I'd like to start an Anti-inflammatory diet in my lifestyle

MrCossman99
MrCossman99 Posts: 1 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Hello everyone, totally new here, but I have psoriasis on my scalp and a bit on my face and apparently, the anti-inflammatory diet supposedly works so I wouldn't mind doing it. Not just for psoriasis, but to prevent diseases in the future since I used to eat a lot of junk like pizza, hamburgers, etc... I was wondering what foods should I consume on the daily to help fit my needs. Maybe a list would help? Thanks.
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Replies

  • neanderthin
    neanderthin Posts: 10,296 Member
    edited September 2021
    Please do your due diligence. There is no evidence that one exists, at all.

    As mentioned above, weight loss is what improves and moves markers in the right direction.

    https://ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5793290/
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,052 Member
    @MikePfirrman: do you have experience with anti-inflammatory diets?
  • penguinmama87
    penguinmama87 Posts: 1,155 Member
    I have psoriasis on my scalp as well, but over time I have found most of all that flare-ups are related to weather and hormones and not specifically what I eat or don't eat. I don't think there's any harm in experimenting with food to see, but it might not give you the results you want in that department.

    Mine is controlled best with medicated shampoo.
  • ritzvin
    ritzvin Posts: 2,860 Member
    MrCossman99 wrote: »
    Hello everyone, totally new here, but I have psoriasis on my scalp and a bit on my face and apparently, the anti-inflammatory diet supposedly works so I wouldn't mind doing it. Not just for psoriasis, but to prevent diseases in the future since I used to eat a lot of junk like pizza, hamburgers, etc... I was wondering what foods should I consume on the daily to help fit my needs. Maybe a list would help? Thanks.

    It might potentially be worth trying an elimination diet and testing various common allergens (with current labeling guidelines in the US, they'll be listed separately in addition to the ingredient list and/or bolded in the ingredient list). Food allergies, sensitivities vary from person to person. (wheat gluten would be the one possibility in the few items you listed above -but would only be the cause of inflammation if you are sensitive to it).
  • glassyo
    glassyo Posts: 7,771 Member
    Yeah, I don't think it would hurt to try. Weight loss definitely didn't help my psoriasis/eczema/whatever that I've had for the past 30 plus years and I'm pretty sure unmasked my ulcerative colitis. An inflammatory disease. And I'm not the healthiest of eaters.
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,432 MFP Moderator
    penguinmama87 wrote: »
    I have psoriasis on my scalp as well, but over time I have found most of all that flare-ups are related to weather and hormones and not specifically what I eat or don't eat. I don't think there's any harm in experimenting with food to see, but it might not give you the results you want in that department.

    Mine is controlled best with medicated shampoo.

    My wife is dealing with the same thing. We found that using a tea tree shampoo and body wash has helped. We have done elimination diets without success.
  • glassyo
    glassyo Posts: 7,771 Member
    psuLemon wrote: »
    penguinmama87 wrote: »
    I have psoriasis on my scalp as well, but over time I have found most of all that flare-ups are related to weather and hormones and not specifically what I eat or don't eat. I don't think there's any harm in experimenting with food to see, but it might not give you the results you want in that department.

    Mine is controlled best with medicated shampoo.

    My wife is dealing with the same thing. We found that using a tea tree shampoo and body wash has helped. We have done elimination diets without success.

    What body wash? I have a prescription spray I use that would probably keep working if I used it consistently. :)
  • corinasue1143
    corinasue1143 Posts: 7,460 Member
    I’ve never had psoriasis, but I’ve had many inflammatory problems—like fibromyalgia. Eating in an anti-inflammatory way has helped me tremendously. Covid lockdown makes it harder to eat that way, and I’m feeling the effects. Do a little research, try it, and I wish you the best of luck! Hope it helps you too.
  • corinasue1143
    corinasue1143 Posts: 7,460 Member
    This site might be useful https://flavorpalooza.com/your-complete-anti-inflammatory-foods-list/
  • lorib642
    lorib642 Posts: 1,942 Member
    I recently discovered I am lactose intolerant. Would seem obvious maybe but I was not sure what was causing digestive issues. I took a food sensitivity test but there are elimination diets that you take things that could be the culprit out of your diet and gradually add them back. I don't know about psoriasis or inflammation diets. I feel sooo much better now.

