Hidradenitis Suppurativa is like 1+1=2 once you understand the formula and how it all works.
At first, it seems complicated and difficult, leaving you feeling:
- Unsure.
- Uncertain.
- Confused.
- Annoyed.
- Irritated.
- Upset.
- Frustrated.
And a mix of other emotions because nothing seems to work to heal your H.S.
Well, being your own guinea pig is always the solution to many problems, H.S. included. Which is why I always preach about it.
Here’s a list of foods you should start testing (with reasons why).
Test these 7+ foods with Hidradenitis:
1. Fruits
Saying “fruits” is a broad way of putting it but any food that comes under it should be tested. More so when it comes to the types of fruits you personally eat and like.
Let’s break it down.
High sugar fruits
First of all, there are fruits that are considered highest in sugar.
Those fruits are:
- Bananas.
- Mangoes.
- Dates.
- Cherries.
- Orange.
- Pomegranates.
- Pears.
- Jackfruit.
- Grapes.
- Figs.
Depending on your country and where you live, certain fruits will be more available (or not) than others.
Bananas are an easy fruit to test with your Hidradenitis Suppurativa. Eat Bananas every day for a week, and then cut them out for a week (without changing anything else in your diet of course).
Pay attention to the results on your skin, scalp, and body.
Do the same with:
- Oranges.
- Grapes.
- Mangoes.
- Pears.
And so on, and you’ll come to the conclusion of WHAT you’re able to handle. Or you may realize you can’t eat any of these fruits at all, which is likely.
It has been proven that fruits cause problems for Hidradenitis as well as skin, but testing is for individual reasons since some people tolerate food differently.
Low sugar fruits
And then there’s the low sugar fruit camp to test out on yourself to see if it heals H.S. or aggravates it.
These types of fruits include:
- Strawberries.
- Tomato (classed as a fruit).
- Raspberries.
- Blueberries.
- Lemon.
- Kiwi (if you don’t overdo it).
- Blackberries.
- Avocado.
- Blackcurrant.
- Lime.
- Watermelon (if you don’t overdo it).
Berries are known to be healthy and they’re low sugar as well. Along with Avocados and so on.
Test each of these for a week at a time, or a couple of days at a time (long enough to see results) and you may be surprised at what triggers you or helps you.
2. Gluten foods
The so-called Gluten movement isn’t by accident, and it’s not a fad either. Gluten has genuinely contributed to many skin problems in the Western world.
Gluten and the food it comes from is processed to death in the West and this is a major part of the problem.
Gluten foods include:
- Rice.
- Pasta.
- Grains.
- Bread.
- Waffles.
- Cereal.
- Pancakes.
- Muffins.
And any other food that includes GLUTEN by default (gluten is a type of protein).
I’ll never forget when I stopped eating Gluten in March 2020. In April 2020 my skin issues halved. Within a day or so I noticed a drastic difference.
Its been shown how Gluten affects Hidradenitis, and that’s why you MUST test it to see for yourself by removing it out of your diet.
This is the one food group you’re best off avoiding since none of it is natural for your H.S.
3. Dairy
Dairy as a whole has been demonized by many, but then, some praise and mention its benefits.
I’m one of those people.
It’s a known fact though that Dairy can aggravate Hidradenitis Suppurativa for those who suffer from it. But as with all cases, it doesn’t apply 100% to everybody.
Cheese
The first type of dairy you can test with H.S. is cheese.
There are many types of cheese:
- Brie.
- Camembert.
- Comte.
- Feta.
- Cheddar cheese.
- Cottage cheese.
- Cream cheese.
- Jarlsberg.
- Goat’s cheese.
- Gouda.
- Edam.
- Mozzarella.
- Cornish cheese.
- Parmesan.
- Leicester cheese.
And there are different strengths when it comes to cheese.
For example, if we’re talking about compatibility, mild cheddar or fresh cheese is the best for those with Hidradenitis Suppurativa.
AGED cheese (for H.S.) has the worst effect on your skin..S. Partially, this is down to Histamine content but it goes beyond this.
Either way, this is a type of dairy you MUST test to find your personal triggers.
Milk
Milk is simple enough and there are only a few you can have in the dairy category.
These are:
- Goat’s milk.
- Cow’s milk.
- Sheep’s milk.
