I've only just noticed this thread and am very tempted to give it a go - I need to change my diet anyways, I'm not overweight but lets just say the food I eat isn't very good. I've been advised by a friend to stick to white meat (chicken, pork etc) which I'm going to try and do as well as eating the right fruit/vegs (5 a day and all that...). The shake looks disgusting but might give it ago.
If I can remember to I might make a diary on my progress as well as take photos of living proof that this actually works (or doesn't!). Sadly I am one of those people who say I'll do something and then dont but I am determind to be P clear so am prepared to do anything - its really bad right now and is starting to get me down a little.
Paul, I hope you give the shake diet a try. Some comments/suggestions:
1) In order to have any chance of succeeding you need to take this diet very seriously. You will need to be terribly strict. But you should be rewarded at least with excellent health. And for many, including myself, psoriasis has improved substantially.
2) So long as you sweeten them sufficiently the shakes should actually taste quite good. You can also vary the contents considerably provided you stuff in at least 7-8 veggies and 2-3 fruits. I have found the flavor of these veggies to be completely masked by the flavor of fruits; they are 'stealth' veggies: cabbage, carrots, spinach, and all forms of squash. And I recommend you use banana in each shake during early days. Great taste, very sweet and adds great texture to the shake. However since bananas are a bit inflammatory you'll need to use them sparingly once you feel confident with these shakes.
3) As for which meats are good, which are bad ... there is some disagreement. Non-farmed fish is always good; I strongly recommend eating fish almost daily. Beef and chicken are okay, especially if they are more of the 'organic' sort, but I feel that until you start seeing positive results in your P you shouldn't eat them every day. Same goes for eggs. Pork is probably something you should eat only rarely. However game meat (eg, venison) is fine.
4) Dairy has proven to be a very strong P trigger for many, including myself. Wheat (gluten) can be as well but from what I see on these message boards it is less common. Yet I recommend eliminating both these foods 100% from your diet (..I mean 100%, not 99.9%). Once your P is clearing you can dabble a bit with these foods to see if you get a negative reaction. For me I am so paranoid about triggering my P that I won't ever touch dairy again, and I still don't eat gluten even though I am probably not sensitive to it.
5) Lastly, refrain from alcohol and absolutely no wheat-based alcohol (eg, beer). Refrain from eating nightshades (tomato, potato, peppers). Refrain from eating sweets and packaged foods. (By "refrain" I mean you need have these items once in a while.) Smoking? People have cleared P through diet and still smoked. But I cannot imagine it offers anything helpful.
Best of luck whatever you do.
_Lazza
PS - there are other foods people have found to be a P trigger, such as soy and legumes. So if you have a pet food you eat daily you might want to stop eating it for a few days to see if there is any impact on your P.
