How to Use an Elimination Diet to Determine Your Food Allergies or Sensitivities

What would you do without food? Not only does it nourish your body, it helps you celebrate life’s accomplishments, comforts you when you’re down, and brings family and friends together. So, what do you do when your body rejects certain foods?

The first step is identifying exactly which foods cause an intolerance or trigger your immune system to mount an attack, or allergic reaction. Dr. Farah Khan and our team here at Millennium Park Medical Associates in Greenwood Village, Colorado, can help you nail down the culprit or culprits with a medically supervised elimination diet. Here’s how it works.

Understanding the elimination diet

Simply put, the elimination diet cuts out specific foods from your diet to help you identify which ones cause a problem. Eliminations diets are especially helpful for identifying food intolerances or sensitivities, which cause symptoms but don’t involve the immune system.

While many food allergies can be determined by a blood or skin test, an elimination diet can confirm the diagnosis and/or help you pinpoint the exact culprit within a food group that’s triggering a response.

The elimination phase

The first part of the elimination diet is the elimination phase, where you avoid certain foods you suspect may be causing a problem. For instance, if you always have digestive problems after eating lasagna, you may be allergic to or sensitive to dairy products, wheat, tomatoes, certain spices, or eggs.

Dr. Khan helps you narrow down the items to avoid, and explains how to keep a food diary that provides valuable information about your reaction to certain foods.

It’s important to read labels carefully, as many foods contain ingredients you may not suspect are harmful to you or that trigger a reaction. Some food additives have been known to cause sensitivities or allergic reactions, too, so pay attention to artificial sweeteners, preservatives, colorings, and flavor enhancers.

Be sure to monitor your diet closely during this phase, not only for possible problematic foods, but also to make sure you maintain a nutritious diet despite the ingredients you’ve eliminated.