Eczema can make life miserable for children and adults with red, dry, thick, scaly skin that is constantly itchy. For many people, eczema is triggered by an allergic reaction to certain foods, and avoiding those foods can relieve symptoms. Chinese nutrition therapy is a holistic treatment system, part of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), which views nutrition very differently from our western diet. Here I share my secrets of the seven Chinese foods that will help your eczema and transform your life.
1. Avoid cow’s milk
Eczema can often be triggered by cow’s milk, which is a common food for children. Cow’s milk is naturally very moist and if your child’s digestive system is compromised, it can cause itchy skin, rashes, and oozing and oozing. Milk is not a common ingredient in the Chinese diet and is used sparingly. However, in the West we tend to consume too much milk, which is why more and more people are allergic to it. If your baby suffers from neurodermatitis, you should really look around for an alternative. Possible substitutes are soy or goat milk, which form less moisture.
2. Avoid moist foods
Not only cow’s milk forms damp, other foods can also become extremely damp. Interestingly, some of these foods are common eczema triggers like wheat and peanuts. Other hydrating foods include orange juice, bananas, sugar, cheese, and other dairy products.
3. Stop the greasy food
Fried, fatty foods are naturally extremely moist and warm. Eczema is inherently yang (warm), meaning excess heat in the body causes symptoms such as redness, inflammation, and thirst. Cooking methods such as roasting, grilling, baking, deep frying, stir-frying, and sautéing are all yang cooking methods. It is preferable to boil, simmer, stew, stew or steam your food as these cooking methods are more yin-like in nature. Food prepared in this way is naturally cooler and more nourishing for the body and skin.
4. Eat more cooling and nutritious foods
To treat eczema, you need to reduce redness, inflammation, and itching of the skin by eliminating heat. Likewise, you should moisten dryness and strengthen Qi (life energy) and blood. Cooling and hydrating foods include grapefruit, lettuce, seaweed, watermelon, cucumber, celery, barley, bean curd (tofu), pears, strawberries, broccoli, cauliflower, zucchini, and tomatoes.
Dark green leafy vegetables, dark red fruits and vegetables such as beets, kidney beans, aduki beans and blueberries are excellent foods to strengthen Qi and Blood. Meats such as liver, kidneys and chicken are all qi and blood strengtheners. A fantastic start to the day would be a bowl of oatmeal sprinkled with a few dates.
5. Avoid raw and ice cold foods
Too many raw and refrigerated foods (as opposed to refrigerated foods) can damage the digestive system. The digestive system requires heat or digestive fire to function, and prolonged and excessive consumption of raw or ice cold foods will eventually weaken this digestive fire. You may have noticed that the Chinese don’t eat a lot of raw or ice-cold foods for this reason.
6. Balance your flavors
We’ve often heard that too much of anything is bad for you, and this is true of a Chinese diet. In most Chinese recipes you will find a balance of flavors – salty, sour, bitter, sweet and pungent. For example, salty foods (seaweed, pork, fish) regulate the moisture balance, drain excess moisture and stimulate digestion. Too much salt, however, dehydrates the body and leads to dryness. Sweet foods (sugar, bananas, milk) easily stimulate the circulation of qi and blood, moisten and promote dryness. However, an excess of sweet foods leads to the build-up of dampness and heat, which can cause eczema. Therefore, a balanced diet with all flavors is beneficial. You can increase or decrease a particular flavor as needed.
7. Chew slowly and enjoy your food
It is not uncommon for eczema to be caused by emotional stress. When we’re stressed, we tend to over-, under-, or not enjoy what we eat. Don’t eat when you are angry as this interferes with the movement of qi and can cause it to stagnate. Qi stagnation can lead to heat build-up over time, which can manifest as skin rashes and inflammation.
The Chinese know how good it is to chew slowly and with concentration, so forget about watching TV or reading while you eat—just focus on your food. Each bite should be chewed thoroughly as this helps our digestive system work more efficiently.
Thanks to Vicky Massey