    If you want support I would try to find a group on inflammation and diet. I hate telling people to google but that may be a way to find one. I belong to keto groups here, Facebook and reddit. It can be confusing when people disagree.
  • ritzvin
    ritzvin Posts: 2,860 Member
    lorib642 wrote: »
    I recently discovered I am lactose intolerant. Would seem obvious maybe but I was not sure what was causing digestive issues. I took a food sensitivity test but there are elimination diets that you take things that could be the culprit out of your diet and gradually add them back. I don't know about psoriasis or inflammation diets. I feel sooo much better now

    Yes!. Certain things are so prevalent in our diet that, even if the most acute reactions come immediately after eating, you wouldn't know what the culprit is without making a dietary change.

    I wasn't even testing for a wheat issue...I was testing for a glycemic one.. Turned out that a bit of wheat pasta (mixed with other things lowering the meal index) made me react, while loads of creme brulee (yes.i was bad. I used to make creme brulee in bulk frequently for dinner parties... And gave in big time to temptation) affected me not one iota. Lightbulb moment.

    Side note on the above...a generic "anti-inflammatory" diet would probably nix both and loads more stuff. Unnecessarily as it turns out in most cases. (But a strict diet to see if this (or possibly other issues) improves, followed by slowly adding stuff back in could be a good approach to identify any potential issues).
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,432 MFP Moderator
    glassyo wrote: »
    psuLemon wrote: »
    penguinmama87 wrote: »
    I have psoriasis on my scalp as well, but over time I have found most of all that flare-ups are related to weather and hormones and not specifically what I eat or don't eat. I don't think there's any harm in experimenting with food to see, but it might not give you the results you want in that department.

    Mine is controlled best with medicated shampoo.

    My wife is dealing with the same thing. We found that using a tea tree shampoo and body wash has helped. We have done elimination diets without success.

    What body wash? I have a prescription spray I use that would probably keep working if I used it consistently. :)

    Love beauty and planet tea tree body wash.
  • scarlett_k
    scarlett_k Posts: 812 Member
    neanderthin wrote: »
    This is an editorial opinion with no references, which if your Harvard Medical you'd think reference material might be important. Most will just appeal to authority, but studies would be a nice professional touch.

    It also carefully uses the word "may" which doesn't really mean anything in terms of there being indisputable or even strong evidence to prove that the diet suggested definitely "does" or "will do" something. It "may" do something. Which means it also "may not". Language is important.
  • neanderthin
    neanderthin Posts: 10,296 Member
    edited September 2021
    scarlett_k wrote: »
    neanderthin wrote: »
    This is an editorial opinion with no references, which if your Harvard Medical you'd think reference material might be important. Most will just appeal to authority, but studies would be a nice professional touch.

    It also carefully uses the word "may" which doesn't really mean anything in terms of there being indisputable or even strong evidence to prove that the diet suggested definitely "does" or "will do" something. It "may" do something. Which means it also "may not". Language is important.

    Agreed and why I edited to add:

    Most recommendations for food are looking at the compounds in a particular food that show anti inflammatory properties then take a leap of faith say these are foods will reduce inflammation.
    For example omega 3's are shown to be anti inflammatory and fish is generally recommended. The Average American has approx 25:1 ratio of omega 6 to omega 3 which is considered very inflammatory and why you see products with added omega 3's on the grocery shelves. The leap of faith I'm describing are the omega 3's in plant material which is alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) which needs to be converted to EPA and DHA for these to have any actual omegas 3 benefits. That conversion is pretty much nil, less than 5% and then a further conversion to DHA needs to be performed which is less than 1% of the 5%.....and basically why fish supplements are recommended to vegans. On the other hand sugar is highly inflammatory and fruit is generally recommended for an anti-inflammatory diet.....
  • sarah12277
    sarah12277 Posts: 212 Member
    You may want to start off with an elimination diet first. The meme above I disagree on as some of the things on it cause it for me - tomatoes, kale, etc. A while back I started with a basic Auto Immune Protocol Paleo. When I was getting reactions to basic fruit I ended up doing a sensitivities test (knowing there may be some false positives) to at least get a basic list for me. That helped a lot and it included some of the "healthy" items that I would never have thought to remove to begin with - kale, peaches, sesame, clove, etc.

