The Eczema Diet

by Karen Fischer

Whether you have a mild patch of dermatitis or you’re enduring chronic eczema from head to toe, The Eczema Diet shows you how to create beautiful skin for life. Tried and tested on eczema patients for more than a decade, the comprehensive program covers all eczema conditions and features separate programs catering for all age groups, including babies.

Genres: Health, Nonfiction, Food, Self Help, Cookbooks, Nutrition

288 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2012

About the author

Karen Fischer is a nutritionist, writer and an award-winning author with extensive experience in television, radio, event hosting and print. Karen’s first book The Healthy Skin Diet won ‘Best Health, Nutrition or Specific Diet Book’ at the 2008 Australian Food Media Awards and it's now a bestseller.

Karen loves to write and has worked as a contributor for Wellbeing Magazine, Practical Parenting, Madison Magazine, Sydney Morning Herald and was a health columnist for Cosmopolitan Magazine.

Karen specialises in general skin health and eczema, and she designs recipes and meal plans to treat a variety of skin disorders. Currently, Karen does online health programs for eczema sufferers and she will be holding eczema workshops in Sydney shortly.

Reviews

[Laurie DelaCruz]

Very thankful for this book, and the research and thought that went into it! It requires a massive change in diet, but we are already seeing improvements in my daughter's skin just two weeks after starting.

[Nicole]

I do not know why it has taken so long for me to get my hands on this book. I would like to give some background into where I was at when I started this book though. I have had eczema since young. I was on an elimination diet altered slightly after I stopped seeing my naturopath. I was also about 5 months into topical steroid withdrawal. At the same time I was struggling to gain weight as I had a massive drop when I did the diet. I had a fixed diet and supplement routine as well.

I liked how the books gives an introduction to eczema, how the gut affects the skin and goes briefly into areas like candida and leaky gut. Both of which I know and researched. Personally my naturopath thought I had both. I was extremely confused when I read about the foods the author listed as "eczema safe", most were the opposite of what I thought was okay or even unexpected. salicylates seem to be in even the most healthy food eg brocolli and spinach. As I have learnt it is so easy to villify food and thus it seems like I cannot eat anything.

That is why I have come to the conclusion that if you want to pick this up, do so with fresh eyes and preferably without doing any other diet as the author has an entire meal plan and detox procedure. It will be very confusing for someone to read this while already suscribing to a different diet and beliefs.

I found the recipes interesting and the book easy to read but it could have include more information. I am glad that many of the supplements recommended are what I already take. What I will do with the information is perhaps start eating some of the eczema safe food. Personally I have heard good things about this diet but my takeaway from this entire experience is that eczema and tsw are so individualised. What works for one may not work for all.

[Caitlin]

I have suffered from eczema to varying degrees all my life and have spent a lot of time dealing with it, reading to better understand it, and using myself as a guinea pig in testing what does and doesn't cause flare-ups. I am very careful about what I put on my skin. I moisturize like a fiend. I use a scent-free, chemical-free detergent because anything else makes my skin go crazy. It's a pain, but there you have it.

I'm not particularly fond of diets that promote a cleansing fast. Fasting of any kind can be very difficult on the body depending upon the individual. For instance, fasts are typically contraindicated for those with diabetes and certain other conditions. They can also play havoc with some medications, making them less or differently effective. Essentially, always check with your doctor before you do any kind of fast. The good news is that Ms. Fischer acknowledges this and is very clear regarding the cleansing fast in this book, acknowledging that your mileage may vary.

The Eczema Diet is a good book with plenty of good information packaged in an easily manageable format. I wish it had been out there earlier in my life - it would've saved me a lot of time and research. There wasn't a lot of information that was new to me, but I read extensively about everything that I need to manage so I'm not your average reader. This book has it all, really - foods and chemicals to avoid (or to at least be cautious of), recipes, moisturizing tips, good scientific about eczema and genetics, and alternatives to treatments with steroids. This book provides a great base to use to begin figuring out what works (and what doesn't) for the treatment of your individual eczema. While I wouldn't follow this book or its diet slavishly, there is plenty of information for figuring out what alternatives work for you. It doesn't promote a cure, but it may help some people find relief.

