One way to support the health of meibomian glands, and reduce their degree of inflammation, is by avoiding foods to which you are sensitive. Food sensitivities can contribute to inflammation at the cellular level, which can result in meibomian gland dysfunction (MGD), poor quality meibum, evaporative dry eye, and a host of other problems.
Avoiding foods to which you are sensitive starts with identifying the foods that should be avoided. Although it is commonly recommended to avoid dairy, wheat (gluten), and sugar, if you avoid only these foods you may be missing foods that cause inflammation, while unnecessarily avoiding foods to which you do not have sensitivities.
For more information on food sensitivity testing see Sensitivity Tests.
Elimination Diets
An inexpensive, though less precise alternative — the elimination diet — is sometimes recommended to help identify which foods should be avoided. Certain foods are eliminated from the diet for a period of time and then reintroduced at a later date. If there is no adverse reaction, it is assumed that the food is not harmful.
Elimination diets can be helpful in identifying food sensitivities as long as you are sensitive to only a few different foods. If you are sensitive to numerous foods, which is not uncommon, it can be very difficult to identify the foods that you should avoid with only an elimination diet.
Some individuals have had remarkable results after being tested for food sensitivities and following strict elimination diets. After being on the diets for several months, their complexions improved, as well as the quantity and quality of their meibum secretions.
References
Food allergy diagnosis in patients with elimination diet history. Preliminary report
Navarrete-Rodríguez EM, Del Río-Navarro BE, Pozo-Beltrán CF, García-Fajardo DE, Saucedo-Ramírez OJ, Castelán-Chávez EE.
Revista alergia Mexico
2014 Oct-Dec;61(4):298-304.
View the full report
The effects of elimination diet on nutritional status in subjects with atopic dermatitis
Kim J, Kwon J, Noh G, Lee SS.
Nutrition research and practice
2013 Dec;7(6):488-94. doi: 10.4162/nrp.2013.7.6.488. Epub 2013 Nov 29.
View the full report