There is no education quite like the one you receive when you are successful in taking the natural route to healing yourself. Learning how to unlock the endless potential that good health provides is one of the most valuable lessons that anyone can learn. I often feel blessed that my skin issues woke me up to see what my poor diet and careless lifestyle was doing to my body. If my skin breakouts were not so loud in telling me that there was something seriously wrong inside of my body, I’m not sure I would have ever changed. I am grateful for what I have experienced.

To answer the question of “How to heal psoriasis and eczema naturally?” An ideal skin healing regimen can be broken down into three phases: fasting, raw food detox, and long term diet development. The idea is to take your body through a deep detox in the first two phases and then build your new diet upon your rejuvenated foundation. By following good health habits and eating a diet that is right for you on a consistent basis, healing yourself from autoimmune skin issues and countless other diseases is certainly possible.

Before I get into the three phases I just want to add that this guide is simply just one big suggestion from me. I am simply someone who has gone through the nightmare of skin disease and has had success in healing naturally. In this guide, I’ve used my experience in healing myself and working with other people to create the best disease healing formula I could. 

Phase 1: Fasting (1-3 weeks)

In this initial fasting phase of the protocol, you will use a combination of water fasting and juice fasting to start your journey off with a deep detoxification process. What I suggest is that you spend the first half or so of this phase water fasting and then the second half juice fasting (still drinking plenty of water). 

As with all of the phases in this protocol, you can modify this section to fit your level of comfortability. If you have experience fasting and want to take a more aggressive approach, you may decide to stretch the first phase out a little bit longer. It is also possible to take a more conservative approach and fast for only 1-3 days or none at all. 

I look at fasting as a personal subject and ultimately the choice is yours on whether you decide to fast or not. With that said, fasting is one of the oldest medicinal practices there is and the health benefits are widely recognized. If you are determined to heal, fasting can be a life changing experience. 

If you don’t own a juicer, then either find a way to find fresh cold pressed juice or just skip the juice fasting portion of this phase. While I do highly recommend juicing due to the huge impact it had on my personal health, you can certainly still make healing progress without it. 

Why fasting?

In order to heal, you need to do everything you can to cleanse your body of toxins and disease causing agents. There is no better way to do this than to fast. The reason why fasting is such an effective detoxification tool can be summed up in one word: autophagy. 

Autophagy is basically a process of cellular regulation in which the cell seeks out and eliminates dysfunctional or unhealthy components of the cell. Fasting promotes this process and is the most effective way to detoxify and heal. You can also learn to promote autophagy on a daily basis through intermittent fasting which I will discuss later on in this protocol. If you want to read more about fasting/intermittent fasting, click here to read my guide on how to use fasting to heal your skin. 

What to consume during phase 1

Water

Water makes up about 60% of the human body and drinking it on a consistent basis is the number one most important thing you can be doing for your health. Mineral water is probably your healthiest option. I drink some mineral water but most of the water I consume is either spring or purified water. Although finding the best water source possible is ideal, don’t stress this too much. Just drink water. 

Vegetable juice (second half of the phase)

I always say that I believe fresh vegetable juice to be the most medicinal thing I have ever consumed. Drinking a juice is like taking a shot of raw revitalizing energy. Although homemade fresh juice is the most powerful, you can also find cold pressed juices on the shelves of some health food grocery stores or online. 

There are a few solid solid brands out there that I like to grab on the go from time to time. Just be sure that the juice is cold pressed and to pick the ones with the least amount of fruit ingredients, especially in this fasting stage. Although a little bit of fruit juice is ok, you really want to focus on those green vegetable juices. Here is an example of a simple green juice: Celery, kale, cucumber, ginger, green apple or lemon. 

Other 

Although you should absolutely never cheat on a fast. There are certain drink options that are fast-acceptable and can give you a difference taste/mouth feel to keep your taste buds interested. If you want to spice things up a little bit, try adding in some unflavored sparkling mineral water and herbal tea. Just keep these to a minimum in this phase. You really want almost all of your liquid consumption to come from straight water or vegetable juice. 

Phase 1 example day (first half)

• 16-32 oz. of water (at least 80 oz throughout the day)
• Relaxation (try to stay away from stress)
• Maybe a sparkling water or herbal tea

Phase 1 example day (second half)

• 16-32 oz. of water (80 oz. of water throughout the day)
• Celery juice
• Green juice (Celery, cucumber, kale, ginger, lemon)
• Apple juice or orange/carrot juice (occasional fruit juice)

Phase 2: Raw Food Detox (3-6 weeks)

The raw food detox phase is something to look forward to and extremely rewarding. I remember the first time I had ever fasted and I broke my fast with just a plain old pink lady apple. I don’t think anything had ever tasted better in my entire life. After going a certain amount of time without food, you tend to renew your appreciation for it and the purpose that it serves. 

