What foods to eat when dealing with Psoriasis?

When dealing with a skin condition, it’s normal to rely on topical treatments that are applied to the outside of the body. What you might not realise is that many skin conditions, including psoriasis stem from the inside of your body. Yes, it is important to use a cream or oil to provide relief to your skin, but we also need to fix what is happening inside our bodies to really tackle this debilitating disease.

As everyone is different, it can be difficult to pinpoint an exact cause for what triggers psoriasis. That’s why the first step is to identify what foods are triggering your psoriasis - do you find your psoriasis flares up when you drink alcohol? When you’ve had a weekend of eating sugary, processed foods? Are there certain vegetables that trigger your symptoms? Understanding your body and how it responds to certain foods is the first step in effective treatment and management of the condition.

The next step is introducing foods that are high in antioxidants, omegas and provide anti-inflammatory relief.

Antioxidant rich foods

There are so many health benefits associated with antioxidants! Researchers have said that certain antioxidant rich foods reduce oxidative stress and prevent the body from producing ‘free radicals’ which actually produce inflammation in the body. Some foods that are rich in antioxidants are:

• Garlic
• Onions
• Green leafy vegetables such as spinach
• Avocados
• Pumpkin
• Broccoli

Anti-inflammatory foods

Anti-inflammatory foods reduce inflammatory responses in the body. This can be great for psoriasis sufferers who experience inflamed skin as a result of their condition. Try foods such as:

• Fresh fruits and vegetables, in particular berries and leafy greens
• Fish rich in omega 3 healthy fats, e.g. salmon or sardines
• Seeds and nuts

Foods to avoid

While there are many foods that can help manage your psoriasis, there are also foods that you should avoid as they can trigger a flare or worsen your existing symptoms.

• Gluten
• Refined sugar
• Alcohol

You can read more about foods to avoid here.

While you may not want to avoid these goods completely, you may find limiting your intake can improve your symptoms, so it’s worth giving it a try, or at least avoiding these food groups when you’re psoriasis is bad.

Oil supplements

As psoriasis is an autoimmune disease, your insides need a helping hand. Taking an internal oil supplement that is full of essential fatty acids and omegas will help rebuild and replace those lost nutrients! Our mega oil is a great option for healing your body from the inside out.

Benefits of exercise

Last but not least, remember to exercise regularly! We understand that when your skin is very itchy and red, exercising is the last thing you would want to do, but if you push through and do as little as 30 minutes of exercise a day you may feel better not only physically but mentally too! Remember if you are to exercise, make sure to wash off the sweat from your skin to prevent it from causing a flare up.

As we said, everyone's skin is different, so you need to find the best treatment and management solution for you. Through trial and error, feeding your body the right nutrients and exercising regularly you can make living with psoriasis more bearable!