ECZEMA

Diet can play a large role in the alleviation of eczema symptoms.  It is thought that a large proportion of eczema sufferers have a food allergy.   It may be necessary to follow a 10-day elimination diet to identify possible food allergens.  This process involves eliminating the most common eczema associated allergens for at least ten days and then reintroducing them slowly one by one to check for a reaction. 

The dietary advice below is aimed at reducing your intake of inflammatory foods, while increasing your intake of essential fats, fibre, nutrients and water which will help to eliminate toxins, correct nutrient imbalances, heal your gut (a ‘leaky-gut’ can lead to food allergies and may result in conditions such as eczema) and support your digestive system and skin.

Include:

Fatty Acids:

  • Oily Fish – salmon, herring, tuna, mackerel, sardines.  Fresh or tinned at least 3 times a week.
  • Ground Seeds, nuts & their oils - hemp, flax, sesame, sunflower and pumpkin – 1 tablespoon a day.  Try them on cereal, porridge or in soups or salads.  Seed oil, such as flax oil is nice as a dressing.   Walnut kernels may be particular beneficial.  
  • Avocado, which is particularly high in vitamin E and has soothing properties. 

Wholegrains:

  • Brown rice, rye, oats, oat cakes, rice cakes, buckwheat pasta and millet.
  • Beans and Pulses – chick peas, lentils, kidney beans, aduki beans etc
  • Psyllium husks make a useful addition to breakfast and help to avoid constipation, which may cause the re-absorption of toxins into the body

Fruits and vegetables:

    • Try filling your plate with different colours, making soups or fruit and vegetable juices.  Aim for 8 portions or more a day.
    • Pineapple and papaya can improve digestion and are anti-inflammatory. 
    • Onions, berries, legumes and green tea are particularly high in antioxidants.    
    • Cauliflower, apples and broccoli contain quercetin – an antioxidant which has been shown to reduce histamine and inflammation.
    • Jerusalem artichokes, bananas, asparagus and onions all provide pre-biotics to feed good gut bacteria

Water:  

  • Drink at least 1 and a half to 2 litres of bottled or filtered water a day. 
  • Other liquids can include freshly pressed vegetable or fruit juices such as apple and carrot, and herbal teas.  Hot water with a slice of lemon and some grated ginger is a nice warming drink.   Rooibos or redbush tea is a good alternative to tea and is full of anti-oxidants. 

Milk Substitutes:  For those who are avoiding dairy

·        Use soya, rice, nut, oat or goats milk in preference to cow’s milk.  These can be found in the organic or fresh milk sections of most major supermarkets or from your local health store.  

 

Reduce:                     

Inflammatory foods:

·        Red Meat - beef, lamb and pork, bacon, sausages, pate etc

·        Dairy produce – cows milk, cheese, butter and cream, yoghurt, mayonnaise, ice cream

·        Fried Food – fry up’s, chips, crisps, take-aways

·        Saturated fats – fatty foods such as pasties, lard, meat fat, chocolate etc  

Potential triggers:

·        Hot spices – chilli, curry etc which can aggravate eczema

·        Tea, coffee – which contain caffeine and other potentially aggravating substances

·        Alcohol  

Potential allergens (if applicable)

·        Wheat, cows milk, cheese, ice cream, cream, eggs and peanuts

Sugars:

·        Sugar – sweets, chocolate, ice cream, table sugar, demerara, most cakes.

·        Refined Food - white bread, white rice, white pasta.   

Additives:

·        If you are on an additive free diet you will need to avoid anything with an E number, monosodium glutamate (MSG), artificial sweeteners such as aspartame, artificial colours, flavourings or preservatives and hydrogenated fat.

·        The exceptions to the rule are the following E numbers which are actually good for you are can be consumed freely:

 

Colours                      E101 (vitamin E)

                                    E160 (carotene, vitamin A)

Antioxidants               E300-304 (vitamin C)

                                    E306-309 (tocopherols like vitamin E)

Emulsifiers                 E322 (lecithin)

Stabilisers                 E375 (vitamin B3)

                              E440 (pectin)

 

Exposure to Toxins:

·        Eat organic if possible.

·        Avoid fried, burnt or browned food – lightly grill, bake or steam food instead of frying.

·        Drink bottled or filtered water instead of tap water.

·        Try to avoid ingestion of aluminum from cooking utensils and food packaging.

Try to avoid exposure to plastic residues – such as cling film.

 

Further Reading:

Jenny De Vries.  Skin Diseases ISBN 1851584544

Jenny Lewis.  Eczema Handbook IBSN 0091783771

Sheena Meredith.  Eczema IBSN 185230436