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Dietician Sheela Seharawat

Best way to prevent skin allergies. Things you should add to your meals right away.

Skin is the largest organ of our body, and plays a vital role in the overall body functioning. Also, our skin is the first thing that people notice and see in us. When we meet someone and extend our hands for a shake, skin allergies can affect our first impression. A skin allergy is a condition of the skin that is caused by any unwanted or irritating substance comes in contact with the skin. In medical terms, when an allergen is responsible for triggering an immune system response, then it is an allergic skin condition. Skin irritations or allergies can be caused by a variety of factors. The common ones include immune system disorders, medications and infections.
Skin is our body’s defence system against the elements of the outside world, but what happens when our skin becomes so irritated and sensitive to protect us?

And what makes our skin suddenly react so badly?
According to scientific researches, any allergic reaction is basically caused when any immune response goes awry. The role of the immune system is to find and fight pathogenic organisms [invaders] like bacteria and viruses, but times this extra-sensitive immune system of our, can turn on its powers on seemingly harmless substances like latex and pet dander. These things are known as allergens or allergy-generating substances. This reaction of the immune system results in allergies or allergic reactions alike – food allergies, skin allergies and hay fevers.

How can we understand that it is an allergic reaction?
There are various different types of skin allergies. These reactions could be eczema, atopic dermatitis or contact dermatitis, hives or urticaria and also swelling or angioedema. The most common signs of skin allergies are:

• Itching on skin.
• Rashes
• Redness in a particular area.
• Swellings
• Raised bumps.
• Flaking of the skin
• Cracked and dry skin.

Foods that help curb allergies
The most easy and effective way to avoid skin allergies is to avoid contacts with any sort of allergens. However, there are certain foods that have been known for improving our immune system and protect us from various allergies and skin infections. Let’s know what these foods are:

Foods rich in vitamin C
Getting more of foods rich in vitamin C helps in the healing of skin rashes and allergies. Being an antioxidant itself, vitamin C has the power to protect our skins from oxidative stress by helping reduce inflammation. Foods like grapefruits, strawberries, oranges, red and green pepper, potatoes, broccoli and spinach are rich sources of vitamin C and helps the body absorb more of it through our diet.

Beans of different kinds
Several beans alike kidney beans, black-eyed peas, chickpeas, navy beans and pinto beans are valuable sources of carbohydrates, which turn into glucose, and protein. Glucose is the primary source of fuel for the skin, while proteins provides all the necessary amino acids important for the development of new skin cells, that forms our dermis and epidermis. Getting these essential nutrients through our diet will lay the foundation of healthy and new skins and help heal rashes and allergies.

Fruits and Vegetables that are Orange in colour
Vitamin A – is a fat-soluble vitamin and is an important component of our skin. Foods like carrots, oranges, mangoes, sweet potatoes, cantaloupes and squash are all orange in colour and are rich in beta carotene, an antioxidant and precursor to vitamin A. For skin rashes and allergy swellings, the intake of adequate amount of orange colored fruits and vegetables helps in promoting healing and reducing inflammation. The vitamin A, present in these foods is also important for immune health, which may be helpful to those with a rash caused by a virus such as shingles.

Fatty Fishes
Fatty fishes like salmon, tuna, mackerel and herrings are rich sources of Omega 3 fatty acids, which are very essential fats, works as antioxidants and helps reducing inflammation. Researches have shown that the intake of omega-3s helps in the improvement of the skin rashes caused by psoriasis. Flaxseeds, walnuts, pumpkin seeds and soy oil are also very rich and good sources of the anti-inflammatory essential fat.

Food and skin allergies

Although the above mentioned foods have proven to be helpful and effective in taking care of skin allergies, it has been observed that food sensitivities or intolerance can cause skin allergies. Hives has been seen to occur rapidly after a certain food has been eaten. You may be surprised to know that eczema can develop if a food is continually eaten. Eczema is one such common skin disorder that creates allergies but also asthma.
Infants and children can develop reactions to dairy and dairy products along with older people, who can be affected as well. If a person reacts to milk, it means that his or her reaction is because of a protein found in milk called casein. This causes underlying skin irritations such as dermatitis and rashes. Wheat, citrus, peanuts, and eggs are other foods that can cause skin allergies.