Many people have read my personal story of how I overcame very severe eczema, and usually when people read my story, I receive countless emails from people who ask me to describe what foods I ate and eliminated to help me become eczema free. I thought it would be simpler to finally make a post and a video on this 🙂
Please note that the elimination diet has helped me to overcome “severe” eczema, but it has not not completely cured all of the eczema forever. This diet has definitely helped to helped to manage the symptoms and to heal my body immensely. However, I still need to do my part in managing my body to keep it healthy and clean.
First off…
I should mention that diet can help to heal your eczema naturally. But of course, you must also combine it with other lifestyle factors that can affect your eczema as well, such as:
- Reducing stress
- Improving sleep quality/quantity
- Exercise
- Eating anti-inflammatory foods
- Implementing good digestion tips
- Improving your gut health
- Taking proper supplements to adequately nourish/repair your body and skin cells.
For example, if the root cause of your eczema stems from something like stress, you’ll need to address your stress and other lifestyle factors hindering your eczema healing. The last 5-10% of my eczema was the most difficult to heal. Although I was exercising and eating an almost “perfect” diet, I had an incredibly stressful job, and everything I tried to do to help my eczema get better would not work.
Once I quit my job, the last 5-10% of my eczema naturally healed itself so quickly, and my sleep also improved 100-times as well!
Did you know that?…
Eczema in anyone is usually a sign that a person’s gut health is impaired or that there are nutrient deficiencies going on in the body. In fact, it’s a clear sign that something in your body is imbalanced. The elimination diet helps to allow the digestive system and immune system to rest and heal itself, which is why it can be very effective in helping to bring eczema relief.
Healing Crisis and Eczema
One crucial thing to note is that most people who do the elimination diet will also encounter something called the “HEALING CRISIS” (read my blog post here that explains more about it), which is when the skin gets worse before it gets better because the body is purging toxins that have been hidden in the body for years. This is very common and can last anywhere from a few weeks to months.
Some clients tell me they get very scared because their eczema flares up significantly. Others get frustrated that they haven’t noticed a significant difference and want to give up after 1-2 months of doing the diet.
Keep in mind that just as it’s taken a lifetime for the eczema and toxins to build up, healing doesn’t take place overnight and it can take up to a few months to heal. Keep persevering and you will see results!
The Elimination Diet is a strict diet that people go on to reduce inflammation and help balance the body, skin, and eczema. A list of suspected or potentially problematic foods are removed for a short period of time (usually a few weeks), and once that period of time is over, the suspected foods are then reintroduced back into the gut, one at a time. You can skip down to see a list of foods allowed on the Elimination Diet.
The diet can seem very strict and overwhelming at first – but your palette will change and you will adjust to it. Some people who do it experience the healing crisis very severely (as mentioned before), and others don’t follow it strict enough and don’t notice a difference. The goal is to monitor for any reactions or symptoms and to also allow your digestive system, gut, and immune system to rest and repair itself. To understand more, read my post on why a healthy gut will lead to improved eczema.
*Confused and want to learn more about the elimination diet? Click here to learn more about my complete Elimination Diet Guide eBook*
After all, food is the best medicine.
You may or may not need to do the elimination diet depending on how severe your eczema currently is. Please make sure you find a certified practitioner who can walk with you through this.

Image courtesy of Healingpowerhour.com
What was my personal experience like doing the Elimination Diet?
A lot of people who have read my story usually email me and tell me they were really inspired by my story and want to try the elimination diet after. To be honest, I was really skeptical before trying the Elimination Diet. I had tried so many things over the decade (or more) of having eczema that I was really discouraged – especially when I heard that food could help.
Being a food lover, I also did not want to give up on food that I loved. My friend also originally asked me if I wanted to do the diet with her (to help her eczema get better as well) – and I had said no, because I didn’t believe that diet could change anything. After a couple of weeks of disbelief, my eczema had gotten so bad; every time I moved, it was unbearably painful, and my body was so messed up that every time I ate the wrong foods, I would feel a tingling sensation in my fingers or body. I know – it was very strange!

