Hanna’s book includes research and recipes to heal psoriasis and eczema
Hanna admits that she isn’t a trained nutritionist, but wants to share what’s worked for her after carrying out lots of research.
Here is a selection of food and drinks Radiant: Recipes to Heal Your Skin From Within recommends sufferers of psoriasis and eczema to avoid:
Caffeine
Caffein stimulates the nervous system, causing our adrenals to pump out cortisol. Cortisol is a hormone which helps the body respond to stress. Those same stress hormones that prepare us for a ‘fight or flight’ response also have the potential to trigger skin conditions such as acne.
Cortisol depresses the immune system, making it much more difficult for our skin to fight off bacteria, which multiply inside clogged pores.
Cortisol also encourages the body to pump out insulin. Not only can insulin trigger over-production of new skin cells, it also increases the body’s inflammation levels, which can exacerbate an existing skin condition, causing skin to appear redder and more swollen.
Alcohol
Alcohol is a natural diuretic, which means that the more you drink, the more dehydrated you become. It literally saps the moisture from every part of your body, skin included.
Drinking too much deprives the skin of vital vitamins and nutrients. Vitamin A, for example, is essential for cell renewal and a lack of it can cause the skin to look dull and grey.
Check labels, because alcohol as a major ingredient in any skin-care product is most definitely a problem.
Sugar
Sugary carbohydrates cause our insulin levels to spike and this can lead to an inflammation flare-up throughout the body, potentially causing stress, redness and visible swelling on the skin’s surface.
Autoimmune illnesses such as psoriasis are activated by an over-responsive immune system.
Hanna found that removing sugar from her diet provided great relief
Foods such as sugar, sweets, ice cream, white pasta, ketchup, pre-packaged snacks and fizzy drinks are some of the worst culprits.
Digested sugar permanently attaches to the proteins in our skin through a process known as glycation. Over time, the end products accumulate and destroy our collagen and elastin, the proteins responsible for keeping skin firm and supple.
Processed and junk food
Processed foods contain chemicals, plus cheap fats and refined vegetable oils that are often hydrogenated.
Also known as trans fats, these oils increase bad cholesterol and can block the production of chemicals that combat inflammation.
A good rule of thumb to improve the health of your skin, is to eat foods that keep your blood sugar levels steady. Almost all processed and junk foods are full of ingredients that will cause blood sugar to quickly soar.
This rapid spike triggers the metabolism to boost insulin in response, which in turn creates a flare of inflammation. Over time high insulin levels can make skin drier, thicker and flaky, often blocking the pores and resulting in acne.
Nightshades (tomatoes, potatoes, aubergine and peppers)
Edible plants of the Solanaceae family, known as the nightshades, are not advisable for anyone struggling with autoimmune skin conditions such as psoriasis.
The alkaloids in nightshade vegetables are believed to provoke gut irritation – the condition known as leaky gut.
There is however, a great deal of anecdotal evidence and blog posts from people who have found that nightshades aggravate their autoimmune illness.
Everyone is different, so as always, it’s important to establish whether these foods are posing a real problem for you.
Hanna advises people see if cutting out dairy will help
Dairy
Dairy is very, very hard to digest, even in those of us that don’t have a diagnosed allergy. It’s one of the most acidic, inflammatory foods we can eat.
To take care of our skin, we want to eat as many anti-inflammatory foods as possible. All animal protein is inflammatory to some degree but it is specifically dairy proteins that have been linked to skin problems.
Wheat
For many people, identifying a wheat or gluten allergy can be the missing link to clearing skin and resolving a whole host of underlying health problems.
The reason wheat is thought to be such an issue for those of us with skin problems is primarily because it’s high on the glycaemic index. High GI foods prompt raised blood sugar, in turn triggering insulin. Not only are elevated insulin levels linked to increased sebum production that can clog pores and lead to acne breakouts, more worryingly they promote chronic inflammation throughout the body.
The book, published by Kyle Books, is priced at £10.77 and is available here.
Hanna’s blog can be found here.