The USDA reports that the average American consumes a STAGGERING 2.5 pounds (over a kilo) of sugar a week: about 22 to 30 teaspoons of sugar daily!
That’s a LOT of sugar, especially when you consider that the dietary effects of too much sugar has been linked to:
arthritis
allergies
overeating
degenerative/organ disease
depression
diabetes
behavioral problems
immune disruption
migraines
obesity
skin problems
hormonal issues
But what about eczema?
Research, other effects of sugar:
Studies have shown that consuming anywhere from 75 to 100 grams of simple sugar (about 20 teaspoons of sugar), can suppress the body’s immune responses for up to 5 hours. Too much of these sugars have been shown to create up to a 50% drop in the ability of white blood cells to kill bacteria and viruses in the body, leading to a weakened immune system.
This may negatively affect your body’s ability to fight bacteria and viruses, including eczema…..
Let’s see more.
How sugar impacts your skin and eczema
There’s a lot to learn about sugar and eczema, but let’s start with the basics: sugar tends to have a negative impact on the skin because it causes high amounts of inflammation in the body.
When you eat sugar, sugary foods, or a high-glycemic food (a food that rapidly converts to sugar — more on that later), your body breaks down these carbohydrates into glucose, which raises your insulin levels.
These simple carbohydrates (like refined sugar, shakes, soda, candy, etc.), cause your insulin levels to spike, creating a burst of inflammation throughout your body.
This inflammation then produces enzymes that break down collagen and elastin — two of the major components to build healthy skin.
This process is called glycation, and can result in sagging skin, wrinkles, and can result in current eczema wounds not improving or taking longer to heal.
Let’s look at that in detail…
What is glycation?
Glycation occurs when the body does not properly metabolise glucose (often due to a high sugar diet).
When not properly metabolized, glucose (sugar) binds to protein molecules, forming abnormal chemical bridges called advanced glycation end products (AGEs).
Your body then starts to produce antibodies against the AGEs that cause inflammation.
These AGEs accumalate in the tissues, causing skin to become rigid, wrinkly, less elastic, and have reduced regenerative ability. Glycation leads to cracking, weak skin that takes longer to heal, and future damage such as thinning and dryness (eczema).
This becomes a problem when you have sensitive skin or eczema, as it can affect your skin’s ability to self-repair. You can also experience skin laxity, cracking, thinning, and redness.
How sugar induces glycation
The more sugar you eat, the more AGEs are introduced in the skin. Glycation, as a result of too much sugar intake, irritates and exacerbates skin conditions like eczema, acne, psoriasis, and rosacea.
Not many people know about these effects of glycation, but it’s actually one of the major factors for skin damaging.
Glycation and increased AGEs in the body, is a huge issue when it comes to skin conditions such as eczema, as it damages our already sensitive skin functions!
This is why some people can experience itching, redness, eczema or skin breakouts from eating high sugar foods such as candy, sweets, sugary drinks like soda, and so on.
If you have eczema or other skin conditions, a high sugar diet (that creates inflammation and glycation), is going to make your condition worse.
How to eat less sugar and sugary foods to improve your eczema
The glycation process is accelerated in all body tissues when sugar is elevated, and the immune system is also weakened with too much sugar intake. Both of these factors effect the healing process of eczema.
Now that you understand the effects of sugar in the skin and body, let’s look at some ways to eat less sugar!
Stay under the sugar limits
The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends keeping your free sugar intake to less than 10% of total energy intake. A further reduction to below 5% or roughly 25 grams (6 teaspoons) per day would provide additional health benefits.
“Free sugars” means “monosaccharides and disaccharides added to foods and beverages by the manufacturer, cook or consumer, and sugars naturally present in honey, syrups, fruit juices and fruit juice concentrates”.
If your eczema is really bad, then limiting your free sugars to below 5% of your calories or around 25g is a great place to start! I usually try to stay around or under 20g of “free sugar” daily.
Always read your ingredient labels
Sugar isn’t only in obvious foods like candy, sweets, and ice cream. It’s in sauces, potato chips, crackers, sausages, jerky, salad dressings… the list goes on!
This is why it’s important that you always read the back of your labels to see how much sugar is in the product, and in the serving that you’re eating.
Avoid liquid sugar
Did you know that an average 32oz smoothie (even the ones you make at home!) can contain up to 30g of sugar? That’s over the recommended sugar intake!
