The phrase “elimination diet” (you may also hear “exclusion diet”) is a bit of a catch-all. It is, as you would expect, a diet whereby you “eliminate” certain foods. It is most commonly used for those who suffer from food allergies or specific diseases that are caused by reactions to certain food types. For instance, we recently published an article on gluten-free diets, which is an example of an elimination diet.
Why Go On An Elimination Diet?
There are many different reasons to go on an elimination diet. We have already discussed food allergies. For instance, if you tend to have an allergic reaction to a specific type of food, you would exclude that food from your diet and then wait to see if the allergic reaction occurs again. With such a method, you can learn which foods you need to eliminate from your diet in order to avoid the allergic reaction.
Elimination diets are actually relatively mainstream. Both vegetarianism and veganism are types of elimination
How Does An Elimination Diet Work?
First of all, you may not simply be removing a specific type of food (for example, dairy). It might be for something more subtle, like food coloring or preservatives. Following the diet then becomes far more complicated, as these less-obvious food types can be in all sorts of different products.
Elimination diets typically require strict control, and as such, you need to be very diligent in making sure that there is absolutely no trace of the excluded food in your diet. It is also important that any shortfall in essential nutrients caused by the absence of the excluded food is accounted for.
Typically, an elimination diet will last for several weeks or months, after which a conclusion is drawn.
Should I Consult My Physician?
It depends. For instance, if you are in good physical health and decide that you would like to become a vegetarian, it is generally not necessary to consult your physician. However, if you are dealing with suspected or diagnosed food allergies for instance, you certainly should.
The safe bet, as always, is to refer to your physician if you are in any doubt.
Photo courtesy of Gideon