Foods to Eat for Rosacea

From LoveToKnow Diet

Foods to eat for rosacea aren't the only foods you need to know about. Just as important are trigger foods that can make your rosacea symptoms worse.

Facts About Rosacea

Rosacea is a skin condition, which affects the face and can be mistaken for acne by the uninformed. The bad news is that there's no cure for rosacea. The good news is that in many cases diet can control or lessen your symptoms.

Symptoms

Symptoms of rosacea aren't always present. Patients can go through periods of remission, however, remission is only temporary and your symptoms will eventually flare-up again.

Redness
Bumps
Pimples
Dry flaky skin

Best Foods to Eat for Rosacea

Learning which foods help prevent many of the unwelcomed rosacea flare-ups is a big step toward getting your condition under control. You may find it difficult to believe that the redness and bumps on your face have anything to do with the food you eat. It's no coincidence that the best beneficial foods for those suffering from rosacea are also common to many healthy diets.

Beneficial Foods:

Chicken
Cold water fish: halibut, herring, mackerel, salmon, and sardines
Fresh vegetables
Fresh fruit: Blackberries, blueberries and cherries are excellent vascular constrictors that reduce redness
Nuts
Seeds
Tofu
Whole grains
Flax seed oil is a good source of omega-three essential fatty acids and an excellent dietary supplement for vegetarians.

Foods to Avoid

The facial flushing associated with rosacea is partly brought on by eating high-calorie carbohydrates such as pastas, breads and sugar. If you look at the list of foods commonly known to be triggers many contain high-calorie carbohydrates and sugars. For someone suffering from rosacea, these foods have the best chance of making your ten- worst-foods-to-eat list.

Common Food Triggers

Some trigger foods that can cause a rosacea flare-up in one person might not affect another person. The best way to design your personalized diet for rosacea is to track what you eat and soon you'll know which foods trigger your rosacea flare-ups.

The following list of foods are commonly associated with rosacea flare-ups:

Alcohol
Avocados
Bananas
Broad-leaf beans and pods
Cheese
Chocolates
Citrus fruits and juices
Eggplant
Figs
Foods that dilate blood vessels
Hot foods
Hot beverages
Liver
Lobster
Meat marinades
Pasta
Prawns
Raisins
Red plums
Sour cream
Soy sauce
Spicy foods (even including black pepper)
Spinach
Tomatoes
Vanilla
Yeast extract
Yogurt

Food-Related Trigger Products to Avoid

Many of the additives and preservatives in foods can cause your rosacea to flare-up.

Artificial sweeteners
Aspartame
Food colorings
MSG
NutraSweet
Preservatives

Non-food Related Triggers

Other things can irritate your symptoms of rosacea. Emotions and climatic conditions can wreak havoc on rosacea sufferers.

Anger
Cold weather
Embarrassment
Hot baths
Sunlight
Stress
Strenuous exercise
Saunas
Some skin care products
Temperature extremes
Wind

Dietary Goals for Rosacea

Although there's not a one-size-fits-all diet to treat rosacea patients, these trigger foods and food-related items are the most common culprits. As you go through the list to determine which foods trigger your condition, your goal should be to eliminate those foods from your diet.

Suggestions to Help You Combat Rosacea

Along with identifying your food triggers, you can do other things to minimize your symptoms. You'll have less redness if you reduce the number of calories you eat. Processing fewer calories means your body will generate less heat that will lessen skin redness and irritation. You should avoid eating large quantities of food at any one meal. Instead, you can enjoy three smaller meals consisting of foods taken from the list of beneficial foods.

Cooked Foods Vs. Raw Foods

Cooked food is always easier to digest than raw foods. It takes less energy to digest cooked foods and will generate less heat that in turn reduces the redness associated with rosacea. Unfortunately, it's a trial and error process to learn which foods won’t aggravate your rosacea.

Making Dietary Changes

In a nutshell, a diet for rosacea is basically a healthy diet. You'll be able to stick to it when you go out to eat or whenever you get together with friends without feeling awkward. Include plenty of fresh fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and limit your consumption of red meat. Be sure to drink plenty of water and avoid fatty foods. Fine tune a diet that works for you. By keeping track of the foods you eat and any flare-ups, you'll soon know which foods to avoid and which foods to eat for rosacea.

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