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Exactly What Is An "elimination Diet"?

Monklady123

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Monklady123 Collaborator
Monklady123
Posted

I mean, I know what it is -- it's eating in order to pinpoint something that's causing a reaction. But is there "the" elimination diet? i.e., week one, eat just this and this and that. Week two, eat just these things. etc. Or is it basically just eat plainly and gradually introduce things that you think are bothering you?

I'm going to go Google it now, but just wondered what your experiences have been, and how you've done an elimination diet. I am definitely eating something that's bothering me. I don't see how it could be gluten, based on what I ate yesterday. I'm thinking lactose from what several of you suggested in another thread. But, I didn't think I ate any of that yesterday either! so frustrating....

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jewi0008 Contributor
jewi0008
Posted

Here is my sheet I've been using. In the beginning I cut wheat/gluten/dairy/sugar/nuts/etc. I've added little-by-little. Open Original Shared Link Use This To Link To Spam/ck8G37

I mean, I know what it is -- it's eating in order to pinpoint something that's causing a reaction. But is there "the" elimination diet? i.e., week one, eat just this and this and that. Week two, eat just these things. etc. Or is it basically just eat plainly and gradually introduce things that you think are bothering you?

I'm going to go Google it now, but just wondered what your experiences have been, and how you've done an elimination diet. I am definitely eating something that's bothering me. I don't see how it could be gluten, based on what I ate yesterday. I'm thinking lactose from what several of you suggested in another thread. But, I didn't think I ate any of that yesterday either! so frustrating....

sb2178 Enthusiast
sb2178
Posted

Well, elimination diets vary, based on what your suspected issue is. So, you can be eliminating a few major suspects (soy, dairy, egg, nuts, fish, corn) or you can do a more comprehensive strict diet looking at food groups, classes of chemicals (fructose, fructans, lecitin, etc.), and so on. If you have a hint of what your problem might be, that helps in designing it.

The most basic version is eat very plainly (only a few foods) and gradually introduce new ones. Basically, you want to not eat anything that could be suspect for 10-14 days, then reintroduce it. Wait 3-7 days, and then introduce another. Meanwhile, keep a detailed record of foods, sensations, etc.

A basic one would start out with lamb, rice, pears, and summer squash. But, this assumes that neither rice nor fructose is a problem. If you really don't know, or just don't start to feel fine on that after a week, you can switch to something like sweet potatoes, turkey, and lettuce for a week or so. Then try adding things like nuts, dairy, fish, etc. Make a list and plan carefully.

My suggestion: always always always carry food you can eat with you. Or just stay home for three weeks. There are also diets that have you rotating foods, but in some ways I think that's harder to shop for and keep track of. But, if you're potentially going to be doing this for a long time, it would be healthier to have more variety. I didn't have to do mine for all that long to find the major suspect (gluten!) which was then backed up by blood work. Nothing else seemed to bother me.

kayo Explorer
kayo
Posted

I use the elimination diet in this book: "IBS - Free at Last" by Patsy Catsos. I adjust it to accommodate my intolerances since I can't have dairy, gluten or soy. I've been following this plan for about a month and I haven't felt this good in years. I highly recommend it to anyone who is still having inexplicable tummy troubles.

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