🌾 Eczema, Wheat, and How Fresh Flour Changed Our Story

Whether you’re parenting a child with eczema or you have it yourself , you’ll try just about anything to bring relief. We’ve done the creams, the oatmeal baths, the cotton clothing, the water filters, and the food trials. We were even completely gluten free for seven years. Because it all brought relief. It was all apart of our journey. And I’m grateful for all the advice we tried over the years because we found what worked for us!

Want to know the biggest surprise in our journey?

Fresh Ground Wheat.

🌾 Why Processed Bread Felt Different

For years, we thought gluten itself might be the trigger. But the more we learned, the clearer it became: the issue wasn’t always gluten. It was the processed food it came in.

• Commercial flour is stripped of the bran and germ, leaving behind a starch that digests quickly and can feel harder on sensitive bodies.

• Additives and dough conditioners are added to make bread soft and shelf-stable. Some families notice these make symptoms worse.

• Freshly milled whole grains keep their germ, bran, and oils intact. These nutrients support digestion and sometimes feel gentler on the body.

🔗 The Gut–Skin Connection

Eczema doesn’t start and end with the skin. Research suggests what happens in the gut can sometimes show up as rashes or flare-ups.

In our home, focusing on foods closer to their whole form seemed to support better gut balance and in turn, calmer skin.

🛒 Why We Still Choose Gluten-Free

At home, we use fresh-milled grains when our gut/skin health is in balance and well supported. But out in the world, especially at school, restaurants, or family gatherings we can’t always control the wheat. Gluten-free options help us avoid many of the additives in processed wheat products, even though gluten-free doesn’t automatically mean “safer.”

When flare-ups happen, we take a simple “wheat break” for a week or two. It gives our systems time to reset before we slowly add fresh grains back in.

Being 100% gluten free significantly helped reduce the big flare-ups, but the daily struggles still lingered until we worked on our gut microbiome. A friend introduced us to fresh ground grains and that’s when we realized: gluten wasn’t always the villain. It was simply a symptom. For our family, it was about how wheat was processed and stripped of the natural enzymes. Returning to a more natural form of wheat helped our body process it and changed how our gut responded. Once we focused on whole foods and gut health, everything started to feel a little lighter.

Of course, for those with celiac disease, or a true allergy/intolerance being gluten-free is not optional. But for our family, moving toward whole foods and away from processed wheat products gave us the most relief.

Now, instead of cutting gluten forever, we focus on:

• Fresh-milled flour at home

• Simple, pronounceable ingredient lists

• Flexibility when sensory needs take the lead

It’s not about perfection. It’s about rhythms that are sustainable.

🌿 Final Thoughts

Eczema is complicated, and every family’s story is different. For ours, choosing whole, fresh foods and supporting gut health has been one piece of the puzzle.

I 100% support going gluten-free if your eczema is flaring up. It was the easiest way for us to cut the itch and bring about some relief. But maybe you don’t have to give up gluten forever.

If you’re like us and you love the smell of fresh bread or the texture of a fluffy muffin, fresh-milled grains might be the solution you’ve been looking for. 🌾

⚠️ Disclaimer:

We are not celiac. This content is for lifestyle and informational purposes only and should never replace medical care. Always consult your healthcare provider before making dietary changes. This isn’t medical advice just what’s worked for us in this season.