specific food to help in the treatment of a specific illness or disease. Eating healthy food is also an effective measure to protect the body and strengthen the immune system. Many doctors and specialists start with giving advice and recommendations on what and how to eat for their patients no matter what they are suffering from. Nutrition is one of the vital elements for humans. What we consume and provide our bodies with will highly determine how healthy we are and how healthy we can be. In this context, food can contribute to a better and stronger body as much as it can make it fragile and unhealthy. Psoriasis isn’t any different from the rest of the diseases when it comes to food and the influence it has on the development of the chronic disease. In this article we will explore the most suitable diets for those who are suffering from psoriasis. We will give you the food that has a good effect on psoriasis and the food that is not recommended for psoriasis patients.

Psoriasis Food Triggers

Research and proof on psoriasis food triggers are limited. However, we can still determine which food is suitable for those fighting psoriasis and which is not especially that it is proven that losing weight and being in shape highly helps in fighting psoriasis. Being in a healthy body shape decreases the intensity of psoriasis symptoms and helps in treating and curing it. In this part we will focus on what doctors perceive as psoriasis triggers.

Allergies can play a major role in the development of psoriasis and inflammation. The link between psoriasis and allergies hasn’t been fully established. However, allergies affect the immune system and can lead to complications that may turn to become an advanced case of psoriasis. The chronic disease isn’t proven to be an allergic reaction. Researchers have determined that people with inflammatory mast cells are more likely to develop psoriasis. These cells are responsible for the allergic reactions such as; burning, itching, and redness.

Alcohol is another trigger for psoriasis. It hasn’t been proven and explained even though doctors and researchers affirm that psoriasis and the liver condition are highly interrelated. Heavy drinking harms the liver and therefore may contribute to the development of psoriasis flares. Heavy drinkers don’t respond to most psoriasis treatments as alcohol contains substances that affect the medications prescribed for psoriasis patients. It is why alcohol is completely prohibited for patients with advanced conditions. Doctors and specialists advise against alcohol. All people should keep their drinking habits under control. Addictive drinking can lead some vital organs to stop working.

Smoking is another habit that harms the entire body and environment. Smoking has been linked to how advanced a psoriasis case gets. Psoriasis patients who smoked developed more flares and their condition got worse than those who didn’t smoke. Patients who are serious about fighting psoriasis should fight their smoking addiction too. It is always recommended to ask your doctor about what you can and can’t do as you go through the treatment. Your doctor will highly contribute to establishing a healthy lifestyle with healthy habits. Not only that, your doctor will certainly assist you to fight the negative habits that will not help in your treatment such as drinking and smoking.

The addictive habits that some people choose to live by are not the only psoriasis triggers. There are some meals that can highly contribute to psoriasis outbreaks. We will start with fried food. For many people fried food is a strong addiction, just like smoking and drinking. Fried food is not only bad for psoriasis. It is known for causing many skin conditions and other health complications. Fried food is not recommended for psoriasis patients because it triggers inflammation. Let’s move from fried meals to the sweet sugar. Refined sugar is highly advised against for psoriasis patients. A high intake of sugar will not only promote inflammation within the body, it will also increase weight. As we mentioned in the beginning of this article, being overweight will not help psoriasis patients in their treatment. It makes the treatment harder and more complicated and it also makes the psoriasis outbreaks more severe.

People who suffer from overweight have a higher chance of developing psoriasis. This is where our diet plays a major role in protecting our health and easing the treatments we take. The first and most important habit we can develop in our diets is to always aim for the healthy food. I mean when selecting what food to consume, we should take into consideration how it will affect our shape and weight. So if you are in a good shape, try to keep it this way and protect yourself from changes that will affect your wellbeing. If you are overweight, you should be serious about weight loss plans. Having your weight under control will highly protect you from many diseases and complications.

In the first part of this article, we tackled the habits and food that are not recommended for psoriasis patients. In the next part, we will explore the recommended food and diet for psoriasis patients.

The Suitable Diet for Psoriasis

The first thing we will start with, in shaping the most suitable diet for psoriasis, is exploring the most suitable diet vis-à-vis weight loss. Being in a healthy shape highly contributes to the prevention of psoriasis and that’s where we want to start. So if you are reading this and you want to protect yourself from psoriasis, we will state what you should and should not eat.

