Last Updated on 19th May 2023 by Caroline Haye
A matter of quality AND quantity
The word diet usually makes me think of hunger, restriction and abstinence. In the context of vitiligo, though, eating for vitiligo recovery is not so much about cutting foods out. In my experience, it’s more about ensuring you get enough of the right foods.
There are many theories as to what a person with vitiligo should avoid eating. But I am not aware of any natural, whole foods or food groups that should be eliminated, unless the individual has an allergy or intolerance (e.g. gluten). Having said that, nightshades (e.g. tomatoes, aubergines, etc.) can increase inflammation. So keeping your intake of these to a minimum probably makes sense.
If, like me, you suspect your vitiligo is a result of poor absorption in the gut, the last thing you want to do is reduce the amount of food you are eating. The chances are that – regardless of how much you weigh – you are, in fact, malnourished. If your digestive system is not able to deliver adequate levels of nutrients to your body from the food you eat, restricting your intake will only leave you even more nutritionally deficient.
One of the the secrets of success in compensating for poor absorption is to increase the quantities of high quality foods in your diet.
Of course, I’m not talking about stuffing your face with anything that takes your fancy… Loading up on doughnuts isn’t going to help your vitiligo or your waistline. Not only that, but it will fill you up so you won’t feel like eating the kinds of food that will help you.
Should I avoid eating meat?
Some people say you should avoid meat if you have vitiligo. Personally, I have never cut meat out of my diet and I was still able to virtually eradicate my vitiligo. Meats contain many valuable nutrients and I doubt very much that they contain anything that causes vitiligo. The way I see it, the only problem with meat (and I’m talking about unprocessed meats here) is that putting too much of it on your plate doesn’t leave enough space for large quantities of vegetables. And I have come to believe a compromised digestive system needs these in order to function normally for good health.
In fact, depending on how severely compromised your digestive system is, you may still not be able to get enough of the nutrients your body needs most… Even if the only foods you ever put on your plate were mountains of veggies. I think that this is why taking a super-green supplement every day (in addition to veg in my diet) was one of the key factors in my recovery.
My best advice
So, my best advice to anyone with vitiligo is to:
- Eat an inclusive, varied diet (including all the food groups unless you have allergies or are vegetarian or vegan by conviction).
- Choose the best quality, unprocessed produce you can afford – organic, ideally.
- BUT… to ensure you get enough of the most nutritious foods, my top tip is to reduce the ratio of everything else you consume in relation to green vegetables. Your veggies should be the main dish, instead of the side order.
- And, in addition to that, take one dose a day of super-greens. (This is the one that works for me.) This is to ensure you get enough alkalising nutrition, antioxidants, vitamins, minerals fibre and phytonutrients. (Or if you can’t face the prospect of piling up your plate with vegetables at every meal, take multiple doses of your green supplement a day to compensate).
Adjusting the ratios of foods you eat is so much easier than cutting some out altogether. It just means changing your food preparation habits slightly instead of denying yourself altogether. I was certainly no angel while I was repigmenting. I indulged in some processed foods and still enjoyed drinking wine and the occasional cocktail. But the super-high doses of green nutrients I was getting from my supplementation and my diet meant that I was still able to compensate for my poor digestion and gradually recover my normal skin colour as a result.