You want to use this phase as a means for not only nourishing and replenishing your body with large amounts of vital micronutrients, but also to carry on the detoxification process that you ramped up during the initial fasting phase. 

In order to do this, you are going to spend some time consuming mostly raw fruits and vegetables. There are some other raw foods out there that you may want to start toying with later on in this phase, but make sure that your focus is on fruit and vegetable consumption. 

Incorporating intermittent fasting

Before I get into the foods that you should be eating in this section of the protocol, I want to include a little note on intermittent fasting. If you are new to this idea, intermittent fasting basically means that you schedule your meals so that all of your calorie consumption occurs within a designated time window. For example: If you have your first meal of the day at noon and your last around 8, then you have effectively spent 16 hours fasting. 

This is a habit that I include in my day to day life that has had a big impact on my skin and overall health. Having food available at all times is still a fairly new idea in terms of our ancestry and we are not meant to be constantly eating. Giving your body sufficient time to rest day in and day out can ensure the constant promotion of autophagy and really take your gut healing to the next level. 

Choose the best 6-8 hour feeding window for you and then schedule your meals for the rest of this protocol around it. I personally eat between the hours of about 1 pm to 8 pm. Some days I start eating earlier and other days later but I generally try to hang around that time frame. This is a very simple habit that can have a big impact for most people.

Phase 2 Foods

Fruits

Most of your calories during this phase are likely going to come from fruits. Considering that they are more calorie dense than vegetables for the most part and it is easier to eat larger quantities of them. I am always advocating simplicity and I firmly believe that you should not try to overcomplicate things. While experimenting with different kinds of fruits is a great idea, don’t be afraid to stick to the basics and just eat a lot of your favorite fruits.

Vegetables

Although most of your calories may come from fruit during this phase, you definitely should not overlook vegetables intake. In my opinion, vegetables contain more healing power than any other food group. I understand that the sweet flavors of fruits are more appealing than veggies to most people and this is why I am making this point. Find ways to incorporate as many vegetables as you can. Think big salads and big juices. 

Juices and smoothies

Juices and smoothies are absolute game changers, especially during this phase. In order for your body to heal, you need to make things as easy on your digestive system as you possibly can. Juices and smoothies are perfect for this as they break your food down into a form that is much easier to digest (juices especially). 

Instead of laboring to break your food down, you digestive system can relax and simply absorb all of the amazing gut healing nutrients that your juice or smoothie contains. Although consuming juices and smoothies may not be absolutely essential for many people, I think that just about anyone would benefit from incorporating them. Click here to shop for blenders and juicers.

Phase 2 example day 1

• 16-32 oz water (At least 80 oz throughout the day)
• Green Juice (celery, cucumber, kale, ginger, green apple)
• Fruit bowl (bananas, apples, blueberries)
• Green salad (spinach, kale or some other green, cucumbers, red bell peppers, lemon juice, balsamic vinegar)
• 16-32 oz smoothie (bananas, apples, spinach, small handful of walnuts and/or chia seeds, almond milk)

Phase 2 example day 2

• 16-32 oz water (At least 80 oz throughout the day)
• Celery juice
• 16-32 oz smoothie (bananas, frozen berries, spinach or kale, almond milk)
• 16-32 oz green juice
• apples, oranges, and a few dates

Phase 2 example day 3

• 16-32 oz water (at least 80 oz throughout the day)
• Green juice
• 16-32 oz smoothie
• Green salad (spinach, kale, or some green, tomato, avocado, onion, lemon juice, balsamic vinegar)
• Fruit bowl (pineapple, strawberries, kiwi)

Phase 3: Long Term Diet Development

This is the most exciting part of the protocol as this is when you begin building your long term diet approach. In order to continue the healing progress that you’ve made in the first two phases, you need to not only identify what healthy whole foods you should be eating but also develop a sustainable plan. I also might add that many people may benefit from doing a short one day water or juice fast the day before transitioning into one of these long term plans. 

In natural healing, there are two dietary approaches that seem to give people the most success. These two approaches are high fat/low carb and high carb/low fat. The reason why it is important that you choose one of these two approaches (or some moderate variation of one) is because the way that the body processes fats and carbs is very different and being high in both fats and carbs is a recipe for disaster. By limiting your intake of one macronutrient or the other, you are creating a less hectic environment within your digestive tract. 

