Don't Fear "Heat" in Your Diet if You Have Psoriasis
Core Tip: Patients with psoriasis must pay close attention to their diet, as a typical characteristic of psoriasis is the cyclical shedding of skin scales from lesional sites, leading to the loss of trace elements in the body.
If sufficient replenishment is not made through diet, over time, it can lead to an imbalance of trace elements, organ failure, and other complications, making the treatment of psoriasis more difficult. From the perspective of Traditional Chinese Medicine, psoriasis is caused by a decline in the body's immune function, metabolic disorders of the internal organs, and microcirculation disorders in the skin's meridians, due to various factors such as the environment, emotions, and foci. This leads to the accumulation of endotoxins that should be excreted in the skin, causing the disease.
Don't Fear "Heat" in Your Diet if You Have Psoriasis
Pathologically, "blood heat" is a false appearance, while "blood stasis" is the root cause. Scholars who advocate dietary restrictions believe that consuming spicy vegetables and fish or shrimp can exacerbate "blood heat" and worsen the condition. However, one should not avoid "heat" at the expense of the body's essential nutritional needs.
Spicy vegetables like chili peppers, scallions, garlic, and coriander are not only rich in trace elements but also have a more important function: promoting sweat gland secretion to expel harmful pathogenic substances from the body in a timely manner.
Patients with psoriasis can eat more of the following foods:
Carrot: Mainly contains a large amount of carotene, which can supplement the deficiency of vitamin A in the patient's body.
White Radish: Contains carbohydrates, calcium, phosphorus, carotene, vitamin C, and other components. It has a sweet, pungent, and cool nature, and is known for its effects of clearing heat, detoxifying, and aiding digestion.
Taro: Contains protein, calcium, phosphorus, iron, and vitamins. It has a sweet, pungent, and smooth nature with a slight toxicity, and is known for its effects of clearing heat, detoxifying, removing stasis and reducing swelling, tonifying deficiency, relieving pain, and reducing inflammation.
Water Spinach: Contains protein, calcium, phosphorus, carotene, vitamin C, and vitamins B1, B2. It has a bland, cool nature and is non-toxic, and is known for its effects of clearing heat, detoxifying, and resolving stasis to reduce swelling.
Eggplant: Contains protein, carbohydrates, calcium, phosphorus, carotene, vitamin C, and other components. It has a sweet, cool nature and is non-toxic, and is known for its effects of activating blood, cooling the blood, and dispelling wind to reduce swelling.
Warm Reminder:
Psoriasis patients with high blood lipids should follow a low-fat diet and eat more vegetables and fruits. At the same time, overeating is detrimental to health and should be especially avoided by psoriasis patients. Consuming nutritious, high-energy foods normally can promote the regression of skin lesions.