samantharitter Posted December 22, 2015 Share Posted December 22, 2015 Hi! On 1/1/16 I'll start my first Whole30. I've had mild to severe eczema since I was young. It flares and becomes medication-resistant in times of stress, especially in the winter when it's dry. I've been in a flare for the last few months and haven't been able to shake it with anything. Apart from the physical discomfort eczema brings it really does a number on my self esteem. It's hard to have confidence when you can feel the angry patches on your face, and strangers stop you on the street and tell you to try exfoliating So, I am making this my happy skin Whole30. Here's to hoping! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carlaccini Posted December 22, 2015 Share Posted December 22, 2015 Okay - I was like you and have had eczema most of my life. I will list out some things thigh might help you to that healthy skin place. Please note that skin issues sometimes get worse before it gets better. Bone broth!!! Since it's a good source of collagen and minerals, it's great for helping to heal your digestive track AND great for healing skin, bones, and teeth. If bone broth is not an option..... Collagen supplement is a good alternative. The brand I use is Great Lakes Green can - Collagen Hydrolysate. It mixes in cold or hot liquids, and it doesn't gel like jello. It is also relatively tasteless. I use this when I don't have any proper bone broth on the go. You might want to play around with eggs - sometimes eggs can cause some issues. I would say don't eliminate eggs right out of the gate - but maybe don't go crazy with them either. I have found for me that dairy was a huge contributor to skin issues. So the elimination of dairy will probably help a lot. You may or may not want to use ghee / clarified butter. It is supposed to be completely clear of milk solids - however those people who are highly sensitive to dairy - are still sensitive to dairy. I use ghee is small quantities here and there and the reactions are fairly minimal. Everyone is different so I am just saying that this is one to watch out for. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
samantharitter Posted December 24, 2015 Author Share Posted December 24, 2015 Thanks for all the suggestions, Carlaccini! I have heard about eggs and dairy often being linked to skin issues. I was planning to skip the ghee, and eliminate eggs if I was still feeling itchy after the Whole30. It's great that you were able to discover the part that dairy played in your skin issues. I've never tried a bone broth before, have you ever made one using fish bones? I am a pescatarian. A collagen supplement is also an interesting idea, I haven't ever taken one. How often do you use it or a bone broth? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
samantharitter Posted January 3, 2016 Author Share Posted January 3, 2016 Day three of my whole30! Not feeling super awesome at this point. I have a headache and I've been on-and-off nauseous for the last few days, and I am quite itchy at the moment. Despite these things I feel "clean" after I eat, if that makes sense! I think the headache is from sugar/carb withdrawal. I ambitiously tried to make a fish broth on day 1. Cooking with whole fish heads for the first time definitely didn't help the nausea! Oh well. I'm going to eat more familiar foods for a few days to get my stomach settled. Tonight I'm making a broccoli fried "rice" with shrimp for dinner, using coconut aminos instead of soy sauce. Tomorrow I might make something plain, like baked salmon, or a clear soup. Maybe not with the fish broth though, I've frozen that until I can stomach it again Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carlaccini Posted January 4, 2016 Share Posted January 4, 2016 Fish - heads - great idea - although yeah....I wouldn't be a fan of the smell either. Maybe canned salmon - include eating the bones - if you don't already? Sardines, mackerel - very good choices as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
samantharitter Posted January 5, 2016 Author Share Posted January 5, 2016 Haha I'll try making it again if I work up the courage! By the way, do you know of any collagen supplements that are not derived from beef? I have a strange canned fish allergy. I'm fine with tuna and salmon when they aren't canned, and I'm fine with other canned foods, but when I eat canned tuna and salmon my tongue goes numb for a couple days! I have no idea why, and neither does my doctor. I wonder if the same thing would happen with canned sardines. Maybe I can find some in a jar instead. