Chances are most all of us tried one of those trendy fad diets to lose weight or get fit for the summer… but who would have thought we’d be trying them for our kids, too? When my child’s eczema started to become an issue, food was one of the first things I looked at. I had heard people talking about the possibility of food allergies, sensitivities, food blending, preservatives, and all kinds of other stuff being the root cause of many flare ups, so that’s where I decided to look first. The issue is that for every parent with a successful eczema diet story, there’s a complex diet to go with it. From GAPS and paleo to raw vegan and gluten-free, I felt confused and stressed out. All I wanted to do was cut out the foods that might be triggering my daughter’s suffering and focus on the foods that made her happy and healthy. If you’re on the same journey, I have some experience that I think might help – and I’ll share it with you today.
The Famous Four
There are five eczema diets that seem to get the most attention among parents on message boards and support groups…
GAPS
The Gut And Psychology Syndrome diet focuses on foods that work well with our digestion and also with our psychological makeup. This diet is fiercely popular among parents who have children with developmental disabilities, ADD, autism, depression, and anxiety – and it’s becoming more and more popular among parents of kids with eczema.
Gluten-Free
Many parents feel that gluten causes the root inflammation that leads to eczema flare ups. A gluten-free diet actually works really well for lots of families, even though it does take a lot of work to get everyone trained up and on board. Gluten free eating just excludes wheat, rye, barley, tricale, and any foods that may be contaminated with these grains. Everything else can stay the same.
Vegan
Eliminating meat, fish, and dairy from the diet can be an effective way to cut out antibiotics, growth hormones, and mucous-causing elements from the diet. The basic vegan diet works really well for lots of people, and it can even be used as a kind of ‘detox’ to help the body reset itself.
Paleo
Eating the paleo diet is a shout out to our ancient ancestors. This diet is all about going back to the foods that we’re most genetically accustomed to – so you’ll be eating lots of basics! The paleo diet, also called the caveman diet, is one of the simpler specific diets to use because you can still eat most of the comfort foods you’re used to.
What Worked For My Family
These diets all have their pros and cons and may be worth further investigation – but one thing worked for me and seems to work for just about every family who tries it – journaling and elimination.
Journaling is the foundation of what helped me figure out which foods seemed to cause my child the biggest problems. After just 2 weeks of writing down what she ate and when her flare ups happened, I was able to find a pattern that exposed her sensitivities to dairy, gluten, and refined sugars. I quickly cut these foods out of her diet and gave her body time to heal from the current eczema and to do some cleansing. After a few months, I tested the process by introducing these foods back into her diet one at a time and guess what happened? Eczema flare ups in a major way!
Eliminating common allergy and eczema triggers and journaling about what your child eats and how they feel is by far the best and easiest way to get a customized eczema diet just for them. It worked well for me, and I still play with it and adjust it as my child grows and changes, and it always helps!