The word ‘elimination’ and the word ‘diet’ don’t have the healthiest connotations! It sounds pretty bleak, the idea of eliminating something feels like lack and loss. The word diet seems to arouse the rebel inside who instantly wants to break it!
However, an elimination diet is nothing to be afraid of and it could be the answer to some of your health niggles. If done properly it should also encourage the introduction of more healthy whole foods, so a better name would be the ‘diet of plenty’!
Food sensitivities are different from allergies in that they don’t trigger the immune system to have an immediate reaction. For example, a nut allergy will cause an instant response, like swelling or difficulty breathing. In cases of allergies you therefore know for sure which foods don’t agree with you. A sensitivity however is a lot harder to discover, because any negative reactions to the food may not take place until up to 48 hours after you eat it. This makes it difficult to know if you have a food sensitivity and if so, which food it could be!
Should You Try It?
Nutritional Therapists sometimes use elimination diets as a method to help clients in managing any pesky symptoms they may be experiencing. But, this technique is not something that I would advise willy-nilly. Here’s the lowdown on elimination diets and you can decide if it’s something you’d like to explore yourself.
The symptoms of food sensitivities are so broad that they can often be mistaken for something else or even worse, accepted as normal. Do you experience any of these regularly?:
- Headaches
- Skin rashes
- Bloating
- Gas
- Tummy aches
- Diarrhoea or constipation
- Stuffy nose or phlegm
- Brain fog
- Fatigue and low energy
- Autoimmune conditions
- IBS
Sound familiar? These are common, but they are not normal! If you identify with any of these symptoms and you’re at a loss for the cause, consider that it may be coming from the food you eat.
Where To Start?
The most common foods that trigger symptoms of sensitivity are:
- Dairy
- Wheat (gluten)
- Soy
- Peanuts
- Eggs
- Alcohol
- Processed oils
If you suspect that one of these foods could be causing the problem, a process of elimination might help, hence, the elimination diet! Here’s what you need to know to begin.
The How-To Of Your Elimination Investigation
Firstly, any reduction in a possible disagreeable food helps, so please don’t feel any pressure or stress in this.
But, if you want the gold standard of results from your elimination investigation then it’s best to remove the questionable food completely. Recommendations vary for how long it should be removed but the average time should be 3-4 weeks. A decent amount of time for your body to stop showing symptoms. This includes even small amounts of the food. For example, gluten is found in wheat based products like bread and pasta but its also found in small quantities in less obvious places such as soy sauce and other pre made seasonings, sauces and ready meals. The best thing to do is check the labels when you do your food shop and the common allergens are usually in bold. During these 3 weeks, monitor your symptoms daily and pay attention to any small changes, good or bad.
After 3 weeks of elimination, you reintroduce the food bit by bit and be watchful of any changes in symptoms. ‘Bit by bit’ means a single food every couple of days. For example bread on day 1, then pasta day 3 and monitor your response, if any. It’s like weaning a baby onto solid foods, you watch their reaction to a new food every couple of days so any response can be linked to a specific food.
If your symptoms didn’t change throughout the process then you know this food is not causing the problem. But if you felt better during the 3 weeks of abstaining and then worse again when reintroducing, it’s telling you that this food is part of, or solely, the issue! Now you’re empowered to make a choice whether to keep it in your regular diet or not! I would recommend the latter!
The good news is you may not need to eliminate an offending food permanently. Sometimes your gut just needs a break and time to heal and then it will accept the food again in the future. This is your responsibility to test and decide. Consult a nutritional therapist or similar for guidance or advise.
Replace Those Nutrients
As with any big change in your diet, it comes with risks. The main issue with eliminating a food group is the risk of nutritional deficiency. Now this doesn’t apply to sugar or alcohol!! But for example gluten and dairy containing foods often come with or are fortified with other nutrients. Gluten foods are sometimes fortified with B vitamins and iron and dairy is a good source of calcium and iodine. But, this is not the end of the world, you just need to ensure that you are replacing the food with gut loving whole foods.
Ensure you’re eating:
- A diverse range of colourful fruit and vegetables
- Healthy fats from good sources such as oily fish, nuts, seeds and avocados
- Calcium and folate from leafy greens
- Vitamin D from eggs and liver
- Protein from well sourced animal produce or beans, lentils and pulses
- Carbohydrates from whole plant based sources like potatoes and rice
If your symptoms are serious and you suspect an allergy to a food, then consult a health professional for advice.
