Diet for psoriasis. What foods are allowed and not recommended to be consumed?

Diet for psoriasis is an essential component of complex treatment. Carefully designed therapeutic regimens will not help eliminate painful symptoms if the patient does not adjust his diet. Proper nutrition for psoriasis will allow you to achieve stable remission - a period without exacerbations. Excluding certain foods from the weekly menu helps strengthen the immune system and cleanse the body of toxic substances.

Nutrition for psoriasis: what are its features?

It is believed that important prerequisites for the development of psoriasis are metabolic disorders, improper functioning of the gastrointestinal tract, intestinal imbalance and dietary errors. Therefore, it is extremely important to take a responsible approach to creating a menu that will provide the body with the necessary vitamins, minerals and nutrients. In addition, proper nutrition for psoriasis implies an increase in the body's defenses, since a strong immune system copes better with the factors that provoke the manifestations of the disease.

The diet for patients with psoriasis involves a number of very strict restrictions. At the same time, it sufficiently supplies the body with the necessary substances and vitamins, and if used correctly, does not affect performance. Therapeutic nutrition for psoriasis is a balanced, proper diet that helps improve your health and increase periods of remission.

Fully or partially limited products

Therapeutic nutrition for psoriasis involves the exclusion from the diet of red meats (pork, beef) and offal (liver, tongue, brains), as well as their processed products - sausages, ham, legs and semi-finished meat products.

Any smoked, salted, pickled or canned foods are not allowed in the diet. All nightshades (tomatoes and all tomato products and sauces), eggplants, tobacco (exclude smoking), all types of peppers (except black pepper), paprika, potatoes are excluded. Plums, pomegranates, avocados, and citrus fruits are not allowed in the diet. Berries: strawberries, raspberries, wild strawberries, currants.

You should not include hydrogenated foods (mayonnaise, margarine), as well as animal and cooking fat in your diet. It is not recommended to consume any products made from premium flour, as well as those containing starch or yeast, confectionery, chocolate, cocoa, coffee.

It is prohibited to use crustaceans and mollusks (shrimp, squid, mussels, crabs, oysters) and seasonings made with their addition, as well as anchovies and red caviar in the diet. All legumes, milk and fatty dairy products, all seasonings and spices, vinegar, all sweets, sugar, various types of snacks and all alcohol-containing drinks are excluded from the diet. Limit the consumption of butter.

Table of prohibited products

Diet for psoriasis: table of foods allowed for consumption

Healthy foods

For psoriasis, any fermented milk products are useful, but only low fat. Nutritionists recommend that patients more often consume soft cheeses without spices, Varenets, fermented baked milk, yogurt, and kefir. Children's diets should include cottage cheese and drinking yogurt without dyes or flavors. The following products should also be included in the weekly menu:

• boiled eggs or omelettes;
• lean meats - turkey, rabbit, chicken breast, lamb;
• fatty fish - salmon, Norwegian herring, sardines;
• dried whole grain bread;
• cereal porridges - buckwheat, millet, wheat, corn;
• salads from white cabbage, beets, parsley, seasoned with any vegetable oil;
• zucchini, greens and celery root vegetables, carrots.

Products must not be deep-fried or fried. They should be simmered in a small amount of water or baked. Steamed vegetables, meat or fish retain the maximum possible amount of nutrients, macro- and microelements, fat- and water-soluble vitamins.

Nutritionists recommend eating fruits and dried fruits as desserts. The daily consumption of figs, dried apricots, pineapple, grapes, cherries, peaches, and dates is especially beneficial. Of the citrus fruits, only grapefruit is allowed. The thick peel of the fruit must be cut off. Don't forget about nuts (walnuts, cashews, pistachios, hazelnuts), pumpkin and sunflower seeds. They perfectly alkalize the body, minimizing the risk of relapse of psoriasis.

Pegano diet for psoriasis

Dr. John Pegano is an osteopath who has successfully treated skin diseases using the nutritional system he developed. For many years he worked to create an optimal diet to help patients reduce the symptoms of the disease - and he succeeded. John Pegano released a book dedicated to the diet he developed, called “Treating Psoriasis - The Natural Way.” The doctor spoke with her at scientific and popular seminars in different countries, took part in television and radio programs, thanks to which a large number of people learned about his method.

