Food intolerances, sensitivities and allergies have become more common around the world. Elimination diets, on the other hand, emerged with the goal of finding all kinds of foods that cause ailments. Although its name is mentioned as a diet, its main purpose is actually to treat.
What is an elimination diet?
Elimination diet is the elimination of foods that the body cannot tolerate from the diet and improvement of symptoms. In particular, foods that cause indigestion, bloating and stomachache are excluded from the diet.
According to the elimination diet, these foods are determined by trial and error method. It cannot be done for a long time. It lasts about 5-6 weeks and is used to determine the nutrients that the body cannot tolerate.
When these foods that the body cannot tolerate are determined, you can remove the disturbing foods from your diet in order to prevent these symptoms.
The elimination diet is divided into different types, and the common goal of all of them is to add or remove certain types of nutrients.
If you suspect that you have a food allergy, then it would be appropriate to try an elimination diet under expert control.
How does the elimination diet work?
The elimination diet has two stages. Selection Phase (elimination) and Reinstatement phase;
Selection phase (elimination)
At this stage, foods that you think trigger your symptoms are removed from your diet for 2-3 weeks. Thus, the factors causing the symptoms are determined. If you continue to experience these complaints after the foods you have removed from your life, then you should consult an expert.
You should first eliminate the foods that you believe your body cannot tolerate or that are known to be irritating.
Dairy products, soy, corn, nuts, citrus fruits, nightshades, gluten-containing foods, eggs and seafood can be counted among the disturbing foods.
Replacement stage
Next stage put back is the phase. At this stage, you gradually start to replace the foods that you have removed from your diet.
Symptoms should be followed for 2-3 days during the replacement phase. The symptoms you should watch for are as follows:
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Scaly rash
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Joint pains
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Migraines or headaches
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Insomnia
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Fatigue
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Respiratory changes
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Bloating
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Stomach cramps or stomachaches
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Irritability in the intestines
If your complaints do not persist in the food that you reintroduced to your body during the replacement phase, then you can start eating these foods and you can move on to the next food group.
But if you continue to experience the above-mentioned complaints, then you have found the trigger foods. You need to remove these foods from your diet.
If you have problems with many food groups and need to remove them from your life, then you should definitely get support from a specialist. Because removing too many food groups from your life is to prepare the environment for nutrient deficiencies.
Prohibitions of elimination diet
The more foods you remove from your life during the selection phase, the easier it will be to find which irritating food is.
Foods that are excluded from the nutrition list at the selection stage are generally as follows:
Citrus fruits: Orange, grapefruit
Eggplant: Tomato, white potato, eggplant, red hot pepper
Oilseeds and nuts: All nuts and seeds (nuts, peanuts, etc.)
Legumes: Especially beans, lentils, soy all legumes, such as legumes, such as based products
Starchy foods: Wheat, flour, bread, corn, barley, rye, and other gluten-containing foods
Dairy products: Milk, yoghurt, all dairy products such as cheese, ice cream
Meat and fish: Processed meats, delicatessen products, eggs, shellfish, etc.
Fats: Butter, margarine, trans fats, mayonnaise etc.
Beverages: Alcohol, coffee, caffeinated beverages, black tea, soda, etc.
Sugar and sweets: Sugar, honey, flavoring syrups, sweets and chocolate
Condiments and spices: Mustard and all flavoring spices
Apart from this list, you can also If there are foods that you think are not good, it is recommended to remove them from your diet.
The elimination diet is very restrictive and very effective. Thus, you can quickly find trigger foods
Freedom of elimination diet
Foods that you can continue to consume during the selection phase are as follows: :
Fruits: Most fruits except citrus
Vegetables:
strong>Most vegetables except nightshades
Grains: Buckwheat and rice
Meat and fish: Lamb, turkey, most game and cold-water fish such as salmon
Milk substitutes: Coconut milk and unsweetened rice milk
Fats: Flaxseed, cold-pressed olive oil and coconut oil
Beverages: Herbal teas and water
Condiments, spices and the like: Fresh herbs and spices, black pepper (paprika) apple cider vinegar
Other types of elimination diet
Low-FODMAP diet : Short-chain carbohydrates (FODMAPs) that are difficult for some people to digest are removed from the diet.
Elimination diet with infrequent foods: Regular It requires you to make combinations with foods that you do not consume.
Elimination diet with rare foods: It is similar to the less consumed elimination diet. Since the probability of triggering complaints is low, combinations are made with rarely consumed foods.
Fasting elimination diet: It is quite strict. It aims to drink only water for up to five days and then replace the food groups. Since this method may threaten your health, it is recommended only under expert control.
Other elimination diets: It takes place in a more familiar way. So, lactose-free, sugar-free, wheat-free and gluten-free diets
What are the Benefits of the Elimination Diet?
It allows us to discover safe foods. Thus, it helps us to eliminate disturbing foods from our lives.
The elimination diet also has health benefits:
Irritable bowel Reducing symptoms of IBS syndrome (IBS)
IBS is an intestinal disorder that has become widespread in the world. Studies have indicated that elimination diets relieve IBS symptoms such as gas, bloating, and stomach cramps.
Reduces ADHD symptoms
Attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a behavioral disorder. Elimination diets have been observed to reduce ADHD symptoms.
However, applications to be made on children must be under the control of an expert. Also, for growing children, restricting essential nutrients can hinder their growth when they return to long-term limitations.
Improves skin problems such as eczema
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There are many different causes of eczema, but it has been observed that symptoms increase after consumption of certain foods. Accordingly, these symptoms have decreased as a result of elimination diets.
Relieves chronic migraine
Although the causes of migraine are unclear, it has been observed that inflammation triggers migraine. In elimination diets, inflammation There have been reductions in migraine symptoms by eliminating the foods that cause it.
What are the Risks of an Elimination Diet?
It should be applied for a short time such as 4 or 8 weeks in people who have just experienced it.
It is not recommended to follow the elimination diet for a long time and because nutrient deficiencies will occur as a result of removing essential food groups.
It is a method that can only be applied under the supervision of an expert for people and children with suspected allergies.
Conclusion
The elimination diet works if you remove the foods that cause discomfort from your life. Afterwards, the symptoms should be checked and these foods should be reintroduced to the body.
Elimination diets help us find foods we cannot tolerate.
But not everyone It is not a suitable diet. Especially children, those who are growing up and those who have allergic conditions should definitely be under the supervision of an expert.
The most important thing is that elimination diets should be applied short-term, since long-term limitations will cause nutritional deficiencies.
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