Elimination diet
Simple Elimination Diet
The purpose of an elimination diet is to discover symptom-triggering foods. Everyone’s body responds to foods differently. If we are sensitive to a food, there are a host of symptoms our body can respond with, such as headaches, skin rashes, joint pains, and digestive problems, just to name a few. Begin by eliminating foods you think may be the source of your symptoms. If you are unsure, start with the foods that most commonly cause a reaction, these include:
*Dairy products (lactose and casein)
*Wheat (and other glutencontaining foods)
Eggs (whites particularly)
Corn
Peanuts
Tomatoes
Shellfish
All citrus fruits and juices
Sugar
Chocolate
Coffee
Black tea
Alcohol
Soy
Artificial sweeteners
Yeast *
Dairy and gluten are two of the biggest culprits.
Red Meats
Remove the suspected foods for a two-week period. Be aware of hidden ingredients in manufactured products. In addition to the suspected foods, be sure to avoid alcoholic beverages, caffeinated drinks (coffee, teas and colas), MSG, aspartame (NutraSweet), nitrates (chemical stabilizers found in meats to preserve the color) and sulfites (preservatives used in many foods, particularly dried fruits.)
Questions to Ask: How do you feel? Do you have more energy? Are your symptoms less severe?
Symptom-safe list: These foods generally work well with people and do not contribute to symptoms or conditions.
- Brown rice.
- Cooked or dried fruits free of sulfites (cherries, cranberries, pears, prunes) but not citrus fruits, apples, bananas, peaches, or tomatoes.
- Cooked green, yellow, and orange vegetables (artichokes, asparagus, broccoli, chard, collards, lettuce, spinach, string beans, summer or winter squash, sweet potatoes, tapioca, and taro).
- Water (filtered is best). Avoid teas, they can be triggers
- Condiments, such as sea salt, maple syrup, honey, molasses, and vanilla extract.
- Chicken, turkey, lamb, and cold-water fish such as salmon, mackerel and halibut. Select from free-range and hormone-free animal products.
- It is best to use cold-pressed, organic oils, such as extra virgin olive and coconut. • The more whole, unprocessed foods you eat the better it is for you, your sensitivities, and your immune system!
Some Tips to Help Identify Triggers:
• The offending foods can be ones you are fond of, perhaps even foods you crave.
• If you are affected by several foods, eliminating only one may make little difference with your symptoms. This sometimes leads people to believe that foods are not the problem.
• You may find that you can have a small amount of a trigger food without observing symptoms, while a larger amount causes a reaction.
• Your tolerance may be impacted by different factors. For example, natural hormonal fluctuations may make one more sensitive.
• Your triggers can change over time.
Modified Elimination Diet: If eliminating all suspect food from your diet at one time is too drastic, try eliminating particular classes of foods one at a time. For example, eliminate all gluten containing foods for a two-week period and see your reaction. If symptoms are not relieved, then eliminate all dairy products as well (and continue to keep wheat off the menu) for the next two-week period, and so on. Continue deleting a food or class of foods until your symptoms improve. Once symptoms have improved, it can be assumed that you are sensitive to the most recently deleted foods. You can then add the other foods back into your diet, one at a time, but stay alert for any reactions.
Diet Diary: You can also try tracking down food sensitivities by using a diet diary. For three to four weeks, write down everything you eat and when you eat it, along with how you feel, and any reactions you have. After the four-week period, you should be able to detect patterns in your responses to different foods.
Recipes Resources Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon, 2001 Special Diet Solutions by Carol Fenster, Ph.D. 1998 The Gluten-Free Kitchen by Roben Ryberg, 2000 Special Diet Celebrations by Carol Fenster, Ph.D. 1999 Going Against the Grain by Melissa Diane Smith 2002 Information gathered from Zand, Janet, L.A.c. OMD. Smart Medicine for Healthier Living. Avery. 1999.
The information provided on this site is intended for your general knowledge only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice or treatment for specific medical conditions. You should not use this information to diagnose or treat a health problem or disease without consulting with a qualified healthcare provider. Please consult your healthcare provider with any questions or concerns you may have regarding your condition.
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Rheumatoid Arthritis Healing Naturally - Website:
https: //www.rheumatoidarthritishealingnaturally.com/
Please also do your own research.
We like to keep the files up to date. Please let us know if any of the links in this file are not working. If you have a link you would like to add to this file please leave it in the comments.
All of the product links are used and recommended by myself or people in the RA Healing Naturally support group. Any products links listed, are products that have worked well for group members and support our healing journey. Article links are also here to offer more information on healing Rheumatoid Arthritis. RA Healing Naturally is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases which help support maintaining my website. I have no ads on this website, so this allows me a way to pay the monthly fees of maintaining it. The information on this website is intended to help people on their healing journey!