Eczema Diet Plan
What is Eczema?
Eczema (or atopic dermatitis) is a common inflammatory skin condition where the skin is dry, itchy and has lesions. Typically you will see raised immunoglobulin (Ig) E on blood tests and may test positive with allergy tests. There is a close associations with asthma or allergic rhinitis (Pizzorno & Murray 2013).
What is the Root Cause of Eczema?
Most commonly food allergies, leaky gut, gut infections, altered essential fatty acid and prostaglandin metabolism. Also dust mites, moulds and cosmetics are considered environmental triggers. Talking to our nutritionist can help you identify the cause like your gut health which gives you the best chance to reduce your symptoms. It will also give you a structure in how best improve your symptoms long term. Initially, an elimination diet could be beneficial and also taking some additional supplements (like fish oils, zinc or probiotics) at different stages of your plan. Every individual is different so gaining a personalised plan will maximise your results.
Eczema is a challenging condition that can affect all aspects of your life. While it can be persistent, it is possible to improve symptoms. In our experience having a diet plan can help to reduce your symptoms.
We have created an Eczema diet plan to aid you to reduce your symptoms via the use of Nutritional Therapy. This is a useful starting point to initially to help clean your system for the first 4-6 weeks. However it’s generic, it is not specific for you and hasn’t taken into account if you have any other conditions. So it’s less likely to the cause of your problem if you have underlying issues like gut dysbiosis etc.
By arranging an appointment with our nutritional therapist would take your history into account, maybe organise some functional testing to understand what is causing your symptoms. You will be provided with a specific structured nutritional plan with recipe ideas and advice on the best supplements to take. This will give you the best chance to not only reduce your symptoms but gaining a sustainable strategy to avoid further flare ups by addressing the cause. It is important to see plans as stages and are reviewed every 4-6 weeks. You would be supported throughout if you had any questions. Clearing up your eczema through your diet takes time and dedication. Typically you are likely to notice an initial positive difference after 4-6 weeks but it may take months for your skin to become a lot clearer.
What Foods to Eat to Stop Itching?
Oily fish, plenty of green leafy vegetables, berries and green tea are top of the list. These are anti inflammatory and contain beneficial nutrients (omega 3, antioxidants and flavonoids) which help to nourish eczema-prone skin.
What Foods are good for reducing the symptoms of Eczema?
Foods that help eczema are fatty fish rich in omega 3 such as salmon, mackerel and herring or plant sources like flaxseeds are a good place to start.
Which Foods Trigger Eczema Flare Ups?
The most common are dairy, soy, eggs, wheat, peanuts and chocolate. Also lifestyle factors of drinking excessive amounts of alcohol, smoking and high levels of stress can also contribute to eczema flare up.
Foods to avoid are the common allergens and avoid junk foods as they are high in saturated fats, trans-fats, refined starches and sugars. Also avoid refined foods like white flour, pasta and fizzy drinks. These are all pro-inflammatory foods therefore eliminating them from your diet can be beneficial.
Eczema Diet Plan
It can affect all aspects of your life. Having a plan to address your diet and lifestyle could help reduce your symptoms. A naturopathic nutritional therapist will help you identify the root causes so you can address them.
An effective plan which takes into account your individual constitution will achieve the best results. We will give you a structured plan and advice you on how best to reduce your symptoms. It will not be a quick fix, it will be a journey and it will take time for you to see results. If you are ready to take charge of your own health. Then book your initial consultation face to face at Wellthy Clinic.
Eczema Natural Cure Diet
There are studies to suggest changing your diet and taking some natural supplements to address the cause of your problem can reduce your symptoms. A recent study (Nosrati et al 2017) showed best skin improvements occurred when white flour products, gluten and nightshades were removed. Also when vegetables, organic foods and fish oils were added to 169 patient’s diets (Nosrati et al 2017). However, unsupervised dietary manipulations could potentially lead to nutrient deficiencies so it’s best to seek advice from a qualified nutritionist.
Is Eczema a Gut Issue?
Gut health is incredibly important for eczema. For example if you have a food allergy (which is common in eczema) this is thought to contribute to the development of a leaky gut (increased gut permeability). Studies have shown diets that address a leaky gut can help (Pike et al 1986).
Does Turmeric Help with Eczema?
Turmeric is a strong anti-inflammatory and antioxidant. It has been suggested turmeric may be regarded as a natural, safe, widely available and inexpensive treatment for the management of chronic pruritus (chronic skin itching) (Panahi et al 2011).
What is the Best Milk for Eczema?
Plant based alternatives like almond, coconut or hazelnut rice milks are best as they don’t contain natural inflammatory arachidonic acid.
