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By Rachel Grunwell

Up to 1 in five Kiwis are affected by eczema. It’s an important topic to the public.

It’s also something that has affected my sister, Bex, who is one of the people I love most on this planet. So through her, I’ve heard over the years about how painful this can be and how the flare-ups can be intensely painful and even disable self-confidence (even when you look as beautiful as Bex).

My sister has tried everything over the years for relief. Absolutely everything. It has been a long-running battle that has felt paralysing at times. Thankfully, this Summer she has felt the best she has ever been in over 30-years. This is thanks to the hottest Summer in Gisborne, using steroid creams, and thanks too to some help from Be Pure’s office, but also to a book penned by “eczema nutritionist” Karen Fischer which advises which foods to eat, and avoid, when you suffer from eczema. My sister also buys Karen’s magnesium supplement too which she thinks is amazing for sleep and her wellness.

So when I got Karen’s latest wellness book across my desk, ‘the eczema detox’, I instantly thought of Bex and how books like this are so important. They’re literally the difference between a pain free life, or not.

This book is full of life-changing nutritional information and advice, articulated through 3 eating programs. Both Karen and her daughter, Ayva, have suffered from skin problems in the past but now live eczema-free from following Karen’s meal plans.

As for Bex, she is great at the moment, but she does dread Winter when the inevitable flare-ups return. She’s also still searching for a way to get off steroid creams… But she says the changes she has made around foods to avoid, or seek out, through Karen’s books “has helped to change my life”.

I personally love this book too from the perspective of not having eczema. The recipes are absolutely amazing and so I’m sharing one gem below.

Meanwhile, here are Karen’s top 12 foods for eliminating eczema.

mung bean sprouts

flaxseed oil 

red cabbage

beets

fish

spring onions

oats

papaya

saffron

pears

There’s so much advice in the book that is gold too including all those foods to avoid for eczema sufferers.

Here’s that amazing recipe below to get you started. If you try it, please let me know.

Pear Spelt Muffins 

Makes 12 muffins, preparation time 15 minutes, cooking time 15 minutes 

• 1 egg (or use Egg Replacer, p. 211)

• cup real maple syrup or maple sugar (see ‘Eczema-friendly sweeteners’, p. 52)

• 1 cup organic soy milk (see ‘Non-dairy milks’, p. 54) 

• cup Parsley Oil (p. 134) or rice bran oil 

• 2 cups spelt flour 

• 4 teaspoons baking powder (wheat-free)

• 2 large ripe pears, peeled and diced (not Nashi/Asian or Yapears)

Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F). Place paper patty pans into the holes of a 12-cup muffin tray (or alternatively grease the tray holes with a little extra rice bran oil). If using Egg Replacer make it now. In a small food processor, blend the egg (or equivalent), maple syrup and milk until smooth. Then, while the motor is running, open the chute and slowly drizzle in the oil and blend well until smooth and creamy. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour and baking powder and mix. Add the wet ingredients to the bowl with the dry ingredients and briefly mix using a large spoon. Then stir in the pear. Spoon the mixture into each muffin cup, ensuring each is about three-quarters full. Bake for 15 minutes or until slightly golden on top. Test with a toothpick to see if cooked through.

Notes: 

• These muffins can be stored in the freezer for up to three months.

• If you have tested egg during the FID Program (in week 3) and there were no adverse reactions after four days then you can use real egg in this recipe.

• If you are gluten intolerant, use rice milk or ‘malt-free’ soy milk and gluten-free self-raising flour instead of spelt flour. If you are using gluten-free self-raising flour, don’t add baking powder.

• If you are following the Eczema Detox Program, you can sprinkle the muffins with chia seeds

Extracted from The Eczema Detox by Karen Fischer available from www.exislpublishing.com and wherever good books are sold.

Inspired Health is run by Rachel Grunwell. Follow her via InspiredHealth’s Facebook & Instagram