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Eczema and Diet: Healing From the Inside Out

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By Laura Dolgy (see bio below)

When we suffer from eczema and other irritating skin conditions, we quickly look to healing through various skin treatments like steroids, natural creams or really anything that will give us instant relief. However, did you know that many cases of eczema (and other skin conditions like psoriasis) are actually caused by what we put in our mouths?

This week, we take a step back from trying to heal externally and instead look at the relation between eczema and diet. Can someone really find relief through changing their diet alone? The answer is yes.

If you’ve been suffering from eczema and have tried countless creams and treatments, we encourage you to read on. Please keep in mind that although these suggestions can relieve eczema, we are in no way medical professionals. If you’re experiencing severe eczema symptoms and cannot heal from treatments alone, it is best to seek medical advice immediately.

Eczema and Diet

Yes, natural eczema cream and topical treatments like wet wrap and dry wrap therapy are an important step in how to treat eczema naturally, but often those are band aid approaches and long term results cannot usually be found via those methods. What’s really important is to take a deeper look at how to heal eczema from within and one BIG part of that is to look at your diet and what you eat on a daily basis. Even if you think you might be eating healthy, there are many foods that might be causing or worsening your flare ups.

So what’s going on? The key to any eczema diet is listening to our gut.

Eczema and Gut Health

If you didn’t already know, your gut is made of 100 trillion microorganisms (1), which all play a key role in our digestion and overall health. When you consider how complex a system the gut is, it’s really interesting that people don’t pay more attention it. There are entire universes of organisms existing in one person’s gut lining and a small imbalance can throw the entire thing out of whack.

If you’ve researched your eczema symptoms, we’re sure you came across something called leaky gut syndrome. This is a condition in which the GI’s tract has more difficulty in filtering particles that can be damaging to one’s system. These particles, like gluten, bacteria, food particles and viruses, can leak into the bloodstream and cause your body to think they are enemies, which puts your body into fight mode. This “allergic” response can go unchecked for years and can eventually develop into more severe, chronic conditions like eczema.

Leaky gut can be mild, but it can also be a debilitating condition. If you find yourself eating healthy, your eczema is not improving, and you’re experiencing one or more of the following symptoms, you may want to look into healing your gut:

  • Suffering multiple food allergies, food sensitivities or intolerances (what’s the difference?!)
  • Bloating after meals
  • Fatigue and sluggishness
  • Headaches
  • Weight gain – even while you maintain the same diet
  • Metabolic and thyroid conditions
  • Skin issues, including eczema, rosacea and acne
  • Diarrhea and constipation

Eczema and Foods to Avoid

To start healing your leaky gut, it’s best to slowly eliminate (or at least heavily reduce) the following toxins that famously cause inflammation in the body:

  • Coffee
  • High omega 6 oils (Safflower, Sunflower, Corn, etc.)
  • Refined cooking oils (anything that is NOT cold processed or virgin)
  • Processed foods
  • Non-organic soy products
  • Wheat
  • Dairy
  • Factory farmed meat
  • Alcohol
  • Corn
  • Canned fish
  • Foods with preservatives and colorants and much more

Eczema and Foods to Eat

Although restoring your gut flora is key, there are many healing foods and supplements for eczema that can be used to strengthen it and heal it over time. These include:

  • Apple cider vinegar
  • Coconut oil
  • Homemade bone broth/stocks
  • Cultured and fermented foods (like kefir, sauerkraut and kombucha)
  • Prebiotics (like garlic, onion, asparagus and more)
  • Digestive enzymes
  • L-Glutamine
  • Licorice root
  • Quercetin (found in red onions, cranberries, broccoli and many other fruits and vegetables)

If you think you are dealing with leaky gut, we definitely recommend meeting with an integrative or functional physician, nutritionist or naturopath who can help you in your journey to heal your gut. In many cases the practitioner will want you to consider things like probiotics, fish oil and other supplements like immune balancers. But the needs are really personal, so it’s best to work with a practitioner to discover exactly what you’ll need to heal.

To heal your gut and then your eczema, do you have to eliminate everything forever? Although the above foods might be causing your skin to react, eliminating absolutely everything forever is unrealistic and unsustainable. The idea is to actually learn which foods or irritants are causing your skin to react and enjoy the others in moderate doses. That’s why an elimination diet is key. Read below to learn why.

