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Diet for rosacea – The right foods for rosacea

Was sollte man bei Rosacea nicht essen?
Picture of Author: Martin Greber

Author: Martin Greber

"Bacteriophages show how precise science can naturally protect the skin."

Contents

Diet plays a decisive role in the skin disease rosacea. If you suffer from reddening of the skin on your face, you can reduce your symptoms with a targeted diet.

Avoiding certain foods leads to a better skin condition in the long term. Foods with cinnamaldehyde, sugar or histamine, as well as animal products and alcohol are particularly conducive to skin problems. If the food is too spicy or too hot, this also has an effect on the dilated veins . This can therefore lead to skin irritation and worsening of the symptoms.

In this article, we want to show you what you need to pay attention to when eating with rosacea and what possible alternatives there are to the prohibited foods. Because it is clear that a change in diet can bring relief in many cases.

Foods to avoid with rosacea

Rosacea is one of the skin diseases caused by chronic inflammation in the body. Therefore, a healthy gut and an anti-inflammatory diet is one way of combating the symptoms in advance.

Above all, this means avoiding alcohol, sugar, spicy foods and animal products and eating more vegetables and vegetable oils.

But certain cereals and sugary drinks can also lead to reddened skin. It is also better to remove spicy and hot food from your diet.

Overview – what you should avoid with rosacea:

  • Alcohol
  • Sugar
  • spicy food
  • animal products
  • Histamine
  • Acidic foods such as coffee, ready-made products

Is there a special rosacea diet?

The rosacea diet is similar to the alkaline diet. There is no special rosacea diet. Studies have also shown that regular fasting can have a supportive effect on inflammation.1

Fasting in general lowers inflammation levels in the blood and the associated effects in the body.

Make sure you eat at the right temperature

It is best to consume meals and drinks lukewarm. Extreme temperatures such as food and drinks that are too cold or too hot are also triggers for rosacea flare-ups.

This is because the arteries under the skin dilate. It is therefore better to avoid hot soups or hot drinks (tea, coffee, etc.) as well as ice cubes in the diet for rosacea.

Alcohol for rosacea

Regular consumption of alcohol is considered a trigger factor for sudden reddening of the skin. Red wine has particularly strong effects due to the polyphenols it contains.

They stimulate the blood vessels to dilate. For rosacea patients, this is a reason for moderation. White wine and sparkling wine can also be a personal trigger for you.

An American study of rosacea patients by the National Rosacea Society looked into this topic and produced interesting results. The leading trigger factor was red wine with 76%, closely followed by white wine with 56%.

Other alcoholic beverages such as beer provided 41% sparkling wine and champagne 33%. The strongest trigger factor for schnapps is vodka, also at 33%. This is followed by tequila at 28%, bourbon, gin and rum at 24% each and scotch at 21%.

However, this does not mean that you have to give up alcohol completely. As with many other things, the dose makes the poison.

Alcohol for rosacea

Refined sugar and fat in moderation

Brown sugar and white table sugar have a negative effect on the skin. The reason for this is that they quickly drive up blood sugar levels and contain inflammation-promoting messenger substances.

However, sugar is contained in many common foods, such as jams, soft drinks, ketchup and sweets like cookies or chocolate .

Admittedly, you may find it difficult to give it up, as most of us are subject to a certain “sugar addiction”. However, reducing these will help your skin to suffer less. Fatty foods such as fast food and potato chips are just as harmful .

Spicy food for rosacea patients

Spicy food promotes the redness that occurs and is not recommended for people with rosacea. Spices such as chili, black pepper, ginger and horseradish are particularly hot. These ingredients cause the blood vessels to dilate and red veins become more visible.

If you don’t want to do without the taste, there are also milder alternatives. White pepper, spring onions, thyme and parsley have a similar flavor.

Histamine in the diet

With a rosacea diet, it is important to consume as little food with histamine as possible. This causes reddening of the skin and is therefore not conducive to a clear complexion. Foods that contain histamine:

  • Avocado
  • Tomatoes
  • Salami
  • Raw ham
  • Emmental cheese
  • Red wine
  • Cow’s milk
  • Eggplant
  • Pineapple
  • Strawberries
  • Sour cream
  • Vinegar

However, there are many foods that contain them. You should therefore pay close attention to the ingredients in certain products.

Foods containing cinnamaldehyde for rosacea

Cinnamaldehyde is found in foods such as tomatoes, cinnamon, citrus fruits and chocolate. It is not scientifically clear what the possible trigger could be.

However, in a survey of trigger factors among sufferers, 30% cited cinnamaldehyde as a problem.2

Recommendations for the right diet for rosacea

What can you eat without hesitation? With the exception of soy and frozen vegetables with butter and vegetables containing histamine, you can eat almost all vegetables without hesitation.

The same applies to nuts. You should not eat peanuts or salted nuts. Pulses such as lentils and beans are additional sources of protein and iron. More fiber is also good for your intestinal flora.

Fish is also okay as long as it is not deep-fried or marinated in dairy products.

It is best to avoid meat altogether or opt for lean meat. Alternatives such as oat, almond or coconut milk can be used instead of conventional cow’s milk.

When it comes to cereals, you should focus on whole grain products. Histamine, cinnamaldehyde, sugar and alcohol should be limited in your healthy diet.

Even if this seems like a lot to do without at first glance, it won’t make your kitchen one-sided. There is a large selection of delicious recipes for a skin-friendly diet. Reddening of the skin due to couperose or rosacea can be reduced.

  1. 1.
    Faris “Mo’ez Al-Islam” E., Kacimi S, Al-Kurd RA, et al. Intermittent fasting during Ramadan attenuates proinflammatory cytokines and immune cells in healthy subjects. Nutrition Research. Published online December 2012:947-955. doi:10.1016/j.nutres.2012.06.021
  2. 2.
    Weiss E, Katta R. Diet and rosacea: the role of dietary change in the management of rosacea. Dermatol Pract Concept. Published online October 31, 2017:31-37. doi:10.5826/dpc.0704a08
Picture of Author: Martin Greber

Author: Martin Greber

"Bacteriophages show how precise science can naturally protect the skin."

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