EP17 - Laura Duzett - Dyshidrotic Eczema & Just Released: The Low-Nickel Diet Cookbook

Laura Duzett is a third-year medical student and survivor of a horrendous bout with dyshidrotic eczema. Soon-to-be Dr. Laura has just released an amazing and comprehensive new Low-Nickel Diet Cookbook that promises to be revolutionary. The cookbook features sections on breakfast, breads, poultry & seafood selections, desert and beverage options and more. The book was co-written with board certified physician and dermatologist Dr. Matthew Zirwas, author of over 195 peer-reviewed journal articles and a patient-centric practice dedicated to discovering the root cause of diseases and syndromes affecting the skin. 

The book and interview outlines which foods are considered lower and higher in nickel, and sets up three tenants of a successful low-nickel diet, with a foundation rooted in many diets that have been scientifically proven to have great health implications for patients struggling with chronic health symptoms. Lifestyle diets that were modified into this new, low-nickel approach include the following: The Low FODMAP diet, The Mediterranean Diet, Low Carbohydrate diets and loosely the GAPS diet protocol. 

The focus of the 140 recipes in the book are tailored to those who wish to not only try eating low-nickel, but also those who wish to try to eat recipes without gluten, grains, sugar and processed foods, although the book is written in such a way that those who do not wish to be as stringent are easily able to swap out ingredients and modify the included recipes to better-serve their desire lifestyle and taste preferences. The book includes low-nickel diet food lists, multiple approaches to the low-nickel diet for different lifestyle needs, and estimated amounts of nickel in common measurements for those who would like to customize their dietary ingredients. 

We discuss favorite foods, how the book came together, common struggles of the nickel-allergic patient in regards to diet, substitutions, and why Laura continues to recommend gluten and grain-free diet adherence. Further discussed is Laura’s favorite alternative to sugar, how extreme recovery and ability to return to a less-stringent version of the low-nickel diet is not only possible, but likely for many if not most in time. We discuss the diet, gut health, mast cell and histamine connections, as well as non-diet lifestyle modifications that really help the body to heal.

In this episode you will learn:

• The three tenants of low-nickel diet success: 1) Reduce nickel intake. 2) Increase nickel release and 3) Be kind to your immune system. 

• The mechanisms in dietary nickel that cause T-cell activation, inflammation and gut permeability and the surprising percentage of GI, GERD & other patients that may be exhibiting symptoms from diets high in nickel. 

• What foods are generally recognized as safe for the nickel-allergic patient and how to incorporate moderate-nickel foods into rotations that will still allow you to eat a healthy diet below 150mcg of nickel daily. 

~Links and Resources~

~ Check out The Low Nickel Diet website & order the new book:  https://thelownickeldiet.com

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~ To see images that accompany this episode and sample recipe photos click HERE.