- What is an Elimination Diet and why do it?
- What are the features of an Elimination Diet?
- What kind of Elimination diet is the Detection Diet?
- Do I have to live without favourite foods on the Elimination Diet?
- Why must I keep a journal on the Elimination Diet?
- On the Elimination Diet what can I expect?
- How long does it take to do an Elimination Diet?
- Can I cheat on the Elimination Diet?
- Can I just test foods I suspect on the Elimination Diet?
When people suffer from chronic symptoms (especially gastro-intestinal, neurological, respiratory, or skin disorders) food intolerance or food allergy can be suspected. An Elimination Diet is a tool for finding out which foods cause your symptoms.
Did you know that chronic symptoms are a telltale sign of food intolerance? There are only four kinds of Food Intolerance (not to be confused with Food Allergy) and they are widely suffered:
If you are one of the 75% of people who are affected to some extent by food intolerance, it makes sense to investigate - doesn't it.
To find out which one is you, look in the Symptoms Matrix (must register first).
Basically, taking an Elimination Diet means cutting back to a very restrictive diet for 4 - 6 weeks. Allowed foods are lamb, rice, some vegetables and a few fruits. The purpose is to clear the body of all suspected foods. Unfortunately there are hundreds of foods which can cause food intolerance, so none of these can be eaten during an Elimination Diet. And dining in restaurants is also very difficult.
Many people find an Elimination Diet tedious and difficult to endure, and there is the risk of missing out on nutrients. Therefore the dietician or doctor may prescribe supplementary vitamins or minerals for the duration of the diet.
That's why we created the Detection Diet - a simple (less restrictive) version which is highly effective in identifying problem foods. Find it in The Tuesday Club.
 Doctor's appointments: Firstly you must have the guidance and supervision of a professional: either your doctor or a dietician (and the accompanying time and expense).
Restrictive Diet: The Elimination Diet in the first few weeks is extremely restrictive. This means no bread, cereal, noodles, biscuits, pizza, cakes, cookies, gravies etc. There can be no beer, wine or spirits; no spicy food, no processed foods, refined flours, sweets, sugar or dried fruits. You will also have to live without yogurt, milk, ice cream, chocolate, coffee and tea. Other disallowed foods include soy, soy milk, fish and seafood.
Inconvenience: If your symptoms are NOT particularly difficult to live with or don't seem to threaten your health, you may be unable to justify the time, effort, expense and inconvenience of taking the Elimination Diet.
Losing Out on Nutrients
Restricting your diet to only a few foods runs the risk of missing out on nutrients. You need professional guidance which may include prescription of dietary supplements.
All too hard? Then do the Detection Diet (in The Tuesday Club).
The Detection Diet is much easier and safer than the Elimination Diet and is highly effective for identifying the foods that cause your symptoms and stress.
It is not restrictive and allows you to diagnose yourself.
It does not require doctor or dietician's supervision.
Is a low risk, low cost investigation of your symptoms.
You need a Journal
To ensure success it is essential to record absolutely everything you consume. A well laid out journal is VITAL for detecting your food intolerance. The Detection Diet has a built in journal. Description of journal.
Your daily personal notes and observations across the THREE phases are central to the success of your Detection Diet.
You also need guidebooks for your particular food intolerance. In The Tuesday Club you get the Compleat Guides. These downloadable booklets have everything you need to follow and maintain your new eating plan:
Compleat Guide to Yeast-free
Compleat Guide to Dairy-free
Compleat Guide to Fructose-free
Compleat Guide to Gluten-free
Compleat Guide to Wheat-free
The Tuesday Club also gives you access to dozens of other in-depth articles and educational materials to assist your journey back to great health.
There are foods we enjoy and then there can be foods we "love" - those we feel we cannot live without. The foods you 'love' may be exactly the ones that are causing the trouble. In fact there may be some degree of food addiction involved. And addictions are never good.
You may want to consult your healthcare professional if you believe you have a food addiction. Allergies can cause severe reactions.
We can come to regard some foods as comfort foods. This is not an addiction, but some of them may be causing you distress. The Detection Diet will soon indicate whether they are the problem.
Keeping a journal puts system into your exploration. Without exact records of what you ate, how and when it affected you, there can be no actual progress.
The Detection Diet Journal is a well laid out journal with pages for every day and full instructions on how to follow the Detection Diet. Find it in the Tuesday Club.
The journal and other materials in The Tuesday Club take you though the phases of discovery, with tips, traps and guidelines on how to record your progress.
It has places to record foods eaten, reactions observed and importantly the dates of each. There are periods of review with instructions on how to move to the next phase.
Expect to better understand and appreciate your body. This is an exploration.
Expect slow results: allow your body to talk to you. This will take time. Nothing good happens overnight. Trust your body tell you what is going on, and trust your diary to remember it (not your memory).
Expect to start feeling better. Your meals may be different but your energy levels will go up as symptoms subside. And remember there are now substitutes for almost every type of food.
Expect your reactions to offending foods to be more noticeable than before. Years of eating such foods has put long term stress on your body. Removing them from your diet gives your body a welcome break and a chance to recover and heal itself. Reintroducing them will give you a strong signal that your body doesn't want it any more. Your body is talking to you. Don't ignore it.
Expect to be well. Expect to be able to do things you haven't done for years: play netball, walk or swim without feeling wrecked and tired afterwards.
It takes 35 day (5 weeks) for a full investigation of one suspected food intolerance. If you have multiple food intolerances it takes longer.
Yes! You can always cheat. But that will completely negate the results. You will be unable to figure out which foods caused which symptoms. The Detection Diet requires that you avoid some foods with the purpose of becoming well.
No. It is best to work out which of the main food sensitivities your symptoms indicate. Use the Symptoms Matrix (you must register first). Is it Gluten, Dairy, Yeast, Wheat, Fructose or a Food Allergy?
Remember - for great tips and info on Food Intolerance sign up for our weekly newsletter - it's free!
More information
Symptoms Matrix (must register first)
The Tuesday Club.
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Author: Deborah Manners B.Sc. (Hons) Grad. Dip.Ed is not a medical or healthcare professional. Ms Manners has multiple food intolerances and presents information from the point of view of the consumer.
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Date modified: 10 Aug 2007
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