Doing an Elimination Diet can be a key step in beginning to find the root cause of your health issues. So, when I work with clients, I often have them do an Elimination Diet before we do any other work. If you’re like a lot of people, you probably don’t know what that is or why it is important, so let’s talk about Elimination Diets.
Have you ever noticed that when you eat some foods, you immediately don’t feel well or maybe you wake up the next day not feeling well? You probably have a sensitivity to that food and you notice it right away.
In addition to making you feel lousy, eating foods you are sensitive to can also lead to digestive problems like chronic inflammation, leaky gut and autoimmune issues. And it’s possible that you may not even notice any symptoms. Most illnesses and diseases begins in the gut, and a lot of that may be affected by what you’re eating. So it is really important to first get rid of foods that may be contributing to digestive problems before we can dig into any other possible contributors.
One of the first things you might ask is, how would I know if I have a food sensitivity? One answer is that you can have lab tests done to find out. That can be expensive and some people don’t want to pay for that if it isn’t necessary. Another answer is to do an Elimination diet to find out what foods might be problematic for you.
The first thing you’d do is to remove common food allergens for at least 3-4 weeks.
These are the top 7 most common food allergens:
- Gluten
- Dairy
- Soy
- Sugar (in the form of added sugars and processed foods like crackers, cookies, cakes, etc.
- Eggs
- Corn
- Peanuts
In some cases I also recommend removing alcohol, caffeine, citrus, nightshades, animal protein.
Everyone is different, so different foods make cause reactions in some people but not others. So just like everything else, I tailor my approach based on who you are.
Once you’ve eliminated these foods for a month, you can slowly start reintroducing them into your diet one by one. Adding them back slowly allows you to connect the dots and see which foods affect you in a negative way, especially if you are tracking your food in a journal.
Some Symptoms to Watch For When Reintroducing Foods:
- Bloating, gas, constipation, diarrhea and other digestive symptoms
- Brain fog
- Mood changes
- Insomnia
- Soreness/joint pain
- Headaches
- Allergy symptoms (excess mucous, watery eyes)
- Trouble breathing
- Skin problems like breakouts, rashes or hives
If you’re seriously interested in getting healthy, restoring your digestion and boosting your energy then CLICK HERE to set up a 15-minute consultation to learn how we can work together to help you reach your goals.
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