Psoriasis is an inflammatory skin condition that typically causes itchy, flaky, red patches of skin that may be painful or even bleed. Psoriasis may affect your nails and even your joints as well. Although psoriasis is usually treated using topical and oral medications or other conventional therapies, you might find that your diet influences your psoriasis symptoms. Bananas in your diet are usually positive for your overall health and psoriasis symptoms, unless you have a specific allergy to the fruit. Consult your doctor and a registered dietitian before you make any significant modifications to your diet.
Avoid
Limit or eliminate your intake of alcohol to help reduce your psoriasis symptoms, says the University of Michigan Health System. Avoiding simple sugars and saturated fats can also help treat your psoriasis, notes the University of Maryland Medical Center. In some -- but not all -- cases of psoriasis, flare-ups are triggered by food allergies. You might follow a hypoallergenic diet and eliminate gluten to improve your psoriasis. Gluten is found in many whole grains like barley, wheat and rye. Other common food allergens like citrus, milk and dairy products, corn, soy and eggs may worsen psoriasis symptoms as well. To determine whether food allergies are triggering your psoriasis flare-ups, keep a food diary that tracks the foods you eat and your daily psoriasis symptoms, MayoClinic.com suggests.
Add
Follow a diet that's rich in fruits like bananas, vegetables, lean meats, fish, low-fat dairy products and whole grains, MayoClinic.com says. Adhering to an overall healthy diet can improve your psoriasis symptoms by supporting your general health and well-being. Unless you have allergies to some of these foods, aim to get plenty of essential nutrients in your diet to help treat psoriasis.
Considerations
Bananas generally pose no risk to people with psoriasis, because they aren't considered part of food groups that cause allergies. If you happen to have an allergy to bananas, eating the fruits could potentially aggravate your psoriasis. Keep in mind that exercising and following a healthy, nutrient-rich diet can improve your psoriasis but not cure it, MayoClinic.com says. You'll likely need medications or other therapies to help treat your psoriasis, in addition to dietary changes.
Key Nutrients
Certain nutrients are particularly helpful for psoriasis, so you might consider taking supplements. Supplements of fumaric acid esters and fish oil may help reduce your psoriasis flare-ups, says the University of Michigan Health System. Taking 10g per day of fish oil could potentially reduce the skin redness, scaling, lesions and itching associated with psoriasis, notes the University of Maryland Medical Center. Also, taking 400mcg per day of folic acid may help if you're taking methotrexate, a drug that can harm your folic-acid metabolism. If you have plaque psoriasis, taking 80 to 100g per day of chondroitin sulfate or shark cartilage could ease your symptoms as well. Don't start taking any supplements for psoriasis without first consulting your doctor.
Warning
Don't make any substantial changes to your diet, such as eliminating whole food groups, without talking with your health care provider or a registered dietitian. The scientific connection between certain foods and psoriasis is still weak and somewhat unclear, MayoClinic.com points out. Therefore, use caution when modifying your diet to help treat psoriasis. Also, don't stop taking any prescribed medications or therapies for your psoriasis in lieu of a special diet.
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