One of the BEST tools to improve digestion, increase energy, lower inflammation, rebalance hormones levels and support your overall health and vitality is something you can do right in your home (1).
Have you heard of, or maybe even done an elimination diet? What’s all the hype about, and is it right for you?
I tried my first elimination diet almost 5 years ago. At that time, I had no clue what an ‘elimination diet’ was, but the goal was to clear up some serious food sensitivities, which were causing digestive issues, hives, anxiety and sleeplessness...and it totally did!
An elimination diet is a type of healing protocol. For a period of time you remove a number of foods to bring inflammation levels down, heal the gut, and uncover hidden food intolerances. This is designed as a short term tool to enhance healing of the digestive tract, rebalance blood sugar, and reduce inflammation. Following the elimination period of the protocol, foods are reintroduced to better understand how they’re actually tolerated, even if they’re foods you’ve “always eaten”. You come away with a tailored food plan that you know works best for your body.
You may have heard of other popular elimination diets, such as ‘Whole30’, which have entered and gained traction in the mainstream in recent years. These protocols have a wide appeal and many advocates, as well as their share of challenges and skeptics. Don’t worry, we’re going to cover both sides.
It’s important not to discuss elimination diets in a vacuum. The restrictions, albeit in the pursuit of better long-term health, are amplified if you have a history of disordered eating or thoughts around food. A huge portion of the population, including about 75% of American women, fall into this category (2). Adding more ‘food rules’ and amplifying a restrictive mindset around food are a set up for failure. Another portion of the US (~11%) is food insecure, meaning their access to adequate food is limited by lack of money and other resources (3). Getting enough food to comfortably nourish yourself and meet your body's needs is closer to the bedrock of the wellness hierarchy. Elimination diets are a precision tool and absolutely a privilege. It is not a tool that those with disordered eating or food insecurity should look to as a means of improving their health. [Additional resources at the end]
Even for the average well-fed, healthy-relationship-with-food person, elimination diets are undoubtedly challenging. You forgo many of the convenience foods you’re used to, you’re eating much differently than the people around you, it feels harder to socialize, it can be hard to eat out, heck, it’s harder to eat-in! I’ve been there, I totally get it. There is a lot to give up, so there better be a lot to gain.
The elimination diet is recognized as the gold standard for resetting, balancing, and healing your gut. That last part is really the crux of it all; an unhappy gut is the likely root of major systemic inflammation. If your gut lining is compromised (sometimes referred to as “leaky gut” or “intestinal permeability”), it stresses your whole system. A leaky gut is just that; improperly digested particles, toxins or bacteria from the small intestine cross the gut-blood barrier through rifts in the gut lining and create an inflammatory response as your body reacts to these foreign invaders (4). Poor gut health has been linked to digestive issues, hives/eczema, acne, hormone imbalances, low energy, brain fog, arthritis, autoimmune and generalized inflammation conditions, and even mood irregularities like depression and anxiety (5).
An elimination-based healing protocol works to address the root cause by healing the gut. Removing foods you’re uniquely sensitive to, as well as those that are inherently hard on the gut for everyone, provides some relief from the daily stressors and enables your body to repair the thin cell lining of the gut. The rigid template of a healing protocol is not designed to be a ‘forever’ diet. It’s a short-term therapeutic tool which restores balance and builds your resilience to foods that might otherwise send you to the bathroom, for a nap, or a breakout, or a breakdown.
What better time for it than now? We’re cooking more and (ideally) living at a more leisurely pace without as many social engagements and commitments as we did a year ago. It’s really just 4 weeks to change your life.
What do you think, would you try an elimination diet? What transformations are you hoping to see?
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Resources:
Find a food bank near you to donate, volunteer or use as a resource https://www.feedingamerica.org/
Food insecurity in health/wellness space
Eating disorder support, resources, and treatment options for yourself or a loved one. https://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/help-support/contact-helpline
Christy Harrison podcast on diet culture influence in nutrition and dietetics. They touch on the nuances of intuitive eating in specific situations, like food scarcity and eating disorders
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References:
Hyman, Mark. “The one diet that can cure most disease” https://drhyman.com/blog/2013/05/17/the-one-diet-that-can-cure-most-disease-part-i/
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. "Three Out Of Four American Women Have Disordered Eating, Survey Suggests." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 23 April 2008. www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080422202514.htm
USDA. “Food Security and Nutrition Assistance”. 12 September 2019. https://www.ers.usda.gov/data-products/ag-and-food-statistics-charting-the-essentials/food-security-and-nutrition-assistance/#:~:text=The%20prevalence%20of%20food%20insecurity,had%20very%20low%20food%20security.
Campos, Marcelo. “Leaky gut: What is it, and what does it mean for you?” https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/leaky-gut-what-is-it-and-what-does-it-mean-for-you-2017092212451
Mu, Qinghui, et. al. “Leaky Gut As a Danger Signal for Autoimmune Diseases”. Front. Immunol., 23 May 2017. https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fimmu.2017.00598/full