Sophie's Choice: How Changing Her Diet Changed Her Eczema

|Reception Support

Each week we share our Weekly Warrior story. This can be anyone in our eczema community, who has experienced a small or big win when it comes to improving their skin, confidence or emotional health. 

This week, we're sharing Sophie's story.

Like many people with eczema, Sophie first developed the condition as a child. She was fortunate enough to grow out of it, but in her late twenties, it returned with a vengeance. It began around her eyes, neck, and arms, and progressively worsened over the next two years.

Sophie wasn't sleeping well, often waking through the night with an aggressive itch. She felt miserable, uncomfortable, and defeated.

Sophie was looking for answers and came across The Eczema Detox book. She embarked on a new healing journey by following the Food Intolerance Diagnosis (FID) program. FID helps you work out your specific triggers. This is important for anyone with skin inflammation as allergy tests are often inaccurate. The FID Program provides a clear indication of what types of chemicals and foods you are intolerant or allergic to, recognising your triggers is crucial to skin healing.   

Sophie told us that the key to embarking on this program is being organised, prepared and committed.  The ingredients in the book and website provide numerous practical resources.

Sophie's comments: ‘My favourite would be the chickpea crust pumpkin pie! I liked having a small list of ingredients to cook from as it made me more creative. I enjoyed drinking lots of carob tea and warm oat milk. It just felt soothing’.

As well as doing the FID program Sophie also took Skin Friend AM and PM to support her restorative journey. Her favourite way to take this supplement was to simply dissolve the powder in water.

In addition to eating this nourishing eczema friendly diet, stress-reducing techniques are just as important when you have eczema. Sophie enjoyed taking lots of baths, reading, and doing gentle Pilates (no sweating) to calm her nervous system when her eczema was distressing.  

Since finishing the FID program after doing it for 2 months, Sophie says she mostly adheres to eczema-friendly foods (the eczema detox list) when cooking, about 80% of the time. Her skin has remained clear since introducing new foods into her diet.

“I do have odd nights off the diet completely if I'm eating out and I enjoy the occasional glass of red wine and chocolate. These were the two hardest things to give up, so it feels good to be able to enjoy small amounts again!”

Thank you so Sophie for sharing her journey, we hope it has inspired you as much as it has us! You are a true Eczema Warrior.

Article by nutritionist Bonnie. 

 

The Eczema Toolkit

the holistic way to clear skin

The Eczema Detox is Karen Fischer's latest best-selling eczema manual designed to help you find relief. Through her work she found some patients needed a special program to identify personal triggers, so the FID Program was created. The Eczema Clear Skin Toolkit combines gut health and nutrition with soothing, barrier repair skincare and supplements to calm the itch and support skin repair, the immune system and more. If you’ve tried everything and nothing has worked, this is the skin calming toolkit you've been praying for.

learn more

Eczema Friend

the itch buster  |  rash cream

The low pH eczema cream that helps to relieve itchy skin, red skin rash and mild eczema and dermatitis. Suitable for all types of rashes. It's the cream you'll wish you had tried first.

learn more

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Frequently asked questions

Does food allergy trigger eczema?

Food allergy and eczema are closely linked, and allergies can absolutely make eczema worse, but they're often not what starts it in the first place. In fact, research suggests the reverse may be more accurate: eczema itself may come first and increase the risk of developing food allergies, rather than the other way around (Tsakok et al. 2016). One study found that babies with eczema were up to six times more likely to become
sensitised to foods compared to those without eczema. In children with established eczema, up to 66% showed food sensitisation, with confirmed food allergy in up to 81% of cases (Tsakok et al. 2016).

If you or your child has a diagnosed food allergy, those foods should be avoided for now. For additional guidance, the Food Intolerance Diagnosis (FID) Program in The Eczema Detox book can help identify food intolerances that do not show up in allergy tests (see next FAQ).
Do food allergy tests help eczema?

Skin prick tests and other food allergy tests including blood tests and patch tests can be unreliable on their own, so an oral food
challenge (supervised by an allergy specialist if you are prone to anaphylaxis), is the most accurate way to confirm whether you or your child is reacting to a particular food. For additional guidance, the FID Program in The Eczema Detox book can help you to identify your personal triggers.
About the authors

Ren Karen Fischer is a nutritionist, mother of two, and award-winning author of seven books, including the bestsellers The Eczema Diet and The Eczema Detox. Fischer is also a peer-reviewed published researcher, and is currently undertaking eczema research as part of a Master's by Research at Bond University. Combining clinical research with real-world experience, she is dedicated to advancing evidence-based care for eczema.

Nutritionist Bonnie Taylor holds a Bachelor of Health Science degree and helps people with eczema identify their individual triggers through the FID Program. Taylor has worked alongside Fischer for many years and offers nutrition consultations by appointment.