The Pegano Psoriasis Diet: What It Is and Can It Help

Where did the Pegano diet come from?

It was developed by John Pegano, an American graduate of the Lincoln College of Osteopathy. In 1991 he published the book “Treatment of Psoriasis. The natural way. In his opinion, the cause of psoriasis and eczema - severe skin diseases - are problems with the intestines. Therefore, patients need a certain diet.

How is it different from other diets?

Pegano focuses on bowel cleansing. First, he suggests going on a mono diet, when only apples or citrus fruits can be consumed for three to five days. In parallel, you need to take enterosorbents - substances that absorb toxins and remove them from the body.

After that, you can move on to the diet itself. It is based on maintaining the acid-base balance in the body. Pegano believes that acid-forming foods (animal proteins, eggs, dairy and seafood, grains) should make up no more than 20-30% of the daily diet. The lion's share of nutrition falls on alkaline products (juicy fruits and vegetables, greens).

How should you eat on the Pegano diet?

The author has deduced several mandatory rules:

drink at least 1.5 liters of clean water daily without gas;
be sure to use freshly squeezed fruit or vegetable juice, herbal teas and herbal infusions, a decoction of watermelon seeds;
take a dietary supplement - granular lecithin to restore the alkaline balance;
consume a tablespoon of olive oil in the morning on an empty stomach for better bowel cleansing;
eat foods high in fiber (whole grain bread and cereals, vegetables, fruits);
eat lean lamb, skinless chicken, rabbit meat;
do not mix citrus and dairy products, meat and starchy foods, fruits with cereals and flour products;
exclude fried, smoked, salted, canned, high-fat and sugar-rich foods, artificial colors and additives;
eat boiled eggs no more than twice a week;
follow a diet for at least a month.

What foods are on Pegano's blacklist?

Berries: strawberries and strawberries, plums and prunes, cranberries and blueberries.
Vegetables: potatoes, tomatoes, peppers, eggplants (all nightshade).
Fatty, fried, smoked fish; caviar, crustaceans.
Seafood: shrimp, oysters, squid, mussels, anchovies.
Pork and beef, duck and goose, offal, sausages.
Fatty dairy products, ice cream, butter and margarine.
Baking, including yeast and white flour, semolina, white rice.
Coffee, alcohol, tomato juice, soda.

Can you lose weight on the Pegano diet?

In principle, you can. The diet includes foods low in fat, steamed or grilled, lots of vegetables and fruits containing fiber, a minimum of sugar and fast carbohydrates. So the weight may be reduced due to the fact that you will consume fewer calories than usual.

But it is worth remembering that the goal of the diet is not weight loss, but the fight against psoriasis.

What do people say? Does diet really work?

Opinions differ. Many people argue that diet really helps to cope with psoriasis. But for this it must be observed for quite a long time.

Some people find it difficult to cut back on protein and focus on fruits and vegetables, especially in winter. Because of this, breakdowns happen.

There are those who found out that diet does not help: this opinion was expressed by 15% of respondents on the forum where psoriasis sufferers communicate.

What do nutritionists think of the Pegano diet?

Not everyone considers it useful.

As a dietitian, gastroenterologist, lovers of sweet, starchy foods and meat often come to me. These foods contribute to acidification, lowering the pH. I introduce more alkaline foods into my diet, including the emphasis on drinks with lemon. It doesn't matter if the patient has psoriasis or not.

A sharp shift in pH both to the acidic side (less than 7) and to the alkaline side (more than 7, 2) is harmful to the body. This leads to the destruction of cells, enzymes lose their ability to perform their functions. Therefore, the acid-base balance in the body is tightly regulated. For its normal operation, both acidic and alkaline decomposition products are required, and more of the former are formed than the latter. Therefore, the body's defense systems are tuned primarily to neutralize and eliminate acidic foods.

In the practice of treating patients with psoriasis, a powerful result occurs after the restoration of the microbiota (normal flora) of the intestine, spot treatment of the stomach, liver and gallbladder. Patients need a long-term nutritional change strategy. A temporary diet is only harmful and has no long-term effect.