How is the Pegano system fundamentally different from drug treatment of psoriasis? Dr. Pegano was a proponent of the belief that the human body is capable of fighting pathological processes on its own, without the help of drugs. To do this, the patient must comply with certain requirements: eat right, detoxify and have a positive inner attitude.

The main principle of proper nutrition according to Pegano for psoriasis is maintaining an optimal acid-base balance in the blood, which becomes possible through the consumption of certain foods, avoiding junk food and following a diet. According to Pegano, an important prerequisite for the development of psoriasis is excessive blood acidity. Therefore, in the case of eating foods that contribute to alkalization, a noticeable improvement in the patient’s condition is observed. The ratio of alkali-forming and acid-forming foods in the diet menu for psoriasis according to Pegano should be approximately 2:8. That is, 20% of permitted products should account for 80% of mandatory ones.

According to Pegano, the main focus when treating psoriasis with diet should be on fruits, vegetables (except nightshade vegetables), freshly squeezed juices, herbs and clean still water. Despite the fact that some of these foods taste sour (for example, citrus fruits), this should not bother you: once they enter the body, they still increase the alkali content in the blood.

Acid-forming foods should also be present in the diet, but in much smaller quantities. These mainly include protein foods (meat, fish, dairy products, legumes), as well as simple carbohydrates (sweets, refined sugar, potatoes and other starchy vegetables, vinegar).

The food products that are strictly prohibited from an effective diet for psoriasis include alcoholic beverages, coffee, preservatives, carbonated drinks, tomatoes and their juice, eggplants, fried, spicy, salted and smoked foods.

During the diet for psoriasis according to Pegano, the menu for the week should begin with fasting days. Usually, 3-5 days are enough to cleanse the intestines. At this time, you can eat only fruits (usually apples or citrus fruits), supplementing them with enterosorbents. After the specified time has passed, the patient can begin consuming approved products. These include:

• Fresh vegetables and fruits (citrus fruits, watermelon, papaya, mango, melon, grapes, peach, pineapple, garlic, asparagus, spinach leaves, broccoli, parsley, asparagus, celery, zucchini, zucchini, pumpkin, carrots, olives). Please note: do not combine citrus fruits with dairy products or grains.
• Cereals (wild rice, millet, wheat).
• Nuts (almonds).
• Bran.
• Whole wheat bread.
• Vegetable oils (especially olive oil).
• Porridges cooked in water.
• Lean meats (in limited quantities). It is advisable to give preference to lamb, poultry, and sometimes you can eat a small piece of pork.
• Fatty sea fish. Shellfish, crustaceans, and sushi are excluded.
• Dairy and lactic acid products (in limited quantities).

As for the drinking regime, it is advisable to drink about 1.5 liters of pure still water per day, as well as drink freshly squeezed juices, herbal teas, ginger and green tea.

You can start following the Pegano diet for psoriasis only after consulting a doctor. This limitation is explained by the large amount of plant foods and low animal protein content. For example, people who have problems with blood formation or allergies to citrus fruits are not recommended to follow such a diet.

If you really want the therapeutic hypoallergenic diet according to Pegano to help you during psoriasis, you need to not only adhere to the nutritional rules, but also comply with additional requirements. These include stopping smoking, taking medications (except for vital ones), reducing stressful situations and negative emotions, daily rest and relaxation, accompanied by reading your favorite books and listening to soothing music, performing feasible physical exercises aimed at strengthening the spinal column.

As for the duration of this diet, it is advisable to follow it for at least a month - only after this period the first results will become noticeable. If you want to reduce the time of exacerbation of the disease and prolong remissions, it is recommended to adhere to it throughout your life.

Due to its low calorie content and the presence of a large amount of vitamins obtained from fruits, vegetables and juices, following the Pegano diet for psoriasis not only helps reduce the manifestations of psoriasis, but also contributes to the overall health of the body. This nutrition system allows you to adjust your weight, get rid of extra pounds, and also improve your immunity.

Reviews and results

Practice shows that diet therapy for psoriasis helps reduce various manifestations of this disease. Reviews from many patients confirm this, and in some of them, in a sluggish form and following a diet, the symptoms of psoriasis practically disappear after 5-6 months, and when the therapeutic diet is stopped, they reappear. Most patients positively evaluate the effectiveness of the therapeutic diet.

