"I'm going to attempt a dairy-, gluten-, and soy-free diet."

Are you going to attempt all three at once?  My opinion is to try omitting one item for a week and then omit another along with the first for the second and then all three for the third.  I would keep off all three for 2 straight weeks and then reintroduce the first item for a week and see if it aggravates the eczema.  If it doesn't then reintroduce the second item and so on.  Hopefully if it is a food problem that it will be limited to just 1!!   Watch out for coatings too like shake & bake or similiar spice mixes.  Good luck to you, I suffer from eczema too but it seems to be when the weather changes or I'm under stress and doesn't last long.

Hi Hilary - I have some experience with this too ... will get back to you later tho!

Hilary, be a little suspicious of what a naturopath tells you.  I do think they have their place, but everyone I know who goes to one is `celiac`yet none of them actually had a biopsy to confirm.  Your eczema might flare up due to certain foods, or it might not.  It could possibly be one grain, and not gluten, but if you go gluten free for a while and then introduce the grain back in it`s easy to blame gluten itself.

Doing the full elimination diet is the best way to go, but be careful when introducing things back in and pay careful attention.  I find that not all naturopaths provide the best advice for determining the foods that cause issues (some are good), you may want to look into a dietician who specializes in this sort of thing.  Remember that after not eating a food (like dairy) that it`s common to have some GI issues when reintroducing it - it doesn`t mean that you are intolerant, you have to give it some time.  Good luck!

I am planning on keeping a food journal once my life becomes a little less complicated to figure out if I have any trigger foods, but I was just going to go with eliminating a food at a time and then having it again.  It`s not the best way of doing things, but I know quite a few external triggers already, and there are some fruits and vegetables that I want to test as well.

Hi Hilary -that diet sounds similar to "clean eating". Thiose cookbooks might be helpful.

Hi Hilary!  Hope you had a good weekend.  I have a friend who discovered that wheat is a huge contributor to her eczema - not gluden - which made things easier.  She certainly can tell whenever she's had some wheat - the itching & skin break-out follow in short order.

I've done the elimination diet - gluten, dairy & eggs.  I didn't actually find it terribly hard, to be quite honest.  More thinking required, but manageable.  Did that for a couple of weeks to let my system settle down, then reintroduced one at a time to see what would happen.  Now I adhere to a mostly gluten & dairy free diet - although I do choose to eat some of each in small amounts from time to time. 

I found the work of Dr. Mark Hyman very useful - he's got a big website (videos, info, recipes etc.), and I used his Ultrametabolism Cookbook, which I found really helpful - and VERY tasty recipes!!   He's a specialist in integrative medicine - getting to the SOURCE of symptoms, not just treating the symptoms.   Gecko also referred me to a site called Living Without - good recipes there too.   For sources of hidden glutens etc. the Celiac websites have pretty good lists - because you're right, those products can be hidden in unusual foods. 

You mentionned snacks - you can still have lots of stuff - corn chips & potato chips are fine (watch out tho for the 'seasoned' ones), peanuts, almonds, etc.  There are rice snack chips too, but they're pretty expensive IMO.  I often nibble on fruit - that's okay!  

I sadly gave up (most of the time!) my red Twizzlers - they contain wheat!!  Who knew??  I thought I just felt bad because I usually ate the whole pack! 

You can get or make gluten free, dairy free cookies, cakes etc.  I have a DELICIOUS brownie recipe - the main ingredient is black beans!   I've used various GF mixes - some are excellent, others, well, not so great.  But today we had FANTASTIC pancakes - what a great long weekend treat - with fruit & maple syrup.  So you'll need to try some of those & find which brands you like - same with breads & buns - some are good - others are pretty crumbly & blah.  Rice Krispie squares are good! 

There are good rice & corn pastas available - if cooked properly, I don't notice a difference.  Occasionally restaurants are also now offering it, I've noticed recently.

Another gluten hiding spot is in stuff like sausage, meatballs, etc.  - grains are used as fillers quite often.   And in medications ... ask your pharmacist.

As for dairy - I like to use rice milk, vanilla flavoured usually.   Some people find they're okay with goats milk products & cheeses.

So basically - eating 'clean' as somebody else said upthread - is best!  And healthiest for so many reasons.  I hope it will be helpful to you ... when you feel better, and see the benefits, then it's much easier to make those choices - it just feels healthy, not deprived!

If you use the search feature here on WC & just type in 'gluten' - a lot of threads will pop up with other past suggestions.   Good luck!  I hope to hear how you're doing on this quest ...

Don't sweat the details. Others have offered good advice, but as someone who is pork/corn/dairy allergic, I can tell you that obsessing about trying to live a "pure" diet wil make you crazy.

