Can a Healthy Diet Aggravate Rosacea?

If I look at the food on my daily dinner plate today compared with a couple of years ago, it has changed quite a bit… I now start the day with a bowl of porridge, I often have a salad and I seldom eat carbohydrates. Now that we now know from all the research that a diet high in (bad) carbohydrates accelerates the ageing process, it is even more easy to resist that bowl of pasta or that white doorstep sandwich full of chocolate spread. However, having said that, there is a downside to healthy eating too. A “new” diet may cause even more problems for people with skin conditions. And those people, in particular, are Rosacea sufferers, but eczema can also be aggravated by those diet tips in the glossy magazines. I’ll explain how.

Many people suffering with Rosacea and other skin conditions become very conscious about what they eat; which on a weekly basis will include high intakes of fruit and vegetables and litres of herbal tea. The health food shops aren’t complaining! But there are quite a few different types of fruit, vegetables and spices which contain high amounts of histamine. Tomatoes, spinach, avocado, mango, kiwi, strawberries and spices such as cinnamon and coriander, in particular, are notorious sources of histamine* . Normally your body is able to deal with this effectively, but for some people with Rosacea (and eczema) it isn’t as easy. That super spinach, avocado and mango smoothie may well be full of anti-oxidants but, if you are unfortunate enough, can also aggravate your skin problem. If you suffer from Rosacea, eczema or an over-sensitive skin and it isn’t getting any better, try excluding these foods! If you also suffer frequently with eye irritation, hay fever type complaints or even regular migraines, it is definitely worth trying it. Aim to avoid histamine rich foods for a few weeks and keep a diary of your food intake. There is a good chance that your skin will begin to improve. And if there is, in fact, a connection between histamine rich foods and your skin complaint then, when your mother-in-law makes you that curry, tuna salad or a dish of spinach, you can always take an anti-histamine tablet. You can buy them in the pharmacy!

Regards Jetske

Research Physician Cosmetic Dermatology
*The list of histamine rich products is very long but the more obvious problem causing ones are:
Old cheeses, blue cheese, yoghurt
Soya, chocolate, walnuts, cashew nuts, peanuts and pecan nuts
Breads high in colouring and preservatives
Tomatoes, spinach, sauerkraut, aubergines, pumpkin, avocado, soya beans, mushrooms, kidney beans, pickled gherkins
Coriander, curry, cinnamon, paprika powder, chilli powder, aniseed, nutmeg
Champagne, wine (particularly red wine)
Tea
Vinegar, ready prepared dressings, mustard, tomato ketchup
Citrus fruit (including among others, oranges and lemons) strawberries, bananas, cherries, apricots, raspberries, papaya, dried fruit
Salami, bacon, sausage, re-heated meals with meat, fish (particularly if this is not entirely fresh and comes in a tin)

You can also read the blogs:
‘Is There Really a Connection between Food and Acne?’,
‘Green Tea’,
‘The Treatment for Rosacea’ and
‘Anti-Oxidants in Cosmetic Products’.