Eczema and The Elimination Diet

Have you ever heard the term “elimination diet?” If you’ve read much on our blog, I’m very sure you have – we are HUGE fans because we’ve seen elimination diets work wonders time and time again. Granted – every diet is difficult, and most these days are not built on sustainable models. However, if you could find exactly which food or irritant caused your skin to flare up, wouldn’t you do it?

So just what is an an elimination diet? It involves removing certain foods from your diet for a specific period of time, usually at least around a month, and then slowly reintroducing them back. By reintroducing them, you are able to determine which foods are causing a reaction. While some foods, like the top food allergens (gluten, dairy, etc) are often to blame, there are many other foods out there that may be causing your skin to flare up. Food triggers, like all other triggers, are really very different for everyone. They key is finding out YOUR unique food triggers.

To us, an elimination diet is the ultimate eczema diet, as it can uncover your own unique triggers and help you find better skin and better health. And we think that’s pretty amazing! Don’t you?!

To discover more about this diet and how you can get started, make sure to check out our blog post: Our Eczema Elimination Diet Success (How You Can Do It Too!). Many of our subscribers and followers have found success with this type of eczema diet and you can too! And if you’re nursing, check out our tips for undergoing a breastfeeding elimination diet.

The biggest challenge for me in being successful in an elimination diet is planning the meals. If you’re struggling in this area too, I highly recommend Real Plans, a meal planning app where you can easily modify your meal plans to match your diet and see only recipes that fit with your elimination diet and reintroduction stage and finally modified long term diet. Real Plans makes it all super simple!

As we wrap up today’s post, remember – a healthy strong body with glowing skin starts with nourishment of the entire body. Eczema can be healed from the inside out, but it takes time, patience and willpower.

To discover more about eczema and diet, make sure to check out both The Eczema Diet from Karen Fischer, as well as Prime Physique Nutrition’s Healing Eczema: Why Diet is Not Enough.

Have you healed your skin through an eczema diet? We want to hear from you below in our comments!

Bio: Laura is a contributor and content developer for It’s An Itchy Little World. She is in no way a medical professional. Her comments, suggestions, and reflections are not intended to replace any medical advice. Always seek the help of a medical professional before undertaking any diet or lifestyle changes. Please see It’s An Itchy Little World’s disclaimer for information about affiliate links and more.

References

(1) Lai, Abby. Healing Eczema: Why Dieting isn’t Enough. https://store.primephysiquenutrition.com/collections/all/products/healing-eczema-ebook/?ref=2

The post Eczema and Diet: Healing From the Inside Out appeared first on itchylittleworld.com.

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HealthWatch: Mom’s Diet Could Affect Child’s Risk Of Allergy, Eczema – CBS Boston / WBZ

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CBS Boston / WBZ
HealthWatch: Mom's Diet Could Affect Child's Risk Of Allergy, Eczema
CBS Boston / WBZ
BOSTON (CBS) – In one of the largest reports of its kind, researchers in London find that a mom's diet can affect her baby's risk of allergies. Researchers from Imperial College London analyzed more than 400 studies involving 1.5 million people and …

and more »

eczema – Google News

Low Residue Diet After Ileostomy Formation

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Low residue diet

What Is A Low Residue Diet? So for those of you facing stoma surgery you may have heard this. You may not have heard this. So what is a low residue diet? A low residue diet is something that needs to be followed for roughly up to 6-8 weeks after stoma formation (mainly ileostomy formation). The reason being is that your insides have been played around with and your bowel now in its stoma formation needs time to rest and heal as it can be swollen and needs time to adapt to not using your large bowel as a form of exit.

What Is A Low Residue Diet?

A low residue diet is where you have to avoid things that are high in fibre such as:

“whole-grain breads and cereals, nuts, seeds, raw or dried fruits, and vegetables”.

“Residue” is undigested food, including fibre, that makes up stool. The goal of the diet is to have fewer, smaller bowel movements each day. That will ease symptoms like diarrhoea, bloating, gas, and stomach cramping.

