Psoriasis is a chronic autoimmune disease that typically causes a red, scaly rash, most commonly on the elbows, hands, lower back, knees, and scalp. While prescription medicine is the first-line treatment for psoriasis, doctors may also recommend lifestyle modifications, including eating a healthy diet, to help relieve symptoms, says Paul Yamauchi, MD, PhD, a dermatologist at the Dermatology Institute & Skin Care Center in Santa Monica, California, and a clinical assistant professor of dermatology at the UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine.

According to Dr. Yamauchi, anti-inflammatory foods may help improve psoriasis symptoms and manage moderate to severe psoriasis.

Research has shown that a Mediterranean-style diet — which features fruits, vegetables, beans and other legumes, nuts, and whole grains along with small amounts of animal products, such as fish and eggs — may be beneficial for psoriasis.

Adding these foods to your diet should be safe for most people, but if you’re considering making major changes to your diet, be sure to talk to your dermatologist or a registered dietitian first.

Here are some examples of healthy foods to try for psoriasis:

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Fish

Whether baked, poached, or canned, nutrient-rich fish can be particularly beneficial for people with psoriasis because it can have an anti-inflammatory effect on the body. According to a review article on nutritional therapy in people with psoriasis, research has shown that eating a diet with large amounts of fish high in omega-3 fatty acids, such as salmon, mackerel, herring, and sardines, may improve psoriatic lesions.

And the benefits of eating fish go beyond the skin: The National Psoriasis Foundation recommends eating fatty fish like tuna, lake trout, mackerel, salmon, and herring at least two times a week to help lower the risk of coronary heart disease.

(This is important because people with psoriasis are at increased risk of heart attack and stroke, possibly because of the inflammatory nature of the disease; regular intake of fish has been shown to have heart-health benefits.)

Bonus: Oily fish like herring, salmon, and mackerel are high in vitamin D, which is essential for maintaining a healthy skin barrier.

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Fruits and Vegetables

As colorful as they are delicious, fruits like berries and leafy green vegetables like spinach and broccoli are excellent options for helping manage psoriasis.

A review of studies on plant-based diets and skin conditions (including psoriasis) underscores the importance of clinicians educating their patients about the benefits of the Mediterranean diet. Fruits and vegetables are among the foods recommended for providing nutrients essential to skin health. Many fruits and vegetables are also good sources of fiber, another component of a healthy diet for psoriasis.

And the upsides go beyond helping ease psoriasis symptoms. “The benefit of eating [fruits and vegetables] is not necessarily [only] for making psoriasis better,” Yamauchi says. “They are important for protecting against heart disease and cancer, which people with psoriasis are at higher risk for.”

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Nuts and Seeds

Here’s why you may want to include these tiny allies into your psoriasis management routine. Walnuts, flaxseed, and chia seeds, which, like fatty fish, are high in omega-3 fatty acids.

A review of studies examining the relationship between diet and nutrition and psoriasis found that eating more nuts, seeds, and other foods high in omega-3 fatty acids improved psoriasis symptoms.

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Fermented Foods

Fermented pickles, kimchi, or kefir might be a good addition to your diet if you have psoriasis.

Increasingly, researchers are finding that gut health may play an important role in psoriasis management, and this discovery is being touted as a potential avenue that may lead to new treatment options for the condition. Research suggests that eating an anti-inflammatory diet may improve the gut microbiome, which is thought to play a key role in inflammation and disease activity.

Other research has focused on probiotics and prebiotics, and while most of it has involved supplements, a review article on the latest scientific evidence on microbiome changes in psoriatic patients noted that fermented foods — which include yogurt, sauerkraut, miso, and kombucha — may reduce certain cytokines, which are proteins that play a role in inflammation.

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Whole Grains

Adding whole grains to your diet is another great way to help manage psoriasis symptoms.

Dietary fiber can benefit the gut microbiome, reduce systemic inflammation, and help with weight loss. This is particularly important for people with psoriasis because obesity has been shown to worsen the inflammatory condition and reduce the effectiveness of psoriasis medications.

Plus, people with psoriasis are at increased risk of metabolic diseases, such as type 2 diabetes, which makes it all the more important to choose carbohydrates that don’t raise blood sugar quickly, such as whole-grain cereal or oats instead of sugary baked goods or white bread.

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Coffee

The perks of coffee may extend beyond serving as a pick-me-up if you have psoriasis. According to one review article on nutritional therapy for psoriasis and another on natural compounds for psoriasis treatment, research has shown that regularly drinking coffee may help ease psoriasis symptoms.

But both reviews note that how much coffee you drink is crucial when it comes to whether or not coffee can ease psoriasis: While consuming up to three cups a day has an anti-inflammatory effect and can help reduce psoriasis symptoms, drinking more than four cups a day can actually be inflammatory and may worsen psoriasis symptoms.

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Legumes

These little nutrient-packed powerhouse foods, which include beans, lentils, and peas, are an integral part of a Mediterranean diet and are excellent options to include in your diet if you have psoriasis.

