Your Easy Guide to Food Eliminations and Reintroductions

Many individuals who experience negative health symptoms or reactions to foods may want to consider embarking on an elimination diet. Elimination diets can be difficult and are not for everyone. Even though this is the case, many well-meaning health providers, nutrition coaches, friends or family members might suggest you try one to see if it helps ease some of your symptoms and identify possible food intolerances. Unfortunately, chronic stress, highly processed foods, poorly processed oils, and environmental toxins typical in our modern day life have made food intolerances and sensitivities extremely common. To identify them, elimination diets are often used because they are virtually free and can be implemented in most environments. An elimination diet is a way to test for reactions by removing specific foods hypothesized to cause symptoms and reintroducing them at a later time. 

Stage 1: Elimination

An elimination diet is broken down into two stages. Stage one is elimination. This involves removing one or more foods suspected of influencing your symptoms or that you may not tolerate well. This stage is short-term and should only last 4 to 6 weeks, depending on the protocol. 

There are many different types of formal elimination diets that are frequently used. These include:

• Low FODMAP (fermentable carbohydrates)
• Autoimmune Protocol (AIP)
• Gut and Psychology Syndrome (GAPS) diet
• Gluten-free diet
• Dairy-free diet

Other less formal versions include elimination of a single food like eggs, or a group or family of foods like nightshades (peppers, potatoes, eggplant, etc.) for a period of time. What you choose to eliminate will depend on paying close attention to how foods make you feel and tuning in to what you suspect might be contributing to your symptoms. It also might take a couple different trials to zero in on the offending foods. A qualified nutrition professional can help you narrow it down.

During the elimination phase, it is possible you might experience decreased symptoms of bloating, constipation, skin issues, diarrhea, gas, nausea, migraines, or acne. 

Stage 2: Reintroduction

Unfortunately, individuals sometimes stay in the elimination stage for far too long without moving to the next stage—reintroduction. For individuals who have been feeling especially sick for a long time, it’s not surprising that it's tempting to stay in this stage. You might even wonder why you would want to add foods back into your diet if they made you feel sick in the first place. Importantly, elimination diets are typically very restrictive, but can lead to nutritional deficiencies over time. For this reason, participation in an elimination diet is only recommended if you are doing so under the guidance of a trained nutrition professional.

The purpose of the reintroduction phase is to slowly (and we mean slowly), introduce eliminated foods to identify which ones cause symptoms. It is important to reintroduce foods individually, giving at least 2 to 3 days between each reintroduction, so if a reaction does occur it is clear which food might have triggered it. Common symptoms that might occur include:

• Join pain
• Migraines
• Skin changes
• Bloating
• Changes in bowel movements or stool 
• Increased fatigue
• Stomach pain
• Gas

If you notice symptoms returning after introducing a food or food group, it is possible this food could be a trigger and you may benefit from limiting or removing it from your diet while you work to restore your digestive health. Not all intolerances are forever—with a professional guiding you through a gut healing protocol, you may be able to handle foods that once gave you issues. And check out our Digestive Rescue and Repair Essential Curation for targeted digestive support. If you experience no symptoms while reintroducing a food group, it is likely this food is okay to bring back to your regular meal rotation and move on to slowly introducing the next food group. 

Elimination Diet Cautions

An elimination diet is not for everyone. Prolonged elimination of multiple food groups can increase your risk for nutritional deficiencies, and additionally, individuals with or at risk for eating disorders are not recommended to follow an elimination diet unless supervised by a medical doctor or clinically trained nutrition professional.  Children are also not recommended to try an elimination diet without professional supervision due to potential risk for nutrient deficiencies. Remember, elimination diets can be helpful for individuals hoping to identify whether certain foods are the root cause of uncomfortable symptoms. It is important to remember these are short-term protocols, and you should aim to consume the most varied diet possible most of the time.

Want to learn more about choosing the right foods for your individual needs? Unsure whether an elimination diet might be right for you? Schedule a one-on-one session with one of our Curated practitioners for individualized recommendations and support focused specifically on you.

About the Author

Emily Alexander, M.Ed, FNTP—Emily is a Nutritional Therapy Practitioner with Curated Wellness. She is passionate about supporting others in their journey to improve their relationship with food and their body through gentle nutrition, and is a firm believer that understanding the bio-individual components of nutrition is one of the best ways to do so. Emily completed her Master’s of education in health education and promotion with a concentration in eating disorders, and draws from both her educational background and life experience to help her clients improve their energy, understand their bodies, boost their athletic potential, and break down diet myths one at a time. Read more about Emily.

The information presented on this website is intended for educational purposes only. Statements within this site have not been evaluated or approved by the Food and Drug Administration. This content is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any specific condition or disease, nor is it medical advice and should not be considered a substitute for professional medical expertise. Readers of this content are advised to consult their doctors or qualified health professionals regarding specific health conditions or concerns. One should always consult a qualified medical professional before engaging in any dietary and/or lifestyle change or new health program. Curated Wellness does not take responsibility for any health consequences of any person or persons following the information in this educational content.