Below I will try to paint a picture of what each of the two approaches look like so that you can get a good idea of what foods you should eat on each plan and which one might appeal more to you as a long term solution. I have had good experiences with both approaches and I have provided the option of choosing your approach because I recognize that there is no one size fits all diet. What works for one person may not work for another. With that said, both of the plans are based on whole foods and are highly nutritious. I will provide a little section at the end of this phase that may assist you in choosing your approach. 

high fat/low carb: what to eat

The high fat/low carb approach has gained a lot of popularity recently as many people are seeing amazing health improvements after following such a plan. This plan appeals to many people because 1. It is simple and 2. You get to eat plenty of meat. One tip I have for following this approach is that you want to make sure you are consuming enough fat. Your body needs either fats or carbs to use for energy and if you are following a low carb approach but don’t have enough fat in your diet, you will likely end up with a lack of energy. 

In this approach, you want to keep your fats anywhere from 50-80% of your calories, your carbs under 25%, and your protein between 20-30%. I don’t always track my meals, but it may be valuable to download a free app such as FatSecret to keep up with this information. 

Organic meat, eggs, and wild caught fish

In a high fat/low carb approach, you are going to get a decent amount of your calories from animal foods such as organic meats, eggs, and wild caught fish. Although it is a bit more expensive to purchase animal products that have been raised without antibiotics and added hormones, I do believe that it is very important to do so. These foods are more nutritious options and leave you unexposed to the dangers that antibiotics and hormones can cause. 

Also, don’t stray away from fatty types of meat in this approach. The high fat approach is built around consuming animal fats. So go ahead and eat some beef and chicken legs and things like that. 

Healthy fats

Eating foods that are high in healthy fats is another way that you are going to get a lot of your calories in this approach. Foods like avocados, nuts and seeds, olive oil, and coconut oil fit right into this approach and should be embraced so long as you feel that your body responds well to them. 

Fruits

In most high fat/low carb plans, fruit is limited. Fruit is a high carb/high fructose food and having too much fruit mixed in with all of those animal fats and proteins is probably not the best idea. With that said, I still include a decent amount of fruit in my moderately high fat/low carb diet approach. I just make sure that I eat my fruits at least 3-4 hours after any heavy meals. Remember, fruit is best on an empty stomach. 

I don’t think that it is necessarily bad to have both fatty meats and fruits in your diet. I just think you have to be careful that they don’t occupy your stomach at the same time. My advice: start your high fat/low carb diet with as little amount of carbs as possible, then you can start experimenting with reintroducing some healthy carbs such as fruit and see how you respond. 

Vegetables

If you’re catching onto the trend here, you see that most of your meals on a high fat plan are going to consist of meat, eggs, or fish, and some vegetables. One thing that I love about this diet is that it takes you back in time in a sense and reminds you what food is actually essential and it eliminates everything that is not. Also, keep up with the vegetable juices. No matter what approach you choose to follow, fresh juice is always a good idea. 

High fat/low carb example day 1

• 16-32 oz water (At least 80 oz throughout the day)
• Green Juice followed by an apple and some walnuts
• Beef (or turkey) and eggs (Organic pasture raised eggs, grass fed ground beef or ground turkey, avocado, spinach, a few cherry tomatoes, a few kalamata olives, and fresh squeezed lime juice)
• Organic chicken legs with kale salad (kale, avocado, tomato, onion)

High fat/low carb example day 2

• 16-32 oz water (At least 80 oz throughout the day)
• Smoothie (banana, apple, spinach, pumpkin kernels or chia seeds, almond milk)
• wild caught salmon with a salad
• grass fed steak with broccoli

high carb/low fat approach: what to eat

The high carb/low fat approach is considered a plant based style of eating. This plan appeals to many people due to the fact that it is less restrictive in nature. Although you are limited in terms of animal product consumption, you are able to eat a lot of the other food groups that you may not be able to eat on a high fat/low carb plan. This plan is very colorful and nutritious and works well for many people.

In this approach, you want to keep your carbs anywhere from 50-70% of your calories, your fats under 25%, and your protein between 20-30%.

Healthy starches

Healthy starches that are usually avoided on a high fat plan such as sweet potatoes, oats, or sprouted grain bread are staple foods for many people on a plant based diet. Just make sure that you avoiding any unhealthy starch foods such as most breads, anything made with white flower, cookies, etc…

Fruits 

This is a big reason why many people do well on a high carb low fat diet… You can continue to eat a lot of fruit just as you did in the second healing phase. Embrace the fruit on this plan and eat as much of it as you want. It can be fun to experiment with all of the plant based food options that are available, just be sure not to stray too far from the basics. The more simple your diet is, the better. That goes for both approaches. 

