Food Sensitivities – Elimination Diet

Food sensitivities exist when an individual experiences difficulty in the digestion of specific foods or certain groupings of foods. Food allergies exist when an individual’s immune system reacts negatively to a food or liquid causing swelling, difficulty in breathing, wheezing, itching, rashes, or flushing of the skin soon after eating a food.

The symptoms of food sensitivities and allergies are quite different. A food allergy normally causes a quick and obvious reaction, such as swelling, rashes or difficulty in breathing. The symptoms of food sensitivities are not as immediate or obvious as those of food allergies. The following are just a few examples of food sensitivities: fatigue, lethargy, needing to sleep after you have eaten; mood swings, depression, restlessness, headaches, migraines, joint pain, gas, bloating, and indigestion.

A simple and easy way to check which foods may be causing your food sensitivity is by doing an Elimination Diet. Below I have outlined the basic steps in performing an Elimination Diet.

Elimination Diet

 

Avoid the following food groups for three weeks:

 

Milk                              Wheat 

Dairy                            Soy      

Nuts                             Raw fruit

Tomatoes                      Corn

Shellfish                        Pickles

Carbonated drinks

 

Cutting out these food groups means that for a three week (21 day) period your diet will be bland. This is very crucial in order to single out which one (s) you have a food sensitivity to.

 

After the three weeks of a bland diet, re-introduce one category of food for a few days – be conscious about how your body reacts during the re-introduction of the food group. One by one re-introduced each food group and you should be able to figure out which one (s) are the cause of your food sensitivity.

 The Elimination Diet is a simple and easy way to figure out what food sensitivities you may have. Making the commitment to learn about your own health is a very powerful experience. Commit to it and you will have success. Good Luck!