discovering your food sensitivities: how to do an elimination diet

Discovering your food sensitivities:

how to do an elimination diet

Food allergies vs sensitivities

An allergy involves the immune mediated reaction between an ‘antigen’ (usually a protein molecule) and an IgE antibody

Allergic symptoms include: hives, watery eyes, sneezing, nasal congestion, skin rashes, swelling of the lips or tongue, trouble breathing, anaphylaxis (rare)

Mild allergic symptoms can be alleviated with antihistamines (e.g. Benadryl)

A food sensitivity or intolerance

Does not involve IgE antibodies and is not able to be tested for with skin prick testing

May involve IgG antibodies but blood testing is unreliable

Never life threatening

Reactions may include: skin rashes (e.g. eczema), bloating/gas/diarrhea, nasal congestion, headaches, burning eyes, fatigue, joint pain

Common food sensitivitiesDairy products

Wheat/gluten

Soy

Eggs

Shellfish/fish

Citrus fruits/grapes

Corn

Tree nuts

“Nightshade vegetables” potatoes, peppers, tomatoes, eggplant

The ‘gold standard’

An elimination diet is considered the gold standard for detecting food sensitivities

Planning an elimination diet

Plan to do your elimination diet over a time when you will be mainly eating your meals at home.

Avoid doing an elimination diet over a holiday seasons or while traveling

You will need around 2 months to complete phase I and II of the diet

Phase 1

Fruits

Peaches, apricots, bananas, pears, cherries, blueberries, raspberries, kiwi, pineapple, papaya, watermelon, etc

Grapes and all citrus fruits, such as oranges, grapefruits, limes, lemons, tangerines

Allowed Avoid

Vegetables

Yellow beans, squash, carrots, peas, onions, garlic, broccoli, kale, cabbage, beets, Swiss chard, spinach, lettuce, cucumbers, sweet potatoes, etc

Corn, mushrooms, tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, potatoes  

Allowed Avoid

Grains

All breads, cereals, noodles, or whole grains that do not contain gluten or corn, for example, rice, buckwheat, millet, tapioca, quinoa, wild rice.

Corn, oats and all gluten containing grains, such as, wheat, rye, barley, spelt, kamut, triticale, cous cous, egg noodles 

Allowed Avoid

All dried beans other than soybeans (garbanzo beans, black beans pinto beans, kidney beans, etc). Sunflower, sesame, flax, chia, hemp and pumpkin seeds. Coconut.

Soybeans, tofu, soymilk, soy nuts and all soy products. Tree nuts: walnuts, almonds, cashews, pecans, macadamia nuts, pistachios, peanuts, etc

Allowed Avoid

Legumes/nuts/seeds

Vegetarians only: All dried beans other than soybeans (garbanzo beans, black beans pinto beans, kidney beans, etc).

Coconut, pine nuts, flax.

Soybeans, tofu, soymilk, soy nuts and all soy products. Sesame, pumpkin and sunflower seeds. Tree nuts: walnuts, almonds, cashews, pecans, macadamia nuts, pistachios, peanuts, etc

Allowed Avoid

Alternate list: Legumes/nuts/seeds

Meat/fish/eggs

All fresh or frozen fish (plain, unbreaded), such as salmon, sole, trout or halibut. Chicken, turkey and lamb are also allowed.

Shellfish, eggs, beef, pork, processed meats (eg. salami, sausages, ham, bacon)  

Allowed Avoid

Dairy

Rice milk. (No dairy or soy)

Milk, cheese, ice cream, yogurt, sour cream, butter, casein, whey

Allowed Avoid

Fats

Olive, canola, sesame oil. Non-hydrogenated margarine (with no soy and no dairy ingredients)

Butter, most margarines, oils made from tree nuts (eg almond oil), hydrogenated fats 

Allowed Avoid

Beverages

Water, tea, coffee, herbal teas, fruit or vegetable juices from allowed foods

Citrus juices, milk, soy milk

Allowed Avoid

Spices/condiments

Salt, black pepper, cinnamon, cumin, dill, ginger, garlic, oregano, parsley, rosemary, thyme, turmeric, cardamom

Choose gluten free condiments. Avoid cayenne, paprika, chili powder and other peppers. Soy sauce. Ketchup.

Allowed Avoid

Sweeteners

Honey, maple syrup, brown rice syrup, agave, blackstrap molasses, dried fruit

Corn syrup, wheat/gluten, soy or dairy containing sweeteners, cocoa, chocolate, white sugar 

Allowed Avoid

A few other things to avoid

Food additives/coloring agents

MSG (monosodium glutamate), food coloring, BHA, BHT, sulfites, artificial

flavoring, nitrites, etc

Before you begin…

Stock up (read labels carefully!)Gluten free (GF) bread (make sure it is also free of corn, eggs, dairy, etc.) GF bread is best toasted.