Cow’s milk has the most problems, but you may be able to tolerate it, especially if it’s in the form of fermented milk (Kefir).
Goat’s milk is the safest and easiest to source compared to sheep’s milk or other forms of milk from other animals.
Butter
Of all the dairy, butter is the safest of all. The amount of:
- Histamines.
- Casein.
And other dairy elements are too small to matter. But again, you must test it to see how it affects your H.S.
Otherwise, you won’t know for certain.
Types of butter:
- Goat’s butter.
- Regular butter.
- Unpasteurized butter.
4. Seeds and nuts
Seeds and nuts have never been my thing so I have no need to test it (only Pumpkin Seeds is what I eat).
Still, I know a lot of people eat seeds and nuts of all kinds.
There is no guarantee that these foods are helping you despite health claims since Hidradenitis is more complicated as far as triggers with certain foods.
Types of nuts and seeds:
- Peanuts.
- Pumpkin seeds.
- Chestnut.
- Cashew nut.
- Pecans.
- Almonds.
- Brazil nuts.
- Macadamias.
- Pistachios.
If you eat more than one of these, make sure you test these for long enough (1 week should do it) and pay attention to your skin.
You may come across a miracle and then you can cut the food out of your diet (or keep it if it’s not a problem).
5. Nightshade Vegetables
Nightshade Vegetables have been shown to impact those who suffer from Hidradentis Suppurativa.
This was reported by PUBMED but also covered by sites like Healthline.
Nightshade vegetables include:
- Tomatoes.
- Eggplant.
- Red, yellow, and green peppers.
- Cayenne pepper.
- Potatoes.
- Paprika.
Peppers in general can also be a problem, but these “nightshades” can cause inflammatory responses for H.S. sufferers.
Me personally? After cutting them out for months on end, if not longer, Tomatoes are fine for me to eat.
Potatoes? Not at all and it doesn’t fit the ketogenic way of living either.
Peppers, whether black pepper, cayenne pepper, etc, can be problematic. Though green, yellow, and red are a roll of the dice.
Test this for yourself, and the results may surprise you.
6. Coconut products
Coconut products come down to only a few things:
- Coconut milk.
- Coconut oil.
- Coconut water.
When you buy coconut milk, there is the one that has been stripped down and lacks any fat, sugar, or much of anything. This is the type you add to your own healthy milkshake to reduce sugar.
Then there’s the real coconut milk with its natural amount of fat and high potassium/magnesium content.
Coconut oil is straightforward and “organic” is really just a marketing gimmick since Coconut oil comes from nature anyway.
And then there’s coconut water which is a pure sugar and only rare brands have less sugar (3g per 100ml), where most are double or so.
Test all of these types of coconut. Especially if you’re in a country where it grows from a tree and you can have it in its rawest form (still test it).
Exported coconut has a different impact on some people, even with H.S.
For me, coconut milk makes my stomach feel upset, and coconut water has no buffer for the sugar.
Coconut oil applied ON the skin is problematic, and digesting it is less problematic but still causes H.S. problems.
7. Carbohydrates between 20g-50g range
These types of carbohydrates are easy to spot for a good reason: they’re refined.
Most likely, anyway.
Carbohydrates, despite what you’ve been told, are NOT the be all and end all of nutrition, healthy food, and all the rest of the malarkey big pharma preaches.
Skin issues in particular can be fixed just by lowering your carbohydrates and switching over to a fat-based diet, the latter of which people are absolutely terrified of because of the lies surrounding “fat’s” role in health.
So what should you believe? Simple. Believe your own results and the truths that come from them.
That’s why I say test and be your own guinea pig all the time.
- Eat foods up to 50g in carbs per meal, and see how it affects you for a week.
- Then lower the amount to 30g per meal.
- After that, try 20g of carbs per meal.
- And finally, lower your carb count per meal to 10g.
And measure the differences between:
- How you feel.
- Your skin health.
- Your H.S.
- The inflammation.
And how many new whiteheads, spots, (or less whiteheads and spots) you have after the fact.
When you do, you’ll have a wealth of information in your hands. And you’ll know for sure WHAT foods work best with your H.S. regardless of what anyone says.
After all, your results matter more than any amount of “evidence” or research any external force or person could ever do.
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In the end, testing is the best way to see practical results with your H.S. And you can’t skip over this.
Especially if you care about healing H.S.
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