Photo credit: Denise Johnson
Rashes and food reactions are symptoms of an immune system gone haywire, and the underlying mechanisms for how this happens involve diet and the gut microbiome.
Diets low or void of prebiotic foods (like a Western-style, Carnivore, Ketogenic, or low-complex carb diet) can increase the risk of this happening.
Prebiotic foods are fiber-rich (often missing from diets like those mentioned, among others) and promote the growth of beneficial gut microbes. These microbes make short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs). SCFAs help regulate inflammatory responses in the body.
When levels of beneficial gut microbes are low or out of balance, you can end up with low levels of SCFAs, leading to dysregulation of inflammatory responses and lots of inflammation.
Inflammation causes the immune system to react, which triggers rashes like eczema and food allergies.
What can you do? Add prebiotic foods to your diet to promote the growth of beneficial gut microbes! Examples include:
Flax seeds
Hemp seeds
Legumes
Pumpkin seeds
Quinoa
Brown rice (cooked and cooled)
Steel-cut oats (cooked and cooled)
Whole grains
Vegetables (nonstarchy, raw have higher prebiotic content)
Cruciferous (broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, arugula)
Leafy greens
Onion
Leek
Garlic
Chicory root
Asparagus
Jerusalem artichoke
Dandelion greens
Other nonstarchy vegetables
Vegetables (starchy)
Sweet potatoes/yams
Potatoes (cooked and cooled)
Fruit
Apples
Green bananas (less ripe ones)
Berries
Notice that brown rice, oats, and regular potatoes should be cooked and cooled. This changes the structure of the starch they contain and makes them resistant starch. Resistant starch is prebiotic. It also doesn’t result in blood sugar spikes (a benefit if you struggle with blood sugar issues like insulin resistance, metabolic syndrome, and diabetes).