7 Foods To Eat And 7 To Avoid For Eczema

Managing eczema is a day-to-day endeavor for millions of people across the country. With around 15 million people in the United States experiencing the skin condition, eczema may not cause lasting harm, but the chronic nature of it can mean that people who have eczema spend a good amount of time managing symptoms, which primarily manifest through inflamed, itchy, swollen, and dry skin (per the Cleveland Clinic). A huge amount of factors can affect the severity and frequency of eczema, including your genetic makeup, smoking, mental health, and any allergies you might have. Your diet will also have a big impact on how you experience eczema.

But the thing is, different types of food can affect our bodies in different ways. Quite frankly, we might know that eating carbs will give us energy, and eating fiber will make us full, but it's not that easy to know exactly how some of these foods will affect our skin. So that's why we decided to take the guesswork out of the equation for you, and put together a list that'll tell you exactly what's on and off the menu if you have eczema.

For a lot of people, bacon is the ultimate food: Salty, crunchy, meaty, and pairs well with maple syrup in a combo that can't be beaten. But most of us know that it's not going to win any health awards — and for people with eczema, there's another reason to avoid bacon, thanks to its ability to flare up eczema. Bacon, as processed meat, is especially likely to cause eczema flare-ups, the Cleveland Clinic says. This is thanks to its saturated fat levels, which may interact negatively with our gut microbiome to cause an inflammatory response in our cells, according to research published in Advances in Nutrition.

This, unfortunately, means that people who have eczema shouldn't just stop at bacon. Pretty much all of the processed meats that we know and love have higher levels of saturated fats in them, including sausages, deli meats, jerky, and even the humble burger. That's why it's useful to think about where you're getting your protein from if you have eczema, and to opt for lean protein sources (such as chicken breasts and plant-based proteins like beans) instead.

Soy sauce may be good for many things (not least for adding a boost of salty flavor to your dishes), but keeping eczema down isn't one of them. In fact, soy sauce is one of the worst foods you can be eating in certain circumstances, thanks to the levels of MSG that come in the bottle, according to Well+Good. For folks who have an intolerance to MSG, consuming it can cause your liver to work harder, according to nutritionist Karen Fischer. And when your liver is compromised by having to deal with detoxifying your body, an inflammatory response can happen, triggering a round of eczema.

An MSG intolerance isn't the only thing you should watch out for if you have eczema, though. Other compounds like salicylates, amines, and nitrates can all be tricky for some people to digest, and can prompt eczema flare-ups. This can mean that foods as commonplace as tomatoes, kiwis, oranges, broccoli, and dried fruits could all be problematic in one way or another. It's advisable to monitor your response to certain foods carefully, and omit them from your diet one by one to see if removing them reduces your eczema.

How often have you heard that you shouldn't eat dairy because of your skin? We'd be willing to bet that it's something you might assume is true — and in some ways, it is, but not how you might expect. 

Although most talk around dairy is concerning its ability to provoke acne, there's still no clear proof of this, according to WebMD. But where there is a link is between dairy and eczema, with products like full-fat milk potentially causing a breakout of skin inflammation, says Medical News Today.

But before you swear off milk forever, bear in mind that for a lot of people, especially children, the way that dairy causes eczema is through an allergic response, as the NHS discusses. Consuming foods like dairy can cause an immune response in certain individuals, where the body assumes that the food is damaging and creates antibodies that then may prompt eczema, inflammation, and other symptoms. It's important to remember that it's not just dairy that can do this, especially in kids. Eggs, wheat, shellfish, and nuts are all common allergic triggers, and may prompt eczema to appear.

On the surface of things, it might seem like oats are a great choice for pretty much anyone. Nutritious, filling, a great source of fiber, super-cheap, and super-versatile (yes, we love oats, okay?). But! If you've got eczema, there's a big reason why you might not get on with oats: Their nickel levels. 

Oats, as well as other types of grains like unpolished brown rice, wheat, and buckwheat, are especially high in the metal, according to WebMD. And this can create a serious problem for people with eczema, as consuming nickel can be a trigger for hand eczema in particular, says research published in the Indian Journal of Dermatology.

It's for this reason that researchers suggest following a low-nickel diet for skin health when you have eczema. It might also be worth keeping an eye on a few other foods to avoid nickel in your diet, like certain types of seafood (e.g., shrimp and crawfish), chickpeas, lentils, and peanuts. It's also worth bearing in mind that nickel's not just problematic when you eat it: For people with eczema, nickel can also prompt a reaction if you're touching jewelry or equipment made from the metal.

Let's be real: We all know that candy's not good for us. Anything that's that artificially bright in color and lip-smackingly sweet isn't exactly going to imbue us with wellness. But it's wise to be a little more cautious around candy if you have certain health conditions — and eczema's one of them, thanks to candy's sky-high levels of sugar. Consuming too much sugar can wreak havoc on your blood sugar and insulin levels, says Healthline. And when insulin levels rise, inflammation can soon follow, leaving your atopic dermatitis in a worse position than it was before.

As such, it's useful to limit your candy intake, to make sure that you're not putting your body and skin through unnecessary inflammation. Watch out for other sources of added sugar in your diet, too, which can come through desserts, sodas, additions to drinks like coffee and tea, and even in some savory foodstuffs. It can also be useful to shift the focus of your diet more holistically, minimize foods that cause inflammation, and favor foods that reduce it, as Healthline discusses. 

Anti-inflammatory diets like the Mediterranean diet prioritize antioxidant-rich foods like fruit and vegetables, with healthy fats and proteins being a staple of the menu. These help with not just eczema, but also other chronic conditions like arthritis (per the Arthritis Foundation).

As a stand-in for butter, margarine is hard to beat in terms of versatility and all-around taste. But if you're someone who has eczema, it might be worth skipping that margarine tub next time you're at the store.

Margarine is especially rich in trans fats, which are pretty much the unhealthiest fats out there, and can skyrocket your bad cholesterol levels and increase the risk of heart disease (per the Mayo Clinic). One other impact of trans fats is that they can increase inflammation in the body, including in the skin, and therefore can make your eczema symptoms more severe (via Everyday Health).

Trans fats can also show up in troubling quantities in everyday foods like fried goods, so remember that those could be a trigger for your eczema, too. The good news is that not all types of fat are inflammatory, and certain fats like omega-3s can have anti-inflammatory effects that your skin will thank you for. Monounsaturated fats, which come in sunflower, canola, and olive oil (per the Mayo Clinic), may also have anti-inflammatory properties.

When we think of foods that might have a less-than-pleasing bearing on our health, we tend to cast our minds towards fried foods, salty snacks, and sugary cereals. What we don't tend to think about, however, are natural flavorings and spices like vanilla. But this innocuous spice, added to sweet dishes around the world, could be particularly troublesome for people with eczema, thanks to the plant's relationship to balsam of Peru (via Everyday Health).

An aromatic sap, balsam of Peru can trigger a range of allergic responses in people, and the plant residue contains the vanillin compound — which, you guessed it, is also present in vanilla. As such, if you've ever had an allergic response to balsam of Peru, it may also be the case that vanilla and vanilla extracts can instigate an inflammatory response, which is the last thing any person with eczema wants. 

Additionally, keep in mind that other spices like cloves and cinnamon may also contain compounds that are found in balsam of Peru. Thus, they may also trigger skin inflammation when they are ingested or touched.