What is an elimination diet? Elimination diets are useful for people to find out if they might have allergies or intolerances to certain types of food. Excluding certain foods from your diet for a period of time – typically anywhere from 6-12 weeks – and slowly reintroducing them one at a time can help reveal which foods you have reactions to.
Elimination diets are also useful for people with specific health concerns. Sometimes elimination of certain foods can help heal the gut and improve digestion. This happens when you remove inflammatory agents or substances that might be causing discomfort. Elimination diets have helped to treat conditions like IBS, eczema, psoriasis, acne, celiac disease, and other autoimmune diseases.
A food elimination diet is not easy, as it takes time to identify which foods cause reactions or discomfort. However, when you consider the long-term healthcare costs of ignoring the issue, it’s worth considering an elimination diet, if you’re willing to invest the time into your overall wellness. It’s definitely not easy, but defining which foods might be causing issues for you is worth it in the long run. I’ve done it before and so can you
Commonly removed elimination diet foods include:
- Citrus fruits such as oranges and grapefruits
- Nightshade vegetables such as tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, white potatoes, cayenne pepper, and paprika
- Nuts and seeds – including nut butters and seed oils such as canola, safflower, and sunflower.
- Legumes such as beans, lentils, peas, and soy-based products
- Starchy foods such as wheat, barley, corn, spelt, rye, oats, bread, and any other gluten-containing foods
- Dairy products including milk, cheese, yogurt, and ice cream
- Beverages such as alcohol, coffee, black tea, soda, and other sources of caffeine
- Sugar and sweets, specifically sugar (white and brown), honey, maple syrup, corn syrup and high-fructose corn syrup, agave nectar, desserts, and chocolate
While elimination diets can be very restricting, it is important to identify as many food triggers as possible to reap the most benefits. Read more for a full list of benefits from elimination diets!
Benefit of Elimination Diet #1: Reducing Chronic Migraines
Food can trigger headaches and migraines. Elimination diet benefits can help alleviate migraines that come from certain food types. Food triggers are individualized, so identifying the foods to avoid is the best way for an elimination diet to be effective.
Dairy products like milk, cheese, butter, or ice cream may cause migraine symptoms in people who suffer from food allergies caused by dairy protein intolerance or lactose sensitivity.
Some food colors have been linked as migraine causes as well, such as blue food dye (in sodas), red pepper extract, and tartrazine yellow dye number five.
Other common food triggers include:
- refined sugar-containing desserts or drinks, such as cakes and soda pop
- hot dogs which contain nitrates
- yeast-soured bread
Benefit of Elimination Diet #2: Limiting Eczema Breakouts and Other Skin Conditions
For some, certain foods can cause eczematous breakouts. Elimination diets are an easy way to determine what foods may trigger your eczema and how to fix this problem!
One common eczema food trigger is dairy. This happens when there is an inability of an individual to digest lactose, a sugar found in milk and other dairy products. By removing all dairy from one’s diet for about two weeks, symptoms can improve as early as four days after beginning the elimination diet.
Similarly, a person who eats foods containing gluten may experience eczema. This occurs when immune systems respond abnormally to a protein found in wheat-based products. Eliminating foods such as bread, cereals, and baked goods from your diet can reduce eczema flare-ups tremendously!
Other common foods that can trigger eczema include:
- Citrus fruits
- Eggs
- Gluten or wheat
- Soy
- Spices such as vanilla, cloves, and cinnamon
- Tomatoes
- Nuts
Benefit of Elimination Diet #3: Limiting Endometriosis Symptoms
The International Journal of Women’s Health recently published an elimination diet study on the benefits of elimination diets. They found that an elimination diet can reduce symptoms associated with endometriosis.
Endometriosis is often characterized by chronic pelvic pain, especially during menstrual periods. It can also involve the growth of endometrial tissue outside the uterus. Certain foods may trigger endometriosis symptoms such as diarrhea, gas, or constipation. Elimination diets are a way to identify food triggers for endometriosis. This solves endo-related digestive issues and other symptoms associated with endometriosis.
Benefit of Elimination Diet #4: Improve Symptoms of Rheumatoid Arthritis and Other Inflammatory Conditions
Elimination diets help to identify foods that may be causing inflammatory reactions in your body. These reactions may lead to more serious disease processes over time and are important to identify.
The Journal of Rheumatology found that elimination diets may be helpful in reducing disease activity patterns. The same article also reported evidence of these diets leading to an improvement or even remission from RA.
With so many benefits associated with elimination diets, it’s worth looking into this option. This is especially true for those diagnosed with RA or another type of inflammatory condition.
Benefit of Elimination Diet #5: Help With Symptoms of Crohn’s Disease and Ulcerative Colitis
If you suffer from an autoimmune condition such as Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis, it is important to consider the foods that you eat. Eliminating certain foods from your diet can help with symptoms of these diseases.
Elimination diet foods for typical autoimmune diseases include a small number of healthy and nutritious foods. By consuming a diet of easily digestible foods, it becomes simple to identify any food sensitivities. These include fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and protein sources like beans or fish. You want to avoid dairy products (to avoid lactose) or gluten (in case of celiac disease). Consider using dairy substitutes including soy milk if necessary while trying out this diet plan.
Benefit of Elimination Diet #6: Ease Irritable Bowel Syndrome
For irritable bowel syndrome, diet is not the only factor that can ease symptoms. There are many foods that irritate IBS and make it worse. Dairy products like milk, yogurt, and cheese are often sources of pain for those with irritable bowel syndrome. These products are very difficult to digest.
Elimination diets might help you identify sources of significant digestive discomfort. Non-dairy milk such as almond or soy milk may be a good substitute to consider.
Additionally, some people also find relief by eliminating whole grains and beans from their diets. They find that they are sensitive to the gluten or fiber in these foods.
Benefit of Elimination Diet #7: Improve ADHD
Eliminating certain foods from your diet can even help improve ADHD symptoms.
These are some examples of food triggers for people with ADHD:
- Sugar, artificial sweeteners (especially aspartame)
- Fermented soy products such as soy sauce and miso soup
- Gluten grains including wheat breads or pasta
- Dairy products like milk chocolate or cheese
People who have severe allergies to any one of these items should avoid them completely. These allergies will likely exacerbate the symptoms of ADHD. In more mild cases it is possible that eating small amounts on occasion may not cause a problem. This is dependent on each person’s tolerance to specific ingredients.
With this guide, you’re now familiar with some of the benefits of an elimination diet. There can be many benefits to elimination diets if you’re willing to put in the work. No, it’s not going to be easy, but it is a free way to identify food sensitivities! By finding what foods work and don’t work for you and your health conditions, you can lead a better quality of life.
For follow-up, consider consulting with a primary health physician specializing in functional medicine. They can help guide you through the process if you think certain foods may be impacting your mental or physical health and work with you to determine the best course of action. They certainly helped my wife and I discover a number of foods that were causing issues and hopefully they can help you as well. Visit imf.org to find a functional medicine practitioner near you. Good luck!