Why might I do an elimination diet?
/Recently, a family member reached out looking for guidance with an elimination diet. She had just received the results of a food allergy test and now had a LONG list of foods to avoid and was feeling a bit overwhelmed. This got me thinking, that there are probably more people out there who are considering an elimination diet, but are a bit intimidated.
So first, what is an elimination diet?
An elimination diet is a process in which you remove all foods that you may (or may not) know to be irritating to your body for typically at least three weeks until symptoms subside and then gradually begin re-introducing these food items one at a time. As you reintroduce a food it gives you an opportunity to see whether your body reacts with certain symptoms or not. If you’ve taken a food sensitivity test then you’ll know exactly what foods are getting cut out. Typically you’ll cut out sugar (including fruit), nuts and alcohol during the first three weeks as well, regardless of whether those items showed up on a test as an irritant.
Do I have to have food sensitivity testing done to do an elimination diet?
The short answer is ‘no’. The long answer is ‘it depends’. If you’ve already removed the most common food irritants out of your diet for a prolonged period of time and you’re still experiencing symptoms that you believe may be food-based, then it’s probably time to drop the money and get food sensitivity testing done. If you haven’t removed the most common food irritants from your diet, then that’s a great starting point!
What are the most common food irritants in the typical American diet?
The foods most commonly associated with food intolerances and allergies are dairy, gluten, caffeine (gasp), salicylates, amines (think histamine), FODMAPs, sulfites, and fructose! Some other common food irritants are aspartame, MSG, eggs, food coloring, yeast, and sugar alcohols (think sugar free drinks). [1] Each of these foods remain in the digestive system for different lengths of time so that is why it is important to remove your selected items until symptoms have completely resolved before re-introducing anything!
What changes can you expect to see from following an elimination diet?
Some of the most common reasons for people to embark on an elimination diet are persistent symptoms such as abdominal pain, gas, diarrhea, constipation, headaches, eczema and other skin rashes, achey joints, hives, sinus congestion, asthma, and anxiety. So if you are able to pin point what foods are causing it, you should see a relief in that symptom!
Each of the above listed foods can be associated with a variety of symptoms, some of them overlapping with one another. That is why it is important to reintroduce one at a time in order to observe whether a symptom returns with that specific food! For example, dairy and eggs are both known to cause abdominal pain and diarrhea. If you were to cut out all dairy and eggs for three weeks and you are no longer experiencing abdominal pain or diarrhea, amazing!! Now is the point where you figure out whether it was dairy causing the issue, eggs causing the issue, or maybe both! So what you might do is slowly reintroduce eggs by eating them one time a day and waiting at least three days before introducing dairy. If the abdominal pain or diarrhea returns within those first three days of reintroducing eggs, then you know your body is not a fan of eggs! Common symptoms associated with dairy include gas, bloating, diarrhea, nausea, abdominal pain, and even eczema!
What on earth am I supposed to eat?
What people often find overwhelming about an elimination diet is that there isn’t necessarily a cookie-cutter answer as to what to eat and not eat. Each person is different based on their symptoms and the foods that they are having to cut out, which obviously changes what their diet looks like! Since there isn’t a straight-forward answer, here are the best tips I can offer:
1) Change your mindset. I can almost guarantee you that as you set out to start your elimination diet, a large majority of foods you consider to be “breakfast foods” will have not made the cut. This can throw people off because they’re suddenly panicked trying to figure out what they’re going to eat for breakfast if they can’t eat eggs, sugar, or gluten! This is where a little mindset shift regarding what a “breakfast food” is can make a world of difference. It will sound crazy at first, but a bowl of roasted veggies with avocado and sugar free bacon or quinoa loaded with greens can absolutely be eaten for breakfast. For some recipe ideas check out this link.
2) Phone a friend. Seek out others who have already done an elimination diet or are in process of doing one! There are plenty of websites and forums where you can ask for guidance, tips, and even share recipes!
3) Fully commit. It can feel torturous (literally) cutting out all of our favorite foods, but the process is part of the healing. If you’ve been consuming a lot of foods that are extremely reactive, you may actually experience withdrawal symptoms. [2] This is especially common with caffeine and sugar. In that time that you’re refraining from all of the potentially irritating foods, you’re actually giving your body a chance to heal and renew! Inflammation in the gut will start to subside, allowing your body to better absorb nutrients and just feel better.
While an elimination diet may not be easy, the end result is absolutely worth it! Improving chronic symptoms that have likely been plaguing you for years without any sort of medication while improving your overall health is worth the price of admission in my book!
If you have questions specific to yourself or would like to do a food sensitivity test, please don’t hesitate to contact us! Even if you live outside of the Southlake or Las Colinas area, we are one virtual appointment away.
Resources
January 25, 2018. The 8 Most Common Food Intolerances. (Retrieved August 21, 2020). https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/common-food-intolerances#section10
TOP 10 ELIMINATION DIET MISTAKES. (Retrieved August 21, 2020). https://lilynicholsrdn.com/top-10-elimination-diet-mistakes/
