Travelling With Hidradenitis Suppurativa: How To Eat The Right Foods

As someone who:

Travels a lot.
Moves around a lot.
Doesn’t stay in one place too often.
And likes to change location…

It only makes sense why I’d know about:

What to eat with Hidradenitis Suppurativa.
What foods to avoid when travelling?

And why I know about this way of life in the first place.

You don’t have to be travelling to this extreme for this info to be useful since it helps regardless of how much, how far, or where you travel (even if nationally).

Let’s get into the nitty gritty.

Foods to prioritise when travelling with Hidradenitis:

1. Pocket-sized foods

Generally speaking, anything you can fit in your pocket while travelling is a convenience, but it’s also something you need to be careful of when it comes to Hidradenitis or any other skin issue/inflammation.

After all, how many pocket sized foods can you eat that are brimming with health and vitality?

Let’s talk about healthy pocket sized foods you can eat.

Cheese

Cheesies

When I say cheese, I’m really talking about “cheesies”. It’s like a crisp packet filled with genuine cheddar, gouda, or other types of cheese.

The best part is these types of cheese are not just mobile making it good for travelling, but cheese is the ONLY ingredient and nothing more.

No processed shit, no crap, no justified extras – just pure cheese in a packet.

Try finding an equivalent in your country unless you wanna import them from the UK or other European countries.

Seaweed

Seaweed in a packet is quite common as well these days, and more popular. Sometimes it’s a regular packet that you can tear the seaweed out of and eat it in sheets.

Other times it’s more of a “crisp packet” you can eat the seaweed out of.

Either way, there is no nonsense added and that’s what you want while travelling to stay as healthy as you can.

Lindt Excellence 85% Cocoa Dark Chocolate Bar

I don’t eat dark chocolate for the reason it’s just not nice. It tastes too strong in the 85% or 95% range, but if dark chocolate is your thing then it’s suitable for Hidradenitis.

The higher percentage the better in terms of sugar. And since dark chocolate is so strong, there’s no worry about overeating and indulging since there are no addictive qualities to drive you in that direction.

Relevant: Is Cacao Powder REALLY Bad for You?

Pork Puffs

Very low in carbohydrates and sugars. These are the types of crisps that should be more mainstream but won’t be because the marketing is too strong for the shittier crisps out there on the supermarket isles.

I’ll gladly devour these while travelling with Hidradenitis, and you can do the same without concern.

Avocados

If you’re willing to carry avocados or better yet, peel them before travelling and put them in your lunch box, then you’re good to go.

I don’t love Avocadoes enough to do all that, but they are a food you can safely eat with Hidradenitis regardless of travelling.

You don’t necessarily have to follow the ketogenic diet to eat low carb, low sugar foods, but it is advised.

With only 1.5g of carbs per serving, it’s a non-issue.

It does have almonds, milk, and eggs as ingredients, and a preservative Potassium Sorbate so keep that in mind.

Nibble Simply Doubly Delicious Choc Choc Chip Low Carb Biscuit Bites

This food is made with Cashews as the main ingredient, so as long as you’re fine with those, it works.

9.5 carbs per pack, with around 5g of carbs (net). Even less with sugar.

I’ve eaten many of these and can confirm there were no issues with flare-ups or anything of the sort. They’re on of the few genuine “low carb” foods that are suitable.

Berries

Berries, especially raspberry and blueberries are small and low in sugar. Strawberries as well.

They’re healthy, and as long as you don’t eat a pack full of them at once, there is no issue with your Hidradenitis overtime or within the same day.

Pumpkin Seeds

If you can tolerate Pumpkin seeds, a small amount of these won’t hurt and you can easily carry them with you while travelling.

They’re a good source of magnesium, potassium, iron, and zinc as well.

Cashew Nuts

If you can tolerate cashew nuts it’s the same story. Relatively low in carbs as long as you stick to the portions.

And of course, it has a lot of nutrients you can get from them while on the go.

2. Takeaway/restaurant foods

It’s not always possible to cook your own food when travelling, especially if you’re not staying in that place for too long. So takeaways, take-out food, restaurants and the lot become necessary.

Here are some foods to choose from if you have Hidradenitis and you’re travelling.

Meats (avoid breaded)

https://www.provisioneronline.com/articles/105646-batters-breading-attractive-yet-polarizing

Meats are the simplest choice you can have when travelling with Hidradentis. It’s the ONE thing you can guarantee will be quality if you get it from a restaurant or a good takeaway.