Now with an ileostomy this may seem like a stupid notion as it is not a normal movement but trust me when I say this will aide your recovery and by following this for a recommended time period will help you with your recovery and getting your stoma output under control.

Why do I follow the low residue diet after the operation?

I follow this diet every time I have bowel surgery purely because I know that it is very successful for me and my recovery. Having had that amount of bowel surgery. I am very well versed in the diet and how it aids the bowel healing and also helps me immensely with stoma output and it getting to the consistency it needs to be for discharge from hospital.

When they say you can eat anything after the surgery please proceed with “CAUTION”. We can’t just eat anything after surgery as certain foods can lead to a blockage and that immediately after stoma formation is a pain that nobody wants to experience.

Now the leaflet they give you is pretty much useless apart from the list of food groups it mentions. Now I did my research for months prior to having my surgery and apart from Pinterest there are no recipe guides on how to use these food groups. Just a list of can eat/can’t eat.

So what can you eat post operation?

So I’ve compiled a list of things to eat whilst getting through the first six weeks. This is just a guide and I would advise to eat what you wish to within reason.

Snacks

  • Marshmallows are good for binding the output from your stoma
  • Jelly-aim for no added sugar as sucrose (artificial sweetener) upsets the stoma and can cause dumping(where the stoma goes into overdrive and chucks out all fluids)
  • Ready salted crisps, Squares, Hula hoops and tortilla chips
  • Smooth yoghurt (no bits in it)
  • Shortbread
  • Rich tea biscuits
  • Digestive Biscuits
  • Lentil crisps

Breakfast

  • Scrambled eggs, poached eggs or dippy eggs
  • Porridge
  • Cornflakes, rice crispies, frosties, so anything that doesn’t have bits in it
  • Toast
  • Jam as long as its smooth and doesn’t have skins
  • Chocolate spread
  • Marmite – dependent on if your a love or hate it person

Lunches/Dinners

  • Rice noodles
  • Long grain white rice ( the microwave sachets always better as can guarantee it’s cooked through)
  • Pasta
  • Turkey mince (as long as you season and add parmesan cheese). I make this into meatballs and turkey burgers
  • Chicken- roasted, poached, grilled and fried
  • Turkey ham
  • Omelettes – You can pretty much add what you like as long as it’s within what you can eat
  • Potatoes – Mashed, boiled & Jacket potato ( no skins) – Roasted potatoes
  • Beef- You have to make sure you chew extremely well as this is quite difficult to digest- I myself am not very good with red meat in large quantity’s as it makes me sick
  • Pork- this is also another difficult to digest meat, so chewing well is essential
  • Fish- Any fish is fine as long as its de-skinned and boned, the only problem with this is it makes the stoma output have an odour
  • Lamb- also another meat that needs to be well chewed
  • Pies, Just check the ingredients
  • Wraps
  • Soups- All smooth and blended down soups are good for your post op diet
  • Sandwiches

Vegetables

  • Green beans – Boiled for a while so they are soft
  • Carrots- Only cooked ones – Boil for 25 minutes so they are really soft
  • Suede- mashed
  • Any root vegetable you can eat as long as its de-skinned and boiled for a long time.
  • Sweet potato – mashed or oven cooked, no skins

Fruit

  • Over ripe Apples- Minus the skins
  • Overripe pears – Minus the skins
  • Melon, but you have to check your medications as sometimes it’s advised to not eat this as it can react with the medication itself
  • Fruit smoothies as long as it’s all de-skinned and has no seeds

Salads

  • Cucumber- no skin allowed
  • Tomatoes – Skin and seeds removed, A good way to do this is to oven cook them in tin foil, the skin easily peels off and the seed removal is easy. then you can mash or chop the pulp
  • Lettuce- chew well its fine
  • Spinach – chew well

Seasoning

  • Garlic- Use sparingly as it makes the stoma contents rather garlic smelling
  • Dry herbs- All those little seasoning jars, buy them because they are an easy way to add taste and flavour to your food and means you won’t be stuck eating bland food or going for the bad options of trying something tasty that’s going to hurt your stoma
  • Fresh herbs – chopped well they are fine

Cheese

All cheese is good, I mainly only eat goats cheese as normal cheese gives me indigestion, but it’s down to the individual so go crazy. Just avoid the ones that have fruit or nuts in them.