• “... I have been suffering from psoriasis of the scalp for almost 15 years. As you understand, I tried all sorts of remedies on myself, but I never found anything effective. But only a year ago I heard about such a diet, when I came across a book by the famous doctor John Pegano, “Treatment of Psoriasis.” At first I was very skeptical, but decided to try it. To my surprise, this diet helped well with psoriasis of the scalp. After three months, my condition improved significantly and my scalp was almost clear. I think that I will follow this diet constantly”;
• “... I have been suffering from psoriasis relatively recently, there are plaques on the skin in only three places, but in the spring, when an exacerbation begins, the condition worsens. I used hormonal therapy, but then side effects appeared, and I decided to be treated with folk remedies and diet. I re-read the entire forum and a huge number of web resources for psoriasis sufferers. I settled on the Fire diet. I excluded fatty, pickled, smoked and sweet foods. It was more difficult to give up my favorite drink - coffee, which I drank 2-3 cups daily. I replaced it with herbal teas. A month later, the skin condition improved, peeling decreased, and itching disappeared. After 3-2 months, the plaques began to decrease. Now I strictly follow my new diet. And what is especially pleasing is that there was no exacerbation this spring. I hope to achieve long-term and stable remission.”
• “... The diet for patients with psoriasis has long become familiar to me. In fact, that’s what I’m saving myself from. Before this, pinkish spots appeared all over the body, which periodically became thicker and peeled off. Now the skin is in much better condition. I’m also going to practice cleansing the body - doing 1-2 fasting days weekly.”

Diet for psoriasis of the scalp and other parts of the body according to Ognevaya

Like John Pegano, Dr. Svetlana Mikhailovna Ogneva pays great attention to improving the acid-base balance of the body. The list of foods that are prohibited for psoriasis, according to her views, largely coincides with a similar list presented by Dr. Pegano. However, Ognevoy’s nutritional system is still somewhat different from that proposed by the American osteopath. What are its features?

• The duration of proper nutrition for psoriasis for a woman, man or child should be more than 3 months. Only during this time the body is able to cleanse itself of waste and toxins.
• It is forbidden to both overeat and starve.
• Once a week you need to have a fasting day.
• The consumption of any legumes is prohibited.
• It is advisable to avoid red meat.
• It is recommended to avoid eating fish roe (even among approved fish varieties).
• It is allowed to consume low-fat lactic acid products, but you should not drink cow's or goat's milk.
• The category of prohibited fruits includes citrus fruits, avocados, pomegranates, raspberries, wild strawberries and strawberries.
• The skin of the fruit must be cut off.
• When on a diet, it is advisable to avoid meat by-products (liver, kidneys, tongue, lungs, etc.)
• Patients with psoriasis will have to give up baked goods made from white flour.
• Sausages, frankfurters, sausages, smoked meats, balyki, margarine, butter, cream, cheese, vinegar - all these products are classified as forbidden.
• Any sweets are strictly prohibited - cakes, pastries, chocolates, sugar, sweet carbonated drinks.
• Dr. Ogneva recommends supplementing the diet for psoriasis with the use of alkaline mineral waters, herbal decoctions and teas. At the same time, all alcoholic drinks, cocoa and coffee are strictly prohibited. It is also advisable to give up black tea and replace it with herbal tea.
• It is prohibited to drink food with water. You can drink only half an hour after eating. In this case, it is advisable to give preference to cold water, since, according to the author of the technique, it is better absorbed by the body.
• If the body needs prohibited foods for normal well-being (for example, liver for patients with anemia), they are allowed to be consumed in small doses and always not on an empty stomach.
• To preserve all the beneficial substances, it is recommended to cook food in a double boiler or bake it in a sleeve. You will have to give up frying, smoking and pickling.
• The author of the method believes that there is no need to take additional vitamins and multivitamin complexes during the diet.

Before starting this diet, be sure to consult your doctor.

Folk recipes

Alcohol tincture

To prepare, take 20 partitions of walnut shells and fill them with alcohol, then leave them for 10 days. Take 3 times a day, dripping 15 drops into 1 spoon of water and use for one and a half to two months. The tincture helps improve hormonal levels and restore the immune system.

Mask

To prepare, you need to grind the kernels of 5 - 6 nuts, add the white of 1 egg and 1 spoon of apple cider vinegar. Apply the resulting mixture to the psoriatic plaque and press down. After 25 minutes, wash off the mask with warm water without using soap.

