Anyone else trying this? ...How to beat Psoriasis!....its a diet!

[Simon_B]

How do you all keep your weight up?

Everything I read says carbs (simple and/or complex) are best used in moderation at best.. meat, dairy, starchy vegetables, honey, bananas, avocado etc all either increase hystermine or acidify the blood..

I'm skinny already and constantly yo-yo between keeping weight up and eating psoriasis friendly foods. I'm really good at commiting to diets but the list is now down to broccoli, purified himalayan water and good intentions.

Another thing.. my father gets psoriasis and eats c**p.. like really badly.. drinks alcohol and coffee, white bread, meat.. and his one little patch never gets worse. I on the other hand try all this and it steadily treks across my face, arms, legs and back like an invading army..

I know we are all different but this simply makes no sense re:diet..

Any help would be GREATLY appreciated..

Simon

[babyblue]

Hi Simon,

I too inherited P from my dad and apart from one flare up in his entire life, he is always relatively clear.  He  cleared the flare up by using just dovobet for two weeks.  He reminds me constantly that ... 'its just a skin condition' .... and I guess that means he's not at all bothered with it.

P is such an 'individual disease' ; no two people react in exactly the same way, even within families and what works today may not tomorrow.  I'm convinced for me diet holds the key to a maintainance programme, thankfully as yet I've only tried a few creams (rarely steriod based); and have benefited from UVB on an annual basis, so there remain some options for me.

There is really no answer and certainly no quick cure. Perhaps Totoro will provide a more appropriate answer as to why you are more affected with P than your Dad despite eating more healthily.  And how to maintain a healthy weight whilst eating lots of fresh produce.

BB

 

[Lazza]

Simon, I've lost 20 lbs since starting this diet nearly five months ago.  Thankfully my weight has stabilized at a good point (I am 5' 7" and weight 150 lbs).  I think much of the loss has been fat since I have lost 3" off my waist.  Now since you are slim to begin I agree with your concern about losing weight.  But I think simply eating more, like consuming two litres/day of the shake, and perhaps sweetening it with more fruit can be helpful.  Yet I can't but wondering: can we be too rich or too slim?? 

Not sure if I agree with your comments wrt psoriasis friendly foods.  True, if you amass from all sources of which foods are good for P you will see a surprisingly few foods common among all sources.  Rather than getting all worked up over this I focus on consuming the veggie/fruit shake every day, eliminate known or suspect foods (gluten, dairy, nightshades) and pure junk, and moderate on stuff that are either not very nutritious or perhaps mildly inflammatory.  It winds up that there is still plenty I can eat.

Now as for your dad, consider him lucky.    He might be blessed with a colon more impervious to problems, ... who knows!?!  I ate rather crappily for the first 52 years of my life before be diagnosed with P.  Not sure how I was able to get away with it for so long.


_Lazza

[Simon_B]

Thanks for replying so quickly!

I think I've got a little scared of food to be honest. Every morning I look in the mirror and see a little bit more redness and a little less face and I panic.. I then look at what I ate and try and work it out.. I'm really interested in what people eat from day-to-day as a base-line.. Without some serious carbs I feel weak, tired and moody.. I live off brown rice, quinoa, sweet potatoes and the rare bit of whole-grain bread... chuck in tuna, salmon, chicken, turkey.. veggies and you've got a pretty boring bland diet, I don't drink, smoke or eat confectionary and still my skin gets worse.. I take vit D, spirulina, vit C and three tinctures prescribed by a herbalist..

I like the idea of the shakes, tried them for a few months but found it easier to eat the components rather than blending..

I think I need to make an appointment with a decent nutritionist and face the fact that I'm one of those people you look at in the street.. I just didn't expect to be this person!!

[totoro]

Hi Simon,

Sorry to hear that with such a good diet that your P has got worse.

You dont mention wether you do or dont eat dairy? If you dont what do you
use instead of...if you do then maybe that could be a trigger. Maybe soya a problem
for you?

In my case milk and cheese are bad bad foods....and sadly some of my favorites.
I now have very very little cheese and rice milk.

What amount of Vit D3 are you taking? ( Im on 5000iu)

Unlike some folks I try not to take too much vit C...i get plenty in fruit and veg.

As for your Dad - well hes a lucky man. I have no history of P in the family...except
a cousin. But my Dad died reasonably young of the big C. I hope I dont get that!

Another thing that may help is slippery elm and psyllium husk powder for the colon.

all the best

Nick

[Lazza]

Simon, I will echo totoro's comments...

