13 Foods That Trigger My Psoriasis/Eczema

PebblesCare
Jul 26, 2021
5 min read

Do you feel like your skin is sometimes out of control after you eat certain foods? Are you unsure about what food to eat to help you heal your psoriasis/eczema? Are you getting a sense that some foods are actually triggering your psoriasis/eczema more than others? These are some of the feelings and questions that crossed my mind many years ago as I started looking at healing my psoriasis/eczema through a more natural approach.

In the summer of 2017, I took an IgG Food Sensitivity Test to help speed up the process. The information I got from the Test was truly eye-opening; it helped me clearly identify the main foods that trigger my psoriasis/eczema. At first, it was a bit overwhelming because there seemed to be so much information to absorb and so much food that I would have to give up. There was a feeling of finality that had me a bit worried... What do you mean I couldn't eat bread anymore?!?!? But the worrying feeling did not last very long. On the contrary it turned into a feeling of empowerment.

Today, I am hoping to do the same for you by sharing the 13 foods that trigger my psoriasis/eczema. In my Food Sensitivity Test, these foods are considered Elevated Foods, in contrast with Borderline and Normal foods. I will further explain below.

In this blog post, you will find the list of the 13 foods that trigger my psoriasis/eczema, a quick overview of the Food Sensitivity Test and some details provided on my personal Test results. I will also review the top 3 Elevated Food on my list as I think they are my most severe triggers but also probably the most common for people with psoriasis/eczema.

Please keep in mind that this is MY list based on my MY Test results; I don’t expect that it automatically applies to you or everyone suffering from psoriasis/eczema. Also, I will note that it was not a requirement for the treatment my naturopath proposed at the time. We discussed the option and I agreed that it would be beneficial for me, after which my naturopath wrote me a requisition to get the Test done. Overall, I had a very positive experience using this Test. So naturally, I would suggest you do the same if it is available to you.

The 13 foods that trigger my psoriasis/eczema:

Cow Milk
Gliadin
Casein
Almond
Wheat
Yeast (Brewer's)
Barley
Rye
Durum Wheat
Yeast (Baker’s)
Oat
Wheat Bran
Plum

The benefits of the IgG Food Sensitivity Test

Food sensitivity and food reaction

A food sensitivity is a delayed reaction caused by IgG (immunoglobulin G) antibodies to specific foods. The delay reaction can take hours or even days. It is different from a food reaction which is an immediate reaction caused by IgE (immunoglobulin E) antibodies to certain foods.

Guidance and time-saving

The IgG Food Sensitivity Test (FST) looks at up to 222 foods and identifies which ones cause the unwanted delayed symptoms (like the ones associated with psoriasis and eczema). The Test is used for many symptoms such as systemic ones or those related to the digestive tract, the lungs, or the brain.

Going through the IgG Food Sensitivity accelerated the process of understanding what could be at the root of my skin issues. It saved me some time trying to guess what foods I should eliminate from my diet versus the ones I should keep.

Easy food categorization

In the final report, the IgG Food Sensitivity Test categorized the foods by order of reactivity and type.

For order of reactivity, Elevated foods are the foods that I should avoid eating for at least 3 months; they have a higher score for reactivity. Borderline Foods are those that I can eat but should watch out carefully as they might become Elevated with time or trigger some level of reactivity. Normal Foods are the ones I can eat with no worries. I am simplifying it a little, but that is it in a nutshell.

The report also shows the different groups of food: Dairy/Egg, Grains, Grains (Gluten-Free), Fruit, Vegetables, Fish/Seafood, Meat, Herbs/Spices, Nuts/Seeds and Miscellaneous.

The report categorization by order of reactivity and food type helps identify more easily the foods you need to avoid.

How I used my IgG Food Sensitivity Test results

My report listed 13 Elevated Foods and 6 Borderline Foods. These foods can trigger delayed reactions hours or days after I would eat them, and the symptoms can sometimes take months to appear. Hence, I used the test results as a guideline for my nutrition.

Interestingly, I noted that some of the foods identified in my Test were not really part of my regular diet. For example, plums, durum wheat, and rye are foods that I very rarely eat. So, they were easier to “eliminate” or avoid in the future.

On the other hand, my then daily breakfast often included almond milk, cow milk (e.g., yogurt), oatmeal, or egg white. My daily snacks included lots of almonds. I was eating what many would consider “healthy food.” However, 3 out of the 4 foods I consumed daily were in my Elevated category, and 1 was in my Borderline group. I had to make some drastic changes and replace these Elevated foods with Normal foods.

Here are the switches I made for my breakfast:

Switching was mostly easy to do because I understood that the alternative was the status quo with my psoriasis/eczema flourishing while I suffered. I think being mentally prepared for such a big change is also crucial in this journey. Borderline Food – Triggers for psoriasis/eczema

Tackling my top 3 trigger foods: cow milk, gliadin, and casein

Although cow milk is recognized as a significant source of protein and calcium, some studies indicate that it can create some health issues such as acne and allergies. For me, cow milk is a food that is easily replaceable but can sneak into so many other foods we eat like bread, sauces, creamed soups, or processed meats, to name a few.

Gliadin is a carbohydrate and a protein within gluten. You can find it in various grains such as wheat, oats, rye, and others.

Casein which is found in cow milk, is a slow-digesting protein with essential amino acids. While whey makes 20% of the protein in cow milk, casein makes 80% of it.

I have noticed a significant difference and faster healing for my skin when I removed these top 3 foods from my diet 4 years ago. As I mentioned above, these Elevated foods can be incorporated into so many other foods that we eat. To avoid consuming them, I try to eat mostly home-cooked meals where I can control the ingredients that I use. I also take the time to read more closely the nutritional facts label of the products I buy.

List of my Elevated and Borderlines Foods with associated scores

Take-away:

Consider taking a Food Sensitivity Test if that is available to you.
Look at dairy and gluten foods in all their forms in your diet and how they may be impacting your skin.
Once you identify your level of sensitivity to different types of foods, replace your Elevated foods with Normal foods for 3 months and see how this positively impacts your skin.
Check out the link below for more information on the RMA IgG Food Sensitivity Test, which includes a sample test, a Q&A section, and some practical information about Food Sensitivity in general: https://rmalab.com/test/rma-fst-igg-food-sensitivity-test/ (This is not an Ad)
These are not rules but more of a proposed guide based on my own experience, to help you on the journey to reclaiming your skin from psoriasis/eczema. Be patient with yourself and take it one step at a time to see long-term results.

I hope you find this blog post useful. Please send me your questions or suggestions for future blog posts. Also, please share it with someone who might need it. Sometimes you just need to know you are not alone in your journey.

Stay safe!

Additional information

BBC Future, November 2019, Is it better to drink cow milk or a dairy-free alternative? https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20191123-what-milk-is-best-cows-dairy-free-alternative