Diet for Rosacea

Rosacea is a skin disorder that generally affects the face. In this condition the face appears red. Symptoms include flushing, pimples or bumps, watery eyes and dry flaky skin. People suffering from rosacea do not have a healthy pH level in their blood. The blood pH is lower than normal. This happens because the body has less oxygen. We all know that body requires oxygen to stay healthy. Alkaline water is highly oxygenated and an abundant source of oxygen.

Rosacea Diet
Dietary changes can work wonders to manage this chronic skin problem. To prevent flare ups and to keep rosacea under control, one should have the right food. It is observed that excessive acidic environment in the body (low blood pH) is the main culprit behind the development of rosacea. So, eating foods that raise blood pH value can aggravate rosacea. In other words, avoiding highly acidic foods (as they have low pH) is the need of the hour for managing rosacea effectively. No wonder, rosacea diet primarily focuses on consuming alkaline foods. Thus, the answer to the question 'how to prevent rosacea flare ups' lies in eating alkaline foods.

Diet for Rosacea - Foods To Avoid
Improving pH level of the body is the first step to take care of skin having a history of rosacea. For that, one has to distance oneself from foods high in acid content. Highly acidic foods are the ones that bring down body pH, thereby encouraging the inflammation of the skin. Here are some of the following high acidic food items and beverages:

Beverages
All alcoholic beverages including beer, vodka, champagne, whiskey and red wine are categorized as rosacea triggers because of their high acidic content and hence their exclusion from this form of diet is a must. Acidic beverages that include coffee and tea are vascular dilators (they expand the blood vessels). These beverages under any circumstances should not be consumed as they can wreak havoc in the body.

Sugary Products
Foods high in sugar such as pastries, chocolates and cakes are lip smacking but unfortunately are troublesome to rosacea patients. The reason is simple; Sugar is notorious for making the body acidic and hence sugary products are found to be most acidic. So, even though you might be having a sweet tooth, compulsorily avoiding these foods should be your top priority.

Meat
Meat, be it beef, pork, lamb, chicken, shellfish or turkey, all come in the list of acidic foods. Therefore, considering their acidic nature, one should avoid or eat meat sparingly.

Fruits
High levels of acid is found in certain fruits, which means they are unsuitable for patients diagnosed with rosacea. These high acid content fruits are cranberries, prunes, plums and blackberries.

Vegetables
Few vegetables come under acid forming foods and considering this fact their inclusion in the diet would defeat the purpose of reducing rosacea symptoms. Some of the vegetables that produce acidifying effect in the body are given below:

• Pinto beans
• Lima beans
• Tomatoes
• Winter squash

Nuts
Certain nuts (except almonds) can drive your rosacea into the 'serious zone'. So, which are those? Peanuts, walnuts, cashew nuts and pecans can give rosacea patients a hell of time due to their high acidic nature. The body's pH can significantly go below the normal range, if these nuts are included in the diet. This in turn will contribute in aggravating rosacea.

Diet for Rosacea - Foods To Include
As aforementioned, rosacea diet propagates alkaline foods as they help to raise body's pH, necessary to minimize symptoms of rosacea. In order to regain the body's lost pH balance, one has to concentrate more on eating alkaline foods. Alkaline foods play a crucial role in neutralizing acids, which contributes in alleviating rosacea. Some of the alkaline foods are given below:

Vegetables
Talking about alkaline based diet and one simply cannot forget to mention about vegetables. Almost all vegetables are alkaline forming foods that assist to maintain acid alkaline balance. Moreover, sugar content in these foods is very less as compared to fruits. Hence, alkalizing qualities of vegetables are far higher than the fruits. Also, vegetables are major source of skin friendly nutrients like vitamin C, omega 3 essential fatty foods, vitamin K and vitamin A. Some of the most alkaline vegetables are given below:

• Green asparagus
• Rocket leaves
• Celery
• Broccoli
• Baby spinach
• Lentils
• Onions
• Sweet potato
• Green beans
• Cucumber
• Mustard greens
• Kale

Make sure to have spinach in raw form whereas other vegetables can be steamed or stir fried in olive oil or flax seed oil. Deep-fried vegetables may lose their alkalinity and so such methods of cooking have to be avoided.

Whole Grain Products
Don't want blood to turn more acidic? Well, you need to include whole grain products as they form an inseparable part of alkaline diet. Whole grains like brown rice, buckwheat, millet, oatmeal and whole wheat bread can definitely help to correct the acid alkaline balance.

Beverages
Drinking the right beverage can contribute immensely to reduce the acidic environment in the body. Vegetable broth, juices of green vegetables and even fig juice also seems to have a great deal of alkalizing qualities. Mineral water contains a high amount of oxygen and helps in improving the blood pH. However, along with water, having a special diet, recommended for rosacea, is equally important to combat this unusual skin condition. When it comes to rosacea diet, it is essential to avoid foods that do not heal the patient. They are certain foods that need to be avoided as they can aggravate the condition. These include spicy foods, cheese, hot beverages and alcohol.

Fruits
Alkalizing properties of fruits is also commendable and hence can also do a great job in restoring the body's pH balance. Although fructose (a type of sugar) found in fruits can slightly minimize the impact of the alkalinity, nevertheless they form an inseparable part of rosacea diet. Some of the fruits that can be included in the diet are mentioned below:

• Watermelon
• Raspberry
• Mango
• Lime
• Papaya
• Pears
• Raisins

Herbs
Adding certain herbs to the diet can also work in favor of patients wanting to reduce rosacea. Herbs like garlic and parsley display excellent alkalizing properties and so their inclusion in the diet is certainly advisable. Even herbal teas and of course green tea can help in your endeavor to follow this diet.

Dairy Products
Amongst the dairy products, one can eat buttermilk, yogurt and cottage cheese in moderation as they have lowest acidic content. On the other hand, raw or homogenized milk and even ice cream are significantly acidic and therefore have no place in rosacea diet.

To conclude, a proven way to get respite from rosacea is to follow a diet that does not contain acidic foods. So, avoiding acidic content foods and ensuring that alkaline foods form an integral part of rosacea diet can go a long way to combat rosacea successfully.