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Jennifer Brand
Nourish Your Body To Beat Your Symptoms And ...

nourishment

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Food Is Not The Root Cause of Your Little One's Eczema

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Food Is Not The Root Cause of Your Little One's Eczema! Bold statement? Read on!

Is your little one on an elimination diet for her eczema, beyond common triggers like gluten, dairy and eggs? Or maybe she’s on a “healthy” diet that removes whole real foods, food groups, and categories of foods?

Diet culture promises health and healing if we restrict the fuel our bodies need to grow, develop, repair, function, and thrive. This culture is so pervasive it’s even promoted by our healthcare system.

Let me ask you this, has your elimination diet or “healthy” diet solved the problem? If you’re reading this I’m guessing it hasn’t.

Here’s why. Your body runs off nutrients from foods you eat. When they are missing, imbalances develop and symptoms and health problems follow (healthy skin for example needs a lot of different nutrients that come from diet). This can be even worse in children because they are growing and developing at a quick pace and need nourishment. Diet restrictions in children also set them up for an unhealthy relationship with food in the future (fear of food, disordered eating habits and eating disorders).

Every process in the body works using nutrients, which come from foods we eat. Those nutrients are the fuel for our engines.

Your car won’t go anywhere without the right fuel… how can the body?

We are led to believe it can and this is simply not the case.

Food is not the root cause of your little one’s eczema! If you’ve removed common trigger foods and it didn’t help, and her diet is getting smaller and smaller, we’ve got to dig deeper.

We need to nourish her body and stop restricting the fuel it needs to grow, develop, repair and function so she can thrive.

We need to identify reasons she’s not getting that nourishment, there are 3 common ones:

  1. They are not being included in her diet (elimination diets and “healthy” diets can be to blame).

  2. Gut problems are preventing the digestion and absorption of nutrients from foods she does eat.

  3. Chronic stress (yes little ones have it too) burns through nutrients and steals them from other processes in the body, like building and repairing healthy skin.

Together we can identify, and address root causes like these, and restore your little one’s health!

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Babies And Children With Eczema Are Missing Certain Strains Of Gut Bacteria

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Certain bacteria missing in the gut can cause food allergy (IgE immune response). This points to restoring gut health as a way to address food allergies.

Food allergies are those that can cause life threatening anaphylaxis.

Babies and children with food allergies are missing certain strains of gut bacteria. The research shows that in fact, adding those bacteria strains to mice, protected the mice against food allergies.

This means that figuring out what’s happening in the gut may help resolve food allergies without making changes to or modulating the immune system, and may resolve all food allergies at one time rather than one at a time as is the case with immune therapy.

Food allergies affect mostly younger children and are more prevalent in Western countries. They are on the rise too in developing countries.

The theory is that Western lifestyle is adversely affecting opportunities for babies to acquire a healthy gut microbiome.

This is more confirmation that health begins in the gut. It’s where 80% of your immune system is, so it makes sense that problems in your gut can cause a range of immune problems.

This also means that your symptoms and health problems (including skin rashes like eczema) are rooted in gut problems.

This also means that elimination diets, fad diets, and any diet that restricts whole real foods, food groups and categories of foods will not solve the problem, and in fact can make it worse. That’s because your body runs off nutrients from foods you eat. When they are missing imbalances develop and symptoms and health problems follow (this can be even worse in little ones).

I have yet to find a client who has truly resolved their symptoms and health problems with diet. It may work for a little while, but the problems come back and worsen over time.

This is because now the body is missing fuel it needs to grow, develop, repair, function and thrive!

Food is not the root cause. Restoring your health means restoring your gut health.

Resource

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Food allergy, food sensitivity, food intolerance. What’s the difference?

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Food allergy, food sensitivity, food intolerance. What’s the difference?

Food allergy is an IgE immune response, and it can cause hives, itching, rashes and flares, gut symptoms, vomiting, trouble breathing, and swelling for example, and can be life-threatening.

Food sensitivity is an IgG immune response, and it can cause gut symptoms, skin rashes and flares, brain fog, joint aches and pains (and more), and points to gut dysfunction and leaky gut. Reactions are not life-threatening.

Food intolerance can cause symptoms like an IgG reaction and also isn’t life-threatening. It results from an inability of your body to appropriate metabolize a food or foods, and it won’t show up on IgE or IgG testing.

Just because your food allergy and sensitivity testing came out clean, keep this in mind!

While I am an anti-diet advocate and help people nourish their bodies rather than restrict food after food to manage symptoms, in some cases there are potentially problematic foods that are causing your symptom flares, including you and your little one’s eczema.

Dairy is a common eczema trigger, even without IgE and IgG reactions.

Cow dairy is a culprit, and sheep and goat dairy can be too. Sometimes people that can’t tolerate cow dairy do ok with sheep or goat. This is because the proteins are a bit different, BUT some of the proteins in all these dairy sources are the same.

If you’re struggling with eczema flares and eat dairy, removing it short term (2-3 weeks) can help identify if it’s a problem or not. Short term is key!