Here is my feet when it was still healing from the eczema (and not at its worse)
I decided that I had nothing to lose, so I went ahead to do it – cold turkey. You see, my eczema was so bad, that I was so determined to do whatever it took to help my eczema get better. I wasn’t even sure if what I was doing was working, because it just kept getting worse and worse. I went through a very serious healing crisis, and was really scared that I wouldn’t be able to make it. I was flustered, many people were very worried about me, and I even had to cancel a trip to Uganda in fear that my numerous open wounds would catch an infection there. To this day, it is the best decision I ever made.
I can now eat anything without having eczema flareups and without feeling tingling in my body. The reason is because I removed offending foods that were aggravating my digestive system, and I filled my body with proper nourishing foods to allow my body to heal and repair itself.
I never knew how to eat properly, I didn’t realize that the foods that I was eating and being marketed to were junk. I ate sugar everyday, and never treated my body well. I had an unhealthy addiction and obsession to food. Nowadays – I feel like it was a blessing in disguise. I have a new-found passion for healthy food, and it turned my life for the good. After this, I became a holistic nutritionist to help others. If you are really determined to try this diet as well to help your eczema, I would encourage you to do it (alongside a certified practitioner).

After the elimination diet when the inflammation calmed down
So, what foods can I eat and not eat on the Elimination Diet?
Good question.
The first step in any nutrition 101 is to remove anything dead (i.e. any junk foods or processed foods). These foods have no life force, and therefore have no “life” to give to you. Instead, we want to eat foods that are alive, natural, and unprocessed – as they contain living nutrients to help feed your cells and nourish your skin so it can repair itself.
For example, instead of pizza and chips (that create inflammation & use up more nutrients and resources in your body to digest), reach for something whole and unprocessed – such as kale, an apple, or almonds. These foods are alive and will feed your body the nutrients it needs to repair the eczema and calm the inflammation in your body.

Image courtesy of Myhotboxkitchen
Below is the full list (or click here for a larger version of the list). Note: Every site you go on may have a slightly different version of the elimination diet. Mine has been adapted from Dr. Junger’s work, which I highly respect and have heard a lot of great reviews from people and friends who have followed him (you can also read and buy his book here).
Disclaimer: This is information that is not meant to replace medical advice from your certified practitioner – please make sure to work with someone certified to give you appropriate medical advice.
Foods to Include Foods to Exclude
Fruits & Vegetables | Unsweetened fresh or frozen whole fruits, fresh squeezed fruit juices, sea vegetables (seaweeds), avocados, olives, and raw, steamed, sautéed, juiced, or roasted vegetables | Packaged juices, corn, creamed vegetables, nightshades (tomatoes, potatoes, eggplants, peppers)
|
Gluten Free Grains & Starch | Brown, red, black and wild rice, millet, amaranth, teff, tapioca, buckwheat, quinoa | White rice, wheat, corn, barley, spelt, kamut, rye, triticale |
Vegetable Protein | Split peas, lentils, legumes, bee pollen, spirulina, and blue-green algae | Soybean products (soy sauce, soybean oil in processed foods, tofu, soy milk, soy yogurt) |
Nuts and seeds | Walnuts, sesame, pumpkin, sunflower, hazelnuts, almonds, cashews, brazil nut, nut and seed butters (such as almond and tahini) | Peanuts, peanut butter |
Meat and fish | Fresh/water-packed cold-water fish (trout, salmon, halibut, tuna, mackerel, sardines, pike, kippers), wild game (rabbit, pheasant, bison, venison, elk, etc.), lamb, duck, organic chicken and turkey | Pork (bacon), beef, veal, sausage, cold cuts, canned meats, frankfurters (hot dogs), shellfish, any raw meats and fish |
Dairy products and milk substitutes | Hemp, rice, and nut milks (such as almond, hazelnut, walnut, etc.) and coconut milk, coconut oil/butter | Dairy and eggs: including milk, cheese, cottage cheese, cream, yogurt, butter, ice cream, non- dairy creamers, ghee |
Fats & Oils | Cold-pressed olive, coconut, flax, sesame, almond, sunflower, pumpkin, walnut, coconut | Butter, margarine, shortening, processed oils, canola oil, salad dressings, mayonnaise, spreads |
Drinks | Filtered water, green tea, herbal teas, seltzer or mineral water, coconut water | Alcohol, coffee, caffeinated beverages, soda pop, soft drinks, fruit juice (unless fresh pressed) |
Spices and condiments | Vinegar, all spices, all herbs, sea salt, black pepper, carob, raw cacao (dairy & sugar free), stone-ground mustard, miso, coconut liquid aminos, wheat-free tamari, unsweetened whole fruit jam | Regular chocolate (with dairy and sugar), ketchup, relish, chutney, traditional soy sauce, barbecue sauce, teriyaki, breath mints |
Sweeteners | Stevia, coconut nectar, whole/fresh fruit, dried fruit (in moderation), raw honey, maple syrup | Refined sugar, white/brown sugars, high fructose corn syrup, evaporated cane juice, Splenda®, Equal®, Sweet’N Low®, juice concentrate, agave nectar, brown rice syrup |
Why are some natural foods that look healthy banned from this diet?
