Have you just been diagnosed with rosacea? After your dermatologist prescribes the right medication, he/she will ask you to follow a proper skincare routine, make some lifestyle changes, and avoid triggers to reduce the symptoms. One of the major triggers of rosacea is food. So, what should you eat? What is the best rosacea diet to follow? I was diagnosed with rosacea 9 years ago and I tried different rosacea diets until I found the best one that suited me the most!
Today, I will share with you my experience; everything I eat, how this food could benefit you, what I avoid, and what I eat occasionally. Keep in mind the more healthy food you consume, the easier it is to keep your symptoms under control.
Looking for more info about rosacea causes, symptoms, and triggers, read this article.
Let’s get started…
Table of Contents
Rosacea Diet: What To Eat?
The most effective rosacea diet is full of anti-inflammatory and antioxidant foods. They will help reduce inflammation and improve body health including skin health.
Here’s what I include in my diet:
Vegetables
Vegetables and leafy greens are one of the best foods you should never avoid. It’s essential to include leafy greens and vegetables in each meal you eat.
They are high in antioxidants, vitamins, minerals, and fiber that your body needs to maintain its health. They are high in vitamins like C & A that boost collagen levels in the body, promote skin health, and fight free radical damage.
Plus, they have anti-inflammatory properties that reduce inflammation and improve your body’s health from the inside which will reflect on your skin’s appearance.
Protein
Fatty fish, chicken, eggs, turkey, greek yogurt, and beef are excellent food choices that add value to any diet.
Amino acids, the building blocks of protein, could help treat acne and skin dryness.
A study showed that amino acids can also increase skin hydration, repair damaged tissue, and protect the skin against damage due to their anti-inflammatory and anti-aging properties.
Another study found that amino acids help build collagen which will leave your skin healthy and radiant.
Also, eating protein daily keeps you full, reduces hunger, builds muscles, and boosts metabolism.
So, I consume enough protein every day and add it to each meal I eat to stay in shape and keep my skin healthy.
Looking for high-protein recipes? Check out high-protein pancake recipes to get enough protein daily.
Whole Grains
I don’t consume whole grains daily but some days I eat whole grain bread, unrefined oats, or whole grain pasta.
They are high in fiber, which improves gut health, boosts blood circulation, and promotes oxygen and nutrient delivery to the skin cells which will make improve your skin health from the inside out.
Plus, whole grains contain protein, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants, so they can boost your overall health.
Legumes
Chickpeas, kidney beans, peanuts, black beans, black-eyed peas, and green peas are super nutritious and have a positive effect on your overall health.
They are full of antioxidants that can prevent cell damage, fight free radicals, and reduce inflammation. Also, legumes help lower blood pressure and blood sugar, and reduce the risk of heart disease and diabetes.
A study found that prebiotic-rich foods like lentils, beans, chickpeas, green peas, broccoli, whole grains, bananas, and apples can help keep rosacea symptoms at bay.
Nuts
Almonds, cashew, hazelnuts, pistachio, pecan, and macadamia are rich in healthy fats, vitamins, and minerals. Plus, they are low in carbs and contain protein.
They will keep you satiated in addition to maintaining your body health from the inside out.
Nuts are a healthy snack and can be added to many meals to make them more nutritious.
Related: 6 Homemade Protein Bars Recipes That Are Healthy & Tasty
Fruits
When I crave something sweet, I usually eat fruits or keto desserts and avoid refined sugar completely.
Fruits are rich in water content, vitamins, antioxidants, and fiber that can curb your sweet cravings, keep you full, and provide your body with enough nutrients.
Strawberries, blueberries, cranberries, and blackberries are the most recommended fruits as they are anti-inflammatory, have high levels of antioxidants, and will not spike insulin.
Personally, I consume all fruits depending on the season but I avoid overeating.
Water
Drinking enough water each day keeps every organ in your body functioning well and boosts your health.
So, when you consume your daily recommended water intake, you give your skin cells the chance to work well and flush out toxins. This will definitely help improve your skin appearance and reduce your symptoms.
So, replace soda, caffeinated drinks, and alcohol with water or sparkling water.
What Do I Avoid To Reduce Rosacea Symptoms?
Spicy Food
Eating spicy food trigger rosacea symptoms, it could make my face flare up, and increase redness, swelling, irritation, and stinging.
