Inflammation - Part 4
The Elimination Diet
The Elimination Diet
If you’re suspicious that you might have a food allergy triggering some inflammation in your body, this is the process for you ❤️.
Remember - Trying your offending foods again after some gut/digestive healing is only for the IgG reactions – those quiet and annoying ones. If you know (or suspect) you have celiac disease or an anaphylactic reaction to a food, keep those out permanently.
Also remember - Finding your food sensitivities/allergies will help you understand how your body reacts to certain food. The purpose isn’t to demonize a food or feel like you can’t ever eat it again. These aren’t deadly food allergies (like ones that trigger anaphylaxis), you can eat them any time you’d like to. This process will help you make more informed choices, not create any food restriction.
The main foods that trigger an inflammatory reaction are (in order of how common they are):
Gluten
Dairy
Eggs
White Sugar
Corn
Soy
Here are some of the common immune reactions I’ve seen (these are anecdotal reactions I’ve commonly seen in clients, but they’re not the only reactions).
Gluten (non-celiac gluten reactions) – tired, achy, headachy, joint issues, autoimmune triggers (like Rheumatoid Arthritis).
Dairy – inflammation scattered throughout the body. The bladder is a common spot, triggering a UTI feeling in adults and bed-wetting in kids. Pain in a variety of places, acne, and eczema/psoriasis are also common dairy reactions. Mild reactions can be a runny nose or feeling extra phlegmy.
White sugar - Pain, low mood, grumpiness, quick to anger
Eggs – eggs are common allergens in food sensitivity testing, but I find they tend to aggravate other reactions instead of triggering their own.
The Elimination Diet Protocol:
If you’re wondering if you’re sensitive to any of these foods, try an elimination diet.
Step 1 - Remove 1 or all foods for 14 days and see how you feel. You can try one food at a time or try them all at once.
Step 2 - If you feel better, reintroduce them one at a time, 7 days apart. The best way is to eat a lot of the eliminated food for 1 day, remove it again, and see how you feel for the rest of the week.
Step 3 - Repeat with each food you’ve removed.
If you realize one or some of the foods trigger inflammation, remove it (mostly) for 3 months and follow the “3 Steps to Gut Reset” masterclass to heal your gut. Then try the food again and see if you still react.
If your food sensitivity sticks around for longer than 3 months, it’s very important that you still enjoy it anytime you’re really craving it. Denying yourself can cause food bingeing, and one meal with that food trigger will be okay (you just might have symptoms for a few days following it).
I have a dairy sensitivity (causes inflammation and water retention), and in my world I can have dairy any time I’d like. I choose to have it when I’m offered something I’d really like or if I’m really craving something like cheese. This allows me to decide if I really want to eat something, instead of feeling deprived of it. When I eat dairy I know exactly how I’ll feel for the next few days, so it’s a choice I make. This keeps me from ever feeling deprived of cheese and other dairy-based food.
Deprivation always equals bingeing, so stay present with your food triggers and enjoy them whenever you’d like. Over time, you’ll find that those foods aren’t nearly as attractive as they used to be :).
Got any questions or comments? Comment below, jump to our private Facebook Group, or the Ask Lisa page :)
Time to Head over to Part 5 to find balance ❤️