How to do an elimination diet: part 1
An elimination diet is an intervention designed to reduce and manage any symptoms caused by food intolerances, sensitivities or allergies.
You remove certain food group or ingredient for a period of time to see if it helps to alleviate or improve symptoms.
The elimination phase can range from between 2 weeks to 6 months depending on the severity of your symptoms.
After the elimination phase you then begin to slowly and systematically reintroduce food items and observe if the have a negative impact on your health.
This is known as a reintroduction phase or ‘challenge’ phase.
Why use an elimination diet?
An elimination diet is the gold standard of testing and avoids the use of expensive laboratory testing which can sometimes be inaccurate.
Symptoms that can be improved by an elimination diet include:
Heartburn or reflux
Headaches
Bloating
Abdominal pain or cramping
Nausea or vomiting
Constipation or diarrhoea
Excessive wind
Joint pain
Poor sleep
Fatigue
Skin rashes
What are the most common foods to eliminate?
When it comes to food sensitivities, intolerances and allergies everyone is unique, but there are some foods that commonly cause symptoms. These include:
Wheat/gluten
Dairy
Eggs
Nuts
Soy
Refined sugar
Yeast
Alcohol
High FODMAP foods (high fermentable carbohydrates
What does a general elimination diet look like?
There are a couple of ways to approach an elimination diet, the first is to remove several trigger foods all at once and set yourself a goal of 2-4 weeks.
A less restricted approach would be to eliminate one food or food group at a time for a period of time to see if you notice any changes.
The best way to do an elimination diet
You may experience symptom relief after just a few days but it can also take a little more time so it’s helpful to be patient.
It is also important to ensure that you are eating nutritious foods that support the restoration and rebalancing of your digestive and immune system.
It’s important to adhere completely to the eliminations which involved reading labels and checking menus.
Don’t lament what you can’t eat, be proactive and list what you can eat and begin figuring out tasty meal options. Think Ready Steady Cook but personalised to you 🤣
Designing a weekly meal plan to follow can be helpful to make the process easier.
Ideally avoid processed food designed to be ‘free from’ foods. These will still contain processed ingredients and some may have a long list of emulsifiers, preservatives and additives that can cause digestive issues.
Gluten and wheat free breads, wraps, biscuits and cakes are examples of highly processed foods that may not be beneficial.
Do stock up on cleaner versions of alternatives like a quality plant based milk or yoghurt with minimal ingredients (e.g. Rude Health, Plenish), tamari sauce (gluten free soya), nut butters, gluten free oatcakes.
Typical elimination diet menu
Even eliminating the food groups above you can still create delicious meals.
Here’s some ideas of home prepared meals that work on elimination diets:
Breakfast
Gluten free oats with nut milk and plant based protein powder
Eggs, smoked salmon and avocado
Vegetable omelette
Protein smoothie with plant based protein powder, nut butter and nut milk
Lunches
Vegetable soup with boiled eggs
Chicken and quinoa salad
Lettuce wrap filled with either meat, fish or falafels, hummus or mashed avocado and salad
Dinner
Tofu and lentil dhal
Baked salmon with sweet potato wedges
Roast chicken and ratatouille
Prawn stir fry with rice
Homemade turkey, beef or chickpea burgers with oven roasted vegetables
Helpful elimination shopping list
Plant based milks and yoghurts with minimal ingredients
Gluten free grains; rice, wild rice, quinoa, gluten free oats, buckwheat
Nut and seed based granola (in place of wheat cereal/muesli)
Flaxseed (egg alternative)
Nut butters
Seed butters
Tamari sauce (gluten free soy sauce)
Stevia, monk fruit (sweetener)
Low FODMAP Vegetables: mushrooms, spinach, bok choy, carrots, courgette, cucumber, green beans, peppers, tomatoes, radish, kale, lettuce, rocket
Lower fructose fruits: berries, cantaloupe melon, watermelon, kiwi, lemon, lime, avocado, olives
Getting support
These diets can be restrictive, but the goal is not necessarily to stay on this diet for a long period of time.
It’s often beneficial to work with a registered nutritional therapist and establish what foods are triggering symptoms and how to address them.
I support many clients through the process and we get great results. You can contact me for a free 15 minute call to find out more.
Once you’ve completed your elimination diet you can read about how o reintroduce foods in How to do an elimination diet: part 2
