Elimination Diets

Diet To Go

With growing concerns
about food intolerance, elimination
diets have become
increasingly popular procedures
for diagnosing and
treating harmful reactivity
to foods.

Diet To Go

Let's take a
deeper cut at the primary tool for dealing with this problem.
First, we need to be clear that we are not necessarily talking
about the type of elimination diet mentioned in the Edgar Cayce readings
where foods are used to increase elimination (eliminate toxins)
from the body. Rather, the modern use of the term means that
foods that are thought to produce negative reactions in the system
are carefully eliminated from the diet.

Presumably, Edgar Cayce did not need to rely on this type of
elimination diet - when necessary he simply gave readings that
listed which foods each individual should avoid. Without Edgar
Cayce around to provide this service, the modern elimination diet
serves a useful function for applying the Cayce model.

Elimination Diet Basics

Most elimination diets have two phases - exclusion and reintroduction.
The exclusion phase is a systematic avoidance of
any food that might be causing trouble to see if the symptoms go
away. If the symptoms decrease or clear up, the offending foods
are then systematically reintroduced to confirm the intolerance.
Keep in mind that elimination diets are an assessment technique.
If you fail to follow the diet fully, it simply won't work. The
problem is that if your symptoms don't clear you can't be sure
whether the indiscretion, no matter how slight, caused the symptoms.
So if you do use an elimination diet, take it seriously and follow it faithfully.

Variations on a Theme

Practitioners who have worked extensively
with patients with food intolerance
have noted that the system often is most
reactive to common foods that are eaten
regularly or in quantities. Thus the elimination
procedure often focuses on strategies
for eliminating common foods.
If you are serious about doing an elimination
diet, I strongly recommend that you
obtain and study Food Allergies and
Food Intolerance by Jonathon Brostoff,
M.D., and Linda Gamlin. This is the best
resource on the subject that I have seen.
Here are some of the variations on the
elimination diet theme from the Brostoff
and Gamlin book:

Lamb-and-Pears Diet - Just as the
name implies, you only eat two types of
food. Originally developed in the United
States where lamb and pears are not frequently
eaten, this form of elimination diet
may be helpful for individuals with a great
many food sensitivities. Due to its blandness,
it does require substantial willpower.
In countries where lamb is eaten regularly
(e.g., Britain and New Zealand), turkey can
be substituted for lamb.

Few-Food Diet - This variation allows
about a dozen or more foods that are not
eaten often. Naturally, the list will vary
from region to region and patient to patient.
Typical foods for this format include
parsnips, turnips, and carrots.

Rare-Food Diet - This is an extension
of the few-foods approach, except that the
food list focuses on exotic items such as
cassava or buckwheat. Because these
foods are never (or rarely) consumed, they
are unlikely to provoke a reaction. For diagnostic
purposes, this is an especially
useful variation, because if you fail to get
better eating only foods that you have
never eaten before, you are probably not
having food intolerance problems. Although
this diet can be costly, it does offer
increased palatability for those ready
for a culinary adventure.

Elemental Diet - The items utilized in
an elemental diet are made from ordinary
foods, except that the molecules are broken
down into smaller units. The concept
is similar to formulas used for babies that
are sensitive to cow's milk. Theoretically,
the smaller molecules are less likely to produce
altered reactions in the digestive
system, although in practice this is not always
the case. The main drawbacks to
this variation is that it usually tastes
dreadful and can be expensive. Brostoff
and Gamlin regard this as the last resort
option for those who have not responded
to other types of elimination diet.

A Three-Stage Approach

Recognizing the challenges of implementing
an elimination diet, Brostoff and
Gamlin have devised a three-stage approach
designed to provide the optimal
chance of success with the least chance of
harm. Here are the three stages:

1. The Healthy-Eating Diet - For one
month eliminate all foods and drinks that
have a drug-like effect on the body,
namely: coffee, tea, colas, cocoa, chocolate,
alcohol, and sugary foods. Be aware
that you may experience some withdrawal
symptoms during this stage. You may
also experience substantial healing from
this stage and not need to go further.

2. Simple Elimination Diet - This
stage just excludes the most common offending
foods such as grains, dairy, citrus,
peanuts, and any foods that you normally
eat in large quantities or that you crave.

3. Rigorous Elimination Diet - This
stage is for those unfortunate individuals
who may have sensitivities to many different
foods. Although the exact form of the
diet will vary with each individual, the fewfood
diet or rare-food diet are leading contenders
for this stage.

As with any diet, an elimination diet
should only be done under the supervision
of your physician. As noted above, you
may experience negative side-effects from
withdrawal as your system adjusts. The
elimination diet is a powerful assessment
and treatment modality that must be used
carefully. Get the book and consult with
your physician if you think this approach
may be indicated for your situation.
Of course, you will need to plan carefully
and keep a record of what you have
done. Patience, consistency, and commitment
are required. This is where mental
and spiritual ideals come into play. You
may find that you are eliminating
negative reactions at more than just
the physical level.