Triggers for Rosacea
There are many foods and activities that cause an increase of circulation to the face and neck can cause the condition to worsen.
Rosacea Activators:
-Hot foods or beverages
-spicy foods,
-caffeine withdrawal (caffeine itself isn’t a factor),
-alcohol,
-sunlight,
-stress, anger or embarrassment,
-strenuous exercise,
-hot baths, saunas,
-corticosteroids (as well as drugs that dilate blood vessels),
-temperature extremes, cold weather, wind, and
-certain skin care products.
- foods that are blood vessel dilators such as vinegars, hot spices and various other spicy seasonings, hot sauces, peppers (including black pepper) and meat marinades.
-Tomatoes, citrus fruits and related juices, bananas, and red plums, raisins, figs, pasta, cheese, and chocolates
-other known flushing foods are liver, yogurt, sour cream, vanilla, soy sauce, yeast extract, eggplant, avocados, spinach, broad-leaf beans and pods, including lima, navy or peas.
***Many people also have reported outbreaks after eating chocolate, lobster, prawns, artificial sweeteners, preservatives, food colorings and MSG. Aspartame and NutraSweet as a sugar replacement causes noticeable flushing in 30% of rosaceans.***
Foods to eat for Rosacea
Rosacea redness is partially caused by high calorie carbohydrates (pastas, breads) and sugar spiking from all sweet foods. So think of things that give you a high burn rate, high energy, or foods that would most likely add fat to your body, and you would be identifying the worst culprits.
The goal is to reduce food consumption, which reduces the heat/calories burned, which results in the body being noticeably colder during the winter and likewise providing less heat during the summer. Since there is less heat by calories burned, there is less redness of the face or dilation. Therefore, three small meals with breakfast being the most important and snacking in between meals is better for limiting vascular dilation flushing.
-whole grains,
seeds, nuts
-fresh vegetables and fruit Cherries, blackberries, and blueberries are vascular constrictors, which actually assist in reducing redness.
-Chicken and fish are preferable to red meats.
-Tofu is an excellent form of protein, which has cooling qualities.
-Foods are better cooked rather than raw, because cooked food is easier to digest and less damp forming. ——Seaweed is also good for the skin and helps eliminate dampness. You need to use trial and error to see which foods won’t aggravate your condition.
It is best to avoid all hot foods and drinks until they have cooled to body temperature or cooler. If you want to drink coffee, tea, or a soft drink, it is best to chill it in a refrigerator. This will not cause as much vascular dilation.
It is also helpful to drink 10-12 glasses of water daily between meals, and no drinks with your meals. Chew your food to a cream before swallowing. This helps speed digestion. Take small bites, chew thoroughly, and eat slowly.