[Amy]

The pros:
There is some useful information about the causes of eczema and common triggers in foods and products.
The meal plans would make it easy to get started.
Once your skin clears you can reintroduce many foods.
A lot of the eliminated foods are things you should avoid anyway (sugar, artificial colors/sweeteners, etc.)
Author is responsible, recommends consulting your doctor, and avoids a one-size-fits-all approach.

Cons:
Confusing at times to understand what foods were ok in the different phases.
Too many supplement suggestions, cost-prohibitive for most.
Some of the diet is based around "alkalizing" foods which is junk science (imho).
Many healthy foods are restricted though you could reintroduce them eventually. So that long list of supplements likely isn't optional for those who follow this closely.

Conclusion:
For severe eczema this would be worth a shot, especially if you've tried everything else already. For my intermittent little flare-ups with identifiable triggers (pools/hot tubs, sunscreens/lotions/bug spray), I don't have enough motivation to follow something this restrictive. Still a useful book though.

[Katie]

Has helped me tremendously and is the only thing that has after suffering with ecezma all my life, especially in the last few years. I didn't follow the the recipes or make its broth it keeps pushing lol (I don't have the time for that), but I only ate the foods it says are okay, took the supplements it suggested and I've never seen improvement like it. I've been doing this diet for 7 weeks, and although I saw somewhat some improvement after 2-3 weeks, only this week I've noticed I dont really have any cuts and redness has gone down loads. I still get itchy and I scatch, but my skin doesn't suffer as much for it.

It's not easy sticking with the limited foods the books tells you and it kind of kills your social life (and it does warn you). But it's well worth it to be rid of the pain, discomfort, burning heat, weeping, inability to do certain things, wear certain clothes, embarrassment, and negative mental and emotional impact.

[Gabrielle Alexandra Millard]

Still have eczema 😒

[Victor L.]

Lots of good information, but the diet proposed assumes you're in an upper middle class or better income bracket.

[Liliana]

The book gives you an overall picture of what may be causing your eczema to come back (food wise). It is packed with information about nutrients and “problematic” foods for eczema sufferers. I recommend you check it out if you are still wondering what could be causing your eczema flare ups. In regard to the diet it will take a great effort (at least for me) to follow it as strictly as it says you should, but I still will give it a try. Another aspect that is quite challenging is the use of a lot of supplements so if you don’t feel comfortable using them or don’t want to, you should really consider if this diet is your best option. I cannot review the book on regards of its results cause everyone’s skin, discipline on diets, eczema flare ups, etc is different. I recommend the book as a guide/support for your ongoing treatment or if you still haven’t figure out what foods are problematic for you or if you want to know which foods/nutrients might help protect or improve your skin.

[Shana]

This is well done. It is a commitment if that's how you want to go but I think it gives some helpful tips that you can use to change your diet without following the plan this author sets forth. A good read - it reads easily enough that you can get through it without it feeling too text-book-like even though its a large book.

[Gerald Kinro]

Very informative and a good read. It lists foods that are friendly and not friendly to eczema in tabular form for easy reference. It includes a regimen for daily skin care to help. While current medical science sees no link between diet and eczema this book presents another option, especially for those who are desperate and/or wish to move outside of the box.

[Lauren]

Very thorough and detailed information provided. However, with all the information that is given, it’s hard to put it into practice in the way it is intended. I came away with more knowledge on how to improve by eczema, but at the same time baffled with an information overload of various steps I should be taking.

[Lindsey Bluethman]

Very very strict. Haven’t tried it yet but plan to soon. Lots of supplements recommended so it very easily adds up $$$. Plus I always wonder how much they work. My son has been on a probiotic, vitamin c, vitamin D and omega 3 for 2 years and it’s only gotten worse. We’ve tried dairy free and GF and neither worked. I’m at a loss though so I’m tempted to try this crazy strict diet if it will work.

[Heidi]

A thought provoking and interesting book.
Whilst I don't think any of my boys eczema is diet related, it is always good to continue educating myself about treatment options for them.
I highly recommend this book to anyone who suffers, or knows someone who suffers, from some kind of eczema or itching skin problem.

[Saera]

Good description of some human biological pathways but the simplicity and confidence in the 'fixes' seemed a bit unbelievable: science portrayed with such a high level of certainty makes me skeptical, the human body and disorders are massively complex after all.

[Brenda]

Picked this up at the library. Can't comment on the effectiveness of it, but there's lots of good recipes, some meal plans, and shopping lists. Seems like it would be easy enough to try to implement the diet if you can find the ingredients.

