Perioral Dermatitis Diet: Eat Anti-Inflammatory

Perioral dermatitis is caused by stress and especially by over-care of the skin. At first it doesn't sound like it has much to do with nutrition. However, nutrition almost always has an influence when something is out of balance with us.

In the early stages of perioral dermatitis, irritation is usually seen around the mouth and nose. Later, perioral dermatitis can spread to the entire face. Since skin care products are also the cause, they usually do not help in treatment. That's why it's important to do zero therapy, in which you completely avoid skin care and make-up for a certain period of time. Zero therapy is difficult to maintain because intuition says, “You have to do something about it!” That's why we also have an article for you with tips on how to stick to zero therapy more easily .

Reduce your sugar consumption. This doesn't mean cutting out sweets completely. Here too, the dose makes the poison. Enjoy your chocolate chip cookies if you feel like it.

If you think that you have already replaced your table sugar with “healthy sugar”, we will probably have to disappoint you. Brown sugar, agave syrup, honey, dried fruits, coconut blossom sugar and the like are also sugar. If you feel more comfortable with brown cane sugar or coconut blossom sugar, that's totally fine. But it is and remains sugar for the body. It doesn't matter if it's sophisticated or not. It drives up your insulin levels. Be especially careful if you want to replace table sugar with dried fruits like dates. They contain a lot of fructose. This could lead to fatty degeneration of the liver. The consequence could be diabetes. If you ever enjoy some dried fruits, enjoy it. However, you shouldn't replace sugar with it. Inulin is a healthy alternative to sugar. Inulin is obtained from chicory and does not cause insulin levels to rise because it contains a lot of fiber. And best of all: inulin is good for your intestinal microbiome. You'll find out why this is good in the next section.

Do you actually eat (vegan) yoghurt and fermented foods regularly?

If you haven't tried it yet, now you have a reason to start. Kimchi, fermented rice, kombucha and (vegan) yogurt contain good bacteria that strengthen the intestinal flora. In order for these good bacteria that you get from your food to multiply, they need the right food. This is found in fiber-rich vegetables, legumes and whole grain products. You can also add inulin to your diet. You can use this to sweeten yogurt, for example, and your intestines get additional fiber.

Tip: Don't overdo it with fermented foods and fiber at the beginning. The intestines have to get used to the change. At the beginning it can sometimes lead to flatulence. But that's not a bad thing.

But always remember, every person is individual. Your intestines can be just as unique as your skin reacts. There are people who can never eat a raw vegetable salad in the evening because they have a sensitive intestine or perhaps inflammatory bowel disease. The goal is also not to eat as many raw vegetables as possible. By the way, raw food is not the healthiest diet for the intestines. Gentle cooking and steaming are ideal. This way the vitamins are preserved and your intestines are not overwhelmed by the extremely fiber-rich raw food.

What oils do you actually cook with?

Frying oils like sunflower oil and safflower oil are not the best oils. It is much healthier to heat food with olive oil. However, never let the cold-pressed olive oil get too hot. Steaming and gentle cooking are totally okay. You can occasionally use sunflower oil, safflower oil or even coconut oil for frying. You can heat all of these oils to very high temperatures. But don't overdo it with the coconut oil. Here too, the dose makes the poison.

Cold-pressed anti-inflammatory oils such as walnut oil. Hemp oil and linseed oil can be wonderful additions to your diet. Try adding a few drops of linseed oil to your yogurt or adding a little walnut oil to savory dishes. However, you should never heat these oils. They are ideal for cold dishes.

If you eat fish, you can benefit from the omega-3 fats it contains. These inhibit inflammation everywhere in the body. A plant-based alternative is linseed oil. However, plant-based omega-3 cannot be absorbed by the body as well as wild fish. However, this is a question of ethics. If you are primarily concerned about the climate, it makes sense to look for appropriate seals when buying fish.