It has been a month now since I have started with the eczema diet. I have been watching what I eat carefully. I have still been avoiding wheat, eggs, sugar, dairy and coffee. (Although I took a couple sips of black coffee… blah. How do people do it. I have also allowed myself some cheat days because of birthdays.)
In the beginning of this detox, my hands got really bad. My eczema was almost worse than I started. I wasn’t sure if it was what I was eating or if it was a detox side effect. I hoped for the latter. Slowly my hands got better. My skin improved a lot. The skin on my hands is still dry but they are no longer flaky. The weather has been a bit warmer and I have been less stressed so that might have helped my skin heal. Too many factors. I have continued to eat my vitamins and omega daily. I even split my vitamin pill in half so I can take half in the morning and half in the evening. I have avoided drinking coffee as I do not like my coffee without milk. I thought I would have a hard time without coffee but I find that I don’t need it. Twice a day I would drink my Tarzan juice.
My main to go to breakfast has been overnight oatmeal. I have tried rye bread and spelt bread but I like my oatmeal and banana for breakfast. Usually I make my oatmeal with milk. I do love my dairy. Since I can’t have dairy, I decided to make my own soya milk. It tastes just like the store bought stuff without all those extra additives.
As the weeks pass, I miss the food I used to eat. At first I avoided spices, dark green veggies, tomatoes, mushrooms and broccoli. These foods contain chemicals that could flare up eczema. I have been slowly introducing more foods into my diet: rice noodles, corn pasta, mushrooms, tomatoes, spices, onions, kale, etc. I don’t think I have a reaction to any of these yet. I love food, so going on this diet has been hard. I did treat myself to a bite of my friend’s birthday cake. Sadly the next day I broke out in eczema. So for the next couple days I avoided new foods.
Looking at the foods that I have been eating, I don’t think that I am sensitive to chemicals such as salicylates or amines. I ate tomatoes and was fine so I should be ok with natural msg and salicylates. I have also eaten kale which contain salicylates as well. I started drinking my kombucha, blueberries, corn and no reaction. I know I have reactions with sugary baked goods. My next things to try is wheat and dairy, but I will have to wait until next week to do that. I try to wait a couple days between eating different foods…. it usually doesn’t work that way.
In the last couple of days I was bad and ate a few treats that my students gave me. This really made my eczema worse. The backs of my hands have been blistering. Why do I do this to myself! On good thing is that on this diet my eczema clears up quicker than before. During this time I thought I would try taking a few more supplements along with my multivitamin. The Eczema Diet book claims that it will help accelerate healing. So far nothing has changed.
If you are planning on going on this detox, I would suggest keeping a diary. I have been recording what I have been eating and how my eczema is overall. Refer back to the charts in the book to see what chemicals the foods contain and if they cause reactions. Remember the reaction could be a couple days later. So it is a good idea to try new foods, wait a couple days and then try something else. This site has very useful information http://cureeczemaslowly.com/ Another tip is to do some research on different types of foods/drinks you can make. This was my first time making soya milk and who knew that you have to cook it to be able to drink it.
Start by sifting through your soya beans. Remove any skins and brown discolored beans.
Soak your beans overnight. This is a must as it will help the beans blend into a smooth paste. You will know that the beans are ready as they are plump.
In a food processor, blend the beans together into a smooth paste. Add a little water if you need it. This paste is extremely stiff and sticky.
Pour the paste into a pot and add water. Boil this mixture for about 20 – 3o minutes. The mixture will foam so be careful. It is recommended that you boil in a larger pot than needed. The foam will eventually settle and blend with the liquid. Stir occasionally.
With a sieve, strain the pulp. Save this pulp for other recipes. (You can it to your stir fry or baking. Dehydrate to make it into flour.)
Pour the soya milk into a clean glass jar. You can keep the milk for a couple days in the fridge. If you find the milk too strong add some more filtered water.
Soya milk
You can adjust the measurements to your liking. I usually just blend a bunch of soya beans, boil and add extra water to taste.
- 1-2 cups of dried soya beans
- filtered water (8-10 cups)
Soak beans overnight. Rinse beans and blend in a food processor. Transfer the beans to a pot. Add water and boil for about 20-30 minutes. Use a sieve and strain. Pour the soya milk in a clean glass jar and store in the fridge for up to 4 days. You can add flavor to your soya milk such as vanilla extract, maple syrup or anything to your liking. There is nothing better than knowing that you can have soya milk free of additives!
Check out other recipes on our blog https://eatitnoworeatitlater.com/recipe-list/
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