Drinks

  • Isotonic drinks- this is individual to each person – I can’t drink these as my stoma dumps it.
  • Tea/Coffee- these need to be limited as caffeine is bad for the stoma- I drink the herbal teas that are caffeine free or peppermint tea as it aids digestion after eating
  • Fruit juices
  • Fruit and barley Squash- This with water helps to bind the stoma to a degree
  • Fizzy drinks- First six weeks this is a no-go

You may have seen I have avoided water from this list. Reason for that is plain water for ostomates can be Satan in disguise. Always flavour the water with an isotonic tablet or squash as this gives the bowel something to hold onto. In my personal experience plain water is normally flushed out from mouth to stoma within 20 minutes of drinking a glass.

Sauces

I tend to make most of mine from the beginning but there are also good ones you can buy that are pre-prepared and don’t have the stuff you can’t eat in them.

  • Tomato and mascarpone sauce. No bits and its smooth
  • Carbonara- Just check for mushrooms
  • Cheese sauce
  • Cream, lemon and paprika sauce- I make this to use with my seafood pasta as I can’t eat jarred sauces as they contain peppers and onions as a base
  • Soy sauce
  • Worcestershire sauce
  • Buffalo hot sauce – I love this stuff but it’s down to the individual

Puddings

Coming from a female all puddings are good, that’s not essentially the case because I don’t really eat pudding. However, the sponge varieties are good at bulking your output.

  • Syrup sponge
  • Chocolate sponge
  • Ice cream
  • Cheesecake- dependent on what’s in it
    That’s about my limit for puddings and my list of Can eat foods. If you need the don’t eat list just ask and I will tell you.

After the initial 6 week period on the Post Op Diet, you can start introducing other things but it needs to be done slowly as some things can still block the stoma.

Also please don’t let fear get in the way of you enjoying food. For all of us stoma formation has saved lives and improved the quality of life. I know many ostomates that can & do eat all food groups without consequence so after the initial 6 weeks please eat what you wish and keep a food diary should the inevitable happen and a blockage takes centre stage.

What I eat now 15 months post ileostomy surgery

I would advise to keep a food diary as that is good at pin pointing foods that aggravate your stoma. I still keep one 15 months post-op purely due to my Crohns disease and the fact my body picks and chooses what it doesn’t like.

Im hoping those of you post-op or going for surgery find this useful. Any questions then please don’t be afraid to ask.

Many thanks for reading this post

Louise aka CrohnsFighting XxX

 

 

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How effective is a plant-based diet

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A review of the effectiveness of a plant-based diet compared to a meat-eating diet on health, performance, and weight-loss.

 

When considering a plant-based diet, what option do you have to consider:

–   Vegan, complete removal of all animal products

–   Vegetarian does not eat meat or fish but may choose to eat some other animal products

–   Pescatarian still eats fish

–   Lacto or Ovo or Ovo-Lacto vegetarian, Lacto referring to lactose, which is found in dairy suggesting that this individual, still consumes dairy products. The word Ovo is referring to eggs, suggesting that this individual still consumes eggs.

–   Pollo-vegetarian means that these individuals still its chicken but avoids red meat, so not actually a vegetarian.

–   Flexitarian, simply refers to people who auto-regulate their amount/frequency of animal products to fit their morals or potentially sourcing from a higher quality provider oppose to supporting factory farming for example.

 

People choose to become some form of plant-based dieter because they believe it will help them lose weight, its better for their health, performance will improve or for ethical reasons.

 

In regards to health, we can look at the following studies and assess the levels of mortality in plant-based dieters in comparison to the general public that consumes meat.

 

–   https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10479226

–   https://academic.oup.com/ajcn/article/78/3/533S/4689993

–   http://www.epic-oxford.org/oxford-vegetarian-study/

–   https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15824171

–   https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4191896/

 

The collected data from the above studies found that mortality rates were no different when comparing vegans and vegetarians to comparable meat eaters. We use comparable meat eaters as a comparison as vegan or plant-based eaters are generally more health-conscious than the rest of the population so we evaluate the meat eaters lifestyle and compare, this includes things such as sleep (quality and length), exercise, work/life balance, relaxation techniques, overall quality of the diet (still consuming vegetables and fruits, not eating microwave meals etc.) and the consumption of alcohol and if they smoke or not.