Gluten free breakfast cereals

Rice pasta

Gluten free flours: rice, tapioca, buckwheat, quinoa, amaranth, teff, sorghum

GF cooked breakfast cereals: cracked rice, quinoa, millet

More good things to have around

Pumpkin seed butter and/or sesame tahini

Rice milk

Rice crackers

Sunflower, sesame, flax, hemp seeds

Lots of the allowed fruits and vegetables

Extra virgin olive oil

Fresh herbs and spices: basil, oregano, garlic, ginger, etc

Phase 1

For 3-4 weeks, completely eliminate all of the ‘avoid’ foods

Keep a diary- write a short note about how you are feeling each day

In general, avoid restaurant meals, sauces, canned soups and pre-packaged foods, as these tend to contain ingredients that may be on the avoid list.

In order to obtain accurate information, you must completely, 100%, eliminate all the avoid foods.

Phase 2

After the initial three weeks, you will begin to reintroduce foods on the avoid list into your diet.

Choose one food at a time to reintroduce. Eat this food freely for two days, along with all the allowed foods you have already been eating.

Continue writing a daily entry in your diary

Phase 2

After two days of adding in a new food, you will either notice no change, or you will notice new symptoms.

For instance, you may notice that you are congested, clearing your throat, coughing or sneezing. You may have abdominal cramps, bloating, diarrhea or gas. You may develop a headache or have joint pains. You may feel just generally unwell and fatigued.

Phase 2

If the new food does NOT cause unwelcome symptoms, add it into your diet and go on to add the next new food the following day.

If the new food does causes unwelcome symptoms, remove it again from your diet, wait two days, and then add the next new food.

Some foods/food groups can be added back in together

Dairy products may be introduced all at once

Various kinds of peppers may be introduced together

Different types of potatoes may be introduced together

Sample meal ideas: breakfast

1. Cooked cracked brown rice cereal with molasses, mixed berries, herbal tea

2. Cooked quinoa porridge with dried cranberries and sliced banana, pineapple juice, herbal tea

3. 2 slices toasted rice bread with sesame or pumpkin seed butter and “fruit only” jam, kiwi and apple fruit salad, herbal tea

Sample meal ideas: lunch

1. Home made vegetable soup, 2 slices toasted rice bread, salmon salad (olive oil and rice vinegar dressing) with sugar snap peas, green onion, lettuce, cucumber and avocado

2. Lentil soup or carrot ginger soup, sliced roast chicken sandwich on toasted rice bread with spinach, avocado and cucumber, carrot and celery sticks

Sample meal ideas: supper1. Lamb chops, brown basmati rice, steamed broccoli, baked sweet potato, rooibos tea

2. Roast chicken, rice pilaf with brown rice, wild rice, sesame and sunflower seeds; baked winter squash, vegetable medley of steamed peas, collard greens, carrots; hot apple cider

3. Grilled halibut, rice noodles tossed with olive oil, basil and oregano; asparagus, green beans and baby carrots, herbal tea

Snacks

Allowed fruits and vegetables ½ avocado Apple, banana Carrots, celery, snap peas

Rice crackers (read ingredients!)

Cookies/muffins made with allowed ingredients

What about supplements?

Keep it simple (e.g. calcium and vitamin D)

Ensure that the supplements you are taking are free of all of the avoid foods/additives

When you are unsure

If you are not sure about whether or not you reacted to a certain food, wait a week or two and try re-introducing it again.

Prepare for the fact that some of your favorite foods may make you feel unwell

What to do next…If some of your favorite foods make you feel unwell, don’t despair! Sometimes, the food can be successfully reintroduced into the diet after completely avoiding it for 3-6 months. It may then be possible to eat the food occasionally, in small quantities, without any significant symptoms.

Milk sugar vs milk protein

If you discover dairy products bother you, it is possible that taking Lactaid tablets or drops along with milk products may help you. Lactaid will help you to digest milk sugar (lactose).

If you have a problem with milk protein (casein), lactaid will not help you.

Gluten intolerance and celiac disease

If you discover that gluten containing grains make you feel unwell, you should be screened for celiac disease (a blood test). This test will need to be done after you have been eating gluten containing grains again for several months.

Or, you could arrange to be screened for celiac disease prior to doing the diet.

NOTE: Some people feel better on a gluten free diet even if they do not have celiac disease

You can chooseDoing an elimination diet can give you some very valuable information

It is up to you how to make use of the information

You may decide to continue to eat certain foods, on some occasions, knowing that you may ‘pay a price’

Or you may develop some new favorites that seem to suit your body

Good luck!