This does not apply if you have a life-threatening allergy such as peanuts or shellfish; but for what you are describing, take it in baby steps. See what changes it results in. And over a period of months, see how you can eliminate more.

A caution. My daughter went to a naturopath, whose suggestions inadvertently contributed to a severe eating disorder, which resulted in hospitalization. Be careful.

I do intend to attempt all three at once.  I have nothing to lose, aside from my famous oatmeal cookies.  I don't know that all three will stick, or for how long... but I'm going to try!

My conditions are often related to weather and stress, too.  I can not regulate those factors as easily I can the food I put in my body.  I figure I have to try all avenues.  May your flare-ups continue to be short-lived.

I appreciate you saying that, chemgal.  I know that you have your own set of health troubles and have searched many avenues for healing, so I trust your opinion. 

The allergy testing that she did indicated that I had sensitivities to multiple grains - but not all.  It just seems easier to me to go gluten-free than to nit-pick which grains are okay at the moment.  It's helpful to know that I'd be able to add certain ones back in time.

I think a food journal is a good idea for anyone!  I'm beginning that as well in hopes of catching any hidden triggers.

I think that it is probably specific grains and not gluten as a whole.  A mixed blessing?  It's definitely going to mean a lot more reading of labels.

I thought they ought to be, but was confused when I saw the new "Gluten Free Brown Rice" type.  Figuring that must have meant that the original kind was NOT gluten free.  Those Kellogg's people are messing with my head!

I believe that the method you describe is the best for me - both body and mind!

I can see that this could be a very real concern.  I'm sorry that your daughter suffered and I hope that keeping her in my mind will help to keep my own eating patterns in check.  I think that keeping a food journal will help as well as being honest with both my GP and naturopath.

Thank you all for your advice.  I will be looking into the recipes, etc. that you have suggesteed over the next couple weeks.

There's so much marketing hype now with products being labelled "gluten free" - stuff that never did have any gluten - like potato chips for example and a bunch of other such stuff - now touting themselves as gluten free wonder food!!    I usually just make my own rice krispie squares - so simple & you can do it in the microwave!   Maybe what was new about them was the BROWN rice ... who knows!!

Keep us posted on your progress!

Hi Hilary,

I'm celiac and am sick for a week if I accidentally ingest a small amount of gluten, but hopefully this isn't your case.  An elimination diet to test for hidden sensitivities is the best way to find what you react to and keep in mind that you may be sensitive to the additives and chemicals in packaged products.  This is often the case, I understand, with exzema.  If you want to understand the chemistry behind our reactions, visit robbwolf.com for a good explanation. 

DKS...so true!  I spent a lot of time reading labels and quizzing waitresses and started to feel more than a little paranoid about what I was putting in my mouth.  It took me a long time to discover that I reacted to almost anything that was premade. Luckily, I like to cook and have always preferred real meat, seafood, vegetables and fruit to packaged products.

Good luck, Hilary!

Don't eat any dairy-, gluten-, or soy-.

great idea, Jae!  Sadly, this is MUCH more easily said than done...

Hilary,

When you quit eating them for a week you will feel so much energy and quit having headaches, flatulence, back aches and bloating and you will just naturally begin to stay away from the stuff. 

Hopefully, you've had your Vitamin D blood levels checked.

http://www.vitamindcouncil.org/news-archive/2010/asthma-eczema-and-vitamin-d/

Good luck with your change in eating. I have done so as well, due to health issues. I feel much better on it but find it difficult when travelling or invited to someone's house or a public event. I am happy to bring my own food when need be but often, a host will find it hard to be comfortable with me doing that. I have had to learn to live with that discomfort since the other options are to eat what I shouldn't or to go hungry to ensure that the host doesn't feel awkward. 

thanks for the link to that article, Mo5.  I'll ask my naturopath about this the next time I see her.  I know that there's extra vit D in my calcium supplement and my orange juice is enriched... but I wonder if it's enough.

Hilary, it's been a week since your last post and wanted to know how it's going?

thanks for checking in.  I haven't gone whole hog yet because I'm still eating what's in my cupboard.  Shopping has become more of a challenge, but I have the time to read labels so that's not a big deal.  I'm eating a lot more fresh fruit and vegetables which can only be a good thing!

The biggest problem I'm facing right now is an alternative to soy sauce.  I LOVE to eat soy sauce on my rice and it has always been the base for my stir fry sauces.  It seems like all the gluten-free alternatives (tamari, I think) are still made with soy.  Do you know of any salty sauce that would be a reasonable substitute?

