Keratosis pilaris (KP) is also known as ‘chicken skin.’ It mainly affects the upper arms, back of thighs, back of legs, buttocks, scalp and even the face. In this article, find out the list of foods to avoid if you have keratosis pilaris!
Keratosis Pilaris – You’re Not Alone
Did you know that about 92% of people have keratosis pilaris on their outer upper arms? Those that have it on the thighs are about 59 percent while 30 percent of KP sufferers have it on their buttocks.
KP occurs when excess keratin proteins build up and clog hair follicles, causing them to thicken and form bumps on the skin. Keratin is a type of filament protein that is found in the outer most layer of the skin. It is responsible for holding skin cells together.
How does keratosis pilaris look like? It basically looks like a rash, with numerous red, white or skin colored bumps on the skin’s surface.
Although KP is a benign condition, sufferers feel horrible about it especially when it is very visible. Most do not wear sleeveless or short sleeved tops in order to hide the unsightly rash.
There are many remedies you can try out to help get rid of keratosis pilaris. One of my favorites, being a KP sufferer myself, is sugar scrubs! These really help in exfoliating the skin and making the rash less visible. Here is a wonderful DIY Keratosis Pilaris Sugar Scrub Recipe.
However, a deeper way to help get rid of keratosis pilaris naturally is by changing your diet! Certain foods trigger keratosis pilaris, making them worse and more inflamed. By cutting these foods out of your daily diet, you will see a ton of improvement with your skin.
Below, let’s see foods to avoid if you have keratosis pilaris. Most of these foods, as you will see, are generally bad for your health because they contain little to no nutritional value. They have no real health benefits but do well in adding bad fat to your body. Hence, it will do your body a lot of good to eliminate these foods even if you do not suffer from keratosis pilaris.
Foods to Avoid if You Have Keratosis Pilaris
1. Refined White Sugar
Almost every packaged food out there contains refined white sugar. Cookies, ice cream, cake, chocolate, et cetera. Do yourself a favor and limit/eliminate these foods from your diet to see your KP improve.
I cut out cookies, ice cream, chocolate from my diet and have seen amazing results! In fact, if there is only one food to avoid if you have keratosis pilaris, it is refined white sugar. You’ll find that baking your own healthy cupcakes, muffin or even making your own chocolate at home is easy and fun!
2. High Fructose Corn Syrup
This is another ingredient you will find in most packaged foods. High fructose corn syrup is a sweetener made from corn starch that has been processed by glucose isomerase to convert some of its glucose into fructose.
The reason that it’s bad for your body is because too much consumption increases inflammation, heart disease, obesity, type 2 diabetes and other problems. Inflammation in the body aggravates keratosis pilaris, making it inflamed, red, itchy and rash-like.
3. Trans Fat
Trans fat is a type of unsaturated fat that became widely produced industrially from vegetable fats in the manufacture of margarine, packaged baked goods, snack/junk food and more.
It is one of the nutrients to avoid at all costs because it does a lot of harm in the long run. Trans fat increases bad cholesterol levels in the body, leads to heart disease, stroke and a rise in inflammation in the body which may cause skin disorders such as keratosis pilaris.
4. Refined Carbohydrates
The main dietary sources of refined carbohydrates include white bread, pastries, white rice, snacks, confectionary, soda, packaged foods, pasta, breakfast cereals and added sugar.
5. Artificial Flavoring & Coloring
This is found in soda, candy, cakes, confectionary and a wide variety of processed foods. Avoid foods with artificial flavors and colors to keep your KP under control.
6. Gluten
Gluten is found in grains such as wheat. It is said to trigger many skin disorders like keratosis pilaris, among others.
Even though there is not enough studies to show the link between gluten and keratosis pilaris, avoiding foods containing gluten is best, since it has been shown to worsen eczema and atopic dermatitis.
Other Foods to Avoid if you Have Keratosis Pilaris
Everyone is different. Some people notice when they cut out the foods below, they see clearer less bumpy skin. Check out more foods you may try to avoid and notice if you have any improvements in the appearance of your KP:
- Dairy products
- Grains
Foods to Eat Instead!
It’s not that hard to replace the above foods with healthier better versions, which still allow you to enjoy food. Replace the above foods with real fresh organic foods to keep your skin happy and healthy!
- Soda – Fresh fruit juice
- Fried foods – Baked, roasted, air-fried version
- Sugar – raw honey, maple syrup, dates syrup, brown sugar
- Bread – rye bread, sourdough, corn tortillas, chickpea flour pancakes
On the other hand, you can also check out 7 Good Foods to Eat with Keratosis Pilaris.
And that sums up the list of foods to avoid if you have keratosis pilaris. What dietary changes have helped you keep KP under control? Share below!
I have chicken skin is all over.
As soon as a I went gluten-free all the bumps disappeared answer never came back.
Is this true? Does it work for everyone? What’s the science behind it?
yes! i have noticed that as soon as I cut glutten from my diet all the bumps disappeared.
Es muy cierto, desde que comencé a alimentarme sanamente mi queratosis se fue poco a poco y ahora no tengo nada 😀
I wish I could post a picture. I followed all this list and my bumps on my arms are almost completely gone.
how long it take for you to cut glutten and be free of all the bumps?
I have been using a shampoo with keratin in it for years. Maybe its my shampoo?
I have an issue with cutting these foods out. My son will only eat certain foods. I mean there isn’t a very wide variety to he will eat. In fact, he will starve himself until there is something that is on the Mason menu (that’s what I call it). We are also on a very very limited income. I saw how expensive it would be for me to change our diet. I’m not able to get any help either. I tried more than just a few places. Ya know, I want to feed my family healthy. I also hear it coming from my children’s school and our government, yet I’ve spoken to at least 35 people in the past month that have said they would love to do the same, but it just isn’t possible. Not with the rise in cost in well… everything, especially food. I’ll continue to try and eliminate what I can, but for now, to eliminate all of it will have to be on hold. Thank you for taking your time to share with everyone going through KP.