[Joseph]

Promotes two of the biggest health industry scams - that of the “detox” and that of “alkalizing” foods. The pH of the body is not altered by the consumption of acidic or alkaline foods, and your liver and kidney and skin are already doing all the detoxification that your body is capable of.

[Julie Evans]

Amazing results

I have suffered for so long. Great to find out what I can use/eat without having Aaron flare up. Would recommend

[Lucy]

Great to know info, but organization isn’t great. Think Kyra could be sensitive to salicylates but need more time to tell.

[Nicole Johnson]

The Eczema Diet book by Karen Fischer is filled with amazing information on how to stop eczema flare ups with food. I wish I had found this book years ago to help my husband. I will check this book out again from the public library. Thank you so much Karen!!!

[Eva Mancuso]

The diet would be nearly impossible to follow. There was other good information throughout the book, but the diet is to restrictive and definitely not a solution for everyone who has eczema.

[Duong Nguyen]

Cuốn sách giúp thay đổi thói quen ăn uống làng mạnh hơn. Tuy rằng việc áp dụng thực tế khá hạn chế do nhiều nguyên liệu phổ biến hơn ở các nước phát triển so với VN.

[Daniela]

Vďaka tejto knihe pochopíte mnohé súvislosti, dozviete sa, ako čo v organizme funguje, ktoré potraviny sú spúšťačmi atopického ekzému, prípadne ako ich upraviť tak, aby boli pre organizmus ekzematika menej zaťažujúce. Super, určite odporúčam každému jednému, ktorý týmto chronickým ochorením trpí.

[shannon]

I picked up this book because I was looking for another way to address my concerns with eczema. As an esthetician, I am well versed in skin care and various treatments. But I haven't been able to get control of my own dermatitis so I was looking for a dietary means to address it.

I found the information in this book to be very interesting, even if it was overwhelming. The arguments are well researched. I learned a lot and I have been giving the initial stages a go. So far, I have been disappointed with my results. I find the initial stages confusing... It seems that one page will state that a food is allowed in stage 1 and on another, it is not. So I'm not sure if my lack of results is due to my own error or just that these stages won't address my issues. Also, I haven't taken the supplements, but I find her recommendations overwhelming and cost prohibitive.

I'm planning to stick with the diet a while longer, so I'll amend my review if necessary.

[Katie]

I picked up this book because my son, who has so many allergies, was having an severe flare-up. It felt like a godsend! I especially appreciate the chart on page 174. I do wonder about the scientific legitimacy of some of the claims but being one of those moms who has done everything else to remedy her son’s eczema, taking on the diet change on top of the allergies has always seemed overwhelming until now. I’ve borrowed this book from the library but am going to buy my own copy for easy reference.

[Sue]

Easy to read and understand but may be difficult to follow the diet unless you are quite disciplined. Depending on how severe the eczema is may be the motivating factor. I still got some simple suggestions I will use and pass on to my daughter for her two sons. The author is based in Australia so her Rx and consultations may be more difficult to access for those of us in the US. She does have a Facebook page and blog.

[Nicola]

I found the book interesting and it gave food for thought. My toddler's eczema is mild and has only appeared once secondary to her food and other allergies. I wouldn't follow the diet as it's hard enough feeding a toddler in general and that's compounded by budget and food allergies.

It has made me more aware of salicylate sensitivities.
I'm going to add ground linseed to my next attempt to make soy free bread.
I'm considering experimenting with spelt for baking.

[Matilda]

if you are someone in your family suffers from eczema then this is a must read book.
I would have rated this book higher but as I have already read some other health books some of the info is repeated.
I did come away armed with new knowledge and things to try and implement.
7/10

[Frederic]

This book advocates a wildly restrictive diet that I cannot imagine following. The author's advice at times seemed self- contradictory and illogical. I confess I did not have the will to try the diet because I was discouraged both by the restrictions and by the inconsistencies.

[Cristina | Books, less beer & a baby Gaspar]

It is a very well writen and a very complete book. Simple explanations, always supported with reliable references. Very useful if you have some degree of eczema and a very good source of knowledge if you don't. It will be one of my bedside table books, as I will return to it every time I need to.

[Fran]

The main thing I got from this is that to find out if a certain food is causing this, you have to eliminate it, then reintroduce it. That could take way too long.