1. Caffeinated drinks & alcohol
How many of us enjoy drinking coffee/tea in the morning? Or even unnoticeable consume soda pops daily? It becomes part of our daily intake that we aren’t aware of the outcome because we assume that it is normal today… well think again.
I really love coffee but I wouldn’t go over 1 big cup of it in a day, unless I really need a boost to keep me studying through the night for exams. From a news program, a friend heard that 300 mg of coffee can cause skin problems including atopic dermatitis. Regardless if it’s true or not, I highly agree from experience that too much coffee & caffeine will trigger my flare-ups.
Similarly for you tea lovers, I would suggest limiting Green tea as it has the highest level of caffeine compared to other types of tea. The “TRICK” is to drink during certain times of the day, like from morning to midday as it’s appropriate for your body to receive a boost of energy as well as antioxidants (like coffee) . At night when you’re body is relaxed you may want to avoid it as it can prevent you from sleeping & can cause you to be extremely itchy. There are other types of teas that has the least amount of caffeine that I would drink such as white tea & Rooibos. I find that these 2 tea rarely cause me agitation at night.
Alchohol is no doubt an inflammatory drink that can not only cause a beer belly if consumed daily, but also causes irritation to several organs in your body including your skin, which is basically the largest organ that surrounds & protects your insides.
As for soda pops, they contain both caffeine & too much sugar that may be the worst in my opinion. I suggest limiting yourself from drinking it or if you are strong-willed like me OPT IT completely out of your diet. I admit I will drink occasionally but rarely. Your skin will thank you for it if you make these little changes.
2. Sugary Foods
Sugary foods has no direct effect on eczema, but does have direct effect with the immune system that can potentially contribute to eczema. A dietitian recently presented that sugar has direct effect on aging on the skin as well (on a television program from last week). Sugar is everywhere, even in vegetables to pretty much everything we eat, but veggies have the lowest content. It is the excess sugars in processed food, desserts & snacks that we should be concern about.
Surprisingly granola bars is packed with unnecessary sugars. If humanely possible, try to avoid sugary granola bars. The best snacks are fruits, seeds & nuts and bits of chocolate (preferably dark). These healthier choices are filled with antioxidants which are good for us, such the likes of omega-3’s (for healthy skin & hair) and vitamins & fibers (to keep you full). The opposite can be saide for sugary foods & drinks. Anything with excess sugar is considered part of an inflammatory category that we want to limit… so indulge wisely. This doesn’t mean that I want you to avoid it completely but try to avoid at most artificial sweeteners such as aspartame, splenda, sweet & low, sucralose etc. These will cause you more harm in the long run. Aspartame is actually a common food additive that triggers inflammatory responses. You may avoid refine sugar and go for natural sweeteners such as stevia & honey as a option to add for taste.
3. DAIRY FOODS
Milk is considered to be an inflammatory food to most of us. Usually it is safer for babies to drink (those with no allergies) due to the presence of an enzyme in the body that can break down the lactose until we get older by age of 2 (biology). Approximately 60% of us can not digest milk. Even though I am no longer allergic to milk compared to when I was a child, I still don’t drink it simply because I personally don’t like it that much and I got used to not drinking it. There are milk alternatives that you can go for to receive your calcium intake such as Soy milk or Almond milk. I prefer Almond milk (unsweetened) because I am allergic to soy protein so it is my only option.
Dairy can include cheese, cream in coffee, butter, and yogurt. An exception is kefir & yogurt which is easy on the stomach. Specifically, milk is a common allergy and some of us are even lactose intolerant. Therefore it can cause body inflammation, stomach problems, skin rashes, hives & breathing difficulties. Another interesting hidden fact is that flavoured yogurt is also packed with sugar that causes belly fat, so try to eat plain yogurt with real fruits. On the bright side, there are lactose-free version of some of these.
** bottom line: if you do not eat a well balanced/good diet, results will show on your skin and may cause inflammation in your body.