I absolutely recommend working with a professional to help identify and address the root cause of your little one’s eczema, other skin rashes, gut problems, and to appropriately address food allergies, sensitivities and intolerances.

Remember that food allergies and sensitivities are not the root cause, and removing foods, food groups and categories of foods from the diet long term can lead to imbalances, symptoms and health problems. This is because your body runs off of nutrients from foods you eat, and when they are missing, your body lacks the fuel it needs to do all it’s supposed to do!

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Restrictive, Elimination Diets, Disordered Eating Habits, and Eating Disorders

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 I was removing food after food from my diet. My symptoms didn’t get better, instead they got worse…

I felt like everything I ate triggered symptoms, and my diet got smaller and smaller…

I became afraid to eat…

This developed into a long-term struggle with disordered, orthorexic eating habits.

This is part of my story.

This is a reason why I am passionate about helping others avoid falling victim to the mentality that removing foods, food groups, and categories of foods from the diet is healthy, and it will resolve symptoms and health problems (exceptions are IgE food allergies, and potentially a few other foods depending on what’s happening).

I am especially sensitive to seeing children on restrictive, or elimination diets. They desperately need nutrients from foods because they are growing and developing. When nutrients are missing, imbalances develop and symptoms and health problems follow. So does a worsening of current health problems.

If your child has skin rashes like eczema, gut problems, or food allergies and food sensitivities you’re probably very familiar with and have tried elimination diets.

Food allergies and sensitivities are not the root cause. In fact the two most common root causes I see are a lack of nutrients needed for healthy skin (which is made worse by elimination diets), and gut problems.

This is why we start with nutrition (nutrition is giving the body what it needs to grow, develop, repair, function, and thrive), and restore gut health, and why we don’t address the root cause of symptoms and health problems with restrictive, elimination diets.

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Fats, Proteins, Carbs, Vitamins And Minerals, You Need ALL of Them

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I want to talk about why you need all macronutrients, and I threw in cholesterol for good measure because it still is controversial. 

I often hear of folks eliminating or reducing one or more of these from their diets. This refers to fats, carbs and proteins

Macronutrients

Fats

  • Fats are a source of energy, which your body can also store for later use

  • Essential fatty acids are dietary fats that are essential for growth development and cell functions

  • Essential means they come from your diet, and your body can’t make them

  • Our brains contain large amounts of essential fats

  • Fats are important for maintaining healthy skin and other tissues. 

  • Fats are needed for absorbing fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E and K so you can use them

Protein

  • Protein is needed for building and repairing every structure in your body down to the cellular level

  • We don’t store it like we do fats and carbs, so we need to eat it every day to replenish stores and keep tissues from breaking down.

  • There are 9 essential amino acids we need to get from foods we eat

Carbs 

  • Carbs are a source of energy - our body uses carbs as fuel, and to spare protein

  • By the way, there is no such thing as essential carbs. Your body can make glucose from just about anything, whether you eat carbs or not.

Cholesterol (fat) is needed for

  • The structure of your cell membranes

  • In order for your body to make vitamin D

  • It’s essential for the synthesis of hormones including cortisol, estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone

  • It forms the myelin sheath that protects your nerve cells and allows them to conduct signals

  • It’s needed to make bile acids so you can digest food

  • Most of the cholesterol you have is made by your body (~65%). If you eat more your body will make less, of you eat less your body makes more!

I see cholesterol levels too low in so many clients. Yes, too low! If your LDL is less than 80, you’re going to have issues with all of these functions!

Micronutrients

Vitamins and minerals are cofactors for enzymes in your body, and they play a wide range of roles. 

Enzymes are actually proteins (made by those essential amino acids and protein you eat) that make reactions in your body happen. Those reactions do everything from making energy, to building cells, tissues, and organs, to repairing structures, everything your body is able to do! 

In order to work those enzymes require vitamins and minerals which again come from foods you eat!

Most vitamins and minerals are essential which means they come from your diet, your body can make some vitamins but not enough to compensate if they are not on your diet in the first place.

Those 9 essential amino acids which come from protein rich foods like animal products are complete proteins, which means they contain all the amino acids, plant protein sources do not and are not complete proteins.

Certain fatty acids like omega 3s which come from healthy fats like salmon as well as flaxseed for example are also essential. 

Remember, essential means you need to eat them because your body can’t make them.

Important note!!! Your body uses essential nutrients to make others. So if you’re not eating essential nutrients you’re going to be lacking in many others as well.

For questions, or if you’re ready to get started with next steps on your health journey to nourish your body and beat your symptoms and health problems, book your introductory consultation with me!

If you’re a self started who doesn’t need much handholding, my Online Gut Restore Program is for you! It address all 3 of the common reasons I see nutrients missing, which leads to imbalances followed by symptoms and chronic health problems.

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Eat Whole, Real Foods

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Let’s talk about what eating whole real foods means!

Water

  • We start with drinking water, at least 6 to 8 glasses per day for adults.

  • Kids need the number of 8oz cups equal to their age.

    • This does not apply to infants and breastfed babies, who get all they need from breast milk preferably, or formula.

    • Rule of thumb, you can introduce water when baby starts solid foods, around 6 months old. 