Most of the foods that are not allowed are either potentially allergenic, can create sensitivities, are inflammatory, or hinder the liver from its detoxifying functions. I won’t go through all of them (as it would fill up an entire page) – but foods like red meats (like pork and beef) tend to be very inflammatory and are usually pumped with antibiotics, so they are not allowed on this list. In addition, corn and soy can create food sensitivities and are 95% GMO (in the US), meaning that they’re injected or sprayed with an herbicide called “roundup” to make the stomach of bugs explode. We want to stay away from these as this may affect the human gut as well.
Coffee and alcohol are also not allowed (unless it is an herbal tea), as it can hinder the detoxifying function of the liver.

Image courtesy of Bellagiomedspa.com
How do you do the Elimination Diet?
Instead of going into the diet cold turkey (like I did – wasn’t a very wise move), start to ease into the diet by picking a day to start the elimination diet. Choose a few foods and start to eliminate a few each week, until you’re fully following the list of foods to eliminate.
For example:
- In week 1, you can eliminate soy and corn.
- In week 2, you can eliminate gluten and dairy.
- In week 3, you can eliminate sugary foods and processed meats (i.e. sausages, beef, pork).
Keep eliminating more and more every week until you’re fully following the Elimination Diet List.
How long do you do this for?
Many practitioners recommend doing this for 2-4 weeks. I personally feel that if you have moderate to severe eczema, this is too short a time for your body to notice significant difference and truly be able to rest and repair itself.
One skin cycle takes about 1 month to fully renew itself, so I recommend that if you’re doing the Elimination Diet to calm your eczema down, you should do it for at least 4-6 weeks (or longer), to ensure a full skin cycle has renewed itself (and also to help your inflammation calm down so that your skin can heal itself).
It may take longer to notice a difference if your eczema is more severe.

Image courtesy of Healthiful Balance
I personally did this diet for 2+ months, and I recommend that if you’re still having a flare up while you’re on the Elimination Diet, then you should continue to do it until your inflammation calms down, as going back to eating potential offending foods may slow down your healing of your gut and immune system.
Keep a Food Journal
Make sure that you keep a food journal to record everything you’re eating at each meal. Try to write down the major ingredients you eat – e.g. “stew” will not be as helpful as “stew made with beef, potatoes, carrots, rosemary and garlic.”
Use a food journal like the one below (which you can click to enlarge and print), or use a food app like MyFitnessPal or even Google Docs to record your levels and notice any patterns of flare ups or itchiness.
Preparation is KEY
The key is to being successful with this diet is preparation. People who spend a week in advance preparing for this (and look up recipes for the elimination diet) generally do much better than people who just jump into it.
For example, cutting up vegetables, making a ready-made meat, quinoa, and seasonings ahead of time can increase compliance when you get cravings and have few options nearby.
Also, be sure to clean out your kitchen! Get rid of the foods that are not part of your elimination phase. It’s tricky when you know a food is hiding in your house and you’re tempted to reach for it.

Image courtesy of InnerfitbyMichele
Q&A: Can I just eliminate a few foods and not eliminate everything?