    Each person will be different so finding out your worst offenders, that cause symptoms you can identify, would be a start. For me even if I remove all the offenders, sometimes it's just stress that causes a flare so keep that it mind that it may not be just food causing the issues.
  • HoneyBadger302
    HoneyBadger302 Posts: 2,096 Member
    edited September 2021
    claireychn074 wrote: »
    just a quick caution re tea tree oil - try it on a little patch of skin first and check you’re okay with it. I tried a weak solution for my eczema and it turns out I’m allergic to it and I erupted in pus-filled blisters 😳

    I'll second the "test this" - this summer I ended up with (what I believe ended up being a yeast skin issue - misdiagnosed by the doctor as contact dermatitis) and use a "remedy" tea tree body wash 1-2x/week to help keep my skin clear. While not "allergic" if I use it more than a couple times a week I do start to have a reaction (more like a sensitive skin reaction than an allergic one), but once or twice a week is fine. The oil seems to build up on your skin a bit (judging by how water beads up on my skin with it vs without) which is probably why in my case.

    If you have pets, also be cautious with certain essential oil products, as many are actually very toxic to our fur kids (including tea tree oil).
  • MikePfirrman
    MikePfirrman Posts: 3,307 Member
    edited September 2021
    kshama2001 wrote: »
    @MikePfirrman: do you have experience with anti-inflammatory diets?

    Just my own personal experience and my wife's. I went gluten and dairy free because of her Fibromyalgia. After around two years, I was in Mexico (Cabo) on vacation and we ate what we were told were corn chips with salsa. Turns out they were flour. I found out pretty quick that I was Celiac after that (never knew it).

    I had Eczema all over my back for years. I worked in the restaurant industry and got it then and always thought it was like a heat rash or something. After going gluten free around 3 to 6 months, all the eczema completely cleared up and hasn't returned. I mean, I had it for 15 years. Been gone since going gluten free.

    Now, I didn't feel any better after going gluten free and I also lost all of my weight before going gluten free. So the only thing that changed was my skin condition, but it was embarrassing to ever take my shirt off.

    Based on my wife and all the women she knew with Fibro, the people that responded the best were either Vegan and Gluten Free or ate a Mediterranean Diet and went gluten free. Most also went cow dairy free and limited fried foods and sugar.

    My wife still eats sugar now and again. And she eats goat/sheep cheese. Every now and again she might eat a fried food or even cow dairy, but never cheats on gluten. She's 100% better now. When she had her Fibro support group (3K members until it got too much for her), 100% of the people that got pain relief were all gluten free and either Med Diet or Vegan, heavy plant based. The Paleo folks and the Keto folks didn't see the same levels of pain relief.

    Like @neanderthin said above. Getting way more Omega 3s and balancing out that fat ratio would help a ton. It's why I'm not a huge fan of Keto. Maybe for losing weight but long-term, nah. And the more fiber and polyphenols, the better.

    Polyphenols are starting to be considered a prebiotic of sorts by the Microbiome Therapeutics people (the top R&D people in the US). While they are not fiber, it's clear they have a dramatic affect on the balance of the Microbiome, enhancing bacterial species that can be beneficial, like Akkermansia Muciniphila (I might have killed the spelling on that).

    @Safari_Gal_ -- I have seen many that nightshades (including tomatoes) bother. Also, if someone has Histamine Intolerance (which happens a LOT with people with stomach issues), nuts bother them too. That's why I'm not a fan of completely eliminating dairy. After my wife went dairy free for a couple of years, she started having Histamine Intolerances. Some of the newest peanut allergy remedies include Lactobacillus, which is derived from dairy, as an effective treatment. I'm concerned when I see people go all out with eliminating whole food groups from their diets. There are plenty of sheep and goat cheeses that are quite tasty and helped my wife turn around the Histamine issues she was having with wine and nuts for a while. Diets like FODMAP are to identify intolerances, not as a sustainable lifestyle, which many incorrectly do.

    BTW, I also had pretty bad psoriasis in my youth on my scalp. Many times, I'm guessing, like me, people have the signs of being Celiac early in life and just ignore it. I have a buddy (high school best friend) that's a doc. When he found out I was Celiac now, he said, "makes sense" and reminded me of a time I made a home brew (beer making at 18) to get around the underage laws and he and I drank this nasty swill. I had a rash over my entire body the next day. I thought it was just the alcohol when it was likely the gluten in the beer.

