In order to stay healthy and active, you need to consume balanced nutrients through food. However, sometimes the food you eat is not always agreed upon by your body. It can be tricky to determine which food is causing the disagreement. Fortunately, an elimination diet can assist you in finding the answer.
According to Maxine Yeung, RD, CPT, the founder of The Wellness Whisk, food allergies, intolerances, or sensitivities may provoke unpleasant symptoms such as bloating, gas, severe diarrhea, constipation, unexplained changes in weight, or nutritional deficiencies. Kerry Clifford, RD, LDN, with Fresh Thyme Farmers Market, says that sometimes they may also cause non-GI woes such as headaches, migraines, skin rashes, acne, joint pains, mood changes, low energy levels, runny noses, hives, and itchy eyes.
Although it may be concerning to think that you or your child has a food allergy, it is important to know the difference between a food allergy, food sensitivity, and food intolerance. This way, you can better understand the symptoms and how to manage them.
When you have a food allergy, your immune system reacts to certain proteins in food. This can cause hives, itching, swelling of the tongue and lips, and rarely anaphylaxis. Gastroenterologist Joel Pekow says that food allergies can also sometimes cause GI issues like abdominal discomfort, diarrhea, nausea, or vomiting.
Food sensitivity and intolerance are basically the same thing. Food intolerance means your gut is sensitive and thus intolerant to certain foods. You can expect diarrhea, bloating, and stomach discomfort, says Dr. Pekow.
While you can be allergic or intolerant to anything, the most common things people are allergic or intolerant to are alcohol, coffee, corn, dairy, eggs, peanuts and tree nuts, shellfish, soy, and wheat.
Different people have different reactions to certain foods. If you want to figure out which foods are causing you discomfort, you can try an elimination diet, where you cut out certain foods from your diet and then gradually reintroduce them. However, it takes time, patience, and planning to do this correctly, so it's best to get expert advice.
What is an elimination diet?
An elimination diet is a two-part process that lasts for 3-8 weeks. It is not a weight loss diet or a traditional diet.
To figure out which foods are causing your reactions, Dr. Nazareth says to first remove all potential food triggers from your diet. Then, slowly add them back in, one at a time, to see if any of them are to blame for your reactions. She recommends doing this with each food group for at least three days to rule out any delayed reactions.
This allows us to improve an individual's symptoms by modifying their diet and improving their body functions.
Patients with conditions like irritable bowel syndrome or small intestine bacterial overgrowth may benefit from following a low-FODMAP diet. This diet eliminates certain short-chain carbohydrates – such as gluten, lactose, fructose, and sugar alcohols – which can cause bloating, abdominal pain, diarrhea, and/or constipation.
Research shows that patients with IBS don't absorb short-chain carbs well. This might be one of the reasons why these patients experience gas, severe bloating, and altered bowel habits (such as diarrhea, constipation, or both). McMahon explains that eliminating the FODMAPs can help patients feel better. Afterward, patients can slowly add back in the FODMAPs to figure out which specific carbs/foods are causing their issues.
Can I do an elimination alone or do I need help from a pro?
It's important to talk to a professional before starting an elimination diet, so they can make sure you're doing it correctly and you're still getting the nutrients you need, Clifford says. Otherwise, you might run into problems. For example, if you cut out gluten, you might not get enough fiber. And if you eliminate dairy, you might not get enough vitamin D and calcium. A professional can help you avoid these problems.
Avoiding specific foods, such as those high in FODMAPs, is best done under the care of a physician and/or nutritionist.
Yeung says that if you have had issues in the past with disordered eating or anxiety, it is important to talk to your doctor before starting an elimination diet. People who have a tendency to control their eating may become anxious or fixated on “good” and “bad” foods when they eliminate certain foods from their diet. Your health professional can help you make sure that you follow your elimination diet in a way that is healthy for you physically and emotionally.
How should I begin an elimination diet?
Before trying an elimination diet, keep track of your food and symptoms in a diary. This will help you figure out which foods may be causing your symptoms, so you can talk to your healthcare professional about which ones to eliminate.
1. Surround yourself with people who will support your dreams. 2. Set your sights high and don't settle for anything less. 3. Never give up on your dreams, no matter how hard things get. 4. Stay focused and never lose sight of your goals. 5. Persevere through the tough times and never give in to defeat. 6. Always learn and never stop growing. 7. Be grateful for what you have and always keep your eyes on the prize. If you want to achieve success, follow these seven strategies. Surround yourself with people who will support your dreams, set your sights high, and never give up. Stay focused on your goals, persevere through tough times, and always learn and grow. Be grateful for what you have, and keep your eyes on the prize.
1. The Elimination Diet Strategy: Time Matters
But let’s not get our hopes up for that. If you have been feeling bad for months or even years, why would you give up after just 10 days? You may not see any change in your symptoms after a week or two, but that doesn't mean you should stop what you're doing! I have seen “10-day miracles” before, where people feel better after just a few days, but we shouldn't get our hopes up for that.
Most people following an elimination diet need to follow it for at least 3 weeks or 21 days to see genuine progress. I often recommend following the diet for 6 weeks because this is about how long it takes for the human immune system to reset itself. For people who have been feeling poorly for years, I often have them follow the approach for 12 weeks before reintroducing foods.
The process of rebuilding your immune system takes time and cannot be done in a day or even 10 days.
2. Elimination Diet Food Lists & Having a Healthy Gut
The state of your gut health will have a large impact on your overall health. Therefore, it is important to be mindful of the food you consume.
