3 life hacks you need to know if you are a ”Psoriatic”

It has been a long time since I’ve written a sentence or provided you with some of my advice or new information I learned about psoriasis…I missed it! 🙂

I recently moved to Bulgaria, a country full of sun, beautiful mountains, sea coasts, delicious food and truly remarkable history. The sun part is definitely my favorite, as in England, where I lived before, it never was enough of it. It’s been a year and 4 months since I started my diet to cure myself of psoriasis without steroid creams. I managed to get rid of 90% of the patches that were covering my body. What an amazing achievement! I must admit, I did get off the track a few times and I don’t always make the right choices when it comes to my food. However, I don’t suffer from stomach problems anymore and my skin looks great (even though there still are some red dots).

The main point is, I still believe that psoriasis is curable, I am happier than I was a year ago and that my friends, was my goal from the beginning!

Today I would like to share 3 life hacks you definitely need to know if you have psoriasis. I will also add 2  easy, summer recipes that I adore right now. So read on 😉

1. Ice against the Itch!

One of the worst things about psoriasis is definitely the horrible itch that we experience. We don’t know why, how and when will it occur and it leaves us unprepared. Whatever you do, remember that scratching will NOT help. Yes, it does feel like an orgasm for a moment. But unlike the orgasm, you don’t stay with a smile on your face after a good scratch! It will hurt, it will burn and in the worst cases, it will bleed. So when an itch occurs, don’t panic! It really helps if you put something cold on the itchy area (ice, anything from the fridge). It is a great relief and I guarantee you that the itch will stop.

2. I forgot my cream at home!

I believe that every psoriatic needs to carry some kind of cream at all times (just NO STEROIDS!!!). After all, it helps to reduce the horrible itch too. If you run out of cream at home or you are not at home and forgot to take the cream with you, go and find some olive oil. Virgin olive oil is a great supplement for any cream mainly because it contains vitamin E-which helps to ease the dryness and even protects the skin against the UV light. So don’t worry, go ahead, enter any restaurant and ask for a bit of olive oil. It will instantly sooth your skin and rid you of that ‘shriveled’ feeling.

3. Elbow protectors.

I don’t know why, but psoriasis just loves hanging around my elbows. And sometimes, my skin cracks around that area and it makes me feel quite uncomfortable. So, one day I came up with a great idea which helped me keep my elbows moisturized! I took a pair of uncle-socks, cut off the tiptoes and voila! A perfect elbow protector was created. What you do then, is put a good amount of coconut oil (or linseed/olive oil or cream that you are using-NO STEROIDS!) on your elbow, wrap it with a clean film and pull your protector over it. You should end up with the cut-off tiptoe part facing down and the elbow should fit right in the heel part of the sock. It allows flexibility and it will never fall off. I always choose some colorful socks, just to keep it fun 😛

These 3 life-hacks helped me in many situations and I hope you will use them too. Yes, you might look like a fool walking around with socks on your elbows, or when asking for an olive oil in a restaurant and then putting it on your skin. But who cares! It is what it is and if it can make your situation at least a bit better, it’s worth being a weirdo!

Now. I would like to share with you two of my top recipes at the moment. They are very fast, easy and tasty! Also, they are nightshade free and suitable for vegetarians.

Here in Bulgaria, it is a season of juicy watermelons and peaches! I eat them every day and so should you! But don’t forget to eat watermelon on its own (don’t eat anything an hour before or after), because it digests much faster than other food and if you mix it, it slows down your digestion. Anyway, it is also a season of courgettes, which are full of vitamins such as potassium or vitamin C. You can cook it and combine it in many ways but I got inspired by Bulgaria and made up this recipe.

Zucchini ‘’boat’’

Ingredients:

1 medium zucchini

1 large spoon of feta cheese (crumbled)

Small bunch of dill (chopped)

Pinch of salt and pepper

1 garlic clove (minced)

How to do it:

Peel the zucchini, cut off the edges from both side and cut it lengthwise. Tale a soup spoon and scoop out the inside. It should look like a little boat. Cut the scooped out zucchini into small cubes and mix them with the rest of the ingredients. Place this mass into each ‘’boat’’ equally and bake it for approx. 30 min on 180 degrees (top and bottom heat). Serve with fresh green salad or eat alone.

‘’Psorotto’’ or Risotto suitable for a psoriatic

Ingredients:

1 small yellow onion (finely chopped)

3 garlic cloves (minced)

2 medium carrots (cut into cubes)

500g of mushrooms of your choice (cut in pieces)

1 head of broccoli

200g of wholegrain rice

2 tsp of soy sauce

Salt and pepper

Pinch of Italian seasoning

2 tbs of coconut oil

How to do it:

Cook the rice as it says on the pack. Heat the coconut oil. Add the onion and saute it until golden. Add the garlic and cook for only around 30 seconds. Place in all the vegetables and stir all together until they are all covered and warmed up. Add a small glass of water (250ml), not too much as your veggies will release some water too. Cover and cook on a small heat until your veggies are soft. When the rice and your veggies are ready, mix them together. Add some salt, pepper, seasoning and soy sauce and stir well. You can serve it with a bit of parmesan, just to make it more Italian 🙂

So, I really hope you get the most of my advice and will go ahead and try out my recipes. It is very important you eat the right food and let your body recover from having to fight psoriasis. Stay strong and believe in positive outcomes. Life is good… 🙂

Let me know if you use other life-hacks that keep you sane while battling psoriasis or other skin problems. I’m all ears!

See you around 🙂

Tatiana ❤