    I think there's a misconception that if you're Celiac, you'll die right away if you eat gluten. Being Celiac doesn't mean you'll die, but you can get sick, have skin rashes, digestive issues and have a much higher chance of colon cancer. I think, like me, a lot of people that have skin issues are Celiacs in denial. Eating gluten free isn't that hard at all any more. You just have to be vigilant.
  • lorib642
    lorib642 Posts: 1,942 Member
    HoneyBadger302 wrote: »
    claireychn074 wrote: »
    just a quick caution re tea tree oil - try it on a little patch of skin first and check you’re okay with it. I tried a weak solution for my eczema and it turns out I’m allergic to it and I erupted in pus-filled blisters 😳

    I'll second the "test this" - this summer I ended up with (what I believe ended up being a yeast skin issue - misdiagnosed by the doctor as contact dermatitis) and use a "remedy" tea tree body wash 1-2x/week to help keep my skin clear. While not "allergic" if I use it more than a couple times a week I do start to have a reaction (more like a sensitive skin reaction than an allergic one), but once or twice a week is fine. The oil seems to build up on your skin a bit (judging by how water beads up on my skin with it vs without) which is probably why in my case.

    If you have pets, also be cautious with certain essential oil products, as many are actually very toxic to our fur kids (including tea tree oil).

    If you still have the yeast skin infection they make antifungal creams. Sorry it was misdiagnosed
  • VegjoyP
    VegjoyP Posts: 2,774 Member
    NerdyScienceGrl wrote: »
    If you want to reduce inflammation, there is a lot of information online but you’ll find mixed info on things like grains, dairy, nightshades, legumes…

    As someone that has chronic inflammation, I absolutely believe there is an anti inflammatory way of eating but it takes some work and you may find that you’re body functions completely fine and you need to find other ways to manage the psoriasis.

    I don’t want to be rude, but I’ll be frank and honest — you may not find what you want here. Calorie counting and CICO is the mantra and “diets” generally aren’t well received or people are told so long as your in a deficient, you’re fine; eat less-move more; etc. It isn’t that “simple” for all of us, so if your serious, I’d do the research, prepare to do the work needed to find your inflammation triggers, and hopefully find a track that works for you. 😁

    You might also try a tea tree oil shampoo and conditioner for your scalp.

    This
    I am going to share my experience and if people disagree or agree really does not change a word of this because after 49 years I know what works for ME.
    CICO can work. I got super thin counting calories. I maintain counting calories. I have also been heavy eating a lot of healthy food from excess calories. That being said let me go further.
    I have SLE Lupus, osteoporosis arthritis Sjogren's, IBS C and anxiety. WHAT I EAT has a DIRECT affect on my health. Period.
    When- for ME- I eat a plant based diet of whole foods and vegetables, nuts, seeds and Tempeh tofu etc I have so much better energy, less pain and digestion is much better. I sleep better and recover from exercise better.
    My skin is extremely sensitive. I bleed easy bruise easy and have sensitivity to chemicals. Plant based helps along with omegas( fish is only animal that also helps for ME but I do better for pain and migranes plant bases )
    That being said the specific foods are personal and change. I did lots of fruit when I was marathon running but don't do as well now. Same with yams. These are highly nutritious foods. Many people feel good with foods I don't.
    This is my experience.
    I also maintain ENOUGH food. Too low calories is not good and can increase health issues. We all need food and many conditions flair when vital nutrients are not provided. Some find intermittwn fasting helps but still get enough calories.
    Again you may find a million different theories. Some really feel better with other methods or treatments.
    I feel what you believe in can possibly alter n some cases how things affect you. If you enjoy something then the likely hood is it will lessen stress signals.
    My advice is trial and searching science. Go to Pubmed, Science Direct and NIH. Studies are not conclusive. They are a specific subject investigation and you will find ones that are exact opposite. However this.may lead you to what works for you
  • Speakeasy76
    Speakeasy76 Posts: 961 Member
    I think you can't go wrong with doing a Mediterranean, M.I.N.D or Dash-type diet, as well as including foods that are thought to be anti-inflammatory and reducing those that are generally thought to be pro-inflammatory (e.g., manmade fat, excess added sugar, alcohol and ultra-processed foods).

    Do you have signs of inflammation already, like chronic muscle/ joint pain, digestive issues, skin issues and brain fog/mood issues? Or, are you doing it to just be "healthier?" The reason I ask is that if you are having some of those signs, it may be helpful to do an elimination diet. I had those issues above, and it was actually my most recent physical therapist who suggested looking into my diet as a trigger for symptoms. I considered myself a generally healthy eater, but knew I probably ate too much added sugar and could stand to cut back on a couple glasses of wine per week.

    I met (via Zoom) with a registered dietician, who through a specific blood test help to possibly identify those foods and chemicals that might trigger an inflammatory response in me. I say "possibly," because while this one uses a different method to measure inflammatory reactions than the others (especially the over-the-counter ones), they're still not 100 % proven so I kind of took it with a grain of salt. However, it gave me a good starting place rather than just eliminating all foods randomly. She had me avoid dairy and gluten for at least 6 weeks, even though wheat and some dairy (e.g., yogurt) were shown to be non-reactive.

