Are you eating empty calories?
Empty calories means that the food "contains nothing" - food that contains little or no nutrition, but provides energy (a lot of calories).
Is your body crying for nutrient?
Food is supposed to be fuel for the body - the body is like a car which needs different nutrients to run well.
When the body does not get the nutrients it wants, it will continue to send out the signal of "wanting to eat". But if you only eat food with empty calories, they will only lead to weight gain, obesity, and most importantly cannot meet the needs of the body. This vicious circle continue to repeat.
Common examples of foods with empty calories are:
Snacks such as chips, chocolate and candies;
Processed meats such as sausages, hot dogs, bacon;
Fast food such as pizza, hamburger, French fries, milkshake, cola;
High temperature baked goods such as cakes, croissants, chicken batches.
These "empty calorie" foods are not good for the body. Although they are high in calories, their nutritional value is not high. They are in simpler words, junk food.
According to the definition of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, hunger is not just "lack of food", but "malnutrition". Deficiencies in micronutrients and vitamins are also forms of hidden hunger.
Unfortunately, living in a materially rich city, it is still common for the body to be deficient in micronutrients and vitamins due to eating too many empty calorie foods. Even if you can "eat a lot", it is still not nutritious enough.
When the body lacks minerals and vitamins, our immune system weakens, which means we are more susceptible to infection and disease.
Eczema & nutrient deficiency
Eczema (atopic dermatitis) is a chronic relapsing skin inflammation associated with allergies [5]. Study finds eczema sufferers are deficient in several nutrients [6].
Vitamin A & D deficiency
Eczema severity has been found to be linked to deficiencies in vitamin D and vitamin A, both of which are found at much lower levels in people with eczema than in healthy people, and eczema is most severe when both are deficient. [7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14]
Zinc deficiency
In addition, eczema patients had lower levels of zinc in serum, hair and red blood cells. When the zinc level in the body is lower, the patient's condition become more serious. [15][16]
Intestinal permeability and microbiome
People with eczema have also been found to have increased gut permeability, i.e. a leaky gut, that allows foreign antigens to enter the body and triggers chronic inflammation.
In addition to eliminating wheat products from the diet (since wheat directly increases intestinal permeability and leads to leaky gut), taking probiotics can help regulate the gut microbiome, thereby improving the gut barrier and regulating the intestinal and skin immune response. [17][18]
Many eczema sufferers believe that they should eat less or even avoid foods containing omega 6 polyunsaturated
fatty acids. We must note that there are several types of omega 6 fatty acids: linoleic acid (LA), gamma-linolenic acid (GLA) and dihommo-gamma-linolenic acid (DGLA).
Our body has enzymes to convert LA to GLA and DGLA. It's just that when there is a problem with the ratio of these three fatty acids, the body will send out an alarm and got issue.
Children with eczema were found to have higher levels of LA and lower levels of serum GLA and DGLA, possibly due to impaired enzyme activity [19]. The lower the GLA and DGLA levels, the more severe the water loss and eczema condition [20].
Consumption and application of GLA is effective in the treatment of eczema [21] due to its anti-inflammatory properties and the ability to stabilize the physical structure of the skin [20].
Evening primrose oil [22][23], black currant seed oil [24], borage oil, sea buckthorn oil are good sources of GLA available to improve the condition of eczema [25][26].
It has been found that the dermis of patients with eczema has low vitamin C levels but high iron levels [27]. And intake of high levels of vitamin C has been found to improve chronic inflammation and eczema. [28][29][30][31]
Vitamin C not only promotes collagen synthesis and helps restore damaged skin areas, vitamin C also promotes the
differentiation of keratinocytes and the production of mesenchymal substances [32][33].
Vitamin C acts as a cofactor for enzymes to produce ceramides, the most abundant lipids in the stratum corneum skin barrier [34], thereby strengthening the overall epidermal barrier function [35] and moisturize.
Study finds vitamin C and ceramide levels decline more as eczema becomes more serious [36].
It can be seen that the intake of high levels of vitamin C is very important for the recovery of eczema patients.
Liposomal vitamin C is an efficient way to absorb high levels of vitamin C - the absorption rate is 7 times higher than water-soluble vitamin C!
Reduce the intake of deep fried foods from the diet each day (try not to use air fryers), and consume:
foods rich in vitamin D, such as salmon, tuna, eggs, etc.;
foods rich in vitamin A, such as liver, fish, eggs, radishes, pumpkin, broccoli, etc.;
foods rich in zinc, such as beef, lamb, seeds, spinach, mushrooms, etc.;
and intake large amount of vegetables and fruits to provide the body with vitamin C, vitamin E, prebiotics, enzymes and
antioxidants, to help the body repair.
Minimize eating prepackaged foods that can be stored for 2-3 years before going bad, and replace snacks with snacks made from natural ingredients.
