rosacea blog

Rosacea can have many triggers, including heat, cold, stress, anxiety, embarrassment, certain beverages and of course certain food. While stress, anxiety and temperature can have an almost immediate effect on our facial flushing, it is a little harder to figure out what food ingredients trigger rosacea, in particular when you have been just diagnosed with rosacea.

In order to determine what food triggers aggravate your rosacea, you need to pay close attention to your diet and write down everything you eat for at least a week. Then, try to correlate increased facial redness with a particular food you ate the day before. You will then look for any improvements in your rosacea symptoms after you have eliminated the suspect food from your diet.

The list of potential rosacea food triggers can be extremely long and not all rosacea sufferers react the same. Frequently, rosacea sufferers have to avoid any aged foods that are high in histamine and tyramine (a breakdown product of the amino acid tyrosine). Foods such as chocolate, hot peppers, tomatoes, red (bell) peppers, raspberries, lettuce, certain cabbages etc. can often trigger rosacea flare-ups.

However, simply eliminating food ingredients will not always work. This is because many rosacea food triggers are “hidden”. What do I mean with “hidden”? For example, you may be sensitive to paprika. There are many food items that contain paprika, sometimes without it being mentioned on the ingredient label. This includes barbecue sauces, steak causes, certain chips etc.

Another example is citrus rind. You may not react to orange juice, but some brands of orange juice may contain large amounts of orange peel, which is a potential rosacea food trigger. The cheaper (store) brands often contain more orange peel.

Finally, there are some foods that increase the amount of nitric oxide (NO) in the blood, which acts as a vasodilator. Which foods can increase NO levels in our blood?

• Arginine-rich foods, such as nuts, chocolate, soy (tofu).
• Foods that are preserved or cured with nitrite or nitrates (cured meats for example)

If you know of some food item that is a rosacea trigger for you, feel free to share it with our readers and leave a comment.

Find out if our rosacea treatments could benefit your skin.

Fruits and nuts are good sources of antioxidants and a number of exotic fruits have recently become very popular due to their high antioxidant content. Some people refer to these fruits as “superfoods” and are marketed aggressively to get the consumers’ attention.

If you must believe some of these marketers, each one of these exotic fruits has astronomical (ORAC) antioxidant values. For my list, I only used ORAC numbers that were either published in scientific journals or were available from publications by the National Institute on Aging in Baltimore, Maryland. The ORAC values listed here are micromoles of Trolox equivalents (TE is a vitamin E derivative) per gram.

The fact that a particular food has the highest levels of antioxidants, does not necessarily mean that that food offers the most health benefits. The bio-availability of each food is different and depends on how well it is being absorbed in our intestines, how it is processed by the liver and kidneys, and if it can cross the blood-brain barrier (for it to have a positive effect on the brain).

1. Acai (dried fruit) 1016/gram

Acai fruit (Euterpe oleraceae) has probably one of the highest antioxidant levels of any food, and is particularly effective against superoxide radicals. Because of this, acai has a very good effect on general health. It also has potential inhibiting activity against Cox-1 and Cox-2, and may therefore be helpful as a treatment for arthritis. Acai is used in many different drinks and foods. Personal favorites are “Rachel Yoghurt” and “Bossa Nova Acai drinks”.

2. Goji Berry (Wolfberry) 253/gram

Goji berry or wolfberry (Lycium barbarum and Lycium chinense) belong to the nightshade family (potatoes, eggplant, tomatoes). Goji berries have a very high antioxidant activity and have been used in South East Asia for a long time. Compounds in goji berries increase nitric oxide levels in blood and could therefore be helpful to combat erectile dysfunction.

3. Mangosteen

The stem and roots of the Mangosteen (Garcinia mangostana) plant contain a number of compounds (xanthones) that have potentially anti-cancer properties. Many of these compounds are thought to inhibit the aromatase enzyme, an enzyme belonging to the Cytochrome P450 family that converts androgens (testosterone and similar) into estrogens. Mangosteen may also be beneficial to men over 40 who wish to increase their testosterone levels.

4. Noni

Noni (Morinda citrifolia) juice has been shown to have a protecting effect on the liver. It has a high antioxidant value and it has been shown to dilate blood vessels. For this reason it may not be suitable for use by rosacea sufferers.