It’s easy to over-eat on sugar when you’re drinking it. Liquids go down easier, and the quantities are hard to count. I went to a friend’s bbq the other day, and (hard as I tried) I could not recall how much juice/sugar I drank.
The first step to lowering sugar is easy! Stop drinking it. This includes soda, pop, lemonade, smoothies, shakes, yogurt smoothies, sweet teas, milk-teas, and juices.
Avoid high-glycemic foods
A high glycemic food is a simple carbohydrate that is easily absorbed by the body. High glycemic foods raise your blood sugar, cause your insulin levels to spike, creating inflammation throughout the body. This also causes glycation.
Some of the highest glycemic foods are processed foods.
The faster a food is absorbed by your body, the higher it raises your blood sugar. Processed foods tend to raise your blood sugar faster, because they are usually stripped of fibers, fats, and proteins, making it easily absorbed by the body.
Even “healthy” foods like gluten-free cereals or yogurts, can be high glycemic because they are processed.
Avoid high glycemic foods such as processed foods, chips, sauces, yogurts, cereals, etc. as much as possible to reduce inflammation and high sugar levels in the body.
Eat whole, REAL FOOD instead.
Have fruit as a dessert: not a main course.
“Free sugars” include fruit juices and fruit concentrate; because yes, even fruits have sugar. For example, one large Navel Orange (270g) contains 23g of sugar!
Dried fruits, and especially fruits that have been broken down and processed (in juices or smoothies), are also high-glycemic, so it’s best to avoid them or treat them as a dessert. They shouldn’t be your main source of calories!
Try to stick to one fruit a day or eat low-sugar fruits such as berries (raspberries, blackberries, cranberries, and strawberries). Your skin will thank you later!
Don’t eat artificial or fake sugars
A common mistake some people do is to substitute sugar for fake or artificial 0 calorie sugars. However, this can actually make you crave sweets even more!
According to reports, artificial sweeteners, precisely BECAUSE they are sweet (and in some cases even sweeter than regular sugar), encourage sugar craving and sugar dependence. Research suggests that frequent use of these hyper-intense sweeteners may limit tolerance for more complex tastes.
People who routinely use artificial sweeteners may start to find less intensely sweet foods (such as fruits and veggies) less appealing. As a result, we may crave more sugar, and tend to choose sweet food over nutritious food.
In other words, artificial sweeteners can make you lose desire for healthy, filling, and highly nutritious foods while increasing cravings for more sweetened foods!
If you’re trying to cut the sugar, and reduce your cravings for sweet things: avoid artificial sweeteners, as they may make you actually crave MORE sugar.
You can use a plant-based sugar like coconut sugar (low glycemic), Stevia or Monk Fruit sugar.
Dealing with your sugar cravings
After a couple of days on a low-sugar plan, your initial cravings should be reduced. However, you may find it easier to reduce these cravings by doing the following:
• Eat more protein.
L-Glutamine is an amino acid that your brain uses as a fuel when you haven’t eaten recently or when your blood sugar level is low. This substitute stops the impulse to eat more sugar, and can help you curb the sugar cravings when your sugar is low.
You can find L-glutamine naturally in animal protein such as eggs and chicken, and you can also take it as a supplement.
I buy mine online without binders and fillers here: L Glutamine Capsules 500mg.
L-glutamine is often used to stop carb cravings and get you steady even within 10 minutes!
• Eat dark chocolate (over 75%) with cocoa butter
Did you know that dark chocolate is one of the only substances studied to reduce sugar cravings? In a controlled test with dark chocolate, participants were shown to feel more satiated, less hungry, and had lower ratings of eating more sweets after eating dark chocolate!
One reason is because cocoa is rich in fiber and protein which is far more satisfying to your body than sugar. Also, the healthy fat cocoa butter, is more satiating and filling, making you crave sweet foods less!
Eating cocoa has also been proven to help reduce stress hormones. This helps if you are dealing with sugar crashes, and need something to keep you steady.
I buy dark chocolate over 85 percent, with cocoa butter. This normally only contains 20g of sugar per 100g of chocolate. Well within my 25g for the day! 🙂
• Enjoy a beautiful life
A life where sugar is balanced means waking up fresh in the morning, glowing skin complexion, improved eczema, less crashes, desired weight loss, reduced migraines and headaches, increased energy, and better brain and body performance!
On the same lines, there is no need to mourn the loss of sugar when you have so much beautiful food to eat! Have some smoked salmon, fry some bacon, roast a chicken, make a comforting stew, and enjoy a low-sugar treat like dark chocolate.
