The Elimination Diet: Know What’s a No-No for Your Body
Our diets play a big role in our mental health and physical health. Whether it’s the Thanksgiving turkey that makes you drowsy, or our morning coffee that makes us more alert, each food and beverage plays a lasting role on us. If you find yourself facing a more impacted lifestyle, where you’re experiencing indigestion, skin irritation, or other issues, you should consider how your diet is playing a role. In other words, consider trying out the “elimination diet”. This nutrition-focused method helps one mark foods that are not suitable for consumption by eliminating foods for a certain period of time. A registered dietitian, Ryan Raman shares, “Elimination diets are the gold standard for identifying food intolerances, sensitivities and allergies through diet.” Raman shares foods to avoid including citrus fruits, starchy foods, meat, fish, and dairy products. This may be too restrictive, but it’s the best method in identifying unsuitable foods for you! However, vegetables with the exception of nightshades, turkey, lamb and dairy alternatives, including coconut milk are okay to consume. Think of it as putting your body through a test. Certain foods will pass for daily digestion and certain foods will notify you of their negative impact on your body. I remember discussing with one of our practitioners in Naturna how my eczema tends to flare up out of nowhere on my right hand. She suggested seeing which foods are likely triggering the appearance of my eczema. She recommended taking certain foods out like dairy and gluten, and when slowly reintroducing and incorporating them back, seeing which was the perpetrator in my random flare-ups.
In a study done on approximately 200 patients suffering from moderate to severe allergies, it was found that identifying foods that provoke the allergies, and further avoidance of these foods proved to be an effective method of handling the allergies (Pastorrello et Al., 1989). Similarly, a study on IBS, irritable bowel syndrome patients, proved that we must consider what foods are impacting us (Drisco et Al., 2005). When these patients experienced the elimination diet, there were great improvements in ailments caused by IBS, including pain and stool frequency, in other words, bothersome bathroom trips! Overall if you find yourself struggling with allergies, irritable digestion and more, the elimination diet is the way to go. To learn more about the elimination diet, feel free to schedule a virtual session, or an Initial Nutritional Consultation with one of our practitioners, where you will be able to discuss your daily eating habits, and identify what’s good and bad for your optimal health plan, along with resources including supplements and health handouts.
Other things the elimination diet can treat:
- ADHD
- Eczema
- Migraines
- Eosinophilic Esophagitis
References:
Jeanne Drisko, Bette Bischoff, Matthew Hall & Richard McCallum (2006) Treating Irritable Bowel Syndrome with a Food Elimination Diet Followed by Food Challenge and Probiotics, Journal of the American College of Nutrition, 25:6, 514-522, DOI: 10.1080/07315724.2006.10719567
Elide A. Pastorello, Laura Stocchi, Valerio Pravettoni, Angela Bigi, Maria Laura Schilke, Cristoforo Incorvaia, Carlo Zanussi,Role of the elimination diet in adults with food allergy, Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, Volume 84, Issue 4, Part 1,1989,Pages 475-483, ISSN 0091-6749,https://doi.org/10.1016/0091-6749(89)90360-6.
Raman, Ryan. “How to Do an Elimination Diet and Why.” Healthline, Healthline Media, 2 July 2017, https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/elimination-diet#TOC_TITLE_HDR_5.
