If you or someone you know are suffering from keratosis pilaris, you might be wondering if gluten rich foods are actually worsening the skin condition. In this blog post, we’ll discuss the relationship between gluten & keratosis pilaris. This way, you’ll be able to adjust your diet choices and alleviate the symptoms of “chicken skin”.
What Is Gluten?
Simply put, gluten is a family of proteins that can be found in grains, such as wheat or barley. When you talk about these type of grains, cereals immediately come to mind. However, there are many other foods that surprisingly contain gluten.
For example, some ice cream toppings and garnishes may contain gluten. Other foods that we normally see day to day abound in gluten, such as: dairy, pastas, noodles, breads and pastries, crackers, and even beer! The list goes on and on.
This is not to mean, however, that the food choices mentioned above are ALWAYS full of gluten. For those allergic to gluten, there are some gluten-free alternatives. See below examples:
Examples of Gluten-Free Food Choices
Banza Chickpea Pasta – Gluten Free and Low Carb
Simpl
e Mills Almond Flour Pancake Mix & Waffle Mix
Pancake is one craving or treat many health conscious people shy away from. Not only is it packed with many calories, it is also rich in gluten and dairy. Luckily, you can get rid of all that with the Simple Mills pancake mix. Gluten free and low carb. Just add water and it’s good to go for cooking in the pan.
Nature’s Path Organic Gluten Free Cereal
Does Gluten Trigger or Worsen Keratosis Pilaris?
If you are a KP sufferer, it is normal to be questioning all food choices to ensure that whatever you intake will not lead to adverse chicken skin exacerbations. But is gluten one of the things to avoid? Let’s find out.
According to Amy Burkhart (MD, RD) of Celiacmd.com, there is no evidence to suggest that gluten directly causes keratosis pilaris. There is also no existing research or medical study that proves a correlation between gluten and KP. In another medical article by Healthline, it was shown that research that links food allergies to keratosis pilaris is scarce.
So does this mean that it is totally OK to splurge on gluten rich foods?
Well, not so fast. Let’s address this notion real quick:
Is It Ok To Eat Gluten Rich Foods If I Have Chicken Skin?
The answer is “it depends”. If you think it’s ok to feast on that pasta, bread, dairy, cereal or beer just because it won’t worsen your keratosis pilaris, think again.
In most cases, these foods can trigger an inflammatory response in the body due to its high amount of carbohydrate and sugar content.
When you eat lots of carbs and sugar at any given time, the body experiences a spike in insulin levels and this leads to a series of chain reactions that results to “oxidative stress”. Sugar also stimulates the production of free fatty acids in the liver, which results in compounds that trigger inflammation in the body.
Keratosis Pilaris is an inflammatory disease. So it makes sense that you should also decrease the intake of food that promotes more inflammation in the body – to avoid frequent KP episodes and flareups.
Many of the foods that are high in gluten also happen to be high on sugar and carbs, so better watch out for that. If you are a KP sufferer and also overweight, you may want to look at some of these keto (low carb) food choices:
Examples of Low Carb Food Choices
If you really want to go low carb, then consider looking into a ketogenic diet. Ketogenic, or keto, refers to a diet that is low on carb but is high in protein. This enables the body to build more muscle and reduce fat mass. Going keto can have many positive benefits for fat loss and also on your skin.
For ideas, here are some keto food treats you can look into:
But the real question to ask yourself is:
Are You Allergic To Gluten?
Everyone reacts to certain food in a certain way. While it’s true that there is no direct correlation between gluten intake and keratosis pilaris, you have to see how your body reacts to gluten rich foods. If you develop skin allergies when eating these foods, chances are, they could flare up your KP as well, among other things.
Some people allergic to gluten and eliminated it from their diet showed an improvement in their KP symptoms. However, this is not the same for all people. This is why you need to look at how your body reacts.
If your diet is heavy on food that contains gluten, try to regulate your intake and see what happens. If your chicken skin improves for the better, then consider revamping your food choices for good. Eat less of what makes your skin condition worse (or totally eliminate those foods), and more of food types that doesn’t cause any adverse reactions.
The truth is, the KP sufferer plays a major role in the treatment and control of keratosis pilaris. You need to be proactive when it comes to your skin care, diet, and even the amount of stress you allow in your life. All these are factors that contribute to chicken skin exacerbations.
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