The Elimination Diet
Wednesday, June 29th, 2011
The Elimination Diet may be used to help identify a food hypersensitivity or food intolerance. Meals that people are allergic, or intolerant to, can result in an array of health problems and signs and symptoms. Chinese Medicine texts, dating some 3,500 years, describe the significance of eating a varied diet, and how if the same foods are eaten every single day it might cause health issues. Today, within our modern Western diet, it is not uncommon to see the same small selection of foods eaten every single day. It isn't unusual for people to consume a wheat based breakfast cereal with milk first thing in the morning, bread and cheese midday, and pizza or pasta with a creamy sauce followed by ice cream or yogurt for the evening meal. Could it be any surprise that wheat and diary are two of the common meals individuals are intolerant to?
The Elimination Diet is a means of finding which foods you're eating may be responsible for any health issues you might have. The initial step would be to only eat foods that are recognized to be the least problematical. Probably the most common method of elimination at this stage is the “Caveman” diet, or, what's now more generally known as the Paleo Diet. For a period of about thirty days your diet will follow the lines pends on that follows what our forefathers ate 1000's of years ago, when we were hunter-gatherers: fresh meat and seafood, veggies, although not the nightshade family (tomato, potatoes, peppers and aubergines, or egg plants), also the brassica family (cabbage, broccoli, mustards), both of these families of veggies are recognized to create problems for many people. Nuts and seed products are fine. Following the first month or so of eating this way most people will see some positive changes in their own health, but it's not unusual that for that first couple of weeks to get a “reaction” as the body begins to adjust to a new diet.
The following stage within the Elimination Diet is to gradually start reintroducing a few of the foods that may be problematic for you. Within the next 2 weeks you can begin to reintroduce veggies in the nightshade family, and also the brassica family, but add only one food at any given time, and keep a diary, to help you think back and find out if any return of signs and symptoms relate to the reintroduction of the particular food.
If this stage from the Elimination Diet continues to be effectively, now you can begin to try eating some of the principle causes of food intolerances and allergic reactions; wheat, diary, eggs, soy products and yeast. You’ve survived this length of time, don’t mess it up in a single meal! Introduce all these foods 1 a week, and keep a diary. Obviously, you might find by now you are feeling and looking a lot better which you may choose to keep these foods from your diet permanently.