1) After eating dairy happily all my life it has become poisonous to me.
2) A mild colon cleanse is a good idea.  I use psyllium husks and 3 Indian herbs packaged as something called "triphala" (in pill form, tastes fine).
3) If you live in northern climes (eg, Britain) then vit D supplementation is a really good idea. 

The only suggestions I have wrt your present diet:

1) Makes sure the salmon you eat is wild salmon, not farmed salmon.  Big differences in terms of arachidonic acid (..inflammatory stuff).
2) Try cutting out all gluten for a couple of weeks and see what happens.

You might want to read one of the several books out there on anti-inflammatory diets.  I've read Inflammation Nation by Floyd Chilton but there are other good ones out there.


_Lazza

[hels]

I'm a newbie so bear with me!! really interested in the nutrition aspect of psoriasis, need to look round on here some more, anybody have any general advice? I'm just reading about nightshades dairy etc which is an eye opener for someone who  loves these food groups!
 best wishes to all who have posted on here x

[deadbutdreaming]

Simon I am 36yrs old, 5 8 and weign 11 stone. I have around 10% body fat and a lot of lean muscle. I have been on the shakes for at least 6 months.

I train 5 days a week with heavy weights and running. For me to be able to continue with my exercise and maintain my weight on this diet I had to adjust. For instance like Totoro I found that all dairy(Don't miss it at all) and red meat is a trigger so I searched for an alternative to red meat which I found with grass fed beef. No reaction whatsoever!!! Makes you wonder what the hell they are they feeding the other cows?!!!!!

To maintain your weight you need to be hitting around 2100 calories a day. I understand this is hard due to such a low calorie count in veg but by adding more fruit and finding meat alternatives that doesn't react with your skin you can remain steady.

I have three raw shakes a day with pure egg white protein and three meals which include cooked veg and chicken/sometimes grass fed beef. It's all in your planning. It can be done.

I am stunned and delighted with my clearing so far and the change in my health and physique.

[babyblue]

Good results deadbutdreaming; delighted for you. 

2 Questions:  How can you eat raw eggwhites?    sounds too much for me; .. do you mix them in the shakes? 

And while I'm currently sticking to fish and chicken I would like variety and I loved red meat - where do u get your grass fed beef from?  Is it strictly organic - like at farmers markets?

Keep up good work and good luck with clearing remainder of P

BB

[Lazza]

I'm a newbie so bear with me!! really interested in the nutrition aspect of psoriasis, need to look round on here some more, anybody have any general advice? I'm just reading about nightshades dairy etc which is an eye opener for someone who  loves these food groups!
 best wishes to all who have posted on here x

Welcome.  Well if you peruse this long thread you will find the following common elements wrt diet and psoriasis:

1) Raw veggies and fruit are good.  Plopping them all into a sturdy blender and producing a 1+ quart-sized shake is easy, and consuming this each and every day should help your P ... sooner or later.  If nothing else it will do wonders for your overall health.  I prefer green leafy veggies, like kale and spinach, over the more starchy and sweet ones (sweet potato, squashes).  But others here do the opposite and also get good results.  Check out www.nutritiondata.com and choose the veggies you feel offer the nutrition you want.

2) Dairy and gluten (wheat) are common psoriasis triggers.  It is best to *eliminate entirely* both of these items from your diet.

3) Nightshades (tomatoes, potatoes, peppers, aubergine) are considered inflammatory vegetables but I don't believe they trigger psoriasis like dairy and gluten can do.  Eliminating nightshades from one's diet is suggested but some modest cheating is probably okay, and you might be able to re-introduce these items once your psoriasis begins to clear.

4) Sweets and junk food should be avoided.  It is also best to avoid alcohol, especially beer (since it is made from wheat).

5) Fatty meats (most beef, pork, ..) are to be avoided.  Go with the best cuts, preferably from grass-fed or 'organic' animals.  Fish is great but don't overdo tuna (mercury poisoning) and avoid farm-raised salmon.

6) Not related to diet exactly, at least from a forward-looking perspective, but it is suggested to clean up your colon from all the gunk piled up from having a crummy diet until now.  A safe and easy way is to take plenty of bulk fibre, like what psyllium husks offer.  I also take some herbs (in pill form) that supposedly kill off nasty organisms lurking in the colon.


I suggest you also read 'Healing Psoriasis:..' by John Pagano and 'Inflammation Nation' by Floyd Chilton to learn more about anti-inflammatory diets.  Every so called specialist has their own unique spin.  Invariably, through time, you will choose what works for *you*.


_Lazza