Of course, this applies if the meat in question isn’t breaded or anything comparable because at that point it’s no longer meat.

It’s just a carbohydrate with sugars and other ingredients that shouldn’t be there, and those ingredients won’t do your Hidradenitis or your blood sugar any good while travelling, which is the point here.

Vegetables (assuming it’s not made with sugary sauces)

Soy sauce is one to avoid when eating vegetables from a takeaway or restaurant. This can apply to eating meat as well.

You can always ask for the ingredients or look at the menu and decide from there. But there is no sense in eating vegetables if the sauces will heighten the amount of sugar and carbs to ridiculous degrees.

It only makes the healthy food a useless meal in the context of H.S.

Quality seafood

The same logic applies to seafood. Many are made in certain sauces that only add sugar and carbs in excess amounts depending on how much of the sauce is added.

You don’t want or need that when you’re focused on travelling and healing your Hidradenitis Suppuraitva.

Eat quality seafood the way it’s supposed to be eaten, and that’s without the BS layered on top that only leads to problems.

Foods to consider on occasion (or not at all) when travelling with H.S:

Keto protein bars

Keto protein bars have less sugar and carbs, but they still have ingredients that need to be considered.

Take maltitol, for example, a sugar alcohol. The nutritional profile on t keto protein bars might look good, but ingredients like this depending on the person can be counterintuitive.

Test it out or avoid it.

Regular protein bars

Regular protein bars are comparable to keto protein bars but only with the fact of ingredients since it has more sugar and carbs by design.

While you’re on the go you’ll burn a lot more calories and of course, the sugar you consume, so it’s not such a bad idea on occasion which will keep your Hidradenitis in check.

Relevant: The Process Of Quitting Sugar: This Is What It Looks Like

Oranges, Bananas, etc

Oranges and Bananas have enough sugar already, making it hard to have more than one when you have Hidradenitis Suppurativa.

That being said, oranges and bananas in Western countries (UK and USA mainly) are even worse because of how those fruits are processed.

Unless you can eat it naturally, avoid it altogether for the sake of your skin health.

Smoothies

Smoothies, unless you make it yourself, will always have too much sugar and will be loaded with sugar.

Nobody drinks 50ml out of a 500ml or 300ml bottle. This is what they try to measure “servings” which isn’t realistic in these cases.

Make your own smoothie or avoid buying them while travelling which H.S., unless it’s on occasion to avoid flare-ups and blood sugar spikes.

Milkshakes (even if low in sugar)

When any drink or milkshake is sold as “Low” sugar, it means it’s low only if you drank a sip of that milkshake or drink.

That again is deceptive and unrealistic. A bottle of milkshake is more realistic since it’s only 300ml or more (or less).

Have milkshakes on occasion if you must.

Anything with honey

Honey can be soothing and even healthy IF you’re not one to gobble it up too quickly or add multiple spoons of honey to your drink throughout the day.

But while travelling, anything you buy with honey in it is the same anyway.

Be it sweets, which is even worse, some sort of dessert, drink, or otherwise. Best avoided.

Regular crisps (or “chips” in the USA)

Regular crisps are loaded with carbohydrates, which your body will convert into sugar and spike your insulin much too fast.

Carbs in crisps are not the good kind of carbs, and multiples of these are partly the reason why people end up with Hidradenitis Suppurativa in the first place.

It’s excess sugar over time. Even if it’s in hidden foods.

Fruit drinks

Just like with smoothies, if the fruit drink isn’t something YOU made, avoid it like the plague.

Apple Juice, orange juice, pineapple juice – all this shit is an unnatural product with the beneficial compounds in fruits essentially destroyed.

Fibre being the main part you lose out on when drinking fruit drinks. That can no longer act as a natural buffer to the sugar, so it’s no better than drinking cola and expecting your skin issues to improve.

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In the end, sugar and by extension, bad carbs play a role in harming your skin, causing inflammation, and contributing to Hidradenitis Suppurativa.

It might seem strange that mainstream health doesn’t promote or even mention this in particular, but it’s an absolute fact as real as gravity and can be proven the way gravity can by jumping out a window.

Reduce your sugar and carb intake, especially the hidden sugars by reading labels, and watch the magic whether you’re travelling or not.