Quite often, chronic fatigue, multiple allergies, chemical sensitivities, arthritis, and many other non-specific symptoms can be related, at least partially, to diet. Eliminating all possible symptom triggers for at least one month and then adding suspect foods back one at a time may improve your symptoms and clearly show which food or foods are the culprits.
Guidelines for an Elimination Diet
Before you begin, get the guidance of your doctor or a dietician. Keep in mind that many doctors have not received education in elimination diets and may try to dispel their validity. Enroll the support of your family and friends. You must eliminate all suspect foods for at least one month, preferably three, in order to get accurate results. This can be a challenge when dining out.
Keep a food diary for three days before you start the elimination diet, tracking what and when you eat and the state of your mind, emotions, and body. Continue making entries throughout the course of the elimination and challenge phases of the diet. Pick a time when you can realistically commit to following the elimination diet, e.g. not during holidays or celebrations.
During the first week or two you may experience withdrawal symptoms and strong cravings, often for the very food you are sensitive to. Keep in mind that this is not a lifelong diet, but a window in the course of your life for you to examine how the foods and beverages you ingest effect your health and well-being.
Common symptoms of food allergy or sensitivity include fatigue, nasal congestion, dark circles under the eyes, headache, muscle aches, irritability, abdominal pain, hyperactivity, attention deficits, and memory loss. You may be surprised to find that foods that you frequently crave are culprits.
Foods to Avoid
The elimination diet avoids many commonly eaten foods in the Western diet. Food sensitivities usually come about from eating a specific food or substance frequently over time.
Avoid:
• All gluten products, including bread, crackers, chips, cereal, noodles, biscuits, pizza, cakes, cookies, etc.
• Grains and grain-containing foods, including wheat, rye, barley, and white rice
• Spicy foods and dried fruits
• Dairy products, including yogurt, milk, ice cream, and margarine
• Soy and soymilk
• Farm-grown fish and seafood, shrimp, pork, beef, chicken, and processed meats
• Sugar and sugar-containing foods, including juice, fructose, glucose, brown ` sugar, and condiments
• Apples and citrus fruit (lemon and lime are usually tolerated to enhance flavor)
• Corn, white potato, tomato, peas, beans, and other legumes including peanuts
• Eggs and egg-containing foods
• Processed foods, especially those with chemical additives
• Water bottled in plastic containers which may contain chemical plasticizers that leach from the container
• Roasted or otherwise treated nuts of any kind
• Beer, wine, and spirits
• Stimulants, including chocolate, coffee, cola, and tea
• Any food you commonly eat more than once a week
• NutraSweet®, Equal®, aspartame, and saccharine, which are artificial chemical sweeteners
Foods You Can Eat
At first glance you might find the list of foods to avoid overwhelming but, in fact, you can enjoy a large variety of food on the elimination diet.
Include any or all:
• Long grain brown rice
• Fresh or fresh frozen lamb
• Deep-water ocean fish including orange roughy, halibut, tuna, and wild salmon
• Lamb, deer, rabbit, duck, goose, pheasant, frog legs, quail, Cornish game hen, fresh turkey (not injected with chemicals or pre-basted).
• Most fruit in small fresh, unprocessed servings
• Sweet potatoes, yams, cabbage, carrots, squash, asparagus, cauliflower, avocados, celery, garlic, okra, radishes, greens (beet, mustard, spinach, collards, etc.), cucumbers, eggplant, Brussels sprouts, kale, avocado, broccoli, parsnips, green peppers (not hot pepper or peppery spices), rutabaga, leek, and turnips
• Fresh cracked nuts or nuts still in the shell, including hazel nuts, almonds or pecans
• Almond butter and sesame butter provided they haven’t been processed using the same equipment that makes peanut butter
• Bottled mineral water, spring water, water filtered thorough a purifier, or distilled water
• Cold pressed oils with no additives, including safflower oil, sunflower oil, flaxseed oil, sesame oil and extra virgin olive oil
• Very small amounts of honey or Stevia, a natural sweetener
• Sea salt
• Ginger, garlic, and cilantro
Challenge Phase
After the elimination phase, during which time you tracked any improvements in your symptoms, begin to add back one new food every 3 to 4 days and eat that new food at least twice each day during the test period; wait 3 days before adding another food challenge since reactions may take 3 to 4 days to appear. Withhold gluten grains, especially wheat, and corn and dairy products until the end since long-term fixed allergies to these are common. Continue to track your meals and symptoms daily throughout the challenge phase.
If a food doesn’t cause symptoms during the challenge phase, you may add it back into your diet after you have tested all the potential culprits. Once you identify your triggers, avoid eating them for several months. This period of rest may allow your immune system time to recover its tolerance to some, or all, previously reactive foods.
Additional Information
CFIDS of America