There are so many delicious foods to taste– so don’t feel deprived! Feed your body real food, that will make you look and feel better.
Reduce sugar and sugary foods to improve eczema
Sugar is one of the biggest eczema triggers for a lot of people, which is why I talk about the importance of eliminating it if you have eczema, in my Flawless Training Series.
If your eczema is really bad or you’re going through withdrawals from steroid creams, follow the steps above to reduce sugar, and avoid the negative effects of inflammation and glycation. Glycation causes wrinkles, redness, dryness, and easily irritated skin that may take longer to heal.
Reduce sugar, and you’re going to see changes on your skin! 😀
What did you think of this article? Are you excited to lessen sugar and start seeing changes for your eczema? Leave me a reply!
PS: Don't know where to start? Sign up to my free series The Clear Skin Plan !
Hi. Thanks alot for the info. Very informative. My 2 1/2 yr old daughter suffers with severe eczema. I’ve been the cortisone route and it just got worse. From a small rash on the eyelid n ear it spread to her whole body. I dnt even know if the initial rash was eczema. Nyway im dn with cortisone but withdrawal is bad.
U say sugar worsens eczema. If I replace it with honey is it ok since honey is a natural antibiotic. Plz advise
Hi Lutfia, raw honey is better than refined sugar, but it is still a sugar. I suggest following the guidelines of sugar intake for children found in the WHO PDF here. You can also use natural plant sweeteners, recommended in the article.
Hi there!,
my daughter had eczema since she was months old, she is now 7yrs old. Last year I took her to a homeopathic doctor I was trying everything and anything. He put her on a low sugar low dairy diet (I cut a lot of sugar and most dairy), he also prescribed some milk thistle drops. 2 weeks later she was sleeping thru the night. its been a year now and she has subtle flare ups when she eats too many sweets (party, day out, special occasions). Hope this helps, good luck.
Hi Jess
Can you please tell me what the milk thistle drops are that you used? I’ve been looking into them for my 8yr daughter who has terrible constant eczema. She’s had it her whole life for about 6mnths it cleared up awesome and now back horrible again. She had came off her gf/df diet and started craving sugar in crazy amounts, horrible moods, not sleeping etc. So we back to looking at diet and no sugar. Bit i was recommended milk thistle too
Hi , I have few question to you, cause I have been studying eczema for really now intensive time.
1.what do you think about carob? it should be better than cacao no?
2.using apple vinegar should be very good for curing eczema cause it makes balance of ph in your gut. Even skin covering with this vinegar is seen to core faster and more natural way than any cream. So drinking together with covering is really great.
3.Do you know about akuna.net and their products? see alveo experience and reaction of people that cured from eczema without any extreme change of diet etc…..
4.do you also believe that eczema can be cured by other than physical issue? some people that focus on their mind cures from it. Visualization, belief e.g. in god and laugh therapy can make really miracles also without any change in diet.
Thank you much
Hi Martin,
Carob is a good alternative if you’re sensitive to cacao or caffeine.
To answer your questions, some people can definitely improve their eczema without dramatically changing their diet.
However for long-term results, I believe it’s important to pay attention to what you eat, as that’s what will ultimately determine the health of your overall body. Eczema can be triggered by many different things, but you still need to have a strong immune system to help it clear up.
Thanks for commenting, hope this helps!
I had a flare up of eczema around my mid section, stomach, sides and back of the knees since consuming Apple Cider Vinegar, i noticed how itchy and worse it got when I consumed it. I stopped taking it and within a days, the itching stopped and within a week it was it had subsided and 2 weeks it was all gone. , we’re all different and react to different foods, chemicals and substances.
Also Fructose is a no no with me
Would potatoes (or any food with carbs that turn to glucose in the body) have that same effect of triggering eczema?
I’ve been trying to figure out if I need to cut out all carbs, or just simple sugars/added sugars.
I would start with simple/added sugars and processed foods.
Good info! I’m going to try lowering my sugar intake to 25g and see if it helps.Thanks!
Great!
Hello,
I’ve been following the guidelines of your site (no dairy, wheat/gluten or sugar) for just over a month now. I’ve definitely seen improvements in my eczema and I’m hoping its on its last legs — I think I’m currently in the “healing crisis” you’ve written about.
I’m trying to see if I’ll have to forever be extremely vigilant about sugar or if it’s ok to substitute with other sweets… Particularly when I bake… Is real maple syrup an acceptable substitute for sugar (in addition to coconut sugar as you mentioned)? Is the issue refined/processed sugar? Does that mean cane sugar? Or is cane sugar somewhat of an alternative to white refined?
