This is one of my favorite images from my visit to Boston Common last month. It’s a beautiful — pollen filled — park! I wonder if the flowers affected my skin health? Who knows!
My eczema is flaring out of control. The rash has spread, it’s more itchy than usual and I don’t have any idea what’s causing it to act up right now.
Or, do I?
I decided to scan my food log on My Fitness Pal and compare it to my daily health journal. Maybe I could pair up some reactions with what I’ve been eating and find a correlation?
Aha! Every time I eat peanuts, I’ve logged itchy leg rashes within hours, or the next day. So, maybe I’m allergic, or having some sort of immune system reaction to peanuts? It makes sense on a basic level.
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Of course, using a health journal isn’t an exact science, and many other things could have caused my eczema flare including the hot summer heat, extra sweating, work stress, unknown gluten cross-contamination, family stress, mowing the grass or even pollen from seasonal blooming flowers.
There are so many variables!
The point of my story is that following an elimination diet, or even a few dietary restrictions, and watching for reactions can be difficult to pinpoint.
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Your environment, mental health and nutrition all play a part in how your body functions.
Use a food log. Keep a health journal. But, don’t turn a blind eye to the other things in your life that affect your overall health. I often want to oversimplify and identify my conditions with one quick answer, when in reality, there are probably several factors affecting my health at any given time.
Until next time,
Choose healthy!
Angela
PS: Visit me on Facebook at Cupcakes and Yoga Pants!