The immune system is mostly located in the digestive tract. This can be thought of as a microscopic village inside the intestinal wall. The goal is to have this village be full of bacteria that are hard working and can keep out invaders. These bacteria help regulate the immune response.
The gut experiences inflammation when bad bacteria overthrow the good bacteria. To safely and effectively rebuild the good bacteria, we have to focus on two key points.
Remove all inflammatory foods, as well as any that you have a known food intolerance to, to decrease inflammation. This will allow your immune system to heal.
To improve your diet, incorporate more phytonutrients, prebiotics, probiotics, and high-protein foods.
Unfamiliar terms? That’s OK, here’s a quick cheat sheet:
They also promote human health by providing necessary nutrients, such as vitamins and minerals. The beautiful colors of fruits and vegetables are caused by phytonutrients. Phytonutrients are chemical substances that help protect plants (and humans) from a damaging environment. They also promote human health by providing necessary nutrients, such as vitamins and minerals.
Probiotics are good bacteria found primarily in our gut. These good bacteria help maintain the microbial balance in our digestive tract while improving digestion and immune health. Some examples of foods that contain probiotics are sauerkraut, kimchi, Kombucha tea, coconut kefir, and Kvass.
Prebiotics are undigestible plant-fibers that live inside the large intestine and provide food for probiotics. The more prebiotics we consume, the more fuel our probiotics have to live and grow. Examples of prebiotics include raw garlic, leeks, Jerusalem Artichoke, onions, acacia gum, and unripe bananas.
Some food sources that contain high amounts of protein are chicken, fish, legumes, grass-fed beef, and seeds like hemp, chia, and flax.
Powerful Elimination Diet Food List:
- Garlic
- Leeks
- Artichokes
- Onions
- Bananas
- Coconut
- Sauerkraut
- Kombucha Tea
3. Use Phytonutrients as Your Secret Weapon
Consume a rainbow of fruits and vegetables every day to give your body a hefty helping of phytonutrients and antioxidants. These natural substances are found in plants and help our bodies fight free radicals, promote healing, and cleanse organs.
Phytonutrients and antioxidants are beneficial to humans as they protect the body from outside invaders. These nutrients are found in plants and when consumed, they help to keep the body healthy.
This concept is especially important for athletes because when they are training day in and day out, the cells in their body experience oxidative stress. Antioxidants are especially responsible for helping to reduce the stress happening inside the cells. This is why I say phytonutrients and antioxidants are critical for reducing the burden of inflammation.
4. Decrease Your Toxic Burden
If you are working hard to improve your health, make sure your food choices are clean as well. If you're eating lots of healthy produce and quality protein to improve your health and decrease inflammation, why would you drink a can of diet soda afterwards? That would be taking two steps forward and then five steps back. Make sure all your food choices are clean if you're working hard to improve your health.
So, even though you don't eat processed foods, have you looked at the rest of the food in your kitchen? You should think about the quality of your home's water, for example. It's also best to avoid heating food in plastic containers. If you can, buy organic produce and animal protein that comes from grass-fed, pasture-raised, and free-range sources. Research suggests that these choices contain more nutrients and fewer contaminants than food from animals that were raised in conventional ways.
You can learn about which types of produce are best to buy organic on ewg.org. When it comes to animal protein, it is often more cost-effective to buy quality protein straight from the sources, such as local farmers.
Approximately three-quarters of the food Americans consume contains additives that are not natural. These include preservatives, artificial flavors and sugars, pesticides, insecticides, and herbicides. The use of these chemicals has increased in recent years due to the growth of large-scale commercial farming.
The text is saying that toxins are more heavily present in manufactured foods and conventionally grown produce. It is stressing the importance of eating fresh, whole foods while on the elimination plan in order to ease the stress placed on the liver.
5. Stop Restricting Calories
You may be trying to lose weight by cutting out certain foods. While this may seem like a good idea, it is actually better for your health to follow a plan that decreases full-body inflammation. A restrictive diet should not be followed for an extended period of time.
If you find that you can't survive without sticking to your “food comfort zone,” that suggests there's an underlying issue that hasn't been addressed yet.
The first few weeks, focus on the quality of your food choices. Only choose the foods that are on your plan. If you spend all your time and energy calorie counting, you will be hungry and miserable.
If you feel angry, anxious, and stressed every day, you might have inflammation. This could keep you from eating foods that help your metabolism. Sometimes, though, weight loss happens because inflammation goes down.
6. Remove Inflammatory Foods with an Elimination Diet Strategy
You would be surprised at how many foods contain inflammatory properties. If you avoid eating these foods for a prolonged period of time, you will see more benefits than you expect.
How frequently are you consuming items with major allergens without realizing it? If you're not careful, it could be 2-3 times a day. I spoke with an athlete last week who said they avoid soy at all costs because they know it will give them man boobs.
a) Soy will not give you man boobs.
I found soy in his protein shake, salad dressing, and protein bar. He was surprised.
Just because you are avoiding that food in its natural form does not mean you are free from consequences.
There is no shame in using a meal-delivery service to help you eliminate certain foods from your diet. In fact, we have found that clients who have a specific game plan for meal time are more successful in the long term.
7. Listen to Your Body Talk
If you don't pay attention to how you're feeling or what foods bother you, it's hard to be successful in the long run. Keep track of how you're doing in some way, whether it's making a few notes on your phone every day, writing more detailed reports on looseleaf paper, or using an app. And remember to note the good days as well as the bad!
Overall, it is more difficult to follow an elimination diet than most people believe. However, if you put in a bit more time and effort, the results could be very beneficial!