Thanks…
Hello! It’s so good to hear that the guidelines of the flawless program are helping with your eczema!
To answer your question: all sugar counts as sugar when processed by the body. Natural sugars (like honey, coconut, maple, etc.) are “better” because they are less processed, but they still count as regular sugar. Instead of focusing on the type, I would just count the grams that you’re consuming. One cup of white sugar for ex = 100g of sugar. I think with honey it’s about the same.
Hope this helps!
Hi,
Thankyou so much for this article,I’ve thought there was a link between eczema and sugar but you have confirmed it. I have chronic varicose eczema(also 30yr history of rheumatoid arthritis )I’m 69 yrs old.
From now on I’ll make every effort to reduce my sugar intake which won’t be easy but know it’ll reap huge benefits if I make it a way of life.
Thankyou for confirming this and highlighting the worse foods to avoid. 🙂
Great to hear! Don’t forget the hidden sugars in drinks/sauces 😉 Those are the sneakiest ones.
Hi Christina,
Your information is really interesting. I have been born with eczema and unfortunately it is is still haunting me. I am going to go sugar free and see what happens.
Thanks.
Theo
Great help. Yes I too have VE and it’s incredibly painful, as though battery acid has been poured over your legs, terrible! It’s early days for me but I’m wondering that by reducing these sugars so much do we become seriously sensitive to all carbs, which then trigger flare ups of inflammation and then eczema ?
My ezcema really flared up over the holidays in 2015 so I realized it was all the sugars I ate. At night it was like ping, ping, ping all the areas of my skin that really itched bad. I’ll have to cut my sugar way back.
I also usually drink one small glass of wine or beer at dinner. Need to cut back on those sugars too.
Thanks for sharing your experience with sugar and eczema! It’s great to hear stories like this.
I believe sugar is worse than smoking. If someone with excema was to smoke think of what it would be doing to their skin. I believe that every human being consumes too much sugar in their life time not knowing how much sugar is in the foods we buy is hard to keep on top of it all with our speedy lifestyles. I guess if you can half your daily sugar intake then your on your way to a happier life style.
I have quit alcohol, drugs and cigarettes, but sugar seems to be the one I am having the most trouble with. It seems we live in a country that has many hooked.
Hey there, perhaps I can give you a tip? The easiest way to quit sugar (or any eczema trigger for that matter) is to REPLACE it. Buy delicious foods that you can have instead of sugary foods. Otherwise, you’re gonna end up craving it! Hope this helps.
Good point! The best way to keep your sugar intake low is to eat real food, as those don’t have added sugar anyways. It’s only the processed stuff that have the most sugar.
great things, Thnks for sharing
Wow. So interesting. I suffer with psoriasis so will try as nothing else has helped control.
Hi Louise! Sugar makes the skin more dry through glycation, so yes, reducing it could help your psoriasis symptoms. Let us know how it goes!
Huge thanks for this article! Glycation makes absolute sense as have od’d on sugar all my life and now cuts/eczema etc are taking an age to heal. Am going off sugar/carbs entirely for 3 weeks to see what happens and to test for sugar intolerance. Am craving doughnuts already 🙂 Wish me luck!
Hey, so glad it could help you! Best of luck!
Hi,thank God that I did that search”relationship between eczema and sugar” and thank you for great information ,I was trying to go fully raw vegan and ate one big watermelon within 3 days, after that my eczema started and I didn’t know that caused the problem, thank you thank you laaa la la laaa :-* :-* <3
Great article!
I have been struggling with eczema since childhood; and has gotten severe in recent years. Only in the last few months did I realize my diet was the huge trigger for my flare ups.
This article helped me understand the science and reason why my cutting out all the junk made my skin so much better; and why my skin gets bad again when u give in to cravings.
I don’t know when you wrote this article but I only just discovered it and I am SO glad I did. It’s very inspiring and informative.
