The BEST Hidradenitis Suppurativa Diet To Heal Your Skin

Does the best diet for Hidradenitis Suppurativa exist?

Hidradenitis Suppurativa is said to affect 0.003 to 4% of the population worldwide. So those who have it are unique by design.

Or as Dove Medical Press puts it:

The estimated global prevalence of Hidradenitis suppurativa is found to be 0.00033– 4.1%, with a relatively higher prevalence of 0.7– 1.2% in European and US populations.

Having had Hidradenitis Suppurativa since at least 2018-2019, I have direct experience with it.

Including:

How to lessen the inflammation.
The right diets to use for Hidradenitis.
Which diets are bad (and good) for hidradenitis.
Which foods trigger Hidradenitis.

And even which vitamins and minerals are good for Hidradenitis Suppurativa.

Let’s talk exclusively about:

Diet.
Foods.
Pros and cons.
The why’s, the whats, and the hows.

And everything else to help YOU decide the best route to put Hidradenitis into remission.

Here’s a list.

The Best Hidradenitis diets:

1. Ketogenic diet

fish with onions and asparagus

The ketogenic diet is about:

Lowering carbohydrates below 25g (ideally below 20g or 10g).
Putting your body in ketosis.
Eating green vegetables, avoiding fruits except Avocado, and eating plenty of meats and seafood.
And replacing carbs with predominantly fat content (your new energy source).

This is the diet I eventually moved into. This was in 2022.

After following a healthy keto plan (as Dr Berg calls it) that prioritizes healthy low-carb foods that give you ALL your nutrients, my skin issues changed drastically.

It was already on the road to improvement but the ketogenic diet sped it up for one reason: carbs are triggering for Hidradenitis.

So is pure sugar but that’s no surprise.

Try it yourself.

Lower your carbohydrates for 2 weeks while still eating healthy foods and putting your body into ketosis through eating predominantly fat for energy in the absence of carbs.

You’ll notice the reduction of marks, scars, spots, bumps, and everything in between that’s caused by Hidradenitis Suppurativa.

Or more accurately, insulin and blood sugar spikes.

2. Carnivore diet

The carnivore diet is about:

Eliminating carbs completely (0g-5g).
Putting your body into ketosis.
And replacing carbs with ONLY meats, seafood, and animal foods like eggs.

Ignoring the more hardcore version of the carnivore diet, this is what you want to aim for as a general rule.

Since going deeper into the keto diet and then moving closer to carnivore, my Hidradenitis has lessened even further.

This makes sense because there are NO excess carbs in sight, and no sugar from certain vegetables to potentially make me flare up or inflame me.

Plus no sugars from fruits and so on (even berries).

The best part is you can still get all your nutrients like:

Vitamin C (liver, kidney, mussels, salmon, etc).
Bioavailable Vitamin A (animal foods like eggs).
B vitamins (seafood, etc).
Vitamin D (eggs, Mackerel, etc).
Vitamin E (shellfish, salmon, butter, etc).
Vitamin K2 (animal foods like Cheese, Bacon, etc).

Plus minerals like Zinc, copper, Iodine, potassium, magnesium, calcium, proteins, omega 3’s, and everything else the world claims ONLY vegetables can give you (which is a lie).

If it improves your Hidradenitis and boosts your overall health, that’s all that matters.

Relevant: 10+ Carnivore Diet Myths People Never Shut Up About

3. Vegetarian diet

The vegetarian diet needs no explanation, but it’s worth saying you eat vegetables, fruits, seeds, eggs, and dairy.

No animal flesh allowed.

With the flexibility of this diet compared to a strict vegan diet, you can still get your nutrients as long as you eat right and portion your foods right.

Vegetarian diet ideas for Hidradenitis Suppurativa:

Spinach.
Broccoli.
Celery.
Berries (strawberry, raspberry, blueberries).
Almonds.
Okra.
Seasoning (garlic, black pepper, rosemary, sea salt, etc).
Cabbage.
Eggs.
Tomatoes.
Cheddar cheese.
Kale.
Sweet potatoes (caution).
Brussel Sprouts.
Cauliflower.
Feta cheese.
Soy milk.
Tempeh.
Organic butter.
Coconut oil.
Carrots.
Green Beans.
Coconut milk.
Brie cheese.
Lettuce.
Kimchi.
Sauerkraut.
Ghee.
Seaweed.
Tofu.

Relevant: 21+ BEST Magnesium Food Sources If You Dislike Veg

4. Mediterranean diet

The Mediterranean diet has been studied to death, or at least enough for people to know its a healthy diet.

Typically it involves foods like:

Olive oil (or other “polyunsaturated” fats).
Some dairy (mainly European cheese, etc).
Vegetables.
Seeds.
Berries.
Beans.
Fish and seafood.

But you’re free to manipulate the diet to your liking so you can heal Hidradenitis.

Personally, I’d follow a lower-carbohydrate Mediterranean diet and get rid of grains, starches, and even beans or higher-carb fruits (not including berries) to heal faster.

