Dining out can be especially challenging for many rosacea sufferers. But by paying attention to your selection of foods and beverages, you may be able to avoid ordering a rosacea flare-up. Here are some tips to make your meal more pleasurable without bringing home a rosacea doggy bag:

• Choose restaurants that offer rosacea-friendly menus. Many rosacea sufferers must avoid hot spicy foods such as those made with white and black pepper, paprika, red pepper and cayenne. So, in general, avoid restaurants that specialize in that type of cuisine.

• Select your meal based on your own personal knowledge of items that may cause a flare-up in your case. Although those chips and salsa may taste great, if hot spices aggravate your condition, are they worth the ravages of rosacea? Some foods, such as tomatoes, spinach or chocolate, contain histamine or agents that cause the release of histamine in the body, which may trigger a flare-up in some sufferers. Foods containing niacin, such as liver, also may cause flushing in some individuals.

• If you're not sure how an item is prepared, ask your server to help you avoid ingredients that may affect you.

• Eliminate or minimize alcoholic beverages if they aggravate your condition.

• Avoid thermally hot beverages. Selecting cold drinks, or allowing hot coffee or tea to cool, may help avoid a flare-up.

Remember, although the list of possible rosacea triggers is long, what may cause a flare-up in one person may have no effect on another. The National Rosacea Society offers a Patient Diary Checklist to help you determine which foods may affect you.