Ooh yeah, I love soy sauce on rice too. Mmm.

Anyway, here's a substitute you could try... http://allrecipes.com/recipe/soy-sauce-substitute/

Rich blessings.

that looks promising, Jae.  I'm going to try it out.

Is it one that you've tried?  Or did you just handily look it up to save me from the google machine?

http://www.nourishingmeals.com/2010/04/coconut-aminos-natural-soy-free-s...

This looks promising, Hilary. It sounds like you could get it in a bigger natural food store. It's probably not cheap either. Haven't tried it though.
Good luck in your search!

I eat gluten free and dairy free as well.  I still feel sick so there much be something else wrong with me.  I've had a blood test, three scopes with biopsies to determine I have Celiac Disease as it runs in my family.  You can claim the difference of prices of a gluten free products on your Canadian income tax but of course that doesn't make up for having to avoid Smarties, licorice, and flavoured potato chips etc.  

I understand it's best to give it all up at once then re-introduce one by one (once you feel 100%) to see what makes you ill.  But I'm not a doctor: ha ha.

Best of luck!  I hope you figure out what is wrong.  I see a natural path and tons of doctors and both fields wanted me to give up dairy.  I even had one of those non-scientific blood tests and my blood reacted with various foods that I now also avoid and I totally agree with it as when I eat those foods (goat cheese, cranberry etc.) I feel REALLY ill.

Feel free to message me!  :)

To be truthful Hilary, the latter. However, it does look good. I certainly would be willing to try it myself. Indeed, perhaps I shall. Perhaps I shall.

I took myself out to Swiss Chalet after being at the gym last night.  I was so excited to have read on their website that I could have a quarter chicken dinner with fries!

I ate it gratefully, but was halfway through the roll......... when I realised my error.  I was doing so well and completely forgot to consider that everything on my plate might not be safe.  Drat!

A minor setback that will make me more mindful... it was the first time that I've been in a restaurant since I began.

Well, at least you realized half way through! 

It's always the most obvious thing you never stop to think about too!

Sterton said "I understand it's best to give it all up at once then re-introduce one by one (once you feel 100%) to see what makes you ill."

Yes!  It's difficult, but your gut becomes so damaged if you're celiac but have been eating gluten, that it is well worth the effort.  Keep in mind that all packaged products with the additives and preservatives can be an issue while you're healing.  If you are celiac,  nightshades (tomatoes, potatoes, peppers (all), eggplant) plus eggwhites, legumes and nuts should be axed for the first year and then tested. 

The good thing is that real food is so much better for you, and cheaper!  You'll get used to it and junk will just taste like the junk it is.  Many restaurants are savvy about gluten free but ask if they have a designated fryer.  if they deep fry breaded foods in the same oil as french fries, I'm down for a week.  Ugh. 

I broke down last night and had a Pizza Pop.  It definitely wasn't worth it.  Didn't those used to taste great when we were kids?

Everything seemed to taste better as kids!  I'm not even interested in watermelon anymore.  I've been so disappointed in tasteless produce, I'm tempted to travel to the Okanagan just to shop and bring home and freeze it or something.  Ate an apricot the other day and it didn't have any taste at all!  Hadn't had one in years but I remember them having a fairly strong distinct taste.  Not even the skin tasted like anything, coulda been chewing on a twist tie.  Anywho, you doing alright so far Hilary?  Has that bread last week or the pizza pop set you off? 

squrellover

eat organic and rediscover fruits an veg!

I still love pizza pops . . . but I eat them very seldom :)

 Funny you should mention that!  I rejoined weight watchers July 3rd and have since dropped 12 lbs.  Fruits and vegetables are my friends, at least in the summer....

I accidentally bought cilantro from the organic section and I didn't find it had more flavor than the pesticidal ones.  I will venture over there again but it's so much more in cost.  That's what's keeping me away.

Organic doesn't mean pesticide free, it just means only certain pesticides are allowed.

I buy my apples organic, as they taste better to me and I hate wax.  I wouldn't insist on organic ones if I could find other unwaxed ones (I've heard of apple picking places, I hope to check it out sometime!).

Generally, I find local (which here often means BC) tastes better, as the shipping conditions aren't so harsh.  I'd rather have regular BC strawberries than organic Californian ones.

our local grocery store does get a lot of local produce in.  some is organic and some isn't.  I do like to eat local as well, Chemgal - know what you mean.

I rely on soy milk and tofu as an estrogen source, so I would really miss that , Hilary. Since I actually read the ingredients in soy sauce; however, I basically just rely on worcestorshire sauce - some sodium issues but I much prefer it to soy sauce.