Can My Diet Play a Role in My Eczema?

If you have eczema, you’ve likely experienced the ongoing struggles with red, inflamed, and itchy skin firsthand. But did you know they could be due to your diet?

The Advanced Allergy & Asthma team in Ogden, Utah, can help you get to the bottom of your eczema triggers. Taking this step can ensure you know which changes to make to reduce the likelihood and severity of flare-ups moving forward. And the first step could be taking a closer look at your diet.

Your diet and eczema

Since eczema is a skin condition, people usually don’t spend much time thinking about their diet. However, many people with this inflammatory skin problem also have food allergies.

Common food allergies seen in people with eczema include:

• Eggs
• Cow’s milk
• Gluten
• Fish 
• Shellfish
• Soy products
• Nuts 

To clarify, food allergies can’t cause eczema itself. That’s because this condition occurs because of a gene variant that limits your skin’s ability to protect you from irritants and allergens. However, food allergies can trigger flare-ups if you already live with the condition. 

As a result, if you have eczema, identifying any food allergies can play a crucial role in managing your condition. 

The eczema diet

Our team can help diagnose any food allergies you may have so you know which items lead to problems. 

In addition to avoiding known triggers, we recommend adding anti-inflammatory foods to your diet. Anti-inflammatory foods can help decrease eczema symptoms, especially those containing omega-3 fatty acids, quercetin, and probiotics.

Omega-3 fatty acids

This anti-inflammatory powerhouse can be taken as a supplement or found in foods like salmon, herring, and avocado.

Quercetin

In addition to being an antioxidant, this plant-based flavonoid is also a potent antihistamine. Because of that, it can reduce inflammation and histamine in your body — histamine causes many symptoms associated with allergies, including itching, hives, rash, and sneezing.

You can add more quercetin to your diet by eating:

• Apples
• Cherries
• Blueberries
• Broccoli

Quercetin is also present in leafy greens, like spinach and kale.

Probiotics

When a food contains probiotics, it has live cultures known to support the immune system. These types of food often include:

• Miso soup
• Unpasteurized sauerkraut
• Yogurt
• Soft cheeses, like gouda
• Kefir
• Tempeh

You can also find probiotics in sourdough bread.

Foods to avoid when you have eczema

Some foods can decrease eczema flare-ups, but others can increase your symptoms — and you don’t have to be allergic to them.

In most cases, it’s best to avoid foods high in preservatives, artificial ingredients, and sugar. More simply put, it’s best to avoid processed food, fast food, and sugary items. Not only can these items worsen eczema symptoms, but sugar causes spikes in your insulin levels, leading to inflammation and flare-ups.

If you have eczema, our team can help you understand the triggers behind your flare-ups, including those related to your diet and allergies. Together, we can create a comprehensive management strategy to help keep your symptoms under control moving forward.

Do you have eczema? Contact Advanced Allergy & Asthma in Ogden, Utah, to schedule an evaluation by calling or booking an appointment online today.