Eczema or atopic dermatitis refers to an itchy and painful skin condition that is marked by the appearance of red and cracked skin patches. Atopic dermatitis can affect both kids and grown-ups. The patches will typically appear on your face, neck, and body creases.
It is necessary to know that there are home remedies for atopic dermatitis and that identifying eczema triggers can be a good way to keep it in check. The most common causes of eczema are obesity, lack of exercise, high-stress levels, dry climates, and dry skin.
1. Interesting facts about eczema prevention
- When a woman is pregnant, everything that she consumes is passed onto the unborn child. Research shows that breastfeeding mothers who had had a family history of eczema are less likely to get this condition when they forgo cow milk. Moreover, those babies that are only breastfed during the first three months will be less prone to developing eczema.
- People are likely to have both food allergies and eczema. In such cases, certain foods can trigger flare-ups, and these are hard to identify. So, when you suspect that some foods may cause flare-ups, you need to consult a healthcare professional. For instance, eczema is often triggered by gluten, shellfish, dairy foods, eggs, peanuts, and tree nuts.
- At the same time, you need to know which foods to include in the diet as these can be effective home remedies for atopic dermatitis. For example, fatty fish, cod-liver oil, oysters, sardines and anchovies, flax seeds, chia seeds, spinach, walnuts, and Brussel sprouts may be excellent for the prevention of eczema.
2. Prevention and treatment for atopic dermatitis
- Keto diet
The Keto diet is not recommended for those suffering from eczema. High-fat diets like Atkins and Keto will result in chronic inflammation. - Elimination diet
The Elimination diet is meant for people with dyshidrotic eczema, which typically affects your hands and feet. For instance, a dyshidrotic diet will highlight those foods that contain more cobalt and nickel. So, it is best to stay away from lentils, black tea, beans and peas, chocolate, soybeans, among others, instead, consuming foods rich in vitamin C will help. These foods include oranges, broccoli, papaya, green and yellow peppers, sweet potatoes, tomatoes, strawberries, cauliflower, kale, and kiwi.
When you cannot identify foods that are triggering the flare-ups you must resort to an elimination diet. It means you discontinue foods that are commonly responsible for flare-ups and then reintroduce these slowly to test how your body is responding to these.
- Gluten-free diet
Eczema is common in people with gluten intolerance and celiac disease. The common symptoms for such diseases are weight loss, fatigue, diarrhea, constipation, depression, and bloating. So, you can incorporate gluten-free meals in your diet. For example, you can choose bread made with quinoa, corn, or oatmeal.
Since there can be many triggers for atopic dermatitis, and food is surely one of these, you need to be patient when it comes to identifying these possible triggers. Besides, you should always consult your doctor before starting any diet or changing your existing meal routine.
