You are what you eat! We’ve been hearing that saying all of our lives. I bet you even tell your little one the same thing. That’s because it’s true.
Believe it or not, what you eat or what you feed your little one might trigger (or improve) their eczema-related symptoms!
Let me preface all of this by saying that there isn’t a single diet that cures everyone’s eczema. Makes sense, right? We are all different! The best advice I have is to listen to your body and avoid any foods that appear to worsen your symptoms!
Food Allergies
You might find it surprising that 40% of children with eczema also have a food allergy! Even more surprising? The more food allergies a child has, the more likely it is that they will develop eczema or make their existing eczema worse!
Below is a list of the most common food allergies. It’s important to know that not everyone will be sensitive or allergic to these foods, but it is something to be aware of!
- Milk
- Eggs
- Fish
- Shellfish
- Tree Nuts
- Peanuts
- Wheat
- Soya
Sometimes when certain people eat certain foods, they might trigger an eczema-flare up. This study concluded that food allergens may lead to an exacerbation of dermatitis in patients with eczema.
That same study found that in some patients with atopic dermatitis, avoidance of specific allergens resulted in improvement of signs and symptoms of chronic dermatitis.
Foods to Avoid for Eczema
Eggs, Meats and Milk
One study found that omitting eggs, meats and milk from the diet caused eczema to improve.
Another study confirmed that a diet excluding eggs and cows’ milk were important dietary allergens in atopic eczema. The same study excluded chicken and beef because they have proteins that are common with eggs and cows’ milk. 20 out 0f 36 children between the ages of 2 and 8 years with eczema completed a 12 week, double-blind, controlled, crossover trial of a diet excluding eggs and cow’s milk. 70% of those patients improved more favourably to this diet when compared to the control diet.
Long story short? This study came to the conclusion that an antigen-avoidance (no eggs, milk, chicken, or beef) will induce an improvement in many children with eczema. This is true even if the child doesn’t test positive for eggs and cows’ milk to a traditional prick test.
So it might be worth the experiment to see how your little one responds to a diet without eggs, milk, chicken, or beef! Even if they aren’t technically allergic to them.
Another study that focused specifically on an egg exclusion diet for children with eczema found similar results. They found that a diet excluding eggs a reduction in surface area affected by eczema and an improvement of symptom severity.
According to another study, eggs are the most frequent cause of food hypersensitivity in children. 2/3 of 326 children with atopic dermatitis that evaluated for food hypersensitivity had a documented egg allergy.
The Bottom Life
Long story short:
- Talk to your doctor
- Avoid foods that seem to worsen your symptoms
- Focus on a healthy diet filled with veggies, fruit, healthy fats, and protein!