According to a review that broke down the current evidence on the impact of diet on psoriasis, studies have shown that eating a Mediterranean diet — which is rich in healthy foods like fruits and vegetables, fish, seeds, and legumes — has a beneficial effect on inflammatory diseases, including psoriasis.

A review that looked at the beneficial effects of plant-based diets on skin health and inflammatory skin diseases found that eating plant-based diets, which include lots of vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds, and legumes, may have beneficial effects on skin health, which may be related to a healthy gut microbiome. Eating these foods, the review notes, reduces inflammation, promotes weight loss (which is another factor that may improve psoriasis), improves overall health, and may help manage psoriasis symptoms.

The Takeaway

While psoriasis isn’t caused by food and can’t be treated with food, this inflammatory skin condition can benefit from an anti-inflammatory eating plan, such as the Mediterranean diet.
Certain foods, such as fruits, vegetables, nuts, and fish, can help reduce inflammation, improve psoriasis, and increase your general health.
Connect with your psoriasis care team, including a registered dietitian, before making major changes to your diet to help improve psoriasis symptoms and better manage the condition.

Everyday Health follows strict sourcing guidelines to ensure the accuracy of its content, outlined in our editorial policy. We use only trustworthy sources, including peer-reviewed studies, board-certified medical experts, patients with lived experience, and information from top institutions.

Resources

Duchnik E et al. The Impact of Diet and Physical Activity on Psoriasis: A Narrative Review of the Current Evidence. Nutrients. February 7, 2023.
Garbicz J et al. Nutritional Therapy in Persons Suffering From Psoriasis. Nutrients. December 28, 2021.
Dietary Modifications. National Psoriasis Foundation. February 3, 2025.
Fish and Omega-3 Fatty Acids. American Heart Association. August 23, 2024.
Annunziata G et al. Plant-Based Foods for Chronic Skin Diseases: A Focus on the Mediterranean Diet. Current Nutrition Reports. March 6, 2025.
Kranyak A et al. The Mediterranean Diet as a Potential Solution to the Gut Microbiome Dysbiosis in Psoriasis Patients. Journal of Psoriasis and Psoriatic Arthritis. January 9, 2024.
Buhas MC et al. Gut Microbiota in Psoriasis. Nutrients. July 20, 2022.
Elkhawaga OY et al. Review of Natural Compounds for Potential Psoriasis Treatment. Inflammopharmacology. June 2023.
Flores-Balderas X et al. Beneficial Effects of Plant-Based Diets on Skin Health and Inflammatory Skin Diseases. Nutrients. June 22, 2023.

Reyna Franco, RDN

Medical Reviewer

Member of American College of Lifestyle Medicine

Reyna Franco, RDN, is a New York City–based dietitian-nutritionist, certified specialist in sports dietetics, and certified personal trainer. She is a diplomate of the American College of Lifestyle Medicine and has a master's degree in nutrition and exercise physiology from Columbia University.

In her private practice, she provides medical nutrition therapy for weight management, sports nutrition, diabetes, cardiac disease, renal disease, gastrointestinal disorders, cancer, food allergies, eating disorders, and childhood nutrition. To serve her diverse patients, she demonstrates cultural sensitivity and knowledge of customary food practices. She applies the tenets of lifestyle medicine to reduce the risk of chronic disease and improve health outcomes for her patients.

Franco is also a corporate wellness consultant who conducts wellness counseling and seminars for organizations of every size. She taught sports nutrition to medical students at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, taught life cycle nutrition and nutrition counseling to undergraduate students at LaGuardia Community College, and precepts nutrition students and interns. She created the sports nutrition rotation for the New York Distance Dietetic Internship program.

She is the chair of the American College of Lifestyle Medicine's Registered Dietitian-Nutritionist Member Interest Group. She is also the treasurer and secretary of the New York State Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, having previously served in many other leadership roles for the organization, including as past president, awards committee chair, and grant committee chair, among others. She is active in the local Greater New York Dietetic Association and Long Island Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, too.

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Marie Suszynski

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Marie Suszynski is a Pennsylvania-based freelance health journalist who writes authoritative stories on a wide range of topics, including diabetes, arthritis, and more with a focus on highly detailed, easy-to-follow tips to help readers transform their lives. Her work has appeared in WebMD, Reader's Digest, and Prevention.

Suszynski is the coauthor of But I’m Hungry! 2 Steps to Beating Hunger and Losing Weight Forever and has contributed to more than a dozen Prevention-branded books about diabetes, nutrition, weight loss, and menopause (Prevention’s Ultimate Women’s Guide to Health and Wellness, Energy for Everything, Natural Hormone Solutions). She holds a master's degree from the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University.

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Katherine Lee

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Katherine Lee is a writer and editor who specializes in health, science, and parenting content. She has written for Verywell, where she covered school-age parenting, and worked as an editor at Parenting and Working Mother magazines. She has written and edited numerous articles and essays on science, parenting, and children's health and development for What to Expect, the American Association for the Advancement of Sciences, the American Psychological Association, and Newsweek, among others

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