Psoriasis is an autoimmune disease that affects 2% of the population and mostly develops in adults under the age of 35. The skin disorder causes cells to multiply up to ten times faster than normal causing bumpy red patches.

The evidence linking diet and psoriasis is not conclusive but benefits appear to be linked to an anti-inflammatory diet reflective of the Mediterranean style of eating.

People with psoriasis appear to be at an increased risk of diabetes and heart disease so adopting a healthy style of eating can be beneficial in many other ways.

Going gluten-free is often suggested as being a beneficial way of eating for psoriasis, but there may not be any benefit if you have not been diagnosed with gluten intolerance or coeliac disease. However, there’s no harm in cutting gluten out of the diet if you want to give it a try. Swap wheat, barley and rye (bread and pasta) for grains such as rice, quinoa and buckwheat.

Dairy is also often considered to be a trigger, but again, the evidence is not clear cut. If you want to try going dairy free then opt for alternatives which are fortified with calcium and vitamins B12 and D.

Those suffering with psoriasis should ditch processed foods and try cooking from scratch. It doesn’t have to be anything elaborate, there are lots of quick and simple home cooking recipes available on social media and the internet.. you’ll probably find a few on my pages 😉.

Cutting back on sugar and alcohol may help with psoriasis, and as this has many other health benefits it’s not such as bad thing to do.

Being overweight or obese has been shown to be closely linked to psoriasis given the association with inflammation in the body. Omega 3 is anti-inflammatory so try and eat two servings of oily fish per week.

Foods to include plenty of:

🔸 Vegetables (especially greens).

🔸 Berries.

🔸 Extra virgin olive oil (use for all cooking purposes).

🔸 Dried herbs and spices.

🔸 Nuts and seeds.

The evidence for supplements is lacking but you may want to consider a few for general health:

🔸 Vitamin D (during the Winter months).

🔸 Omega 3 – if you don’t eat oily fish (vegan options available).

🔸 Probiotic – to help support gut health – linked to immunity.

🔸 Turmeric – may help to tackle inflammation.