Vegetables

I’m sure you get the hint by now but I believe vegetable consumption to be a major factor in wellness no matter what kind of diet you are eating. Don’t forget about those vegetables and keep making those fresh juices. 

Plant based protein

Considering that you must limit or eliminate your animal product consumption on a plant based diet, you are going to need to find some different ways to get sufficient amounts of protein. Although it’s more challenging to consume enough protein with limited animal products, it is certainly possible. Look into getting your protein from sources such as different kinds of beans and tofu. 

Nuts and seeds

Although nuts and seeds are more of a high fat food than a high carb food, they can be great additions to a plant based diet so long as you eat them in moderation. I love mixing some nuts and seeds into my smoothies and oatmeal. This is a great way to boost the nutritional value of these meals and give you a little calorie/energy boost. 

Organic lean meats, eggs, and fish

If you decide that you need to include some animal products into your high carb/low fat plant based approach, make sure that you aren’t eating too much animal fat. In this approach you want to opt for leaner types of meat, or fish. You can also incorporate some eggs. As I stated earlier, mixing too many animal fats with too many carbs is a recipe for disaster. Stick with organic chicken breasts, turkey, eggs and wild caught fish. Also, I would suggest you eat your animal product meals as dinner or your last meal of the day and keep it as far away from your other meals as possible. 

High carb/low fat example day 1

• 16-32 oz water (80 oz throughout the day)
• Smoothie (bananas, berries, kale, chia seeds)
• Stuffed sweet potato (baked sweet potato, quinoa, mango salsa made with mangos, red bell peppers, onion, cilantro, and fresh lemon juice)
• Tofu scramble (tofu, quinoa, spinach, onions, bell peppers, mushrooms)

High carb/low fat example day 2

• 16-32 oz water (80 oz throughout the day)
• Green juice and followed by oatmeal bowl (oats, apples, bananas, and walnuts)
• Salad/burrito bowl (chickpeas, quinoa, kale, cucumber, cherry tomatoes, onions, kalamata olives, balsamic vinegar, and fresh squeezed lime juice)
• Chicken breast with asparagus

Choosing your approach

So which approach should you choose? My advice would be to go with whichever one you’re more attracted to. With that said, the approach that you’re most attracted to may not be the right approach for you in the long run. After you choose which route you’re going to take, it is important to listen to your body and study how you react to the foods that you are eating. 

Some people may see great results on both of these plans, some may do better high fat, and some may do better high carb. In this third phase of the protocol, it is all about finding the right plan for you. If you start out high carb and your digestion is not feeling well, then make the adjustment to a high fat plan (or vice versa). 

If you don’t seem to be doing well on neither the carbs or the fats, then I would suggest that you continue to experiment with different foods, make sure that you are staying true to a whole foods diet, and try to simplify your meals as best as you can. 

I have personally experimented with both approaches and experienced good results with both plans. The real lesson to be learned here is how to take macronutrients into consideration when determining how healthy your diet is. You can eat a whole bunch of healthy foods but you may not see much success if you don’t develop a plan that makes sense. 

Exercise

Nutrition is undoubtedly the most important aspect of natural healing. Without good eating habits, nothing is going to work. With that said, it is not all about food. What it’s really about is learning how to take care of yourself and getting your body functioning properly again. Exercise is the perfect companion to a healthy diet and can have some serious healing benefits. 

You don’t need to become a gym rat to heal your skin but you do need to develop some sort of exercise regimen. Even if it starts as just a half hour walk three times a week, you just need to move your body on a fairly consistent basis. 

In my opinion, the more active you are the healthier you’re going to be in most cases. The health benefits of exercise are no secret. But I think that many people underestimate just how powerful it can be. Walk, jog, run, ride a bike, play a sport, lift weights, do pushups… Find ways to have fun with it. 

Moving on after completion of protocol

The best advice I can give for long term success is to stay consistent. If you go through the protocol and successfully clear your skin but then go back to your old eating habits, those same issues are going to creep right back up on you. The only way to live free of skin disease long term is to make the necessary lifestyle changes. It’s all about changing your perspective on food and caring for yourself. 

Once you settle into your new diet and lifestyle, don’t forget about all of the healthy habits that brought you success. Keep on doing occasional fasts/intermittent fasting and cleanses, keep moving/exercising, and keep your diet in check. I like to say that natural healing is a very complex process that depends on very simple practices. Keep it simple and hold yourself accountable.