What Is an Elimination Diet and How Is It Done?

An elimination diet is an eating approach used to identify, and then manage, negative reactions that certain foods cause in the body. It involves temporarily removing foods that might cause a sensitivity or allergy, and then adding them back one at a time.

What Is an Elimination Diet?

An elimination diet is an eating approach that aims to identify a person's food sensitivities by temporarily removing certain foods from the diet and then reintroducing them. It is used to try to identify a possible food intolerance or allergy and to understand the cause of symptoms.

It is usually used to work out whether particular foods trigger symptoms. For example, a person with symptoms such as nausea, stomach pain, skin rashes or headaches removes the foods thought to trigger these symptoms for a period of time. If the symptoms ease or go away during this time, the food may be a source of sensitivity or allergy for that person.

An elimination diet usually lasts a few weeks or a few months. During this time the person keeps track of how their symptoms change while the foods are removed. The removed foods are then added back one at a time, and the person notes how each food affects their symptoms.

Who Might Consider an Elimination Diet?

An elimination diet is an option for people who have particular symptoms and suspect a food sensitivity or allergy. It may be considered in situations such as:

• Food allergy or sensitivity: if a person notices allergic reactions or signs of sensitivity after eating certain foods, they may consider an elimination diet to identify those foods.
• Digestive problems: in people with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) or other digestive problems, an elimination diet may be used to look for the cause of symptoms.
• Skin problems: in people with eczema, psoriasis or other skin problems, certain foods have been observed to affect skin symptoms. An elimination diet may be considered to see how foods affect the skin.
• Migraine or headaches: in some people, certain foods have been observed to trigger migraines or headaches. An elimination diet can be one way to look for which foods may be involved and to identify triggers.

How Is an Elimination Diet Done?

The following steps should be followed:

• Get professional advice: before starting an elimination diet it is important to talk to a health professional. This helps make sure the diet is done correctly and tailored to your personal needs.
• Decide which foods to remove: make an elimination list to identify potential triggers. This usually includes the most common food allergens (gluten, dairy, soy, nuts and so on), but it can vary according to personal needs.
• The elimination period: the chosen foods need to be removed from the diet completely. This period usually lasts 2 to 4 weeks, which gives the body time to clear the symptoms linked with the trigger foods.
• Monitor symptoms: keep track of your symptoms throughout the elimination period. Symptoms can show up in different ways, such as digestive problems, skin problems, headaches, tiredness and joint pain. Keeping a symptom diary is very useful for tracking changes.
• Reintroduce foods: once the elimination period is over, add each potential trigger food back one at a time. Watch your symptoms for a few days after each food. This helps work out which foods trigger symptoms.
• Review the results: after reintroducing foods, look carefully at your symptoms and try to work out which foods made them worse or caused any reaction. This information helps identify triggers and plan your future eating.

What Are the Possible Benefits of an Elimination Diet?

The possible benefits of an elimination diet include:

• Identifying food sensitivities: an elimination diet is one way to identify personal food sensitivities. By identifying which foods trigger symptoms, avoiding or limiting those foods may reduce symptoms and improve quality of life.
• Understanding digestive problems: many digestive problems come from intolerance or allergy to particular foods. An elimination diet may help to identify these problems and so support digestive comfort.
• Understanding energy levels: some foods can leave certain people feeling low in energy and tired. An elimination diet may help you notice which foods affect how you feel.
• Understanding skin problems: skin problems such as acne, eczema and psoriasis may be linked with certain foods in some people, and an elimination diet may help to look into this.

This article is for general information only; please consult your doctor and dietitian about your own situation.