Plus, spicy food increase body temperature which will cause you to sweat and dehydrate your body. This could cause dryness and itching.
Related: How To Tell If You Are Dehydrated: 11 Early & Warning Signs
Sugar
I highly recommend cutting down on refined sugar as several studies showed that sugar can increase inflammation in the body.
This can worsen your condition and increase flaring, swelling, redness, irritation, and stinging.
A high-sugar diet is also linked to metabolic disease. It can increase the risk of cancer, heart disease, type 2 diabetes, belly bloating, and obesity.
I used to eat 2-3 milk chocolate bars a day and have a bowl of cereals that are full of sugar. This makes my rosacea even worse but when I stopped eating those foods, my skin started to feel better.
I replaced milk chocolate with dark chocolate and cereals with high-protein meals.
You can also add to your diet natural sweeteners like stevia or sugar alcohols like xylitol, sorbitol, or erythritol instead of refined sugar.
Caffeine
Green tea is high in caffeine which is a beneficial ingredient but unfortunately, not for people with rosacea.
I used to drink about 4-6 cups of green tea daily but my dermatologist suggested limiting my caffeine intake. So, I stopped drinking it for a while, then I noticed swelling and redness reduced significantly.
Now, I don’t drink caffeinated drinks but occasionally, I have a cup of green tea, red tea, or coffee when I badly crave one of them.
I replaced those drinks with herbal teas like chamomile tea, anise tea, ginger lemon tea, or peppermint tea.
They have anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial, and antioxidant properties that can improve your overall health, soothe a sore throat, and relieve an upset stomach.
Avoid drinking those beverages when they are hot as they will increase blood flow to the face and cause flushing and irritation.
Tip:
Caffeinated beverages have a negative impact on my rosacea but they may improve other patients’ symptoms. So, you may wanna test this first.
Refined Carbs
Those refined carbs you consume daily are full of sugar, unhealthy fats, and low in fiber. This will increase your cravings and cause metabolic disease.
Plus, they don’t contain the nutrients your body needs to stay healthy. So, they will most likely increase inflammation and make your symptoms worse.
I stopped eating those unhealthy carbs and replaced them with whole-grain foods. This helps improve my skin appearance in general and reduce the symptoms of rosacea.
Alcohol
Drinking too much alcohol can worsen redness and swelling and dehydrate your body.
Plus, it can make your skin flare up easily and keep your face looking dry or flaky.
So it’s best to quit drinking or at least limit your intake.
How Does This Rosacea Diet Help Me?
Before telling you how this diet helps me, keep in mind that every condition is different, what works for me, may not work for you!
Plus, I’m not a dermatologist or nutritionist, I’m just sharing my rosacea diet with you so hopefully, this could help other rosacea sufferers and reduce their symptoms.
Before trying this diet for rosacea, I googled the benefits of each food I wanna include in my diet and how it could affect skin health. And I also consulted my dermatologist.
Then, I followed this rosacea treatment diet for about 6 months and I started to notice POSITIVE changes in my skin appearance:
- Flushing and irritation episodes are limited.
- Redness reduced significantly.
- My face used to be swollen all the time, especially on hot days but after this diet, the swelling become unnoticeable.
- My skin is super clear.
- Bumps and acne are reduced.
- My skin looks super healthy.
- Another bonus, I lost a lot of weight!
I was impressed and super happy with the results so I visited my dermatologist. He examined my face and literally told me that my skin is improved a lot and skin cells look super healthy.
So I decided to keep following this diet, it’s been 3 years since I started this journey. Sometimes, I couldn’t resist some unhealthy meals but I’m trying to stay on track to keep my skin healthy and avoid worsening the symptoms.
You may need to follow this diet for 3-6 months until you notice the differences. It’s also best to know your triggers and avoid them.
If any of the foods I recommend above trigger your rosacea, don’t eat them.
Keep in mind
To get the best results and notice a change, you need to take your prescribed medications, avoid the triggers, and wear sunscreen daily even in winter in addition to following this rosacea diet.
The Bottom Line
The right rosacea diet plan can effectively help reduce the symptoms and make your skin appear healthier and better.
I’m happy to share with you my experience and what I tried to improve my condition above. So, check my recommended rosacea diet and let me know what you think!
Feature Image Source: Freepik.com/@master1305