When many friends come to see a doctor, they are always willing to take out their mobile phones and show me various "taboo lists" saved from the Internet.
Some friends have suffered from malnutrition and weight loss due to excessive dietary restrictions. However, the facial erythema has not shown any signs of improvement and has not improved at all.
Now, I want to make it clear: if you really suffer from rosacea, you do need to pay attention to your diet. However, you are by no means required to be an extremely ascetic and ascetic person, like an ascetic monk.
The actual approach is to help yourself explore your own "minefield" and then avoid it accurately, rather than shutting out all food.
Why does my face turn red like that after eating hot pot?
Many, many patients have asked me the same question, which is: "I just ate hot pot, but why is my face red like this?" There is actually a clear scientific reason behind this.
The skin blood vessels of us patients with rosacea are inherently more sensitive than normal people and easy to expand.
Some foods contain ingredients that directly stimulate blood vessel dilation.
For example, the capsaicin contained in peppers activates heat receptors on the skin, which directly causes blood vessels to dilate.
What dilates blood vessels is the substance produced after the metabolism of alcohol, and the higher temperature of blanching food is a direct source of stimulation.
Simply put, these foods are like "fire starters."
However, not everyone’s trigger points are exactly the same, which is precisely the most critical point when we discuss taboos.
Please don’t just accept this list of suspects.
Based on clinical experience and relevant research, I have compiled a list of foods that patients with rosacea need to be wary of.
However, please remember that this is not a "blacklist" that requires you to implement it completely, but it is a "suspect list".
Not all of them need to be avoided completely. However, you need to use observation to find out those key factors that cause problems for you. This is what you have to do. Understand, this is correct.
The first category is Spicy and exciting , like chili pepper, Sichuan peppercorns, ginger, garlic, mustard, curry.
Because they easily activate receptors, causing blood vessels to dilate.
If your face becomes visibly red and hot after eating it, reduce or avoid it.
The second category is Hot drinks and hot foods , such as hot soup, hot tea, hot coffee, hot porridge, hot pot.
High temperatures directly stimulate temperature receptors and cause facial blood vessels to dilate.
It is recommended to wait until the food is warm before eating, and do not pursue "drinking while it is hot".
Alcohol and histamine foods, individual differences are the greatest
The third category is Alcohol , all kinds of wine count.
Alcohol can directly dilate blood vessels. Some people have a particularly obvious reaction. I would recommend not drinking it as much as possible.
The fourth category is food, specifically foods with high histamine content. Among these foods, individual differences are the greatest, including fermented foods, pickled foods, stale fish, and chocolate.
Histamine dilates blood vessels, and some people with weak metabolic abilities are susceptible to it.
You don’t have to give up this type of food across the board. If you don’t feel any discomfort after eating it, just eat it normally.
The fifth category is cinnamic aldehydes, which are easily underestimated, such as cinnamon-containing desserts, some spices, and citrus fruits.
If you tend to blush after eating dessert or drinking orange juice, you can pay attention to whether the spices are causing it.
How to accurately find your own minefield?
The most effective way to find your own minefields is the "food diary method". Keep in mind one principle: it is not necessary to completely quit, but only to avoid it accurately.
You can use your mobile phone memo to record.
When facial redness worsens, record what you have eaten in the previous 24 hours, record what you have drank in the previous 24 hours, record the appearance of the environment at that time, and record the emotional state of the scene.
If you keep recording like this for two to four weeks, most people will be able to find their own pattern of "blushing as soon as they eat".
Once you master this rule, your daily diet will become much easier. You only need to deliberately avoid those one or two things, and there is no need to avoid eating everything at all.
Finally, I want to say a few words from my heart to everyone.
Don’t be intimidated by the scary taboo lists online.
There are so many lists, and it's daunting to see them listing all the things that have the potential to cause them, but in reality not everyone is susceptible to them.
Second, don’t let taboos affect your normal quality of life.
Excessive elimination of food taboos and blindly cutting out all things that are regarded as "suspect foods" will only increase your psychological burden and make your life more stressful, and will not actually help in the recovery of the disease.
Third, diet is only one of the triggers, not the cause.
The key issues of rosacea are related to vascular neuroregulation and damage to the skin barrier. Dietary management is an important auxiliary method, but it absolutely cannot replace formal treatment and scientific skin care.
Remember, you are actively managing the condition of your skin, rather than being kidnapped by it.
After eating food that is in a "minefield", don't blame yourself too much when your face turns red. You should patiently soothe your skin, so that it will slowly settle down.