That said, here’s some Mediterranean diet ideas to consider:

Salmon.
Mackerel.
Tuna.
COD.
Prawns.
Oysters.
Extra virgin organic olive oil.
Green beans.
Edamame.
Broad beans.
Almonds.
Feta cheese.
Brie cheese.
Camembert.
Carrots.
Broccoli.
Cauliflower.
Herbs (rosemary, basil, thyme, etc).
Spices (black pepper, white pepper, etc).

5. Paleolithic Keto diet

As pointed out by Dr My Hill:

This diet is paleo (no grains or dairy products) and ketogenic (low carbohydrate, sugar, fruit sugar, grains and root vegetables). One can eat some carbohydrates but too much and the diet fails. The aim is to fuel the body with fat and fibre, not sugar and starch.

This diet has also been found to be helpful for those who suffer from Gilbert Syndrome.

Instead of grains, starch or sugar, which is good to avoid if you have Hidradenitis Suppuraitva, you focus on fat and fibre which is where you wanna focus anyway.

Palaeolithic keto diet ideas for Hidradenitis:

Sea bass.
Haddock.
Salmon.
Prawns.
Seaweed.
Crab.
Squid.
Beef.
Chicken.
Pork.
Lamb.
Sauerkraut.
Brussel Sprouts.
Spinach.
Kale.
Cabbage.
Kimchi.

6. Lion diet

As pointed out by Healthline:

On the Lion Diet, you can consume only salt, water, and meat from ruminant animals, including cows, sheep, and deer.
Limiting your diet to these specific foods is believed to help sustain your body while removing other variables in your diet that may be contributing to health issues.

The foods included in this diet:

Beef.
Lamb.
Pork.
Ox.
Bison.
Goat.

Plus salt and water.

The diet is meant to be pursued short term, and you can add foods in later which will then let you know WHAT specifically is triggering your Hidradentiis if anything besides carbs or sugar.

The worst diets for Hidradenitis:

1. Standard Western Diet

https://rollingreens.com/blogs/news/how-the-american-diet-is-making-you-sick

This should come as no surprise. The standard Western diet or SAD (standard American diet) are diets no human should follow no matter what their health situation is.

There is NO benefit in eating a standard Western diet.

These foods include:

Fast food like Mc Donalds.
Trans fats (found in takeaways or restaurants).
Seed oils like Canola or soybean.
Desserts like DONUTS.
High-sugar foods.
High-carb foods (flour, etc).
Anything processed to death.
Pizza.

And the typical foods you can imagine.

These will inflame you to the point of madness with Hidradenitis. The carb count, the sugar, the processing, the nasty ingredients, and the synthetics go beyond just damaging your Hidradenitis.

It will also damage your health. Metabolically, biologically, your telomeres, DNA, and so much more.

2. Vegan diet

I know this seems insane but it is. That doesn’t make it untrue.

A vegan diet for Hidradenitis isn’t practical at all and is one of the worst.

Its been shown that Vitamin D is essential for those suffering from Hidradenitis Suppurativa, and Zinc plus Vitamin A is also extremely important if you have this condition.

You’re not getting Vitamin A if you’re vegan since that’s BETA CAROTENE, an inferior, pre-version of Vitamin A that must be converted before it becomes Vitamin A.

As noted by Lettucevegout:

an average of 12 mcg of beta carotene is needed to produce 1 mcg of vitamin A, so fairly large amounts of beta carotene are needed to meet this requirement.

And this is only an average.

That means you won’t have sufficient amounts, especially not for your Hidradenitis condition to heal.

Vitamin A (the real one) comes from animal foods. Liver has the highest amounts and you’ll notice your Hidradenitis start to heal overnight the moment you eat it.

We’re talking close to 20,000 IU’S of vitamin A.

Vitamin D can be absorbed from the sun but that can be problematic depending on where you live, skin colour, and more.

The vegan life can’t give you vitamin D through food the way a non-vegan diet will, and even animal foods don’t give you large amounts of it!

Zinc is highest in shellfish and seafood, and even red meat like Beef or organ meats like Liver (absorbability).

There is also copper, another mineral for skin, and animal foods (eggs) are the best sources and will be absorbed to a greater degree.

3. Refined carbohydrates and sugars

And the final worst diet for Hidradenitis Suppurativa is anything with refined carbohydrates or sugars.

This is an extension of what I’ve already pointed out.

Carbs in high amounts are already a problem because your body converts it to sugar, which is a problem for Hidradenitis Suppurativa.

But REFINED carbohydrates are worse because your body converts it a lot quicker.

And sugar itself is even worse since it shoots directly into your bloodstream.

Avoid foods like:

Cakes.
Cookies.
Sweeteners (caution).
Muffins.
Honey.
Rice (yes, it’s devoid of nutrients and is a pure carb).
White or brown sugar.
Bananas.
Pasta.
Mangoes.
Syrup.
Puddings.
Milk or white chocolate.

And anything obvious that’s refined, full of sugar, has excess carbs, and so on.

If you don’t want to give it up outright, you’ll be forced to experiment and see for yourself, which I always recommend experimenting so you know your specific triggers.

Still, refined carbs and sugars spike blood sugar and insulin, and that has a direct effect on Hidradenitis and even similar skin problems.

So that’s not debatable.

–

The Ultimate Diet For Hidradenitis Suppurativa To Clear Your Skin!