Strict Elimination Diet

[New Community Member]

I'm thinking I may have to resort to an elimination diet...What did you eliminate and did it speed up the healing process?

[mushroom]

An elimination diet really involves going right down to the basics of eating; say eating ground lamb patties sauteed in a little olive oil, some rice, some vegetable you know you tolerate, some apple sauce, something that will provide you with basic nutrition that you can stabilize on, basically eliminating everything except the essentials needed to nourish you. THEN: you add foods back in one at a time, every 3-4 days and see if you tolerate them. Keep a food and symptom diary. If a food bothers you cross it off the list and don't try it again for six months. Foods tend to run in families, i.e., dairy, legumes, nightshades, citrus, grains. So for example, if one of the nightshade family members ( potatoes, tomatoes, peppers, eggplant) bothers you, don't try any other nightshades right away. This is the way you expland your tolerated diet. If cheese bothers you, don't try milk or yogurt until you have tried all the other foods options. With time, foods that bother you now may no longer bother you once you have healed, but your immune system is hyperactive and reaction set right now, so you have to soothe it and calm it down -- rather like petting a cat. Stroke it and treat it well and it should respond

[AVR1962]

I eliminated all boxed, canned, frozen, mixed anything, and dairy. Anything that had a long list of perservatives like candies, soda, etc. I took chips out of my diet, and ate no fast food. Too much junk in all of that. Because I had bone loss I went to a low acidic diet which you can google and find easy enough. Basically I went natural as much as possible. I was also deficient in vitamins and and minerals which I added with supplements and tried to incorporate as much foods into my diet that had the vitamins my body was needing. And yes, it very much did help me heal.

[GlutenFreeManna]

When I did my elimination diet I cut out all grains, all sugars, all yeast, all processed food, all legumes, all fruit (except for berries) and the top 8 allergens. I ate mainly organic free-range chicken, bison, lamb and beef plus any vegetables and sweet potatoes for my source of carbs. Most people do this for only a week or two and then add new things in. I was so sick and desperate when I did my elimination diet however I wanted to be sure any recovery was really food related. I stayed on the strict elimination diet for an entire month. Then when I had began to feel better I added one new food (in whole food form, not processed) a week.

[Skylark]

I did lamb, rice, and lettuce for two weeks. It was tedious but I figured out all the GI problems I'd been having were food sensitivity.

[New Community Member]

Thank you so much for your responses. I don't know if I have the willpower yet to eliminate everything from my diet. I greatly commend ya'll who have done the elimination diet...You are strong people! Tomorrow I go for a check-up. We'll see from there....I may just have to do more than just gluten/lactose free diet. Thank you again!!

[Skylark]

Strong, no. Desperate, yes.

[T.H.]

Like Skylark and GlutenFreeManna - desperation was a great fuel for a really strict elimination diet.

[cahill]

Like Skylark and GlutenFreeManna - desperation was a great fuel for a really strict elimination diet.

To true

[cahill]

When I did my elimination diet I cut out all grains, all sugars, all yeast, all processed food, all legumes, all fruit (except for berries) and the top 8 allergens. I ate mainly organic free-range chicken, bison, lamb and beef plus any vegetables and sweet potatoes for my source of carbs. Most people do this for only a week or two and then add new things in. I was so sick and desperate when I did my elimination diet however I wanted to be sure any recovery was really food related. I stayed on the strict elimination diet for an entire month. Then when I had began to feel better I added one new food (in whole food form, not processed) a week.

The first 3 weeks of my elimination diet I ate ground lamb,sweet potatos,peas,peaches and plain white rice and drank only plain water.Then I very slowly started adding foods one at a time in whole form and would wait at least a week before adding a new food to judge for a reaction (or not). A very slow tedious process but so VERY worth it.

[AVR1962]

Thank you so much for your responses. I don't know if I have the willpower yet to eliminate everything from my diet. I greatly commend ya'll who have done the elimination diet...You are strong people! Tomorrow I go for a check-up. We'll see from there....I may just have to do more than just gluten/lactose free diet. Thank you again!!

I know this sounds very tasking but really it is not. You actually open the door to much healthier eating and it opens your eyes to new ideas. Go back to the basics and it really is quite simple. I made a pot roast last night, no gravy, cooked in it's own juices with water, loaded with veggies. Homemade soups are so simple and can hold so much nutrients. Thinks basic!

[New Community Member]

Thanks for your responses. I don't feel "desperate" enough to resort to an elimination diet nor do I want to right now. My doctor recommended I go see a nutritionist/dietician. I've been gluten free for nearly 6 weeks. Still having some of the same digestive issues. I don't really think a nutritionist can do anything to help me out. I've been eat strictly gluten/lactose free. and am very cautious about CC. Would it be beneficial to go see a dietician? Any insight?

[New Community Member]

I know this sounds very tasking but really it is not. You actually open the door to much healthier eating and it opens your eyes to new ideas. Go back to the basics and it really is quite simple. I made a pot roast last night, no gravy, cooked in it's own juices with water, loaded with veggies. Homemade soups are so simple and can hold so much nutrients. Thinks basic!

Hi there,

I remember reading some post and it seemed like you had posted something about Nivea (I recognized the picture from on here!). Is Nivea lip care gluten free, do you know?

I greatly appreciate all your helpful responses you contribute to this site!

[GlutenFreeManna]

Thanks for your responses. I don't feel "desperate" enough to resort to an elimination diet nor do I want to right now. My doctor recommended I go see a nutritionist/dietician. I've been gluten free for nearly 6 weeks. Still having some of the same digestive issues. I don't really think a nutritionist can do anything to help me out. I've been eat strictly gluten/lactose free. and am very cautious about CC. Would it be beneficial to go see a dietician? Any insight?

Some dieticians are worthless (will only tell you what you already know) and some can help guide you through an elimination diet or additional food intolerance/allergy testing. If your insurance covers it then I would go to one just to see if you can learn anything. If your insurance does not cover it I would not bother.