Have you decided to try an elimination diet and been completely bewildered by the conflicting advice on what to exclude? You're not alone!
There is no definitive elimination diet plan because everyone is different. People can be intolerant to a huge range of foods. Unlike with allergies, there is no definitive test to work out how prevalent an intolerance is in the population.
An intolerance is different to an allergy. An allergy causes a histamine reaction. An intolerance causes inflammation. Both can be mild or severe. The elimination diet can help with either, but is more commonly used to find intolerances, because they are hard to pin down by other means.
So why not remove absolutely everything you could react to in your elimination diet? That does make sense - it's called an oligo-antiallergenic diet. It's also extremely restrictive.
To try an easier elimination diet first, here's my summary of the many do/don't eat elimination lists around.
My advice: use your gut. Literally.
If your gut feels bad about a food, remove it. My example is cucumber. It's not on any of the lists, but I know I react badly to it every single time. On the other hand, I've had a scratch test for a peanut allergy and had zero reaction. Nothing suggests I react to any kind of nut. They are staying in my diet.
Don't eat:
- Gluten - anything with wheat (including couscous and most sauces) or oats, plus anything with gluten as an additive
- Dairy
- Soy
- Corn
- Eggs
- Certain nightshades - tomato, peppers, aubergines, artichokes, okra
- Citrus
- Vinegar
- Onions, garlic, shallots, leeks
Decide if you want to include:
- Potatoes
- Apples and pears
- Refined/added sugar
- Tree nuts
- Peanuts
- Legumes: beans, peas, lentils
- Grains other than wheat and oats: e.g. quinoa, buckwheat, barley
Do eat:
- Brassicas: e.g. broccoli, cauliflower and Brussel sprouts
- Other veg: e.g fennel, celery, squash, mushrooms, parsnips, carrots, sea vegetables, avocados and fresh herbs
- Most fruit (but not citrus): e.g berries, rhubarb, bananas
- Seeds: e.g. pumpkin, sunflower, chia
- Rice: e.g. brown, white, red, black, basmati, Thai sticky, risotto/Arborio
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