Elimination Diet

Elimination diet following an allergy or intolerance test

An elimination diet is defined as the removal of certain foods and drinks from your usual daily diet for a set period of time to understand the impact of those items on your overall wellbeing.

There are many people who use an elimination diet by itself to determine problematic or trigger foods causing allergies or intolerances. The individual can remove one food group or all foods to which they suspect reactions are being caused.

When an elimination diet is undertaken following an allergy, intolerance or sensitivity test it is more specific as the individual can implement their diet to the identified trigger items on their report. During the elimination diet the digestive system can ’rest’ through the removal of items that may have been aggravating it in the case of intolerances and sensitivities, whilst in the event of allergies there may be reduced symptoms. The elimination timescales also provide a platform from which items can be reintroduced and can then evaluate which items trigger symptoms.

The process of an elimination diet

Elimination diets are usually conducted between four to six weeks to ascertain accurate findings. Items are reintroduced individually at the end of this period of time whilst monitoring symptoms throughout the process in a diary.

An elimination diet starts with the elimination of items either suspected or reported to be possible causes of symptoms. It is essential to prepare before undertaking an elimination diet. Items that you may be reported to be allergic, intolerant or sensitive to may be common in your daily diet. You should research possible alternatives before undertaking the diet to ensure you give it the best possible chance of success and results.

Following the elimination comes the reintroduction. Following a recorded and methodical method alongside a symptom diary you should evaluate any effects of reintroducing items.

The foods and food groups eliminated will differ depending on your suspected items or those detailed in your Allergy or Intolerance report.

Ensuring good health and wellbeing through nutrient balance

Any change of diet, especially with an elimination diet where the possibility of whole food groups being removed should take particular attention to nutrient balance. An elimination diet is only a short period adjustment but maintaining a good nutrient balance remains key to overall health and wellbeing.

“…There are many people who use an elimination diet by itself to determine problematic or trigger foods causing allergies or intolerances. The individual can remove one food group or all foods to which they suspect reactions are being caused”.

Out there we got many people that are using elimination diet by itself to determine problematic or trigger foods causing allergies or intolerance, but we are not recommending that because in the case of restrictive diets (vegetarians, vegans, and so on) the elimination of a particular food could lead to elimination of an important nutrient with further complications in your health.

We are recommending taking the intolerance test as a preliminary test (preventative screen) where you can have an understanding of how your immune system is reacting to food allergens.

Before using an elimination diet, we are suggesting testing further for also allergy and if your result allergic to specific food allergens, we are recommending avoiding the specific food allergen that you are allergic to after a medical consultation. We are offering the test Intolerance + Allergy that can be used to confirm or exclude an allergy to common food allergens, helping you and your doctor to take a step further (elimination diet) to control your symptoms.

For example, a strictly vegan diet is associated with a low intake of vitamin B12, which must be integrated with B12 tablets. The importance of vitamin B12 is well documented in brain development, DNA formation and pernicious anaemia, as reported from the NHS U.K and the NIH U.S.A website. Any further elimination in that diet could lead to further complication