Matthew’s Eczema Story
Matthew was an active child and enjoyed team sports, swimming and playing the drums. He really suffered as child with eczema on his fingers, elbows and tummy. It was particularly bad with the change of seasons going into the summer which meant constant itching, loss of skin on the fingers and not sleeping as he was so uncomfortable. Sometimes he wasn’t able to hold the sticks to play the drums because of the discomfort and not go swimming as the chlorine would further irritate his skin.
He saw his doctor multiple times for the eczema on his fingers of which he was prescribed E45 creams and bath oils (containing paraffin) which didn’t work. He returned to the doctor and was then given stronger eumovate & betnovate corticosteroid creams (also containing paraffin). This sometimes gave some short term relief but again and again it would return stronger and more violent. Matthew then experienced acne onto his tummy and loss the skin pigment when he was teenager. He felt very self conscious when he went swimming which affected his confidence massively, so back to the GP. He suggested going to the hospital of which the doctors ‘had never seen this before’ so gave him a local anaesthetic into his symptomatic area and took a biopsy. He was diagnosed with a ‘acne naevus’ as the results were unremarkable. The GP then suggested taking a course of Roaccutane (retinoids). Matthew experienced a low mood whilst taking this medication and didn’t really notice a difference with his symptoms. He did not want to take this medication for another course so decided just to continue without and use natural non steroidal creams. Occasionally he would have flare ups but refused to take medications.
It wasn’t until his 30s when he was made aware that his digestive health could affect his symptoms. He started to notice he would have flare ups after consuming alcohol, cow’s milk and eating cheese. With advice from Eleonora Sansoni he did a stool test which showed gut dysbiosis and a parasite were present that could be contributing towards his symptoms. Embracing natural cures he started a nutrition process. He ate a well balanced diet, cut out alcohol and dairy for a month and took specific supplements. Gradually symptoms disappeared and he couldn’t be happier, no steroid creams or medications and feeling empowered with his own health.
In reflection, he could have saved a lot of time and discomfort only if he met a nutritionist to help coach him. So let us help you! Given this personal experience we are really passionate about helping others at Wellthy Clinic.
Conventional Treatment
Conventional treatment include topical corticosteroids to treat active eczema. Also systemic corticosteroids (prednisone) can be used for short durations. Antihistamines are prescribed to relieve itching symptoms. Antibiotics when clients develop a bacterial infection in the affected area. Treating the skin with steroids may alleviate symptoms temporarily but can’t be considered a cure.
What Cream is Best for Eczema?
We suggest a natural steroid free cream which helps to calm irritated and cracked skin. There are various products on the market, and it is always important to double check with your nutritionist the ingredients before buying to avoid putting harmful chemicals on already irritated skin.
Is the Sun Good for Eczema?
Yes. Regular, safe exposure to sunlight is beneficial to increase Vitamin D levels. Studies have suggested increasing vitamin D levels can help reduce symptoms (Samochocki et al 2013, Camargo et al 2014). Vitamin D deficiency is associated with childhood eczema and high total Immunoglobulin E (immune system antibodies markers) (Wang et al 2014).
Can Taking Vitamin D Help Eczema?
Yes vitamin D supplementation may help ameliorate clinical signs and can be considered as a safe and well-tolerated form of therapy (Samochocki et al 2013).
More Resources
Nutrition Plans and Consultations Explained
References
Camargo et al (2014) Randomized trial of vitamin D supplementation for winter-related atopic dermatitis in children Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology 134 (4) pp831-835 https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0091674914011142
Nostrati et al (1997) Dietary modifications in atopic dermatitis: patient-reported outcomes Journal of Dermatology Treatment https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5736303/
Panahi et al (2011) Improvement of sulphur mustard-induced chronic pruritus, quality of life and antioxidant status by curcumin: results of a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial British Journal of Nutrition https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/british-journal-of-nutrition/article/improvement-of-sulphur-mustardinduced-chronic-pruritus-quality-of-life-and-antioxidant-status-by-curcumin-results-of-a-randomised-doubleblind-placebocontrolled-trial/67C0DC2E4FA22188D2973BCA3C0F14D1
Pike et al (1986) Increased intestinal permeability in atopic eczema Journal of Investigative Dermatology. 86:101-104. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/3745938/
Pizzorno & Murray (2012) Textbook of Natural Medicine
Samochocki et al (2013) Vitamin D effects in atopic dermatitis Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology 69 (2) pp238-244 https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0190962213002880
Eleonora Sansoni
Eleonora Sansoni is an Nutritional Therapist who graduated from the College of Naturopathic Medicine