  • Liquid from other beverages and foods counts towards fluid intake, however there really isn’t a substitute for plain old water.

Non starchy vegetables

  • Load up on non starchy vegetables, they should fill ½ your plate at meals.

    • Think leafy greens, broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, and other cruciferous vegetables. 

  • Non starchy vegetables are great sources of fiber, which is good for digestion and detoxification. 

  • Go for a rainbow assortment.

    • Different colors contain different phytonutrients (which are natural chemicals in plants that are also antioxidant and anti-inflammatory). 

    • Phytonutrients also can enter the nucleus of your cells and positively impact your DNA (food is information). 

    • Yellow and orange have carotenoids, good for eyes and vision. Purple/blue have anthocyanins, good for brain. Green has isothiocyanates, protective against cancer.

Fermented foods (probiotics)

  • Include fermented foods in your diet.

    • They are natural sources of probiotics which are good for your overall health, because they support a healthy gut. 

    • Know that health begins in the gut. It’s where 80% of your immune system is so problems in your gut can negatively impact your entire body.

  • Examples of probiotic foods include sauerkraut, kimchi, and other fermented vegetables, as well as yogurt and kefir.

Healthy fats

  • We can add in nuts and seeds, olive and avocado oils, avocado, olives, grass fed butter and ghee, coconut oil, and foods like whole eggs, and fatty fish like wild caught salmon (essential omega 3s) are examples of foods rich in healthy fats.

Quality protein

  • Getting in enough quality protein is necessary for overall health, and healing.

  • Include Grass fed, pastured, free range, and wild caught organic animal products.

    • Animal proteins contain all essential and conditionally essential amino acids, they are complete proteins. 

  • Plant based protein sources include tofu, tempe, lentils, chickpeas, nuts and seeds, quinoa, chia seeds, and beans. 

    • With plant proteins you need to combine them with other foods (beans and rice are an example) in order to make them a complete protein, so that you get the essential and conditionally essential amino acids your body needs and can’t make.

Starchy vegetables (complex carbohydrates)

  • Starchy vegetables are a good source of complex carbohydrates and they also are good fiber sources which helps with digestion and detoxification. 

  • Examples include sweet potatoes, yams, squashes, and other root vegetables like carrots. 

  • Complex carbs are the ones we want to eat, rather than simple ones like white breads, white rice, white flours, and pastas. 

  • Other complex carb examples are quinoa, brown rice, steel gut gluten free oats, buckwheat, and other gluten free grains.

    • Gluten is inflammatory for the gut in everyone, symptoms or not. It also has no nutritional value and there are plenty of naturally gluten free options to choose from.

    • Avoid gluten free products which are just processed foods.

  • Fiber by the way is prebiotic which means it feeds your good gut bacteria.

    • Probiotics on the other hand introduce good gut bacteria into your gut. Both are important for your overall health because they support a healthy gut.

Fruit

  • Eat low sugar fruits like berries, and granny smith apples (also fiber sources).

  • As is the case with vegetables, go for a rainbow assortment!

    • Different colors are due to different healthy natural plant chemicals.

Herbs and spices

  • Herbs and spices are anti-inflammatory and antioxidant, so use freely and liberally!

Dark chocolate

  • Yes, dark chocolate is on the list!

  • 70% cocoa and higher is rich in magnesium and antioxidants. 1 oz is a serving. 

For questions, or if you’re ready to get started with next steps on your health journey to nourish your body and beat your symptoms and health problems, book your introductory consultation with me!

If you’re a self started who doesn’t need much handholding, my Online Gut Restore Program is for you! It address all 3 of the common reasons I see nutrients missing, which leads to imbalances followed by symptoms and chronic health problems.

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How To Make Healthier Choices

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There are strategies you can implement for making healthier choices!

Shopping tips: https://jennifercarynbrand.com/diet-tools/shopping-basics

Timesaving tips: https://jennifercarynbrand.com/diet-tools/diet-timesavers 

Healthy snack ideas: https://jennifercarynbrand.com/diet-tools/healthy-snacks 

Remember, old habits are hard to break, it takes time to create new ones, and to cement those new ones, that might take some time too. DON’T GIVE UP!

It’s been said that it takes 21 days (3 weeks) to create a new habit. Some research indicates it’s actually longer, up to 60 days. And that varies, because we are all wired differently so for some, the timeframe may be shorter, and others, longer (in some cases and in some folks, it can be closer to a year).

If you miss a day or so here and there, you haven’t blown it! Don’t let that derail you. There is no such thing as perfection, and we aren’t looking for that anyway. We just want to find consistency, where we are practicing healthier habits most of the time. For some that’s 90%, for others it’s 85%, and maybe even 75%, or 65%. It all matters! The goal is to improve from where YOU were yesterday.

For questions, or if you’re ready to get started with next steps on your health journey to nourish your body and beat your symptoms and health problems, book your introductory consultation with me!

If you’re a self started who doesn’t need much handholding, my Online Gut Restore Program is for you! It address all 3 of the common reasons I see nutrients missing, which leads to imbalances followed by symptoms and chronic health problems.