I have been battling the unpalatable eczema curse for 20 years or more and I wish it would go away…don’t we all, wish to… just wake up one morning and see that it’s all gone away!! But that is never going to happen. I went on a chocolate binge, something I don’t usually do, and noticed how my eczema flared up most alarming to my face and that scared the hell out of me. I usually don’t have much sugar as I am not a coffee nor a tea drinker but I drink lots of fruit and vegetable juices as I am a health fanatic. Your article makes much sense. I never would have thought of fruit juices and yoghurt[just had a bowlfull now with loads of bananas. apples and nuts and maple syrup over…sounds healthy but I am wondering if it explains the discomfort of my skin as my skin feels more itchy and looks a bit more aggravated..could my healthy bowl be the cause? Could you advise if it does have some effect. I am really looking at a new healthy lifestyle and very inspired by your great research. Thanks a million for all the advice! Also, I just read an article on pet dander and the article suggested to give away pets. I have 2 Jack russels which are part of the family and between my eczema and my pets I’m more likely keep both than have to give ‘one’ away. Please can you do an article on eczema and pet dander and if there is any combatant or skin creams etc that can act as a resistant to pet dander. Or any advise that DOES not tell me to give my pets away.
Hi – yes fruit is tricky because it does tend to have a lot of sugar. Generally I try to keep it as a dessert rather than a meal or a snack. My skin tends to do better this way. Try lessening it for a while and see how you feel? Also, great suggestions for the upcoming articles, I do need to talk about outside eczema triggers. Stay tuned!
Excellent article. When I took sugar near completely from my diet using the FODMAPS diet as instructed by my gastroenterologist due to IBS, my eczema cleared up completely. Sugar totally causes inflammation and I didn’t understand why until now. -Thanks
Thanks, glad the article helped! Feel free to share it with a friend or someone who’s wondering about this too. 🙂
Dear Christina!
Thank you so much for such a wonderful article!
However, it doesn’t help me understand the reason for my child’s eczema. He is 19 month now and still mostly breastfed. During all the pregnancy I had only veggies (fresh or steamed) and occasional fish or several eggs. Some fresh berries, no fruits. No dairy, no gluten. Grains – no, just oats, quinoa, buckwheat, lentils(sometimes too much of it). However, after his birth I added some dairy (kefir) and a little bit of gluten(rye, not wheat),’cause I always felt too hungry on veggies and needed a quick snack.
He got eczema at 4 month and since then it tends to be worse and worse. I cut all the grains and dairy, as well as eggs, fermented soy and fruits from both his and mine diets. Our diet is very limited now. It never had anything processed. But his eczema tends to considerably worsen even after kale or broussel sprouts. I mean, he LOVES kale and broussels, but I have to limit them or even avoid. How can that be? What do you think we have to try?
Thank you for this brilliant article.
You’ve helped me so much more than my doctor has. For years they have prescribed me expensive steroid creams, and when I asked them for an alternative, or a way to cure rather than permanently treat the problem, they couldn’t answer me! And you have! They just told me to keep using the steroid cream indefinately, wasting money and poisoning my skin with chemicals. So thank you so much for providing me with a preventative cure, and the truth. Real medicine is food eh?
Hi Christina,
I am new to this so my question to you is, I have a smoothie everyday, if not every other. I always use banana but i switch up other fruits that I also add like frozen blueberries, peaches and mangoes. I always use coconut water and sometimes coconut milk. Can these items cause inflammation from their natural sugar?
I stumbled across this today and it is very much on the mark. I have had eczema for about 25 years now. Was not born with it. It developed when I was about 30. I have tried endless strategies over the years, but about 5 years ago, decided to cut all sugars (that includes everything – refined sugars, treats, fruits, drinks, breads, pastas, – anything that converts to sugar in the bloodstream). Switched to strictly whole foods, vegetables meats, eggs but no other dairy and FINALLY over the course of the last few years, it has started to heal. I know it sounds like a horrendous price – giving up all sugars…but I had eczema around my eyes, eyelids, back of neck and scalp…so the price has been worth it. The bonus that I discovered in this journey that was even more rewarding was that elimination of migraines. I used to suffer 3 days a week for about 45 weeks of the year. When I cut the sugars and breads, the migraines immediately stopped. That was Amazing!! The quality of my life changed big time! I now only get one about once every 2 years and they are very mild Do your best to cut the sugars and your health will definitely improve for the better, in all aspects.
I definitely agree on the processed foods thing- however about dark chocolate, how its a bit different. I will try to stick to no more than 6 teaspoons of added sugars per day/ What confuses me is the definition of free sugars-what about fruit? Surely it’s not as bad in it’s whole form with the fibre still intact etc- or do I really need to only have 1 piece of fruit a day for the rest of my life? Fruit has so many nutrients thought it was a healthy food. Or, is it something you can add back in larger amounts once the eczema is healed? I would love some clarity on this subject. I have been reading lots of your post and am really loving your advice about gut health, I really think there’s a connection.