    I can tell you that after that initial pretty-uncomfortable first week (in which I also got my 2nd COVID shot and had mild-flu like symptoms from it), I truly did feel so much better than I had been feeling. I think we as humans get so used to ignoring uncomfortable feelings (both physical AND mental), that we forget what it feels like to feel really good. Now could it be that just getting rid of added sugar, alcohol and caffeine were the main catalysts for that--who knows? I do remember I had an appointment with my rheumatologist about my 2nd-3rd week in, and when she asked how I was feeling or if anything was bothering me, I felt pretty great! Other than my shoulder, I even felt kind of silly being there. Also, even though I had a BMI of 22 already, I lost about 12 pounds way more quickly than my calorie intake should have "allowed," and it definitely wasn't all just bloat (lost about 1-2 pants sizes). What I also discovered was that some foods, like corn, triggered symptoms, even though it was identified as non-reactive, and foods that are supposed to be "healthy" (like grapes and chickpeas) also triggered reactions. Also, I don't react every time, or the same way every time. It really is still a learning process. I also need to live, so while I *try* to avoid some reactive foods, I don't completely avoid them. I celebrated my birthday this week with cake from my favorite bakery. While I felt SO tired after eating it, it was still worth it to me.
  • neanderthin
    neanderthin Posts: 10,296 Member
    psuLemon wrote: »
    neanderthin wrote: »
    scarlett_k wrote: »
    neanderthin wrote: »
    This is an editorial opinion with no references, which if your Harvard Medical you'd think reference material might be important. Most will just appeal to authority, but studies would be a nice professional touch.

    It also carefully uses the word "may" which doesn't really mean anything in terms of there being indisputable or even strong evidence to prove that the diet suggested definitely "does" or "will do" something. It "may" do something. Which means it also "may not". Language is important.

    Agreed and why I edited to add:

    Most recommendations for food are looking at the compounds in a particular food that show anti inflammatory properties then take a leap of faith say these are foods will reduce inflammation.
    For example omega 3's are shown to be anti inflammatory and fish is generally recommended. The Average American has approx 25:1 ratio of omega 6 to omega 3 which is considered very inflammatory and why you see products with added omega 3's on the grocery shelves. The leap of faith I'm describing are the omega 3's in plant material which is alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) which needs to be converted to EPA and DHA for these to have any actual omegas 3 benefits. That conversion is pretty much nil, less than 5% and then a further conversion to DHA needs to be performed which is less than 1% of the 5%.....and basically why fish supplements are recommended to vegans. On the other hand sugar is highly inflammatory and fruit is generally recommended for an anti-inflammatory diet.....

    Interesting semantic. Even on a very high sugar diet, if you lose weight, you will see improved inflammatory markers. You saw this in several Kevin Hall studies. This questions whether or not sugar alone is inflammatory, or the associated weight gain that often comes with "high sugar" diets... Which in reality are high sugar, high fat, ultra processed. This is kind of why weight loss and exercise will likely yield the greatest results.


    And agreed, people definitely should look into bioavailability of nutrients. Chia seeds are high in Omega 3s but low bioavailability. Grass fed meats have more omega 3 than conversational raised but the actual difference is minimal. Fatty fish is really a primary source of Omega 3s. What is even more interesting, the best way to improve omega 3s is largely to just reduce omega 6s as they compete against each other.

    I agree with everything you said especially to reduce omega 6's. I remember a study back in the early 2000's that showed visceral fat releases cytokines which facilitates inflammation signaling and another protein that's involved in blood clots. Gaining weight also effects our triglycerides, HDL, particle sizes of cholesterol, increases our plasma glucose and our liver and muscle to respond properly from beta cells from insulin etc. Losing weight improves pretty much every marker for health including fatty livers and insulin sensitivity goes way up allowing our adipose and muscle to respond better to insulin beta cells. Trigs drop and particle sizes and HDL starts going in the right direction. Basically it's not so much sugar even though there's enough studies showing adverse effects switching out proteins for carbs in the absence of weight gain, but it's all about the adverse effects of overall weight gain and visceral fat increases and I'd imagine why there's such importance put on stomach size increases. And like I originally mentioned losing weight is the best anti inflammatory diet. At least there's studies that show what happens as opposed to eating nuts, seeds or leafy greens, which is mostly correlation based on opinion from some of the nutrients found in these foods.



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