Yes….but you might not notice a difference. Depending on how severe your eczema is, your body may or may not respond (and be able to heal if only a few foods are removed). Generally, the more severe your eczema is, the stricter your diet should be to help your body heal. I know of people who have tried to eliminate only a few food groups, and for some people, it is not as effective as eliminating all the offending foods at once.
Another instance is when people only remove one food group each month. For example, if you only remove sugar for one month, and the next month you remove dairy and start eating sugar again, you could potentially be aggravating your immune and digestive system if you’re sensitive to both food groups.

Image courtesy of jumpjoeyjump.wordpress.com
As mentioned before, the Elimination Diet alone will help, but often needs to be done in combination with other things (such as improving gut health) and other lifestyle factor changes.
Best of luck! 🙂
Have you tried the elimination diet? How did it work for you?
Join my group coaching program for more personalized support, click here for more eczema resources or visit my list of recommended products for eczema. You can also find products to help your skin below:
Biography
Abby is a Registered Holistic Nutritionist who helps clients achieve optimal health. She is passionate about seeing people use health and nutrition to transform lives. She hopes that her experiences and knowledge can help educate others on natural remedies that will help eczema. Follow her on Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, or YouTube for more updates!
Disclaimer: All the information found on this website should be used for informational purposes only and is not intended to replace proper medical advice. Always consult a qualified health care provider before embarking on a health or supplement plan.
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Hi Abby I love your site. I’ve suffered from eczema since I was very young, and like you, tried everything under the sun. I’ve been doing more research on the elimination diet upon first reading about it on your site and I FINALLY decided that I should do it in order to get better.
My question is why do the elimination diet vs. getting an allergy skin test in order to know what foods to avoid? I’m assuming some food affect the gut differently than allergens being introduced to the skin? (I also read your post on healing the gut).
Thanks for your time! And congrats on getting married- such a beautiful story you have! God bless.
Hi Melanie – allergy skin tests are not always so accurate. They only test for immediate reactions, whereas food sensitivities can take up to 3 days to show up sometimes!
Given that this is the case, allergy skin tests are not as accurate as elimination diets are. Elimination diets will actually allow your body to observe which foods cause reactions in your body. Hope that helps!
Hi, Abby. I am inspired by your story. My son suffers from eczema, so I am going to do this since I am breastfeeding. Your site has been very helpful. Question: If I phase out food groups weekly like your example (not reintroducing them of course), would the time start when all are eliminated? In your above scenario, all things are eliminated in three weeks. Would I have technically “started” the diet then or would I have 3 weeks left? Thanks so much for your input. I’m so happy that you have sucesssfully cured your ezcema. You rock!
Hi Jackie! Thanks very much for your kind words! For myself, I was really strict so I timed it so that the 3 weeks started when I eliminated everything (mainly so that it allowed my body to calm down so I could take a break from any irritants in my body). Hope that helps!
Hi Abby,
I found your site last night and couldn’t stop reading. I have suffered from eczema since 2012. I have a lot of allergies with food and environment but as my last visit to the allergy specialist said, my levels of IgE are so high (24309) that everything will show as allergy in any allergy test I do. I read that the normal level is between 150-300 units So, I decided to start the elimination diet and find out what exactly I am allergic for.
The only time I have a break is when I take Prednisone, which makes me feel not well and gives me insomnia and other side effects. As soon as I stop taking Prednisone, my eczema is back along with some inflammation around my eyes and very dry skin. There are days when I can’t even open my eyes!
I will keep you posted and for sure will come back with more questions.
Thanks for your help and congrats on your recovery.
Claudine
Hi Claudine! Thanks for stopping by my site. I know it can definitely be hard! I hope your allergy test helped. Looking forward to hearing your progress!
How long does the diet last, I’m assuming it vary upon different people, then what was the time length of the diet for you, and how can you confirm that you have fully gotten rid of eczema.
Being a ezcema sufferer all my time, it’s a shame that a few foods that you mention that I can eat as part of the diet I am also allergic too, strangely enough most fruit and some veg.
