Restricted diet - some improvement

[Seren]

Hi all

I spent some time reading through tips and info on how your diet can have a big impact on your skin so I thought I would try and see if I could find out what my trigger foods etc might be.

I took a week away from the office job (which is quite stressful) and spent a week in glorious Mid Wales doing my favourite kind of work (which is an outdoor hillwalking instructor) helping around 30 17yr olds do their Duke of Edinburgh Gold Expedition (practice).

Sooo.....stress levels.....much lessened

Next was to cut out alcohol, wheat, gluten, soya and dairy. It was difficult at first but when I discovered I really like goat's cheese I was much happier. I also found oaty milk replacement and coconut milk which are both yummy.

Within just a couple of days my skin has started to slowly recover. The P & P were almost non-existent although the redness remained but has started to get slightly more pink than red.

All this happened in about a week.

I did fall off the wagon once or twice when I got back home, but now I am determined to stick to it to see what happens and then gradually add the food elements back in one at a time. The alcohol can stay out though as I would like to loose a few lbs!

Now that I am back in the office it will be easier to see if the stress is also a big factor or not.

Thanks to everyone who has posted such helpful information on here in all the various sections, I am very grateful.

x

[CrabbyCathy]

That's great!

[oldredlady]

Wow, that's great, sounds like the diet change is really working for you.

Just curious, after taking out all you mentioned, what exactly do you eat? Do you still have red meat, fish and chicken, or have you gone vegan? I've thought about doing the vegan diet, (though it would be murder on my IBS, as I know from past experience), to see if it would clear my redness, as I love veggies and fruits, though I do worry about the health effects of cutting out whole food groups entirely.

Good luck and best wishes,

[Seren]

Hi ORL

I still eat meat and fish, and have even found some wheat/gluten free burgers & sausages although they are tricky to find. There is a fairly good selection of 'Free From' foods at a store local to where I work which makes things a bit easier.
I love rice and rice noodles and nearly all vegetables so I am just experimenting with things.
I can't stand bland food so I am gradually finding ways of creating flavoursome meals.

I have found some yummy cakes and breads and all sorts of things. I try to make meals from scratch without using processed products, but it is early days yet.

I should probably try and eat things with less sugar in them too. I have never been able to eat chocolate without having major breakouts......so I started eating sweeties (I have always had a sweet tooth) and that probably does not help either.

What I find frustrating is finding fillings for my bread rolls etc for lunches. Today I forgot to get organised and left the house with no food......all I have had is 2x cups of green tea with lemon and a banana.

I am trying to limit the amount of citrus fruits I eat as I tend to fill up on them and get my 'sugar fix' from the fructose, however I have very thin enamel on my teeth and it is a constant battle keeping them from being painful.

I think the stress thing has a lot to do with my condition and that will be harder to manage than the food/drink as I HAVE to go to work, but I don't have to drink wine or eat foods that might make things worse.
Although it takes me ages at the moment to do my weekly shop as I am reading the labels of everything I put in my basket I am enjoying finding out what I can still eat and finding new foods I was not even aware of before!

[oldredlady]

Hi Seren,

Thanks for the info., not trying to be nosy, just curious as ever how others manage dietary issues and how they affect rosacea. Am thinking of trying to clean up my own diet, (starting with excess desserts, I have a huge sweet tooth), but as I'm getting ready to try yet again to quit smoking, it will have to wait til after I get this monkey off my back.

Good luck and best wishes,

[Seren]

Hi ORL

We can go on the sugar dive together but I think you have the right idea of 'one step at a time' while quitting smoking. I don't smoke but as I am finding it hard giving up sugar I can only imagine what it must be like to try and give up smoking.

Wishing you lots of luck and willpower

[oldredlady]

Thanks Seren, much appreciated. Haven't started yet, but expect to quit smoking in the near future when I go on vacation, (more relaxed, less stress, etc.).

Just had a read the other night about gluten intolerance and realized I have all the symptoms on the list, not sure what this means, but I suspect it's not good. Have decided to try a week or two gluten free and see what happens.

Best wishes,

[ScarletDaria]

oldredlady - I can't recommend enough to cut out gluten if you have IBS. You really have nothing to lose by trying it. It might take 2 weeks to 30 days to notice a difference. I had all sorts of digestive issues that improved greatly by removing all grains from my diet. I went whole hog and just stopped eating all wheat, oats, rice and corn. You also have to watch for hidden sources of gluten like in soy sauces.

Then to further optimize things I began taking probiotics since digestive issues are almost always a symptom of gut flora imbalance. I also had to remove dairy and if I so much as eat a piece of cheese right now my skin will break out. I hope once I can get my gut healed that I will be able to tolerate dairy again. For now coconut milk and almond milk will suffice and I can still have butter with no issues.

[oldredlady]

Thanks Scarlet, that's good to know. Today is day two gluten free, haven't noticed any skin improvement as yet, but my intestines do feel better, (or so it seems to me anyhow). Am planning on continuing for another week or two just to see what happens.

Just noticed you're in Raleigh, I'm in Fayetteville, cool to see another NCer on the boards.

Best wishes,

[runnergirl07]

Hi all! Just wanted to chime in with my two cents....I developed ocular rosacea this summer and it isn't responding to Oracea right now, so they put me on Solodyn...insurance paid $844 of it!!! Anyway, I have IBS also, but I was desperate to figure out something that would make my eyes less miserable. I went vegan two weeks ago and have seen improvement in my IBS, of all things! I feel so much better all the time generally now and I'm waiting to see how long it takes to see some positive effects in my eyes. It has been so worth it! If I even eat a little dairy, I'm miserable. So just a thought...