12 Fall Foods for Kids With Eczema: What to Add to Their Plate, Not Just What to Remove

The best fall foods for kids with eczema are nutrient-dense foods that support skin repair, immune function and the gut microbiome, such as red bell peppers, winter squash, slow-cooked beef, pumpkin seeds, liver, lentils and homemade broths. When a child has eczema, it is easy to get consumed by what has to come off their plate. This post is about the other half of the equation: what to add.

During a healing phase, some foods may not have a seat at the table: gluten, dairy, eggs, excessive sugar, very high histamine foods, and sometimes oxalates and salicylates too. The list can start to feel very long. Identifying food triggers is an important and required piece of the puzzle, especially in the short term. But there is a question we need to ask just as often, and usually do not.

In Episode 254 of the Eczema Kids Podcast, as a mom of four, I share my favorite fall foods to add to your child’s plate while you work to support their digestion, skin and overall health.

“What does my child actually need more of?”

Quick Answer: Which Fall Foods Help Kids With Eczema?

My fall favorites cover three needs: colorful produce for vitamins and fiber, protein and mineral-rich foods for skin repair, and traditional gut-supporting foods for the microbiome. Here are the 12 foods at a glance:

• Pomegranates: polyphenols, fiber and vitamin C
• Red bell peppers: more vitamin C per serving than oranges
• Winter squash: beta carotene, which the body converts to vitamin A
• Persimmons: fiber, carotenoids and polyphenols
• Apples and pears: pectin and soluble fiber
• Slow-cooked beef roast: protein, heme iron, B12 and zinc
• Pumpkin seeds: zinc, magnesium, iron and unsaturated fat
• Liver and organ meats: vitamin A in a form the body can use directly
• Lentils: affordable fiber, plant protein, iron and folate
• Homemade broths and soups: gelatin, protein and minerals
• Leeks, garlic and onions: prebiotic foods that feed beneficial microbes
• Fermented cabbage: a small daily spoonful as a probiotic food, if tolerated

Why Add Foods Instead of Only Removing Them?

Removing trigger foods does not address the underlying needs of a child with eczema: nutrient deficiencies, lackluster nutrient absorption and what is happening in the microbiome. If your child has eczema, I encourage you to look beyond what is triggering their skin.

Your child’s body needs the building blocks to repair, grow and function. Their skin is constantly repairing and renewing itself, their immune system needs nutrients to work properly, and trillions of microorganisms in their digestive tract rely on the foods they eat. Food is the biggest opportunity parents have to provide that support.

While we are busy thinking about what to eliminate, it is easy to forget everything we can add. Fall is my favorite season to do just that, because so many nourishing foods are available, including some surprisingly powerful ingredients you may already have in your kitchen.

Colorful Fall Fruits and Vegetables

Pomegranates

Pomegranates are packed with polyphenols, fiber and some vitamin C, and they are generally anti-inflammatory. Their vitamin C supports collagen production and normal skin repair, and their fiber contributes to digestive health. Interestingly, the metabolites in pomegranates do not produce the same microbiome effect in every person, because it depends on what is going on in each person’s gut.

How to serve them: sprinkle seeds on yogurt (coconut yogurt works well), add them to roasted vegetables or a warm roasted salad, or do what my kids prefer and eat them plain.

Red bell peppers

Red bell peppers are one of the most underrated vitamin C foods: a serving contains more vitamin C than an orange. Vitamin C is needed for collagen synthesis, and collagen gives structure to the skin. It is also required for normal tissue and wound healing, and it helps the body absorb non-heme iron from plant foods. Pair them with lentils or leafy greens to improve iron absorption.

How to serve them: roast them with ghee and blend them into soups, or do what I do and pack a side of bell peppers, carrots or cucumbers in lunches every day. It does not have to be fancy.

Listen to the Full Episode

Prefer to listen? Hear me share all 12 fall foods, plus the easy ways my family uses them, in Episode 254 of the Eczema Kids Podcast. Press play below, or find it on the Eczema Kids Podcast page.