Hi Mike – the length of the diet varies for each person – it depends on how long it takes your body to heal. Also I wrote a note at the top of the post that this diet doesn’t cure eczema but it does help to manage the symptoms of it. Hope that helps! 😉
Hi Abby,
Thank you for offering this alternative approach. The ointments and steroids seem to do so little. I believe diet influences many health problems and this may be a good answer for eczema. How effective has this been so far with your readers/clients?
Jason
Diet definitely helps a lot of people – but I’ve noticed that some people don’t notice any changes. However, it’s so much more than diet (which I want to educate more people to understand). When people see my healing, they often think that everything was just conquered by changing my diet (but it was so much more than that!). I have an ebook launching on Feb 5 on why dieting is not always enough, and other strategies that people can use to help their eczema. Hope that helps 😉
I’m not sure if I have eczema. I remembered when I was younger I had a really bad skin out break. It was under my armpit, my scalp, I was only a toddler I don’t really remember. My mom took me to a doctor they give some creams and shampoo. They were gone. I think in 2012 I had this round thing on my skin it looked like ringworm. as time went by it seems to be spreading all over my back. Over the summer they’re red and itchy. Even today I still get them. I moved to a cold climate this year and my skin has never been so itchy. My scalp is itchy my face is itchy. I don’t know what to do.My brother has eczema. I can’t eliminate my diet because i’m not in charge of my grocery, I’m still living with parents and i’m a teen.
Hey Abby! Why is it a bad idea to go cold turkey with the Elimination Diet? And is the healing crisis similar to TSW?
You don’t want to go on the elimination diet cold turkey because it can shock your body by making such a big change in your diet. Plus, it can also create big detox reactions, so gradually easing into the elimination diet will ease those symptoms. And some symptoms of the healing crisis are similar to TSW, but not all – everyone reacts differently to both.
I have a five-year-old son who suffers from severe eczema. He just had a measles shot and it Flarity eczema so bad that it turned into impetigo . We have tried everything that the doctors have prescribed but it always comes back . We want to try the illumination diet any advice ?
Hi Abby, Thanks for this website! I love all your advise! I stopped the steroid creams 2 weeks ago and my eczema is really red and inflamed right now. I started doing a fast, today is my second day, and also going to eat cleaner after the fast. I have eczema mostly on my hands and lower back. Do you have any tips on how to manage the eczema on the hands? I am a mother of 2 and its very hard and very painful to do the things I need to do.
Hi Abby,
I have two questions:
How would you recommend a nutritionist that is good with eczema? Who did you use?
– Also after the 4-6 weeks when do you begin eating normal again? How can you start reintroducing other foods again?
Thanks so much!
Hi, my naturopath also made me do a liver detox with water for 6 weeks which seemed to help a lot. My severe eczema went away and so did all my food allergies. Then she said I have to get the yeast out of my body. After 6 weeks I started having coffee again and some eczema came back but only mildly. I have eliminated all yeasty foods now and I’ll see if that helps. I also had the Topical Steroid rash for 3 months with hives as well. Hives are gone but rash comes and goes, but never as bad as the initial rash. My daughter also had the rash and 2 other people I know. One has never taken steroid medication or had eczema. Very strange. Someone said its the GMO foods causing all the skin problems. Could be so I watch what I eat carefully now. Just have a hard time giving up coffee. I only have one a day but organic coffee and organic cream, no sugar. It’s a long, hard battle at age 65.
Hi, thanks for this info!! Really thank you for this!! I have psoriasis, it can be helpfull for that too? Thanks again
Yes definitely!
Hi,
I’ve read your book and follow your diet however the Epsom salt bath does not seem to work for me. I
bath for 30 mins with 3C of salt and 1/2 C of baking soda. Should I wash myself with soap once I’m done with the bath?
What else can you suggest? I’m bathing in Epson every other day. I used steroids and cream for months. I also had steroid shots. It did not help.
I don’t know where to go from here.
Thank you,
Debra
Hi Abby,
I see that oats are on the Do NOT Include list, but I recall a picture on your website of oatmeal with berries that your boyfriend prepared for you. I am suspecting a reaction to oatmeal myself right now. Should I avoid it and do you have a reason why?