5. Pecans 180 units/gram

Pecan (Carya illinoinensis) trees are mainly found in the southern parts of the United States and some parts of Mexico. Pecan nuts have a buttery taste and can be eaten by itself or can be used in a variety of deserts (pecan pie). Research has suggested that the antioxidants in pecans can lower bad cholesterol (LDL) levels and that daily consumption of a handful of pecans may protect against heart disease.

6. Black Chokeberry 160 units/gram

Black chokeberries (Aronia melanocarpa) contain high levels of dark pigments, mainly anthocyanins, which have antioxidant properties. Because of chokeberries’ high antioxidant level, chokeberries may be beneficial for a number of diseases, including heart disease, certain cancers, liver disease and chronic inflammation.

7. Elderberry 147 units/gram

The most common Elderberry (Sambucus nigra) produces black fruit when ripe. All parts of the plant except for the flowers and ripe fruit, are poisonous. Elderberry extract is rich in antioxidants and can be used to treat bronchitis and persistent coughs, since it is believed to act as an expectorant.

8. Walnuts 135 units/gram

Walnuts (Juglans regia) are high in antioxidants, ALA (an omega-3 fatty acid) and arginine. It has recently been shown that consumption of walnuts can protect against atherosclerosis by limiting the detrimental effect of high levels of unsaturated fats in peoples’ diet. Studies have also shown that walnut extract is able to keep beta-amyloid protein in a soluble form and preventing the breakdown of acetylcholine, both of which could delay the onset of Alzheimer’s disease.

9. Pomegranate 105 units/gram

Pomegranate (Punica granatum) is high in antioxidants and may be beneficial for cardiovascular health and high blood pressure. Pomegranate seed oil contains compounds that can inhibit estrogens and has been shown to inhibit the proliferation of breast cancer cells in vitro.

10. Cranberries 96 units/gram

Cranberries have long been considered a “superfood”, containing high levels of antioxidants. Cranberry juice is beneficial for kidney and bladder health and is able to inhibit plaque formation (on teeth). A component of cranberry juice prevents the attachment of bacteria to the wall of the bladder and urethra.

Blueberries with an ORAC score of 65 units/gram, fell just outside the list, but have many health benefits as well.

Bon appetit!

Additional Reading

• Top 10 Superfoods for Spring « Moncler Jackets | Cheap Moncler Sale – Of the 50 foods highest in antioxidants, 13 were herbs and spices. One study found that oregano had 42 times more antioxidants than apples. Is it surprising that fresh herbs are so healthful? Not to me, on an instinctual level they …

What we choose to eat can have a huge impact on our skin. Certain foods in particular can have a negative effect, increasing the degree of redness of the face, commonly associated with rosacea.

Since rosacea is an inflammation of the facial skin, any food substance that can increase the inflammatory processes, will have a negative effect upon skin that suffers from rosacea. For example, foods with high levels of histamine will increase the inflammation and therefore, redness of the skin. Histamine has also been linked to cluster headaches, hypertensive episodes, and food-drug interactions.

Histamine can be found in many aged, and in some cases spoiled, foods. Examples of foods that have high histamine levels are: cheese, wine, soy sauce, pickled foods, cured meats, smoked fish, tomatoes and red peppers.

When I was first diagnosed with rosacea in my twenties, the top 3 foods that caused an increase in my facial redness were chocolate, tomatoes and red (bell) peppers. As I am getting older, I have noticed that chocolate and tomatoes do not have such a strong effect on my rosacea as they once did, while red peppers still cause me problems.

About five years ago, I started to add chocolate (organic) back to my diet. I found that my facial redness did not get worse by eating chocolate a few times a week. I don’t have any explanation for that, but it could be that the organic chocolate (which is less processed) has less of an effect on rosacea than other chocolate, perhaps due to the higher anti-oxidant content of organic chocolate.

Does the sensitivity to histamine containing foods differ between rosacea sufferers, and, does the sensitivity to a particular food change over the years as we get older? I invite my readers to leave comments about this.

Find out how our all natural rosacea treatments can benefit your skin.

More Reading:

• Flushing Away Rosacea :: Your Health Updates – … Views and Perspectives, chronic conditions | Tags: acidic, adrenaline flushing, alkaline, flushing, health perspectives, healthy eating, Inflammation, Nutrition, ph, processed food, rosacea, rosasea treatment, steroid flushing, …