What in the world is an elimination diet? Isn’t every diet an elimination diet?

You’d think, right? But no.
An elimination diet (or food challenge test) is a specific diet you do for a period of time to help determine any food allergies or sensitivities. In general, they follow a simple pattern:

Weeks 1 – 2: Stick exclusively to foods we know won’t cause reactions: green veggies, fresh fruit (except citrus), rice, fish, turkey, rice/coconut milk and olive/flaxseed/coconut oil. EVERYTHING else is a no-go.

Weeks 3 +: Slowly (and we mean SLOWLY) re-introduce one food at a time. How slowly? Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, you can add in eggs. Thursday, Friday and Saturday, try tomatoes.

Nobody does an elimination diet and raves about how fun it is. It’s TOUGH. Giving up all variety and allowing your gut a chance to heal makes those first two weeks difficult. Without that time, though, there’s no way to be certain which foods are causing the reactions. Done properly, you can develop a personal food road-map so you know exactly what your body needs as well as what’s going to make you feel crummy. No more wondering if it was the pizza or the burger that made you feel gross (spoiler alert: it was both).

It’s tough, but totally worth it.

Want some coaching and guidance through this process? Check on our blog or call for a consultation (Toll Free: 1-877-275-7743).