The elimination diet has been used for decades and is considered the gold standard for diagnosing food allergies, sensitivities, and intolerances. It is considered the simplest, least expensive, and least invasive tool.
So what exactly is an elimination diet? The elimination diet allows the digestive system to have a break from potentially irritating foods with the goal to help identify foods that cause a negative reaction or symptom after eating the suspected food. These symptoms can include: anaphylaxis, asthma-like symptoms, bloating or abdominal pain, blurry vision, diarrhea, loose stools, dizziness, facial numbness, gas, hives, migraines or headaches, nausea/vomiting, skin rash, skin reddening or itching, stuffy nose, throat tightening, tight chest, tingling fingers and toes, watery and red eyes. For me, I have two joints on one hand that hurt after eating corn.
If you have an actual allergy to a food, introduction of foods should only be done under your doctor’s supervision as there could be a life-threatening reaction.
How the elimination diet works:
The first stage is the elimination stage. Suspected food or foods are removed from your diet for two weeks. In this timeframe, your symptoms should decrease or disappear if they are related to a food allergy or intolerance. If the symptoms remain, it is time to make an appointment with your medical professional as most likely your symptoms are being caused by some other reason.
The “Big 7” are the seven most common foods to cause reactions and they include dairy products, wheat products, corn, sugar, soy, eggs, and peanuts. Others that can cause negative reactions can include nitrates/nitrites, histamines, MSG, shellfish, sulfites, artificial colors, additives, and the list goes on and on.
If your symptoms improve with the elimination diet, now you become the detective of your own health – finding which food or foods are the culprits. You will now begin stage two, the reintroduction or challenge phase. After two weeks of elimination of suspected foods, you can begin to reintroduce the foods back into your diet, one at a time. So for example, if you removed gluten from your diet, and you are missing bread in your life; you would start by eating a small amount of a gluten-containing (Do not consume gluten if you have been diagnosed with Celiac Disease) food at breakfast, lunch, and dinner such as wheat germ, bread, or pasta. If using bread, make sure it doesn’t contain any other foods you have removed such as dairy or eggs. If any of your symptoms return, you have found a suspected food. This food should be removed from your diet, and return to the elimination diet until symptoms are gone then proceed to test another removed food. If you have no reaction on day one, return to the elimination diet for another day to see if there are any delayed reactions. If nothing, then gluten most likely is not a problem and can be added back into your diet. I would caution to not consume a lot of it on a regular basis until you have completed a challenge for all the foods you have removed.
This is where a food journal is helpful during the process – recording what you eat, symptoms, and etc. to provide great insight to you on this journey.
You will then proceed to introduce all the foods you have removed with this protocol. Foods that don’t cause a reaction can be added back into your diet in moderation and those you have reacted to should be removed from your diet.
The goal of an elimination diet is to help you to find the foods you can eat to be the healthiest you. It can be a challenging experience, so working with someone by your side can be helpful to navigate the diet. If you have any question about an elimination diet, check out my free 20-minute phone consult.
Be blessed and be a blessing,
Heather
Free 20-minute Phone Consultation
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