Strawberry bliss.
It seems there is a large number of food bloggers have food allergies, food intolerances or specialty diets.
I have had eczema for ever (runs in the family) but I’ve always been of the persuasion that if it was indeed diet related, I’d rather put up with it than give up the foods that I love.
For as long as I can remember, every year in November/December, I get eczema. When I was in high school, with exams and art boards due, I put it down to stress. But I finished high school and went to uni and it continued. I graduated 7 years ago and I don’t really have extra stresses at this time of year, yet it persists.
I think it could be a combination of things and some internet research suggests that I may be right. It could still be stress and perhaps the warmer weather. The sunshine probably aggravates it and then there are other factors like seasonal foods. This year, it’s been particularly bad and I make no secret that I adore and have eaten a lot of strawberries.
So I’m going to hold back on the strawberries for as long as I can (from today) and hope that it clears up completely. Then maybe I’ll introduce some strawberries and observe. After all, I do have to go strawberry picking at some stage this season. And there’s no way I’m going strawberry picking without eating some of the bounty.
And because I’ve read that tomatoes can cause eczema and because I had a bad reaction to a feast of raw tomatoes as a child, I will keep an eye on that too. It’s just too bad because I’m only growing 2 things in my garden this summer (aside from herbs). Tomatoes and strawberries.
Seasonal stuff that can cause eczema:
- Stress
- Warm weather
- Strawberries
- Tomatoes
Year round stuff that can cause eczema:
- Red wine (and alcohol in general)
- Coffee
- Dairy
- Eggs
- Nuts
- Spicy food
I don’t usually drink much coffee, but currently I’m drinking 1 or 2 cups a day to keep up with life. I’m not one of those people that need coffee to function in the mornings, but I do use coffee to stay awake later in the day. I’m going to cut back on this too and reintroduce it once I get better.
I tried to keep it under control with some natural remedies but they weren’t working so I bit the bullet last week and saw my doctor who prescribed a cortisone cream and fatty cream. It’s cleared up a lot over the last few days. It was really a last ditch, desperate effort but I’m glad that it’s finally turning.
So here’s to my summer void of strawberries. Boo hiss.
Bunny Eats Design 
the best way to figure out your limitations is by doing the process of elimination… that’s how i figured out my intolerance for dairy. i’m not medically diagnosed but the fact that my body is doing so much better since i quit dairy tells me something… i don’t have to listen to a dr, i listen to my body.
my father says i should just overconsume dairy so that my body will just be shocked into accepting it. of course i won’t do this but it is a hilarious way to “treat” it, yes?
Hmmm…I could probably over consume dairy for fun. Yum. How would I know how much is too much dairy? Or would it be blindingly obvious?!
for me, when i consume hardcore dairy like MILK or stinky cheese like bleu cheese or gorgonzola, my stomach does not agree. before i knew what was wrong with me, i once spent a weekend (at an all-girls’ weekend away) in the bathroom and i thought drinking milk would settle my stomach. good lord. it was TERRIBLE. i was exhausted by the time i left, dehydrated and bloated.
in small doses, (and i will never let my body get so used to no dairy that if i accidentally consume it at a restaurant or wherever that i would writhe in pain instantly) my stomach gets upset but never to the point where i must spend half my day in the bathroom.
Hey bunny,
My whole family have dietary issues. Pretty much all of us are gluten and dairy free for various reasons!
It’s awesome that there is ssoooooo much accessible info out there now!
I have a 100% gluten free and mostly dairy free blog! Check it out….I’m only new so there are like 4 recipes up….more to come! Promise!
http://smash-cakes.tumblr.com/
Hi Smash-cakes, I’ve been tested for dairy and gluten intolerance but they were negatives. I do avoid gluten when possible just because I was never 100% sure about it. What’s your favourite gluten free dish?
Ohhhh gwadddd….one one! I’m REALLY into baking! Although at the moment im really into pastry and I just perfected sweet and savory pastry! So right now it’s pie…..ummmm pie….
I haven’t really made pastry before so that impresses me. What kind of flour do you work with? I love pie. Mostly savory pie…
Arghhhhh finally put up my pastry recipe! Enjoy! http://smash-cakes.tumblr.com/
Thanks for sharing. Love the idea of chopped rosemary baked through the pastry.
I also have severe eczema, and like you it flares up for me the most around October/November, but is still ever-present in a milder form the rest of the year. Sometimes, it really interferes with my cooking (as it is worst on my hands!)
Through some experimenting, I have found dairy really aggravates it (more than spicy food or any of the other stuff). I haven’t quit dairy but I am generally light on it. I don’t find I have a problem with tomato so I will have a tomato-based pasta more often than a creamy one, and I never drink coffee anymore (as I can’t drink black coffee)…
As for alcohol, I can barely touch the stuff at all! I’m lucky if I even survive a wine tasting – but I think that’s an enzyme deficiency thing rather than the eczema. Shame 😦
Thanks for sharing Indie. It’s always interesting to hear from other sufferers. What do you use in terms of medication/creams?
It’s interesting about the dairy/tomato pasta sauce. I used go for the dairy sauces for pasta as I prefer them, but I’ve been eating more tomato based pasta lately because they’re less fatty, not because of intolerance. But it also coincides with my skin getting worse. Maybe I should switch back to dairy? I didn’t really think about cooked tomato being a problem but maybe my systems just being extra sensitive at the moment.
I haven’t even gone a whole week without alcohol. It’s so hard the week before Christmas. I wish I knew that it was going to make me better. I feel like I’m missing out just as an experiment.
I take antihistamines daily. Sometimes I switch brands as that’s supposed to help. I do find it helps control things a little. Other than that it’s cortisone creams when it flares up in specific areas. There was one year when it got so bad that I had to take a short course of oral prednisone (corticosteroids) – cleared it right up, almost scarily effective, but not something I want to repeat even close to regularly as there are some nasty side effects… Hasn’t been so bad this year. I’ve just moved to Melbourne this month too, and I’m finding the climate here dryer than Auckland, which I think is helping.
It is also the humidity that aggravates it during this time of the year, I think… and also I’m allergic to things like pollen and dust mites (very mild hayfever, bad eczema)
Yeah, considering an ice pack feels wonderful on eczema, I’m not surprised that the humidity makes it worse. Sometimes in bed, I feel it starting to itch because I’m getting too hot so I just poke the offending parts out of the covers and it’s a good fix.
I took an antihistamine the other day just to see how it would go and it made my skin a bit better. I might be tempted to take antihistamines over the holidays so I feel less self conscious of my bare skin. I don’t want to be dependent on them, but if it’s the difference between itchy, yucky and miserable, then it’s worth it.
You mentioned trying some natural remedies, so you may well have tried this already.
You can try putting some oatmeal in your bath to relieve the symptoms of excema. I know suferers who have found this effective, but I haven’t tried it myself. (I think you can avoid mess by putting the oatmeal into a cloth bag first).
It might be worth a shot if you haven’t tried it already.
My best friend’s husband has it badly and she finds his acts up whenever he eats tomatoes!
Hi Eva, do you know if it’s raw tomatoes, cooked or both?