Eczema Diet Treatment

Treating eczema with diet changes can have a positive effect on the body. Eczema is linked to the immune system and certain things such as diet, stress and climate can result in break-outs. Yet, the main root triggers are dietary. However, every person is different when it comes to what foods may cause an eczema flare up. Here is a list of the most common foods that seem to bring on eczema: eggs, soy, nuts, gluten, milk, sugar, and processed foods. People who have eczema should strive to eat a healthy diet full of whole foods such as vegetables and fruit.

Eliminating Certain Foods

Keeping a food diary will help you identify the foods that trigger the condition---eczema break-out triggers are different for each person. You will need to monitor which foods you or your child eats in order to know what is causing the problem.
Sugary foods and dairy products are two of the biggest culprits. You may need to keep a food dairy for well over a month in order to find the offending foods. Once those foods are identified you will need to remove those from your diet. This may take several weeks or even months of trial and error until you find all the eczema triggers. For instance, if you see a flare up after drinking dairy you will need to remove dairy products right away and watch how your skin reacts on a daily basis. It can take well over a week to get all the dairy out of your system and see improvements. Meanwhile other foods could also be causing problems so watch each food carefully.
In most cases break-outs will happen the same day or the next day after eating a trigger food. Take one trigger food out of your diet at a time so you can pin point the right foods that you cannot have.

Milk, Lactose and Calcium

If dairy products are found to be a trigger food, try raw organic milk instead to see if that makes a difference. The main reason why dairy is a trigger is due to the manufacturing process of homogenization. When the original enzymes are present in dairy, many people can drink milk without any problems because the enzymes balance out lactose. (Be sure to choose milk from a local organic dairy that is clean and well maintained). Also don't give raw milk to a child under the age of 2. If raw milk still causes break-outs you will need to be sure to get adequate calcium from another source, this is especially important for young children who are still growing. Raw carrot juice contains more calcium than carrot juice and carrots are rarely an eczema trigger. Buy a juicer and make raw carrot juice as a substitute if daily has to be eliminated completely in all forms.

Yeast and Sugar

For some people sugar is a major problem because processed sugars contribute to yeast overgrowth in the body and the immune system will react with a break-out. Healthy digestion is another way to combat this problem. Taking a probiotic supplement and eating foods that contain live flora cultures can help reduce yeast in the body and improve digestion.

Superfoods

Whole foods such as apples and carrots have amazing health benefits for the skin. Carrots contain beta carotene which helps to regenerate cells. The skin feeds off of vitamins and beta carotene is a super skin vitamin. Apples contain skin calming ingredients like pectin and other antioxidants. Antioxidants help to prevent cell damage.
Eczema flare ups will begin to diminish if these foods are incorporated in the diet on a daily basis. Dark green leafy vegetables and spirulina are also helpful for eczema sufferers. Spirulina is a sea vegetable that is also a perfect protein. The skin needs protein in order to maintain healthy cells and spirulina is found to be so good for the skin and body in general. Skin is made of protein, and the vitamins found in this sea vegetable help to protect the cells and calm inflammation.
Eat foods that contain high levels of vitamin C, such as berries, green peppers, and oranges. Eat a lot of nuts, and healthy fish such as salmon. All of these foods contain vitamins essential to the skin.

Whole Food and Oil Supplements

Eczema is brought on by an inflammatory from the immune system. Supplements such as cod liver oil can help to control inflammation within the body. These oils lubricate the cells and prevent free radical damage. Free radical damage is a result of poor diet, stress and aging. This damage can make eczema worse, so taking supplements that help to reduce this damage helps to improve the overall health of the skin. Cod liver oil or other fish oils contain omega-3 fatty acids. These oils are essential for good skin, eye, and brain health. Omega-3 fats cannot be manufactured by the body, so you must take them in supplement form or through your diet. Take a whole food multivitamin and mineral supplement in addition to eating a healthy diet. Be sure to also drink plenty of pure water to cleanse your skin from the inside out.

The Right Kind of Grains

Gluten is an eczema trigger that doesn't always show up on food allergy tests. For some people gluten is like a toxic poison that contributes to eczema. Remove gluten from your diet and choose other healthy grains such as quinoa. This grain is packed with vitamins and protein.

Mostly Raw

If you suffer from eczema there are also certain ways you should cook most of your meals. Try to eat all or most of your of your vegetables raw. Avoid burning or overcooking food because this can strip food of essential enzymes and vitamins needed to help your skin. If you must cook your vegetables, steam them rather than baking, broiling or frying. The majority of your diet should contain raw foods.

Resources

• Eczema Diet