‘My Eczema Was So Bad I Wanted to Jump Out of My Skin—Until I Gave Up Sugar’
After decades of unbearable eczema, a 'Woman's World' reader found relief in a surprising diet change
Having dealt with painful eczema for as long as she could remember, Ananda Sarita, 69, had felt like she’d tried it all. But nothing, not even prescription medications, delivered lasting relief from the constant itching and irritation. But one day, she discovered a diet tweak for eczema—cutting out processed sugar—that helped reduce her flare-ups and inflammation. Learn how she did it and why her approach might work for other people with eczema, too.
Ananda’s lifelong struggle with eczema
My eczema is getting so bad, I want to jump out of my skin, Ananda thought one day while looking at her swollen, cracked, bleeding hands.
Ananda had been struggling her whole life with the common, chronic inflammatory skin condition also known as atopic dermatitis. When she was 20, her flare-ups were so severe that she sought the help of doctors and prescription medications—but nothing had helped. Desperate, she contacted a homeopath, who suggested that her eczema might be linked to sugar. I’ve never heard that before. Sugar can’t be the cause, Ananda thought at the time, brushing off the advice. But over the years, her skin continued to get worse.
Woman's World Answers
By the time she was 36, red, inflamed patches covered almost her entire body, and she had constant itching, bleeding and oozing sores she tried to keep hidden.
Ananda was embarrassed for anyone to see her skin, especially her hands. I feel like a monster, she despaired. And the pain is unbearable. After seeing more doctors, all they offered was a topical cream that contained cortisone. It soothed her skin a bit but never completely healed the burning, itching sores.
The surprising diet change that transformed her skin
At her wits’ end, Ananda remembered the homeopath who had suggested that sugar could be at the root of her issues. I should give it a try, Ananda decided. Hopeful, she systematically cut all processed sugar from her diet. She knew it would be difficult but committed to it for one month, carefully checking labels on processed foods and avoiding her usual sweet treats.
During the first three weeks, Ananda struggled with shakes and intense cravings. But to her shock and delight, her skin slowly began to clear. To stay motivated on her journey toward improving her health condition, she dove deeper into nutrition books and researched articles confirming that sugar can increase the risk of inflammation that leads to eczema.
She also discovered that more than 50 percent of people who suffer from eczema have improved their symptoms and overall health by eliminating inflammatory foods from their diet—such as processed sugar, dairy and wheat.
Today, she feels like a new person
Within a few months, Ananda’s eczema had completely cleared thanks to her diet change. And while it wasn’t easy to give up a common food ingredient like sugar, she stuck with it to improve her skin health. Not only did she stop struggling with itchy, red skin, but she was also shocked to discover that cutting processed sugar allowed her to enjoy food even more. Everything tastes so much better, she marveled.
Now, Ananda still follows a diet free of processed sugar and carefully reads labels before eating anything to avoid eczema flare-ups. If she wants something sweet without the added sugar, she has fruit, which satisfies her cravings.
“I feel healthy, happy and relieved that the eczema is gone and hasn’t ever come back,” Ananda says. “Not having to deal with the burning, itching and sores that eczema left on my skin is totally worth giving up sugar for!”
Conversation
All comments are subject to our Community Guidelines. Woman's World does not endorse the opinions and views shared by our readers in our comment sections. Our comments section is a place where readers can engage in healthy, productive, lively, and respectful discussions. Offensive language, hate speech, personal attacks, and/or defamatory statements are not permitted. Advertising or spam is also prohibited.