 

It’s worth noting that both the plant-based diets and the comparable meat eaters both outperformed the general population, but between the plant-based diet and comparable meat eaters they found no difference in mortality rates.

 

One UK study found an outlier in that vegan diets performed just as bad as the general population in regards to health. This is hypothesized that many of the vegans in the UK become vegan because of ethical reasons and they don’t like animals to be killed for food, valid enough reason. But what comes with this is generally a lack of education around food and how to set up a diet for health when becoming a vegan, it is all too common that people become a plant-based dieter and still manage to eat next to no vegetables while living of refined carbohydrates and meat alternatives.

 

So essentially what we’re finding is un-surprisingly that people who focus on their health and make lifestyle choices to support this tend to have a better average rate of mortality than the general population who don’t focus on health in any way. This includes vegans, vegetarians, infrequent meat eaters, pescatarians and comparable meat eaters who on the whole all tend to take an interest in their health.

 

Is a plant-based diet BETTER for performance, no? Is it as good as a carnivorous diet if it is well planned out, yes? It is just practically speaking much harder to implement and adhere to when compared to a meat-eating protocol. What we have found is that if you’re are considering a plant-based diet for health reasons, performance or weight loss then you will not be provided with any benefits over a comparable meat-based diet from a physiological point of view, as we know calories, macronutrient proportions and food quality are the main driver behind performance, weight-loss and health. Which is perfectly fine as we don’t see any negative downsides either and if you’re choosing a plant-based diet for ethical reasons that is simply a personal decision that you choose to make. As long as the individual understands how to put together a plan for plant-based eating so they aren’t at a disadvantage

 

Some tips for going plant-based:

Lacto or Ovo or Lacto-ovo vegetarians tend to need to pay attention to B12 and iron levels, especially menstruating women. B12 can only be found in animal products and we store enough for a long time so symptoms only begin to develop when a plant-based diet has been adhered to for a long time. Whereas iron is found in vegetables but in a non-haem form, which is poorly absorbed therefor our uptake is very low.

Some additional nutrients worth paying attention to are EPA and DHA, which are very high in fish and easily supplemented from fish oil. We can get this from a vegetarian source such as algae oil but we rely on a conversion of the body to get the EPA and DHA from the algae but the conversion is very poor, usually, the conversion is done for us when the fish eat the algae and then we eat the fish. If performance is of interest to you then you may wish to look into supplementing creatine, beta-alanine, and carnitine all of which may assist you with your performance.

 

Now full-fledged vegans have to be careful of the above points also but have some extras to consider as well. These being protein quality, you may find that you have to supplement with vegan shakes quite a lot. Zinc and calcium are some others that you may become low in due to poor uptake, absorption of competing nutrients.

 

Vitamin D is needed from food when sun exposure is low. The food vitamin D is predominately found in are animal products such as oily fish and butter. Having said this most people even if they consume these products tend to be low in vitamin D so supplemental forms are required for most people.

 

Before beginning a supplement protocol it is always worth getting a blood test done to look for nutrient deficiencies so you can supplement correctly based on facts oppose to guessing deficiencies.

 

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talkhealth Blog

Boy Goes Blind After Eating Only Meat, Potatoes and Cereal, for ‘Eczema Treatment Diet’ – Newsweek

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Newsweek
Boy Goes Blind After Eating Only Meat, Potatoes and Cereal, for 'Eczema Treatment Diet'
Newsweek
Updated | When it comes to heart health, the importance of a good diet is often talked about, but the effects of what you eat on eye health are discussed less often. The case of an 11-year-old boy in Canada who went blind after failing to eat …
How a diet of potato, meat and Cheerios made boy go blind | Daily …Daily Mail
Boy's Diet of Pork, Cheerios Nearly Made Him Go BlindNewser
11-Year Old Boy Experiences Vision Disruption due to Strict DietNetralnews

all 7 news articles »

eczema – Google News

The Eczema Diet and Your Salicylate Sensitivity

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Another great post from itchylittleworld.com – Natural remedies for eczema to soothe your itchy little world..

