Does Pineapple make eczema worse?
For a couple of years now, MyItchyBoy has been eating and enjoying dried pineapple. It never seemed to cause a problem for his eczema. Or did it?
He’d usually have the crispy type of dried pineapple until we discovered a chewy, sweet and easy-to-add-to-snack-boxes version. MyItchyBoy loved this stuff.
However, as he started to eat it more and more (virtually every day) I started to wonder whether the increase in his eczema was related.
Unfortunately, when it comes to eczema, it is really hard to work out what has caused a flare up, especially a minor one. The delay in reaction, as well as everyday factors such as heat and tiredness, can make it tricky to pinpoint what has made it worse.
So, unscientifically, I dropped pineapple completely from his diet and turned to the internet. Sure enough, there are plenty of people who react to pineapple in a bad way. Hmmm….not conclusive proof, but his skin did calm down and he can live without pineapple.
Do bananas make eczema worse?
And then to the humble banana…
The fruit most enjoyed by our family.
The easy to eat, energy-giving, versatile fruit that MyItchyBoy really likes.
What have I got against bananas? Well, again, only a feeling. A weekend of eating a lot of his favourite banana loaf (my lazy answer to baking as it is pretty much the only shop-bought baked good I can buy for him, he loves it, and it’s full of calories to keep him going), dried banana chips and fresh banana and well……….eczema.
Conclusive evidence? Definitely not. But again, I immediately stopped all banana eating by MyItchyBoy and the amount of eczema reduced.
His skin is still dry, he is still itching, but it is mostly limited to his ankles (school shoes and socks – another story!) and those times when he is grumpy, tired, bored, etc.
Hmmm….
I’m giving it another week and then I think I’ll give him a banana and see what happens.
I know that he can live without bananas and pineapples, despite pressure these days to eat more fruit and veg and have lunch boxes packed with the stuff. But, without stone fruits (definitely flare up his eczema), apples, grapes and raisins (all give him indigestion unless in small, infrequent doses) and now pineapple and banana we are getting limited in fruit to give to MyItchyBoy.
Luckily he loves blueberries (unlike my bank balance!) and pears and vegetables, so I’m not too worried just yet.
I’m, of course, selfishly worried about finding easy things to put in MyItchyBoy’s lunch box and that I’ll have to keep up with the baking! I do like the sleep I get when MyItchyBoy’s eczema is under control though…and not seeing him suffer unnecessarily. So I’ll probably get over myself and cope.
I plan to challenge the eczema on both fruits again and see if I can tell if there is a difference. But for now, I think we’ll manage without.
syalae says
Banana is good for eczema . but i dont know if pineapple is good. ur itchyboy’s eczema got worse bcs he ate it a lot. fruits contain fructose . which eczema sufferrers are allergy to.
Ruth says
Interesting that you discover foods for yourself that you then challenge and decide to leave out of the diet. I have come under criticism in the twitter community tonight as I have chosen to have my son dairy free because I had a hunch is made his reflux worse (born with a diaphragmatic hernia and so is predisposed to reflux). He started sleeping better and his eczema totally disappeared after giving up dairy. I have been dairy free for 22 years after I stopped being able to tolerate it during an illness and my doctor advised me to never have dairy again (though I manage butter for some reason). My mum is also lactose intolerant so we have a history with dairy. My mum’s mum also found that she couldn’t have too much cheese or ever have hot cheese. I had his calcium levels checked as this is the main thing dairy is considered important for although it is low in magnesium which needs to go with calcium for absorption so I would argue we’ve been sold a lie about the importance of dairy – some cultures don’t have it in their diet! So I’m confident excluding dairy isn’t an issue but I’ve just never gone down the medical route as I just don’t see it necessary. I know it doesn’t suit him so I don’t give it. I remember the first time he had something with cream as a toddler. He went all quiet, went a bit floppy, vomited intensely then slept. If it doesn’t suit him it doesn’t suit him. And if schools compel children to have school lunches but will only take a medical certificate where does this leave me? I will happily discuss this with a gp / paed consultant but there is no way my child is going to be eating a school lunch with multiple allergies / intolerances and he is not going to be fed junky additive laden free from options. I make most stuff from scratch to avoid the fall out from additives – hyper, poor concentration!
MyItchyBoy says
I have similar problems myself – trouble with dairy that NHS couldn’t be bothered to help me understand but prob had since I was a ki – never been able to stand butter and never a fan of cheese. I think parents really know what makes the difference especially when it comes to eczema. The reason he is dairy free is due to a hive reaction when about 4-5 mths old when first tried to introduce formula while bf-ing. MyItchyBoy’s eczema flares up with stone fruits, but NHS can’t test on this so take our word on it. Not sure how it will work if need to provide medical evidence for school dinners either. Am figuring it’s most likely that MIB will be eating his packed lunch with a handful of others in a separate room from what I can gather from the Head so far 🙁