The best foods for a rosacea diet are those that contain little acid. Foods such as whole grains, berries, nuts, yogurt, and vegetables are considered ideal. It is also recommended to take a daily multi-vitamin and make an effort to consume foods with high levels of antioxidants. Some high antioxidant foods include spinach, Brussels sprouts and broccoli. Acceptable meats on the rosacea diet include chicken, turkey, and fish.
Foods to avoid on a rosacea diet are typically those that contain a lot of sugar, fat, and spices. Caffeine and alcohol could also worsen the appearance of rosacea because they tend to increase facial flushing through blood vessel dilation. It is important to keep in mind that even if a person consumes foods that are acceptable for the rosacea diet, the foods could still cause problems depending on how they are cooked. The ability of a particular food to minimize the symptoms of rosacea could be counteracted by the addition of various spices and seasonings as well. Cooking healthy foods in a lot of oil and butter may also cause them to negatively impact rosacea.
People with rosacea should typically avoid any teas containing caffeine, but may still be able to enjoy most caffeine-free teas without problems. Many types of herbal tea contain no caffeine. It may be best for a person to allow hot teas to cool down until they reach room temperature before drinking, as any type of extremely hot food or beverage could aggravate rosacea symptoms. People who do not enjoy the taste of lukewarm beverages might prefer to let their tea, and other drinks, chill in the refrigerator before consumption.
In addition to caffeine, dairy may also cause problems for people with rosacea. It might be a good idea for a person who eats and drinks a lot of products containing dairy to cut down on how much they consume. In some cases, switching from dairy milk to soy milk is enough to reduce rosacea symptoms without cutting out all other types of dairy.
People who are attempting to eliminate sugar from their diets in an effort to ease their rosacea symptoms should not try to replace it with artificial sweeteners. Imitation sugars may be just as bad, if not worse, than real sugar. As many as 30 percent of people with rosacea report an increase in symptoms after using artificial sweeteners. A possible alternative for someone with rosacea who has a craving for sweets may be dark chocolate. It is important to be sure the percentage of dark chocolate is at least 70 percent because a higher percentage of chocolate means a lower percentage of sugar.