Elimination diets don’t exactly sound like the funnest thing in the world, but if you’re struggling with digestive issues, they can change your life. How do you get to the root of an issue if you can never pinpoint the cause? You don’t. That’s why millions of people live with illness unnecessarily every day. Because they never took the time to discover that perhaps their thyroid problems would improve by removing gluten from their diet. Or their IBS might get significantly better with a dairy free diet.
It’s important to take responsibility for your own health if you want to feel good, and the elimination diet is the foundational journey you must take to decipher what works and what doesn’t.
How to do an Elimination Diet?
Certain foods trigger more negative reactions than others. The elimination diet gets rid of common food allergens for a month. Typically the foods you don’t eat for that time frame include…
● Gluten
● Grains
● Dairy
● Sugar and sweeteners (except stevia)
● Processed foods
● Alcohol
● Caffeine
● Citrus fruits
● Nightshade vegetables (tomato, peppers and eggplant)
● Nuts and seeds
● Soy
● Meat with nitrites
You may also wish to look at foods high in histamine however this can be a complicated affair due to foods like raspberries being high in histamine but also high in quercetin which is an antihistamine and great for healing leaky gut!
Here is a great site for histamine/mast cell issues: https://healinghistamine.com/histamine-in-food-lists/
I do look at all these factors that may be present in my consultations.
Not all elimination diets are the same and you don’t necessarily have to remove all these foods.
Once you’ve eliminated these foods for a month you start to reintroduce them into your diet one by one.
By adding a new food back to your diet every 1-3 days you can get a clear idea of how that food is affecting you.
Writing about your physical and emotional reaction in a food journal will help you track what works and what doesn’t.
By the end of this process you should have a good idea of the foods that trigger or exacerbate whatever health conditions you’re dealing with.
Negative Reactions to Watch For
● Soreness/joint pain
● Digestive distress ex. Constipation, bloating, diarrhea etc.
● Insomnia
● Mood changes
● Brain fog
● Trouble breathing
● Excess mucous
● Headaches
● Breakouts/skin problems
If you’ve been wondering what’s going on with your body, I would definitely suggest an elimination diet to start with. Before you create a route to get to your health destination, you need a map.
If you’re seriously interested in getting healthy, restoring your digestion and boosting your energy then check out my new comprehensive program here Restore your Gut Health. In the program you get a ton of delicious satisfying recipes as well as strategies that will help rebuild your intestinal flora.
Or join me on my Facebook page Hardcore Healing by Karen Jean Fairbanks or my group Hardcore Healing Support Group where I’ll be sharing more information, tips and recipes to help you live a happier, healthier life.
To your wellness,
Karen Jean Fairbanks