In determining the most suitable weight for you, you need to calculate your BMI (Body Mass Index). A body mass index is derived from your weight and height. Through BMI you will learn what exact weight is suitable for your height. You can calculate your BMI online as there are many calculators available. You can also ask your doctor or nutrition specialist and they will explain the importance of BMI in tracking your weight and determining how healthy it is.

Losing weight is a very simple process that requires hard work and a very strong determination. To lose weight, you just need to burn more calories than you consume meaning that you need to make more effort and less food consumption. The weight loss process does not revolve around how much you eat. In fact, it is more about what you eat.

Dr. Pagano Diet For Psoriasis

Dr. John Pagano published a book entitled “Healing Psoriasis – The Alternative Treatment”. The book explored that suitable diet and lifestyle for those attempting to recover from psoriasis. Dr. Pagano proposed a 3 D’s lifestyle. The first D stands for Detoxification. It is the process through which our body cleans itself from all toxins. We can contribute to a more effective detoxification within our bodies by following a healthy lifestyle. Protecting our livers and kidneys will make the detoxification process smoother. The second D in the approach stands for Diet. Dr. Pagano proposed that diets that are suitable for psoriasis patients should never contain food that is hard to digest, food that may be inflammatory, and food that may cause allergic reactions. The third and final D in the approach stands for Determination. Dr. Pagano believed that determination is very important in the psoriasis healing process. He demonstrated that determined patients tend to recover faster than other patients.

The Pagano treatment regimen shaped a diet that contains all the meals that psoriasis patients should consume. It also tackled the food that people suffering from the disease should avoid. The meals and drinks that Pagano eliminated from the diet of a psoriasis fighter are; red meat and some dark colored fish. Coffee, soda, and sweets containing high amounts of sugar are eliminated too. Alcoholic drinks and tobacco are highly prohibited. The diet also states that overeating and all the unhealthy eating habits have to be eliminated.

The meals that are encouraged according to Pagano’s diet include colored fruits and vegetables as they are considered cleansers and builders. You should know that not all fruits and vegetables are recommended for psoriasis patients. The consumption of nightshades such as tomato, white potato, pepper, paprika, and eggplant is highly discouraged for psoriasis treatment. The fruits and vegetables that are highly recommended by Dr. Pagano are the green vegetables and fresh fruits. Carrot and celery juice are recommended every day. It is also very beneficial to cook with olive oil according to the book. When it comes to liquids, eating water is highly recommended. On the other hand, psoriasis patients have to get accustomed to reducing stimulants such as caffeine and alcohol.

General Diet Recommendations For Psoriasis Treatment

Always keep in mind that the diet that suits psoriasis and contributes to losing weight and keeping your body in shape should include fruits and vegetables with fat-free or low-fat meals and products. You need to consume lean meat, fish and eggs and avoid saturated fat and refined sugar. The process requires developing healthy habits in order to be more consistent with the weight loss plan. It can be very beneficial to ask the opinion of a nutritionist and take some analysis first.

Healthy eating habits include eating only when you are truly hunger and not resolving to food when you are bored or stressed. What you eat should be decided according to plan set by you and your doctor or nutrition specialist. You still can make some online research on what is suitable for you or not. Never skip breakfast and always try to stay hydrated because skipping breakfast will make you hungry throughout the morning and when your body lacks liquids you will mistake thirst for hunger.

When it comes to psoriasis diets, your first and most important thing to keep in mind is the necessity to follow an anti-inflammatory diet. Psoriasis is an inflammatory disease and having no inflammatory substances in your diet will highly contribute to reducing the symptoms of the disease and preventing its development. So make your diet richer in fresh fruits and vegetables, olive oil, and sources of omega-3 acids. Fish and seafood is highly recommended as fish oils reduce inflammation and help in developing a stronger immune system. You should also include lean meats in your diet. Increase your consumption of white-meat chicken or turkey and reduce red-meat in your diet.

Psoriasis is a very challenging disease that requires a lot of attention and care for our skin, diet, and hygiene. There are many rules and guidelines you have to follow with your lifestyle in order to avoid psoriasis and many other diseases.