Winter squash

Winter squash gets its orange color partly from carotenoids like beta carotene, which the body can convert into vitamin A. Vitamin A is essential for maintaining normal epithelial tissues, which include the skin and the lining of the intestinal tract, and it plays a pivotal role in immune function. For children with eczema, adequate vitamin A supports the normal development and maintenance of skin cells, and it is relevant to digestive health too.

Carotenoids are fat soluble, so cook squash with a fat to help the body absorb them. My shortcut: pre-diced butternut squash tubs from the store give your children a big nutrient boost with almost no work.

Persimmons

Persimmons look like orange tomatoes but taste really sweet, and they are rich in fiber, carotenoids and polyphenols. They are a fall fruit many shoppers bypass, but they are a solid way to expand the plant diversity in your little one’s diet. Slice them like an apple alongside breakfast or a snack and you are done.

Apples and pears

Apples and pears are good sources of pectin and soluble fiber, which support the gut microbiome, digestion, the intestinal skin barrier and immune signaling. My favorite way to serve them is sauteed in ghee with spices like cinnamon and clove for breakfast, which works as another prebiotic supplement. As I like to say, we are eating our supplements. For a savory option, see this eczema-friendly beet, bacon, brussel and apple meal.

Protein and Mineral Powerhouses for Skin Repair

We cannot talk about skin repair without talking about protein and minerals. Your child’s body needs amino acids to build and maintain skin tissue, and minerals like zinc to support skin cell division, normal wound healing and immune regulation.

Slow-cooked beef roast

A slow-cooked beef roast delivers protein, iron, B12 and zinc, all nutrients a child’s body needs for skin repair. Zinc is especially important for kids with eczema, and beef contains heme iron, which is generally more readily absorbed than the non-heme iron in plant proteins. Slow cooking tougher cuts makes the meat easy to chew and delicious.

How to serve it: on days you are not home, put carrots, garlic, herbs or whatever is in the fridge into the slow cooker, add the meat on top, and dinner is ready when you walk in.

Pumpkin seeds

Pumpkin seeds provide zinc, magnesium, iron and unsaturated fat. Zinc supports immune function, which matters for kids with eczema, and magnesium takes part in hundreds of functions in the body, including energy production. They are also a useful option when your child is not eating nuts.

How to serve them: make a trail mix with pumpkin seeds as the base, grind them into homemade bars, ice cream or baked goods, or buy (or make) pumpkin seed butter.

Liver and organ meats

Liver is nature’s multivitamin: one of the most concentrated dietary sources of vitamin A, B12, iron and copper. Unlike the beta carotene in squash, liver contains vitamin A in a form the body can use directly, with no conversion needed. Organ meats have been valued in traditional diets for as long as anyone can remember, and I recommend working them into your child’s diet a few times a week, because it can make a noticeable difference.

How to serve it: the easiest route is an organ meat powder, such as Pluck Organ Meat Seasonings (use my code ECZEMAKIDS for 20% off) or Perfect Supplements Multi Organs Powder (my affiliate link gets you 25% off). Another option, from Chef James on the podcast, is to freeze a chicken liver (milder than beef liver) and grate it into dishes as you cook.

Lentils

Lentils are one of the most affordable ways to add fiber, plant protein, iron and folate to family meals. They contain many types of carbohydrates that beneficial gut bacteria can ferment, and different microbes use different fibers, which is one reason plant diversity matters. Pair lentils with vitamin C-rich foods like red bell peppers to improve iron absorption. They are also easy for young children to eat because they do not need much chewing.

How to serve them: always soak them first. I cook them in the Instant Pot, and my favorite is a red lentil soup you can blend with an immersion blender, which is perfect if your kids prefer not to know they are eating lentils. For a snack, try this eczema-safe lentil dip.

Gut-Supporting Traditional Foods

Homemade broths and soups

Homemade broths and soups are healing, nutritious foods, but for eczema-prone kids they come with a histamine caveat: they accumulate histamine very quickly. Broth often tops the lists of foods to heal and seal the gut, yet many eczema-prone children cannot tolerate it because of that histamine load.

