If your child is suffering with eczema, you’ll want to do everything possible to help them get some relief. Whilst no cure exists, it’s common for children to grow out of eczema eventually, and there are things you can do to reduce symptoms in the meantime.
As eczema is an inflammatory skin condition, avoiding foods that trigger an inflammatory response in your child’s body is a great place to start.
Common eczema trigger foods to avoid
Children with eczema tend to have an over-reactive immune system. Their bodies respond by producing inflammation when triggered by a substance outside or inside the body. Substances that cause this response inside the body include certain foods. These foods can trigger your child’s body to release T cells and immunoglobulin-E or IgE. These compounds cause inflammation, which contributes to an eczema flare-up.
To establish what foods may be causing your child to have an inflammatory reaction, a doctor will often recommend an elimination diet. An anti-eczema diet is similar to an anti-inflammatory diet and involves avoiding some of the most common foods known to contribute to eczema symptoms.
Once these foods have been eliminated from your child’s diet, you will need to slowly add each food type back into their diet and monitor their eczema following each addition. This will help to determine if they are sensitive to a particular food.
Foods that are known to cause eczema symptoms
Some common foods that are known to trigger eczema flare-ups and could be removed from your child’s diet include:
- Citrus fruits
- Eggs
- Dairy
- Soy
- Gluten / wheat
- Spices, for example cloves, cinnamon and vanilla
- Tomatoes
- Nuts
It’s important to note that food allergies are not the same as food sensitivities. Your child’s doctor may also recommend food allergy testing. However, even if they are not allergic to a particular food, they may be sensitive to it. When foods trigger an inflammatory response and exacerbate eczema symptoms in this way, the reaction is known as food responsive eczema.
Anti-inflammatory foods that can improve eczema symptoms
Whilst some foods can worsen eczema symptoms, others can actually improve them. These are anti-inflammatory foods, which are high in flavonoids or probiotics.
Flavanoids actively fight inflammation in the body and can be found in:
- Cherries
- Spinach
- Kale
- Apples
- Broccoli
- Fish that is high in omega-3, such as salmon, tuna, sardines or mackerel
Probiotics are bacteria that promote a healthy gut, and can be found in:
- Yoghurts with live cultures
- Miso soup
- Fermented foods and drinks such as sauerkraut, kefir and kombucha
- Soybeans
- Apple cider vinegar
Allowing your child to eatmore anti-inflammatory and probiotic foods and cutting down on any potential trigger foods could help to reduce their eczema flare-ups.
Research has shown that foods may trigger eczema in 20–30% of cases of moderate to severe eczema. Additionally, certain foods are more likely to worsen symptoms in children under 5 years of age.So, it’s certainly worth looking into your child’s diet if they’re suffering from the symptoms of eczema.
Other treatments for children with eczema
There are many creams and ointments on the market aimed at treating children with eczema. However, many of them contain a high level of steroids and come with a range of side effects.
If your child has dry, irritated or inflamed skin due to eczema, you’ll want a natural way to treat their symptoms whilst waiting for the dietary changes you’ve put in place to take effect. The best and most natural way to treat their eczema and make them feel comfortable is to dress them in eczema-friendly clothing.
Clothing for children with eczema
HappySkin® have a range of incredibly soft Tencel cotton clothing made specifically for children and babies with eczema and related skin conditions. The important difference with the HappySkin®clothing range compared to other organic cotton clothing is that the fabric is coated with a technology called DreamSkin®, The Dreamskin® technology, that is unique to this company has a skin like stricture that prompts the skin to self-repair and therefore encourages the skin to start to regulate temperature once again, just like healthy skin. In addition, to having this amazing coating, the HappySkin®clothing range has flat non-irritating seams to ensure maximum comfort.
To find out more about HappySkin®clothing for children, email their customer service team at [email protected] or call 01707 260 505.
Article Submitted By Community Writer
