Foods to Avoid for Vitiligo

(Vitiligo Diet)

Basic info :
I don't have a thyroid problem.
I've become a Vegan because I love Fruits and Vegetables and because I have Vitiligo and I wanted to see if being a Vegan will cure Vitiligo.
and Now.... apparently, there are some additional diet restrictions for Vitiligo :)
But it's OK.

Here goes.....
All over the internet,
there are Food Restrictions for Vitiligo
so I'll try to follow them and see what happens :)

As with everything, You'll find an article that says you must eat this and you musn't eat this.
It's all very confusing, but just use common sense.
I'm a Vegan, so that's a start,
But some people eat everything and they stay healthy for years,
So everyone is different.

VITILIGO DIET
First of all,
1. Stop eating all that junk food, sugary food, fried food, canned food, over processed food, fast food. You know what they are.
Drink a lot of pure water to flush out toxins from your body.
Eat Healthy Food !! Lots of fresh Vegetables.
Then you may want to do a detox and a fast.

2. We know that Vitamin C inhibits the production of melanocytes, so let's start with that.
From early on, (15 years ago) My derm advise me not to take Vit C supplements because Vitamin C inhibit the production of melanin.
Ascorbic acid (found in citrus fruit) may reduce melanin production.
So let's just start by reducing all fruits that contains a lot of Vitamin C.
(if possible omit temporarily and see what happens)

3. Other info :
- Blueberries and pears contain a natural depigmenting agent called hydroquinone.
- Arbutin in the leaves of blueberry, bearberry, cranberry or mulberry shrubs, or from certain genus of pear and can have melanin inhibiting properties.
- Azelaic acid, made from wheat, rye or barley also have a similar properties.
- Licorice extract, is a tyrosinase inhibitor, and a potent skin lightener
- Malic acid, exfoliant to take off dead skin cells and extra pigment, derived from apples or pears.
But hey... how many pears and blueberries are you going to eat on a daily basis ?
So maybe eating the from time to time is totally OK :)
Besides you still benefit from their other nutritional properties.

4. Here are other Vitiligo Diet that I've gathered :
no junk food, no canned food, no artificial coloring/flavoring
no fried food, no smoked food
no spicey food
no sugar,
no bad fats, no margarine
no soya,
no white/plain grains (no white rice, no bread)
no potato
no meat,
no dairy products (milk, cheese, yogurt),
no eggs
no coffee, no tea, no alcohol
no chocolate
no sour food/fruits - love oranges, etc but 1 month of no oranges is fine,
(I'll get enough Vit C from vegetables such as broccoli, spinach, etc.)

Some of these fruits below are said to be best avoided, but some also said that they're to be eaten.
Bilbery, parsley, Tomatoes, Lime and Lemon.
Some even mention not to eat melons/watermelons, tomatoes, guava, prunes,
but it's ok to eat dates, papayas, mangoes, grapes, apricots.
Confusing huh ?
So just use your common sense.
How many of these fruits are you going to eat on a daily basis, anyway ?
Just eat in moderation and control what you eat and I think you'll be fine :)

5. basically, this is what I'll do
use common sense
- Drink lots of pure water - I drink distilled water but still also drink mineral water.
- Eat only super fresh organic vegetables and fruits, raw whenever possible
I read that it's good to eat vegetables with something containing Vit C like an orange juice to better absorb iron, but I reckon the Vit C in the mixed vegetables will be good enough.
okra - good for autoimmune mentioned from the book "Heinerman's Encyclopedia of Healing Juices" by John Heinerman



Carrot, parsley, celery, figs, dill, fennel also contain psoralen naturally, which will increase your skin sensitivity to sunlight. (which also will increase your eyes sensitivity to sunlight, protect your eyes, use a good sunglasses)
Spinach - contains lutein - good for the eyes
- ground flax seed
- beans and some alkaline raw nuts (raw almond is good)
cashew is not raw
Like Dr. Oz at Oprah said, cooked nuts are bad fats
- lots of bean sprouts, it is Live food with Live enzyme.
I only know how to sprout mung beans, it's best to do it yourself.
Use pure water or at least clean water, you don't know the quality of water they use
Use organic mung bean.
- I will eat seaweed, can't find raw Nori (it's the black one) so I'll have to do with Roasted unseasoned Nori (the dark green one)
Kombu and Wakame as well, but it's harder to find.
- lemon + warm water drink - although lemon is sour, it's very alkaline, so it's good.
but then again, lemon, although alkaline, tastes sour and has lots of Vit C, so it's kinda contradictory.

- will try chickpeas - not readily available - will try indian supermarkets.
- will try goji berry - actually they are not new at all, chinese herbalist has been using these forever.
I just found out that some people actually eat them raw.
- will also add lotus seed
- will try ginko biloba
- will try neem - (will try to drink both raw and boiled neem leaves - super bitter)


and Remember !!!!
You want all of those nutritious food to be beneficial for you
so :
- Enjoy your meal - Be Happy and Thankful.
- Always chew well !!! allow the enzymes in your mouth to help digestion.
- Always stop eating just before you feel full - oh this is tricky :)
- Never ever overeat - then food will not get digested properly, which means it's not absorbed well and some gas may formed ;p
- Always eat fruit on an empty stomach and allow time for digestion before eating a meal.

In addition - (my Daily Do's)
SKINFOOD
will apply on skin :
- foods that I'm eating - fruit juices
- aloe, cucumber, avocado, just about everything really. ;p
- ginger
someone told me to try using ginger on my skin, years ago.
and today I found this http://gingerhypopigmentation.blogspot.com/
don't whether it's true or not, but will try :)
- neem leaves, neem's been mentioned many times in relation to Vitiligo, look it up :)
- urine, hooyeah.....;p

SUNBATHE
will sunbathe for 15-30 mins every morning
Harmful Sun Ray is a concern, but I'm sunbathing at around 7-8 am, so I think I'll be fine.
I'm lucky to have the sun shining all year round and I'm naturally tanned so I've never really get a serious sunburn.
but sometimes it gets kinda hot in the morning so I'd cover the rest of my body and just let the sunray hit my face, so I've had a darker skintone on my face than the rest of my body before ;p

SLEEP
I will start to get my sleeping pattern in order.
I'll sleep enough and will try to have a normal healthy routine.
(Sleep early, Sleep enough, Sleep well, Wake up early, Wake up Refreshed)

HAPPY
I will not stress - I'll try to be happy all the time - try :)

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More on what food to eat and what not to eat for Vitiligo :
http://www.antivitiligooil.com/vitiligo-food.htm
http://www.leucoderma.com/app/diet.asp
http://www.dermabest.com/vitiligo_diet.htm
http://www.curevitiligo.com/English/vitiligo.htm
http://www.wholisticresearch.com/info/artshow.php3?artid=270
http://www.antivitiligo.com/vitiligo-treatment/vitiligo-diet.html
http://www.herbalcureindia.com/female-health/leucoderma.html
http://www.drbenkim.com/vitiligo-natural-management.htm
http://www.diseasesatoz.com/leucoderma.htm
http://vitiligonotes.blogspot.com/
http://www.vitiligoguide.com/vitiligo-diet/

on ginko biloba :
http://abchomeopathy.com/forum2.php/76793/
http://www.wellsphere.com/complementary-alternative-medicine-article/is-ginkgo-biloba-a-natural-health-remedy-for-vitiligo/734398

on neem :
http://www.discoverneem.com/neem-leaf-recipes.html

on skin whitening :
http://www.skincare-news.com/a-6267-Hydroquinone-Free_Options_for_Lightening_Skin.aspx
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skin_whitening

next is about Vitiligo and Candida connection