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Overcoming Psoriasis: Plant Based Treaty’s Diet Change Series

A core mission of the Plant Based Treaty is to promote a shift towards a plant-based food system to enable us to live safely within our planetary boundaries. This reduces greenhouse gasses and climate change, and is kinder to animals. But a plant-based diet is also better for our health, especially when it’s a whole foods diet.

Follow along on our diet change series to learn how a plant-based diet can help improve symptoms for all nine diseases, and please consider funding us to support future projects.

Health issue: Psoriasis

Psoriasis is a chronic proliferative and inflammatory condition of the skin.

Studies

•   Nutritional Therapy in Persons Suffering from Psoriasis by Jagoda Garbicz and others

 This study emphasises that patients should consume “large amounts of vegetables and fruits” and “avoid alcohol, animal fats, red meat, simple sugars, and highly processed food.”

•   Managing Psoriatic Arthritis With a Whole Food Plant-Based Diet: A Case Study by Marta Lewandowska and others

 This study followed a patient who adopted a whole food, plant-based diet including grains, pulses, vegetables, fruit, nuts, and seeds.

The outcome and discussion following the study explained, “An exclusively plant-based diet is an attractive option for patients with various forms of arthritis given its anti-inflammatory properties, a consequence of the vast quantities of antioxidant compounds and phytonutrients and their ability to lower markers of inflammation such as CRP.”

Success Stories

One of the co-authors of the study above, Managing Psoriatic Arthritis With a Whole Food Plant-Based Diet: A Case Study is Kate Dunbar, a Plant-Based Health Professional in the UK and supporter of Plant Based Treaty. The interesting twist is that Dunbar healed her own psoriasis by adopting a whole-food plant-based diet. Thankful 2 Plants explains that when Dunbar became vegan it helped her psoriasis but not fully. It wasn’t until 2018 that she switched to a whole food, plant-based diet, like the one Forks Over Knives advocates for, that her psoriatic arthritis symptoms were gone.

Dunbar’s vegan diet initially included many processed foods, such as vegan sausages, oils, pastries, refined grains, limited beans, vegetables, and fruits, and no nuts or seeds. However, her health improved once she switched to a whole-food, plant-based diet, limited her processed foods, and ate whole grains, more pulses, nuts and seeds, and plenty of fruits and vegetables. The medical study reports that she runs 10km regularly and is never limited by her disease. Dunbar is also an ambassador for Running on Plants.

Becoming Vegan Was The Only Thing That Helped My Psoriasis was published in Women’s Health by Hanna Sillitoe from England and is another inspiring success story. She writes, “Since going vegan, I’ve learned so much more about the food industry, and I’ve become ethically committed to maintaining my diet.”

Some of her meals include her daily green juice, big veggie salads with avocado, vegetable stir fry with chickpeas and lentils, and healthy desserts with cashews, minus refined sugar and gluten.

Sillitoe is a health coach and the author of Radiant: Eat Your Way to Healthy Skin, which describes her 20-year struggle with severe psoriasis, eczema, and acne.

“When her doctor told her the only remaining treatment was chemotherapy, she started researching diet and skin, and ultimately changed her life, cutting out caffeine, alcohol, sugar, dairy and wheat, with dramatic results. Now free from all skin complaints, Hanna is sharing her methods. Beginning with a juice cleanse, Hanna’s plan then moves on to a range of delicious, skin-loving meals including Turmeric and Ginger Chia Pudding, Immunity Ramen, Beet Burgers and even Clean Tiramisu.”

Foods to eat

Eating a whole-food, plant-based diet has been proven time and again to lead to optimal health as fruits and vegetables are essential. Canada’s Food Guide recommends eating dark green veggies daily and suggests making half of your plate vegetables and fruits because they are an important part of healthy eating.

A chart of the whole-food, plant-based diet adopted by Kate Dunbar from the above study can be found here and a useful beginners guide by Forks Over Knives is a great reference. The Plant Based Treaty has a free plant-based starter guide to get you on your way to healthy plant-powered meals.

Chickpeas are loaded with healthy nutrients and can be cooked in a variety of delicious recipes!

Please consider funding us to support Plant Based Treaty teams working with restaurants on menu changes and city campaigners transforming institutions so that more cities take ambitious actions in 2025.

Disclaimer: This blog should not replace medical advice from a physician and is for informational purposes only.

More from the PBT Diet Change series