By Karen Fischer (see bio below)

When my daughter Ayva was ten months old, a nurse from the local Early Childhood Centre who had seen her a few months earlier exclaimed, ‘Has your child still got eczema?’ I thought: what a rude comment, eczema is a genetic condition and what could I do about it? As soon as the nurse mentioned “Ayva’s eczema might be triggered by salicylate sensitivity”, a light bulb moment happened. I thought: I know how to fix that.

Salicylate sensitivity runs in our family. My teenage years were a series of stressful and embarrassing events thanks to having severe hand dermatitis and psoriasis. I once gargled aspirin (a salicylate medicine) and ended up in hospital with a severely swollen throat. I was diagnosed with salicylate sensitivity, which has now resolved since treating it.

My nine year old son does not have eczema, but a couple of years ago he had mysterious stomach pains which meant he missed about 30 days of school one year, plus he suffered with headaches, constipation, bad moods and the inability to sit still in class. He was a wriggler!

I noticed he acted like a hyperactive ‘silly cat’ after eating apples so I suspected salicylate sensitivity but I still wanted to rule out other factors. So after about a month of seeing gastrointestinal specialists and having allergy tests, X-rays and ultrasounds (and nothing showing up, thank goodness), he was finally diagnosed with salicylate sensitivity.

Two weeks after changing his diet, he was a different child: no more constipation, headaches, foul moods or stomach pains. My little angel became happy and chatty. He was always smart but we noticed his grades dramatically improved when he adheres to the diet. On the contrary, when he eats high salicylate foods, such as blueberries or sushi, he becomes moody and the stomach pains return.

Salicylate sensitivity was first discovered back in the 1960s, when Professor Eric Bywaters reported a patient attacked him with a knife after consuming salicylates. In the 1970s Dr Ben Feingold discovered that salicylates could make children hyperactive and his research confirmed that some children perform poorly at school after ingesting salicylates. It wasn’t until the 1980s that the link between salicylate sensitivity and eczema was confirmed.

Australian researchers from RPA Hospital Allergy Unit in Sydney, tested 936 people with eczema and found the following:

  • Salicylates trigger eczema in 52% of people with eczema.1
  • Salicylates trigger hives in 62-75% of people prone to hives.1,2
  • Salicylates trigger or worsen irritable bowel in 69% of people prone to IBS.1

While some cases of eczema are relatively easy to treat with a healthy diet and skin creams, I have seen hundreds of eczema patients with eczema, who have tried everything, and their eczema persisted until they discovered they were sensitive to salicylates and other chemicals including amines, MSG and food additives. For this group of people, temporarily avoiding salicylate-rich foods changed their lives – they could wear short sleeves again, swim in pools and socialize without embarrassment. And most of them were able to gradually expand their eczema diet to include a wider range of foods.

What are Salicylates?

Salicylates (pronounced suh-lis-a-lates) are a natural pesticide chemical produced by plants for self-protection.

Salicylate Sensitivity Symptoms include:

Topical reactions via the skin:

  • sudden eczema/dermatitis/hives/rashes
  • worsening of existing eczema
  • facial flushing/red skin
  • rosacea
  • psoriasis

Respiratory/Nasal reactions:

  • runny nose (nasal drip)
  • nasal obstruction
  • sneezing
  • asthma
  • flu-like symptoms
  • perfume intolerance

*anaphylactic reactions – a true salicylate allergy can cause immediate reactions and anaphylaxis. In these cases it’s best to seek emergency medical treatment.

Systemic reactions:

  • brain fog
  • headaches
  • migraine
  • fatigue
  • anxiety
  • depression
  • panic attacks

Gastrointestinal reactions:

  • Irritable Bowel Syndrome
  • diarrhea
  • stomach ache
  • colic/reflux
  • flatulence
  • leaky gut

Behavioral reactions:

  • ADHD/ADD
  • aggressive behaviour
  • poor attention span

In severe cases, salicylate sensitivity can trigger strong feelings of anger, aggression, suicidal thoughts and physical pain (these symptoms can be caused by other factors as well so speak to your doctor if you are concerned).

