The Complete Guide to Elimination Diets

Elimination diets have become increasingly popular as a way to identify food sensitivities, alleviate gastrointestinal issues, and improve overall health and wellbeing. But what exactly are elimination diets and how do they work? This comprehensive guide will provide an overview of elimination diets, explain the different types, and offer guidance on following an elimination protocol safely and effectively.

What Are Elimination Diets?

Elimination diets involve removing certain foods or food groups from your diet in order to determine if they are causing adverse reactions. Foods are eliminated for a period of time, usually 2-6 weeks, and then gradually reintroduced while monitoring symptoms.

The most common food triggers are gluten, dairy, eggs, corn, soy, nuts, citrus fruits, nightshade vegetables (tomatoes, eggplants, peppers, potatoes), processed foods, alcohol, and caffeine. However, individuals can be sensitive or intolerant to any food.

How Do Elimination Diets Work?

Elimination diets work by giving the body a break from potential inflammatory or allergy-triggering foods. This allows irritated areas of the gut to heal and eases symptoms like gas, bloating, diarrhea, constipation, acid reflux, congestion, headaches, fatigue, skin issues, joint pain, and more.

Once symptomatic relief has been achieved through the elimination phase, foods are slowly reintroduced. This is done one at a time while watching closely for the return of symptoms. Reactions indicate an intolerance or sensitivity to that food.

The best approach is to eliminate suspect foods for 30 days, followed by reintroduction and challenging of one food every 72 hours. Keeping a detailed food and symptom journal is crucial during elimination diets.

Why Follow an Elimination Diet?

There are several key reasons for trying an elimination diet:

• Identify food intolerances or allergies causing symptoms
• Confirm a suspected food sensitivity
• Relieve gastrointestinal issues like IBS
• Improve conditions like eczema, migraines, joint pain, chronic fatigue
• Pinpoint reactions that may mimic anxiety or ADHD
• Discover problematic ingredients like additives, preservatives, dyes
• Reduce inflammation throughout the body

Research indicates that elimination diets can be beneficial for a wide array of health problems. Even eliminating certain foods for a short period can help reset the immune system and gut function.

Types of Elimination Diets

There are several different elimination diet protocols:

Comprehensive Elimination Diet

This involves removing the most common trigger foods all at once for 4-6 weeks:

• Gluten
• Dairy
• Soy
• Corn
• Eggs
• Nuts
• Nightshades
• Citrus fruits
• Caffeine
• Alcohol
• Additives/preservatives

Such a strict protocol should only be followed under the guidance of a registered dietitian who can ensure nutritional completeness.

The Autoimmune Protocol (AIP)

The AIP diet aims to calm inflammation in autoimmune conditions. It eliminates:

• Grains
• Legumes
• Dairy
• Eggs
• Nuts
• Seeds
• Nightshades
• Alcohol
• Caffeine
• Additives

Additional foods like certain spices, oils, and sweeteners may also be removed.

Low FODMAP Diet

FODMAPs are fermentable carbohydrates that can trigger IBS symptoms. A low FODMAP elimination diet removes:

• Lactose
• Fructose
• Fructans
• Galactans
• Polyols

This is typically implemented in two phases under the guidance of a dietitian.

Gluten-Free Diet

This eliminates all wheat, barley, rye, and other gluten-containing grains. It is essential for those with celiac disease or non-celiac gluten sensitivity.

Dairy-Free Diet

All milk products are eliminated, including cheese, yogurt, butter, ghee, cream, custard, and whey protein.

Sugar Elimination Diet

Sugar is removed in all forms, including honey, maple syrup, agave, high-fructose corn syrup, etc. Artificial sweeteners are also eliminated.

Whole30 Diet

As the name implies, Whole30 cuts out:

• Sugar (real & artificial)
• Alcohol
• Grains
• Legumes
• Dairy
• Soy

The program lasts for 30 days. It is meant to help improve metabolic, gastrointestinal, and mental health.

