Eczema Diet Plan For The Winter

You would need to make some adjustments to your eczema diet with the winter coming on. In winter, humidity drops in the cooler months, making the air much drier. As an eczema sufferer, you may find that the winter time especially difficult with dry and cracking skin. This tends to aggravate and worsen the intensity of your itches. Instead of looking your best this festive period, you feel affected by your poor skin appearance and prefer not to socialise.

While there is nothing that you can do about the climate, you will need to double up your efforts in keeping your skin hydrated. Begin a more intensive moisturising regimen in the fall and continue it through the winter to reduce over dryness.

Drink lots of water to avoid dehydration. Temperatures during the winter season can drop drastically. During this period, your eczema diet should include plenty of warm liquids, such as herbal teas and soups.

Your eczema diet may need some adjustments in winter, to account for the unavailability of some foods during wintertime. Hence, substitute another food for a regular food type which is temporarily unavailable.

Here is an eczema diet plan for the winter season:

1. Ensure enough intake of good quality dietary calcium from green vegetables and oily fish.

2. Reduce intake of animal protein. While you can still go for the turkey, continue to eat cold-water fish twice a week, such as salmon, trout, cod, herring, and mackerel for their good eicosapentanoic acid (EPA) content. EPA in the body metabolises into prostaglandin, a substance that promotes healthy skin.

3. Consume unprocessed grains, like brown rice, for your carbohydrate requirements. This includes looking for whole grains as ingredients in the bread or pasta that you purchase. If your young child suffers from eczema, try giving flaked millet, or brown rice in a porridge.

4. An effective eczema diet usually has 80 per cent coming from fresh fruits, vegetables and freshly pressed juices. When possible, eat half of these in raw form. You can treat other foods as side dishes to your 'main serving' of fruits and vegetables at each meal.

5. Add pulses, like soya beans, dried peas, lentils, to your holiday soups, casseroles and salads, about 2-3 times weekly.

6. Genuine, cold-pressed flaxseed oil is a superior source of essential fatty acids, both omega-6 or linoleic acid and omega-3 or alpha-linolenic acid. The body converts these to EPA and gamma-linolenic acid (GLA) to help your skin stay healthy. Use in dressings only; do not subject to heat.

7. Take some pumpkin, sesame, sunflower seeds, or walnuts daily. These foods contain zinc and vitamin B6, which are needed for essential fatty acid metabolism. These are frequently lacking in eczema sufferers.

Evelyn Lim is a writer on eczema articles. For more information, please visit eczemaskintreatment.com eczemaskintreatment.com.