Foods with salicylates in large amounts

A normal healthy diet usually contains 100mg of salicylates and up to 200 mg if you are vegan. That’s a lot! People with eczema often don’t realize they are sensitive to salicylates, so they continue eating foods high in salicylates and they can suffer for years as a result.

It’s best to reduce your intake of foods with salicylates in large amounts. Please speak with a physician or nutritionist before modifying your or your child’s diet.

Here is a list of foods high in salicylates:

  • Spices
  • Tomato
  • Avocado
  • Coconut
  • Honey
  • Most nuts
  • Most fruits

List of low salicylate foods

Here are a few surprising foods that are good for an eczema diet because they are low in salicylates – eat them in abundance for their healing properties as noted below.

Papaya (and pawpaw)

Papaya is low in salicylates and contains the digestive enzyme papain, which is used in some digestive supplements to aid protein digestion. Papain kills parasites in the gut and after antibiotic use or a bout of illness you can eat a serving of papaya daily to promote recolonization of beneficial bacteria in the gastrointestinal tract.

Saffron

Saffron is a low salicylate spice which has been used for centuries as a natural antiseptic, digestive aid and antidepressant. For people with digestive issues, adding saffron to your dishes may reduce your symptoms.

Spring onions (scallions)

Spring onions, also referred to as scallions and shallots, are part of the onion family and, like the onion, spring onions contain histamine-lowering, anti-inflammatory quercetin. But don’t get them confused with their onion cousins: the low salicylate varieties have the straight green stem, with no bulb.

Flax seeds

Flax seeds, also known as linseeds, are small brown seeds best known for their rich content of anti-inflammatory omega-3 oils. The seeds are a source of phytochemicals, plus silica, mucilage, oleic acid, protein, vitamin E and dietary fibre for gastrointestinal and liver health.

After changing my daughter’s diet and giving her supplements for salicylate sensitivity (when she was aged two), Ayva’s eczema cleared up. Friends and family suggested Ayva had simply grown out of her eczema. As I am a skeptic, I thought they might be right so I stopped the regime and Ayva’s eczema returned. I put her back on the program and once again her eczema cleared up. After ten years of prescribing a diet low in salicylates to my patients, and after positive feedback, I finally had the confidence to write and publish The Eczema Diet book, which addresses eczema healing via a low salicylate diet and natural skin care.

It has been a long journey developing and refining this diet, but I am so grateful for the lessons that having chemical sensitivities has taught me. Ayva is now 16 years old and has beautiful skin. She does not need to follow the diet anymore but we often eat the recipes from the book just because we really, really like them.

****

Looking for Topical Eczema Relief – Check Out these Posts:

Why Manuka Honey Heals Eczema Naturally

The Best Essential Oils for Eczema

Our Eczema Trials: Wet Wrap Therapy

****

Bio: Karen Fischer is an Australian nutritionist and the author of five health books including The Eczema Diet and Karen FischerThe Healthy Skin Diet, which was awarded ‘Best Health, Nutrition or Specific Diet Book’ at the Australian Food Media Awards in 2008. She also has a Bachelor of Health Science Degree and special skills in nutritional biochemistry. Karen’s passion is helping people with eczema. After more than a decade treating thousands of patients at her eczema clinic in Sydney, Karen now devotes her time into developing eczema products, including Skin Friend AM, the supplement that helped her daughter’s eczema. Visit her store at Eczema Life.

References

Loblay, R.H. and Swain, A.R., 2006, ‘Food Intolerance’, Recent Advances in Clinical Nutrition, retrieved from:

www.slhd.nsw.gov.au/rpa/Allergy/research/foodintolerance_racn.pdf

Warin and Smith XXX Swain, A.R., Dutton, S.P. and Truswell, A.S., 1985. Salicylates in foods. J Am Diet Assoc, 85(8), pp.950-60.

Bywaters, E., 1968, ‘Comment on salicylate toxicity’, in Lamont-Havers RW, Wagner BM (eds) ‘Proceedings of the Conference on Effects of Chronic Salicylate Administration, New York City 1966. US Dept of Health, Education and Welfare, National Institute of Arthritis and Metabolic Disease.

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