My approach: make it the same day you serve it, and make just enough for your family to eat that day. You can freeze leftovers in a glass or silicone container. Skip store-bought broths, which usually contain nutritional yeast or another yeast product. If you make broth about once a week, you get gelatin, protein and minerals, depending on how it is prepared.

Leeks, garlic and onions

Leeks, garlic and onions are prebiotic foods, the foods that beneficial gut microbes like to feed on. Add them to your homemade broths or salads. Leeks are especially sweet when cooked until tender: slice them thinly and rinse out the dirt. Anywhere you would use an onion, you can use these foods, and I suggest including all three in dinner.

Fermented cabbage

Fermented cabbage, about a tablespoon a day, can act like a probiotic supplement for kids who tolerate it. Go easy on ferments during the healing phase because of histamine. Unpasteurized fermented cabbage, ideally homemade, can be a game-changing food because a little goes a long way. If your child is sensitive to it, that is fine: you do not need to include it right now.

Warm herbal tea

A warm herbal tea is a simple traditional ritual for the colder months, and it is one reason I created the Eczema Ease Prebiotic Tea. It contains organic marshmallow root, slippery elm bark and licorice root, herbs traditionally used for digestive comfort. It can be worked into a diet from six months onward, and for babies under 12 months you can give it by syringe. A family featured on the podcast made the tea a special daily routine with their little one, and it can be a fun point of connection for you too.

You can find the Eczema Ease Prebiotic Tea at EczemaKids.com.

3 Things to Focus On When Choosing Foods for Eczema

You do not need to buy every food on this list. Focus on nutrient density, plant diversity and how you prepare your food.

1. Nutrient density. Your child needs adequate protein, essential fats, vitamins and minerals to support skin maintenance and bring their body back into balance.
2. Plant diversity. Different fruits, vegetables and legumes provide different fibers and polyphenols, which interact with different members of the gut microbiome. Plant diversity is ultimately what helps a diverse, thriving microbiome flourish.
3. Mindful preparation. Soak grains and legumes and, ideally, pressure cook them. Pair foods with a digestible fat that does not go rancid with heat. Ghee is my number one favorite.

Try This Week: A Simple 3-Day Plan

If the list feels like a lot, start with three small additions:

• Day 1: add one colorful fall food you do not normally include in your child’s meals.
• Day 2: add a different source of fiber than you normally use, such as pears, sweet potatoes, leeks or lentils.
• Day 3: make one nourishing, traditional-style meal, such as a slow cooker meal with a cooked protein or a vegetable soup.

Nutrients, nutrients, nutrients: that is the name of the game. Start with a few things your kids enjoy and build from there. Every week you can get a little closer to clear skin and, ultimately, to health, so you no longer have to think about eczema.

FAQ: Fall Foods for Kids With Eczema

What are the best foods to add to a child’s diet when they have eczema?

My fall favorites include red bell peppers, winter squash, slow-cooked beef, pumpkin seeds, liver, lentils, apples and pears, and homemade broths and soups. Rather than buying everything, focus on three things: nutrient density, plant diversity, and preparing foods in ways that make them easier to digest.

Why is removing trigger foods not enough for eczema?

Identifying trigger foods is an important part of the short-term healing phase, but removing foods does not address nutrient deficiencies, lackluster nutrient absorption or what is happening in the microbiome. Your child’s skin and immune system also need nutrients to repair and function, so adding nourishing foods matters as much as taking triggers out.

Can kids with eczema eat broth and fermented foods?

Some can, with care, because both are high in histamine. Make broth the same day you serve it and skip store-bought versions, which usually contain yeast. Fermented cabbage works best in small amounts, about a tablespoon a day, and only if your child tolerates it. If they are sensitive, you can leave it out for now.

This article shares general educational information from the Eczema Kids Podcast. It is not medical advice. Some links in this post are affiliate links, which means I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.

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