In young children or even infants who have suspected food allergies, elimination diets are often the first step toward identification of the suspect allergen. Elimination diets have the benefit of avoiding painful and time-consuming office visits for either skin prick or blood testing. However, eliminations diets must be performed carefully and accurately to obtain clear results about food allergies.
Elimination Diet for Diagnosis
Elimination diets are performed under the direction of a physician to identify one or more food allergies. Food allergies are most often suspected when a person experiences symptoms like rash or swelling; coughing or wheezing; or severe digestive reactions, including vomiting and diarrhea, after ingesting specific types of food. To identify the culprit, doctors recommend elimination of the suspected food for at least 7 days and possibly up to 1 month, which allows the food to be entirely cleared from the body. During and after elimination, patient and doctor record symptoms to identify any association with the food removal.
Elimination Diet for Multiple Allergies
Elimination diets become complicated when more than one food allergy is suspected. Elimination of one food at a time, though possible, is time consuming; more often, all suspected foods are removed from the diet and then reintroduced singly. For example, if dairy and egg are both removed, egg products may be introduced first for approximately 1 week to monitor possible symptoms. If an allergic reaction does not develop, dairy may then be added to observe its effect.
Eliminiation Diet Varieties for Treatment
For people who have diagnosed food allergies, elimination diets are the one real treatment option as of November 2010, to protect against rashes, breathing problems or even anaphylaxis. Elimination diets can be restrictive, but creative shopping and cooking with replacement ingredients can help people with food allergies maintain health and enjoy their meals. Because each person experiences allergies differently, the elimination diet should be tailored to the person's needs. For example, a person allergic to dairy and soy may choose rice milk or coconut milk as a dietary replacement.
Caution
When people attempt elimination diets, they must remember to remove all sources, even hidden sources, of the suspected food allergen. Protein-containing foods are most often eliminated for diagnoses, so people observing an elimination diet may need to increase the amounts of fruits, vegetables and safe grains to ensure adequate nutrition. For example, people who eliminate gluten from their diet under a doctor's observation may begin cooking with a gluten-free grain called quinoa to replace fiber and protein in their diets.
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