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carlaccini Posted January 5, 2016 Share Posted January 5, 2016 Re: Collagen Supplements - Hmmm I was thinking of this too when I was responding to you yesterday - I don't know any off hand - but that doesn't mean they don't exist. Let me do some searching.... The thing about sardines is that their cold water salty fish. Their bones seem to be fairly pliable, and to easy chew on. I have seen fresh sardines at my local fish monger - so maybe try to get them fresh if you can? I am wondering if you might be reacting to the BPA that cans are very often lined with. I had similar experiences with coconut milk - I was getting a reaction through one brand, but when i switched brands (that reportedly had no BPA) I no longer had a reaction. Maybe try to find a brand that doesn't use BPA lined cans? Maybe the fat from the fish could make the BPA more easily absorbed? I know that is what happens with coconut milk. That is my only thought on this... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carlaccini Posted January 5, 2016 Share Posted January 5, 2016 Okay I was able to find Pure Marine Peptides and Neocell Marine Collagen on Amazon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
samantharitter Posted January 8, 2016 Author Share Posted January 8, 2016 Interesting thought about the BPA. I will have to experiment. My local fishmonger does have fresh sardines! Several varieties in fact, I'll cook some soon. Thank you for the link to the collagen supplement! Originally I had planned to eliminate more foods after the Whole30 if I was still itchy, and the first group to go would be nightshades. I've been so so itchy, though, that I'm not going to wait. I've eaten a lot of peppers, tomatoes, and eggplant in the last few days, and I'm wondering if they are contributing to this flare. I am removing nightshades from my diet, effective immediately! It really might help, so why wait? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carlaccini Posted January 8, 2016 Share Posted January 8, 2016 Yes - I encourage to play around with things - do you eat eggs at all? They sometimes are a culprit as well. I have found out over time that I can tolerate tomatoes, potatoes and peppers cooked with no skins - raw - no go - I get a psoriasis flare. And I don't eat them more than twice a week. So maybe eliminate them for a couple of weeks and then re intro them cooked first, then raw. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
samantharitter Posted January 26, 2016 Author Share Posted January 26, 2016 I'm almost done with my whole30 (!!) but I still haven't seen much improvement in my eczema. It improved a little around week two, but now I'm right back in a flare and crazy itchy! I plan to continue wholeXX-ing until my skin is better, or until I believe that it's not food-related. At the 30-day mark I'm going to eliminate some more foods. From my research, it seems these are the best candidates to eliminate next. It makes me sad to see these foods go because I have been eating so much of them! Then again, maybe that's why I've flared. - eggs - nuts - seeds - fruit, in excess of 1-2 servings per day Thoughts on these? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carlaccini Posted January 26, 2016 Share Posted January 26, 2016 Yep eggs, nuts and seeds would be the next place to start. Also nightshades Fruit - I won't worry about too much for now - I don't have a lot of experience with fruit causing skin conditions - unless we are talking tomatoes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
samantharitter Posted February 1, 2016 Author Share Posted February 1, 2016 Yesterday was the last day of my whole30, some results: I lost three pounds, skin got a little better, have been having less heartburn, fewer cravings between meals, and somewhat fewer migraines. However, I don't think I'm all the way there. My stomach is still a bit all over the place, and I was hoping for better skin and migraine results. I'm shifting now to paleo AIP, so adding on seeds, nuts, and egg restrictions to the Whole30 rules. I'll probably break some of the other ones (today I deep-fried sweet potato chips in coconut oil, which I know is against the W30 spirit). The hardest thing on the AIP rules so far has been thinking of portable snacks. On the whole30 nuts are a great choice, as are hard-boiled eggs, but now those things are out for me. Snack suggestions for AIP? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carlaccini Posted February 1, 2016 Share Posted February 1, 2016 Olives are great. If you can put a little extra protein in a container that would work well as well. Carrots dipped in guacamole Crudites dipped in mayo - the whole 30 book has an eggless recipe that uses coconut butter. Usually if you need a snack it's generally a symptom of not eating enough. Aim for getting your means to satiate you for 4 - 5 hours. Unless of course there is just a long period between lunch and dinner. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
samantharitter Posted February 2, 2016 Author Share Posted February 2, 2016 I do think that I probably don't eat enough at meals, I am working on this. However I do also have a long stretch between lunch (around 12) and dinner (around 9) so I have a smallish snack-meal around 4. Good ideas thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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