Infusion of leaves

To obtain an infusion, use fresh or dry walnut tree leaves. Place them in boiling water, then cook for 5 minutes over high heat. Ready-made lotions or wipes can be used 2 times a day.

What else is important for the treatment of psoriasis, besides diet?

Following the basics of proper nutrition for psoriasis, eating simple foods and avoiding overeating plays an important role in combating the disease. To enhance the positive effect of a diet for psoriasis, you can (and should!) use skin care products that help it recover faster after periods of exacerbation of the disease. La-Cri products are well suited for this purpose; they are made from natural ingredients and do not contain fragrances, parabens or hormones. Thanks to their balanced and harmless composition, these products are suitable for use by people with sensitive skin, as well as pregnant women and children. Regular use of La-Cri medicinal cosmetics helps reduce rashes, redness, peeling and itching.

Treatment recommendations

To improve the skin condition and quality of life of the patient, an integrated approach to treatment is necessary. Below are general recommendations for psoriasis patients.

• If you notice symptoms of psoriasis in yourself or your child, visit a dermatologist.
• During an exacerbation of the disease, in the winter season with low humidity in the premises, it is necessary to intensively moisturize the skin.
• If there are only small lesions, topical medications can be used.
• Nutrition in the treatment of psoriasis is of particular importance, since it is necessary to adhere to a special diet that will reduce the activity of the disease.

People susceptible to skin diseases are advised to avoid prolonged exposure to water. The American Dermatological Association calls the optimal time for daily hygiene procedures in the shower – 5 minutes. If you are prone to skin diseases, it is recommended to use special hygiene products to cleanse the skin. One of these products is Skin-cap shower gel.

The product can be used in daily care for adults and children. The composition is designed to combat flaking, eliminate dryness, and gently cleanse. The main component that has a soothing effect on the skin is activated zinc pyrithione.

Skin-cap shower gel also contains ceramides, which help improve skin condition. Ceramides restore the lipid layer and barrier function of the skin. The Skin-cap line also includes medications for the treatment of psoriasis.

Clinical researches

TM La-Cri products are recommended by the Union of Pediatricians of Russia. Clinical studies conducted by specialists have proven the high efficiency, safety and tolerability of products, including for daily skin care of children with mild and moderate forms of atopic dermatitis and during remission, accompanied by a decrease in the quality of life of patients.

Many remedies are recommended by the Union of Pediatricians of Russia.

Sources:

1. Schneiderman Paul, Grossman Mark, Differential diagnosis in dermatology. Atlas, Binom, 2021.
2. Reken Martin, Schaller Martin, Sattler Elke, Burgdorf Walter, Atlas of Dermatology, MEDpress-inform, 2021.
3. Yagodka Valentina Stepanovna, Medicinal plants in dermatology and cosmetology, Naukova Dumka publishing house, 1991.

Causes of psoriasis

Psoriasis, or as it is also called - scaly lichen, is not only an incurable disease, but also with an unknown etiology. Experts from all over the world are only putting forward hypotheses about the causes of such a serious disease. According to the results of the research, it was possible to find out that the disease is inherited in three out of four cases. The development of the disease is associated with the work of the whole organism. So, with low immune defense of the body, with improper functioning of the metabolism and endocrine system, the risk of disease is very high. Disturbances in the functioning of the immune system also lead to illness - the system promotes the development of diseased rather than healthy cells.

It was noticed that after severe stress, symptoms of the disease appeared. Sometimes it was associated with skin lesions, that is, cuts and wounds. Bad habits, such as alcoholism and smoking, are not one of the main reasons, but contribute to the development of the disease. Patients rarely get sick for one of these reasons, usually for two or more.

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General principles

In order for your diet to improve your psoriasis condition, follow the basic principles of a balanced diet. Eliminate all hyperallergenic foods, give up bad habits (alcohol, smoking). Eat small, frequent meals. The last meal should be at least 2 hours before going to bed.

The basis of the diet for psoriasis should be fiber (fresh vegetables, fruits), cereals, and dairy products. Drink plenty of water: at least 2.5 liters per day.

To prepare dishes, use the boiling or baking method. Fried foods are completely excluded because they are difficult to digest and contain carcinogens that complicate the course of the disease.