Elimination Diet

Elimination Diet Protocol

Feeling sluggish, skin issues, bloating, headaches? Do you have a bunch of weird symptoms that you are unable to pinpoint where they are from?

The Elimination Diet is a great way to help realize where certain symptoms are coming from and if they are linked to food sensitivities or intolerances. Some of these symptoms can be things like bloating, headaches, mood swings, or rashes. Food is a main source of information for our body- it sends signals, creates energy, and builds Qi/Blood. So, if the food we are ingesting is not being absorbed properly it often sends misinformation to the system.

Research now shows a huge link between the state of the nervous system, and emotions with the quality of the intestinal flora. Meaning the healthier your gut, the healthier your mood! The digestive system also is the home to the majority of your bodies immune system, the enteric nervous system and the main producer of serotonin, the happiness neurotransmitter. So lets find out what makes your gut happy!

The elimination diet is considered the gold standard when it comes to figuring out food sensitives. It is not necessarily an easy process but a very effective and specific one. So stay strong and use this guide for support.

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Make sure to keep a diet diary to keep track of symptoms, mood changes, headaches, and changes in bowel MOVEMENT associated with foods you are testing!

Tips to Get Started with the Elimination Diet

• Preparation is Key- The first 2- 3 days are usually the hardest as the beginning of transitions often are. It’s important to go shopping before beginning this diet plan to have all available foods handy. Plan your meals ahead of time, being hungry often leads to poor decision making. Have prepared food on hand so you can grab something quickly if you are in a rush or hungry! Make a large pot of chicken-vegetable-rice soup to have easy leftovers. Make a large salad. Bake extra chicken and store it in the fridge for quick easy lunches and snacks.

• Simple is Best- Use this time to eat simply and cook simply. I like to view these few weeks as a science experiment to get to know your body better. Having a pot of rice available is a great way to have easy and healthy food accessible if hunger strikes!

• Make a Plan and Stick to It- Make sure to keep a diet diary to keep track of symptoms, mood changes, headaches, and changes in bowel MOVEMENT associated with foods you are testing! Eating at regular times can help with the routine, and with blood sugar balancing. You may also feel the need to want to snack to more often than normal, in this case carry healthy food and snacks with you when you leave the house, that way you will have what you need and will not be tempted to stray off the plan. 

• Listen to your Body- Avoid any foods that you know/ believe you may be sensitive to, even if they are on the “allowed” list.  This is NOT a weight loss program. If you need to lose or gain weight, work with your practitioner on a weight loss program at a different time :)

• Variety is the Spice of Life- Try to eat at least 3-5 servings of fresh vegetables each day. Choose at least one serving of dark green or orange vegetables (carrot, broccoli, winter squash) and one raw vegetable each day. Variety is key!

• Organic is Best- Buy organic produce whenever possible. Select fresh foods whenever you can. If possible, choose organically grown produce to help eliminate pesticide and chemical residue consumption. Wash all vegetable and fruits thoroughly. 

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The Elimination Diet Plan

There are three distinct phases of this diet plan- the Elimination Phase, the Testing Phase and the Integrate/Repair Phase. The whole process may take about 5-6 weeks total to complete.

PHASE ONE (ELIMINATION)

• This phase lasts 21 days and its all about cleaning up the diet, moving to a very simple eating regimen which consists of foods that have been shown to not cause adverse reactions or inflammation. Then specific foods are slowly introduced back into the diet, one at a time, observing if any possible reactions or unwanted symptoms arise (more on this during the testing phase)

• It is very important to DRINK LOTS OF WATER, about 2-4 liters a day during this time. It can be seen as sort of a cleanse, as you are allowing the digestive tract to simplify and release any built up agitation or inflammation from foods you eat.

Foods to Avoid

• GLUTEN

• DAIRY

• SOY

• EGGS

• CORN

• PORK

• BEEF

• BEANS/LENTILS

• COFFEE

• GRAINS

• CITRUS

• NIGHTSHADE VEGETABLES (tomato/eggplant/potatoes/peppers)

• ALCOHOL

• PROCESSED FOODS

• SUGAR

• MIXED OILS

Foods to Focus on

• RICE

• CHICKEN

• TURKEY

• LAMB

• FISH

• WILD GAME

• FRUIT (besides citrus)

• ALL VEGGIES (besides nightshades)

• single ingredient COCONUT MILK

• OLIVE OIL

• GHEE

• FLAX SEED OIL

• COCONUT OIL

• HERBAL TEAS

• HERBS/SPICES

PHASE TWO (TESTING)

• This phase is when you get to test specific foods to see how the body responds. By slowly reintroducing foods to the diet it is easier to observe how the body-mind reacts and feels. It is very useful to keep a diet diary or journal at this stage to keep track. (keep tract of what you eat/drink, when you eat/ drink, mood changes, bowel movements, any abnormal symptoms ie. headaches) This phase begins after the end of the three week elimination phase. The process is to reintroduce a single food group for one day only, then monitor symptoms for two days after when you go back to the simple diet. The day you are introducing a specific foods, or potential sensitivity such as dairy, eat a lot of it!

Example-

• Day 1 of testing / Day 22 of diet plan)/ FOOD 1 Test Dairy- Eat a lot of it for one day, pick foods you normally would eat such as milk and unsweetened yogurt. Wait three days to notice if any symptoms arise.

IF NO SYMPTOMS ARISE- reintroduce another food group on day four.

IF SYMPTOMS ARISE- go back to the basic elimination diet for three days before testing another food.

• DAY 4/ FOOD 2 Test Eggs- Same as above. Remember to keep a diary to help you keep track. You can continue this process for a couple of more weeks reintroducing one new food group every few days.

Some symptoms that may arise

• Insomnia

• Fatigue

• Joint pain/inflammation

• Skin breakouts/rashes

• Bowel changes/ GI pain/bloating

• Headaches

• Brain fog

• Sinus/respiratory issues

PHASE THREE (INTEGRATE AND REPAIR) 

After three weeks of eating a simple diet, and a few weeks more of testing individual foods and keeping a diet diary, you will most likely have a clear picture of foods that work/don’t work well for your individual digestive tract. Often when eating foods that agree with our bodies and don’t lend toward unnecessary inflammation, we feel brighter, lighter, and over all more healthy.

This next step is a lifestyle step, its about finding a new norm, and a balance that works for you. Now that you have done the “research” and found out foods that are causing some adverse impacts on the body, its time to integrate this information into your new individualized diet plan. This does not necessarily mean that all foods you found you are sensitive towards must never be eaten again, but now you can go into eating these foods with more awareness and less often. You may choose to cut them out completely, or when you choose to indulge do so with the knowing what certain symptoms you may encounter. You can also have some things on hand to help mitigate symptoms such as digestive bitters or digestive enzymes.

Tips to Help Integrate and Repair

• Try to keep consumption of tested foods with side effects (food sensitives) to a minimum if at all.

• Invest in a high quality probiotic supplement

• Increase your consumption of bone broth

• Indulge in more prebiotic foods such as sauerkraut, kimchi, pickles, kefir, non processed yogurt, kombucha. 

• Keep stress to a minimum and drink more water!

Homemade sauerkraut is a great way to help boost digestion!

Resources

• Great recipe website - http://www.nourishingmeals.com/p/elimination-diet.html

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