Maintaining a sugar free diet will be super hard since sugar is in nearly every food I eat on a daily basis. Any helpful tips for avoiding sugar?
I know what you mean! It was hard for me too when I first started. One thing that helped me was to cook at home using real food. I was eating a lot of pre-packaged stuff, and that’s usually where the sugar is hiding. You’d be surprised at how easy it will be!
Excellent information
Ever since I cut out sugar and fried food from my meals, I feel more energetic and my skin has cleared.
Thanks a lot
Regards
That’s so great to hear!
Hi,
Thanks for sharing this great tips. I begin to limit my sugar intake and make sure that my sugar level is balanced. My skin is now getting healthier because of limited consumption of sugar and I perform healthy diet with exercise.
I think it’s important to know that if you’re going to cut sugar dramatically, and also refined carbs (or carbs in general), then it’s REALLY helpful to add extra good fats and oils to the diet. Protein and fats will help you feel full and sated, rather than starving hungry! Plus it makes vegetables taste way better. Olive oil, coconut oil, eggs, animal fat, butter. The body (and skin) needs oil for good health, and the low-fat diet advice of the last decades was based on flawed science. Cut carbs to reduce your inflammatory insulin, and increase fats and oils.
My eczema started in 2015. Did a ton of running to the skin specialists. None of the creams or the anti histamines helped.
In mid 2016, I discovered I was prediabetic. That was the reason I decided to cut all sugar from my diet.
I made a real effort to eliminate added sugar (in my teas and coffees, since I like sugar on them) and hidden sugars (since I love bread and desserts, and the ones I like have so much sugar in them).
Withhin a few weeks, I noticed my itching had gone!
At first I thought it was a seasonal thing. Perhaps the summer air was kinder? Perhaps my new gym routine had brought benefits?
No, it was the sugar elimination that was what was working! I noticed my eczema would return to an extent every weekend, because that was also the time when I would let my guard down and have beers, chips, and other junk food that contain sugar.
Two weeks ago, I discovered the hard way that even fruits cause my itch to come back. Because I was recovering from a viral infection, my doctor suggested I eat lots of fruits to hydrate myself. So I began to eat lots of banana, grapes and oranges. And surely, my skin itch has returned within hours of fruit consumption!
I’m quite convinced that in my case, there is a direct link between sugar and my itch.
Thank yo so much for this article!!! I’ve suffered with eczema all my life and I’m relieved to finally find some sort of natural cure instead of endless steroid cream ! Why do skin doctors just endorse steroids and not look at the diet of a person??? We are what we eat….
Thank you soo much!!! Xoxoxo
Hey, this article is great! It provides confirmation of something I started suspecting!!
My skin is up and down in general ranging from absolutely fine (albeit generally always a bit dry) up to red and angry and painful. I am always interested in nutrition as an avid gym-goer. I’ve experimented with a Keto diet in the past and always found it to be very beneficial for my skin whilst not really understanding why. Your article answers some of those questions.
More importantly for me right now though, I’m doing a ‘cyclical keto diet’ at the moment, meaning I’m next-to-no carbs all week and then have a refeed for one day at the weekend. From a ‘gym aesthetic’ POV it’s going really well, and it’s much easier to sustain a keto diet when I get that one day reprieve each week. However, I had noticed that because my refeed days tend to include basically anything I feel like eating (in my case, usually lots of pizza and chocolate!) I would wake up to very unhappy skin the next day and I began to wonder whether the insulin spike associated with my refeed day would be causing this. You make a very convincing case that it does!!
…which is sad because now I have no excuse for pizza and chocolate!!
Hey, thanks for this article I really needed to read this and use it as motivation to make a change. I’ve been trying to cure my breastfed babies face eczema since for basically 8 months now and cutting things like gluten, coffee, dairy and eggs works but then it comes back! I think it’s truly his and my blood sugar levels causing it now.. thank you so much for sharing this information you may have just changed our lives.. ❤❤❤
My eczema is a fairly mild case–always thought it was a few ant or spider bites and they never occurred when I was seeing a doctor. Six or 7 years ago, it did coincide with a doctor visit and he said they weren’t bug bites and were probably eczema. Five years ago I was diagnosed as prediabetic. After some intense research, I limited my carb intake to 20 grams a day on a LCHF diet. Last weekend I ate more carbs in a couple of hours than I usually eat in a couple of weeks. My whole body itches. Now I know that sugar/carbs aren’t something I want in my life. A good reminder!