Elimination Diet Guidelines

If you decide to try an elimination diet, be sure to:

• Consult with your healthcare provider, especially if you have a health condition or take medication
• Work with a registered dietitian to ensure nutritional adequacy
• Read ingredient labels carefully
• Cook at home as much as possible
• Plan ahead for social, travel, or dining out situations
• Reintroduce foods slowly and keep a symptom journal
• Don't stay on an overly restrictive diet long-term without medical supervision

Be prepared for some challenges but remember that the effort is well worth it to discover problematic foods causing health issues.

Step-By-Step Elimination Diet Protocol

If you want to try an elimination diet yourself, follow these steps:

1. Choose Your Elimination Diet

Decide which version best suits your needs, symptoms, and medical conditions. The comprehensive approach removes the most foods while a targeted diet eliminates specific foods.

2. Remove Eliminated Foods

Read all product labels and clear your kitchen of eliminated foods. This includes condiments, sauces, seasonings, canned goods, snacks, baking ingredients, non-dairy milks, nutritional supplements, and more.

3. Stock Up On Allowed Foods

Shop for produce, proteins, fats, herbs/spices, teas, olive oil, nuts/seeds (if allowed), rice, quinoa, coconut, and any other approved ingredients. Meal planning is essential.

4. Follow Diet Strictly

Do not cheat as this can trigger symptoms and skew results. Be vigilant about label reading and aware of cross-contamination when dining out.

5. Record Symptoms

Document symptoms daily including energy levels, digestion, pain, congestion, sleep, focus, mood, cravings, etc. This helps assess reactions when reintroducing foods.

6. After 4 Weeks Begin Reintroducing

Choose one food to reintroduce every 3-4 days while continuing to avoid all other eliminated foods. Watch closely for reactions.

7. Challenge Each Food

Reintroduce all foods using the same individual challenging protocol. Document any reactions that occur. These indicate an intolerance or sensitivity.

8. Create A Personalized Diet

Based on your reintroduction results, create your own customized diet that excludes problematic foods and includes those that are well tolerated.

Following these steps will provide invaluable information about how different foods impact your body. This allows you to optimize your diet for improved health and reduced symptoms.

Frequently Asked Questions

Still have some questions about tackling an elimination diet? Here are answers to some common queries:

How long should I eliminate foods for?

Experts recommend 4-6 weeks for the elimination phase. This gives the body enough time to calm inflammation and identify clear reactions upon reintroduction.

What if I accidentally get exposed to eliminated foods?

Try your best to be very strict during the active elimination phase. If you do get exposed, restart the full elimination period again. Just one small slip up can influence results.

Will eliminating foods negatively affect my health?

There are some nutritional considerations, especially on very restrictive diets. Work with an RD and supplement if needed to prevent deficiencies. Most elimination diets are safe for 4-6 weeks.

How will I know if a food causes a reaction?

Watch for the return of any symptoms you experienced prior to the diet or the emergence of new symptoms like digestive upset, congestion, headache, rash, joint pain, fatigue, etc.

What should I do if I react to a food I reintroduce?

Eliminate that food again for at least 3-6 months. After this period, cautiously try reintroducing it again to see if the same reaction occurs. If so, you likely have an intolerance or allergy.

When can I reintegrate foods I tolerate?

After the full elimination and challenging period, you can add back in foods you did not react to. Do this one at a time while monitoring symptoms.

How long should I stay on my personalized diet?

Most experts recommend following your customized elimination diet for at least 3-6 months to allow for complete healing of the gut and immune system.

Summary

Elimination diets require commitment but can be incredibly useful tools for identifying food triggers. Key takeaways:

• They involve removing foods for a period before systematic reintroduction
• Benefits include relieving GI issues, inflammation, skin conditions, headaches, and more
• Various protocols eliminate common triggers like gluten, dairy, grains, nightshades, etc.
• Work closely with a healthcare practitioner to implement elimination diets safely
• Strictly avoid eliminated foods, carefully reintroduce, and keep a symptom journal
• Create a tailored diet excluding reactive foods you identify

In a nutshell, elimination diets help you pinpoint problem foods so you can personalize your diet and optimize your health. With proper planning and support, an elimination diet can be life changing!