Elimination diets, also known as rare-food elimination diets, basic elimination diets, few foods elimination diets, regular elimination diets and exclusion diets, were first developed in the late 1920s. All types of elimination diets are designed to help people with potential food allergies determine precisely which categories of food trigger symptoms of an allergic reaction. According to the Every Diet site, a number of medical conditions, including diverticulitis, eczema, migraine headaches, skin rashes and several digestive problems are caused by underlying food allergies.
History
Dr. Albert Rowe introduced the basic concept of an elimination diet in 1926, and later published a detailed explanation of the different aspects of elimination diets and their results in two books. The first was the 1931 publication "Food Allergy: Its Manifestations, Diagnosis and Treatment." The second was the 1972 publication "Food Allergy: Its Manifestations and Control and the Elimination Diets--a Compendium."
Aspects
Elimination diets, whatever their purpose, all follow the same basic procedure: determine which foods you consume regularly within a two-week period and replace them with nutritious foods you seldom eat. After all allergy symptoms have dissipated, usually within a two- to four-week period, begin eating the foods you eliminated from your diet one at a time. If, after several days, allergy symptoms don't recur, reintroduce another previously eliminated food. Continue this cycle until the food type that you introduce causes a resurgence of your allergy symptoms. You will then have identified which food you are allergic to.
Types
The basic elimination diet involves refraining from eating the following foods for seven days: all products containing eggs; all dairy products; all wheat and wheat-based products; all citrus fruits; all processed foods; and all food products containing corn or corn-based ingredients. Each food category is then added back to the diet individually over a period of several days. Other elimination diets include the fasting elimination diet, in which the individual spends five days consuming only water before eating any other foods; the lamb and pear elimination diet, which allows the individual to eat only lamb or turkey and pears before adding other foods to the daily menu; and the regular elimination diet, which eliminates only wheat, grains, eggs and milk for a short period of time.
Advantages
Proponents of Dr. Rowe's original elimination diet strategies claim that following the diet's precepts can help alleviate headaches, skin conditions such as eczema, digestive problems like irritable bowel syndrome and decrease the severity of asthma and rheumatoid arthritis symptoms.
Disadvantages
According to the diet review site 3 Fat Chicks on a Diet, elimination diets can cause withdrawal symptoms such as fatigue, severe headaches and loss of concentration. In addition, elimination diets can potentially cause nutritional deficiencies since many types of food must be eliminated from daily consumption in order to determine which are responsible for allergy symptoms. Do not attempt to follow any elimination diet without first consulting your doctor.
Member Comments