Juice fasting for eczema, anyone tried it?

Hey everyone, I’m dealing with a really bad eczema flare-up across my upper body and looking for advice.

I’ve done short juice fasts before and felt great, but I have a problem—I seem to be sensitive to almost all fruits. Last time I tried, I had to stop around day 6 or 7 because my eczema got worse. I also seem to react to a lot of different foods in general.

Has anyone else experienced this? Would it be better to stick with just celery and cucumber juice? Do sensitivities get better over time as the body heals? I like the idea of juice fasting, especially since I’ve done water fasting before, but I’m nervous to try again because of my last reaction.

For context, last time I started with green juices (celery, cucumber, spinach, cilantro), then added other veggies and fruit. At some point, I stopped feeling great and got really itchy, so I ended it. Just trying to figure out the best approach before I try again.

Have you looked into elimination diets? Some people get great results with a carnivore diet. Plant lectins can irritate the gut and trigger immune reactions. Try cutting out everything except meat for four weeks, then slowly add foods back one at a time to see what triggers you. Worth checking out.

@Shan
There are plenty of elimination diets that don’t require going full carnivore. You can still eat a variety of foods and remove problem ingredients. The idea that plant lectins destroy the gut is exaggerated.

@Keagan
How do you properly test for reactions if you don’t eliminate everything first? Too many plant compounds to track otherwise.

Shan said:
@Keagan
How do you properly test for reactions if you don’t eliminate everything first? Too many plant compounds to track otherwise.

What do cows eat?

Keagan said:

Shan said:
@Keagan
How do you properly test for reactions if you don’t eliminate everything first? Too many plant compounds to track otherwise.

What do cows eat?

We aren’t cows, so it doesn’t matter.

@Shan
Cows eat plant lectins too (especially from corn). If those are harmful, wouldn’t they still be in the meat?

Keagan said:
@Shan
Cows eat plant lectins too (especially from corn). If those are harmful, wouldn’t they still be in the meat?

Cows can break them down with their digestive system. Also, grass-fed beef has fewer of those compounds than grain-fed.

@Shan
Might be worth talking to a doctor, dermatologist, or nutritionist about this instead of guessing.

Beck said:
@Shan
Might be worth talking to a doctor, dermatologist, or nutritionist about this instead of guessing.

If traditional medicine worked for eczema, people wouldn’t be looking for alternatives. What’s the harm in trying carnivore for a month?

@Shan
That’s up to you, but extreme diets can cause their own issues. Just be careful.

An elimination diet is the best way to figure out what’s triggering your reactions.

For me, it was soy. I cut it out completely for a few years, and now I can eat small amounts without a problem.

A good naturopath or nutritionist can help set up a proper elimination plan.

Juicing helped clear up my eczema, but I also changed my whole diet along the way. I didn’t need to do long juice fasts—just two-day fasts here and there.

I stopped eating dairy except for organic eggs and grass-fed yogurt. I avoid wheat, refined sugar, and seed oils. Also, I switched to using a shower filter because water quality can make a difference.

If you’re sensitive to fruit, try adding it back very slowly. Start with a single slice of apple every other day and gradually increase. Also, organic produce makes a big difference.

@Keagan
How long did it take before your eczema cleared up?

Zenith said:
@Keagan
How long did it take before your eczema cleared up?

A few weeks of juicing helped, but the bigger impact came from changing my diet completely.