Before you dive into the below content, I’ve created a video for you talking about how to follow an elimination diet and what clean eating can do for you. Click the PLAY button below to get started.

The Elimination Diet plan (also known as the food sensitivity diet) is used to remove inflammatory foods from your lifestyle so that you can identify what hidden food intolerances you are experiencing. This article includes an elimination diet list and my entire website is filled with elimination diet recipes to help you reduce inflammation in your body.

(P.S. There is a FULL 21 day Elimination Diet plan in my best-selling cookbook Eating Clean: The 21-Day Plan to Detox, Fight Inflammation, and Reset Your Body.)

Along my journey of healing myself from 10 years of chronic health issues, I discovered numerous foods that were causing inflammation in my body that Western medicine doctors did not address or understand. That’s when I dove into the world of Integrative Medicine to understand what was going on deep inside my body that was not being addressed.

I was introduced to the Elimination Diet through my Integrative M.D.s to help me eliminate certain foods from my lifestyle for a specified amount of time. Then, reintroducing those foods, one at a time (very slowly) to see if there were any symptoms triggered such as bloating, rashes, joint pain, stomach aches, acne, gas, exhaustion, etc.

I work with clients all over the world to help them dive deeper into healing their body by guiding them through elimination the inflammatory foods that need to be cut out of their lifestyle in order to identify their food intolerances. These food intolerances are often hidden and silent; they’re not like food allergies, which create an anaphylactic shock reaction directly after eating certain foods. Unlike, food allergies, these intolerances can happen up to a few days after eating or drinking the trigger food.

How do you plan an Elimination Diet?

Because there are so many potential allergens in foods that can cause symptoms, I’m sharing with you a list of some of the most common foods to avoid on the Elimination Diet.

Key Questions to Ask Yourself

1. What foods do you eat most often?
2. What foods would you have trouble giving up?
3. What foods do you eat to feel better?
4. What foods do you crave?

These are often the foods that are most important to eliminate during the Elimination Diet. Your Integrative M.D. may also want you to avoid yeast, fermented products, sulfites, salicylates and other foods that promote yeast overgrowth. 

During the first 21 days, remove the below list of foods – you may also want to avoid foods any other that are known to cause reactions in your body. During this time, you are able to enjoy whole foods (see all the recipes on my website that are Elimination Diet plan friendly), which will allow your body time to recover and your symptoms to clear.

It is important not to cheat on this Food Sensitivity Diet because any exposure can cause a reaction and your body will not be able to cleanse itself and prepare for the next stage (re-introduction phase) where you identify any offender foods.

What foods should you cut out of your lifestyle for 21 days during an Elimination Diet?

• Dairy (See my Dairy-Free How To)
• Soy (See my Soy-Free How To)
• Gluten (See my Gluten-Free How To)
• Eggs (See my Egg-Free Substitutes)
• Citrus Fruits
• Nightshade Vegetables (Tomatoes, Potatoes, Peppers, Eggplants)
• Corn (See my Corn-Free How To)
• Processed meats
• Sugar (See my Sugar-Free How To)
• Caffeine
• Chocolate

After 21 Days: Re-introducing these foods again

When introducing new foods in after the elimination period (21 days), my Integrative M.D.s had me consume one of the above food groups in its purest form 2-3 times throughout the day. Try to choose a pure form such as fresh oranges instead of processed orange juice and observe any reactions that you may experience eating these foods.  Problem foods may not be immediately obvious since food sensitivities can go unnoticed for hours or even days after eating.

If a reaction occurs, record it and return to the elimination diet for 3 days before introducing a new food again. Repeat this process until you have found the food(s) that cause symptoms. If a food causes an immediate allergic reaction, such as throat swelling, seek medical care and stop the Elimination Diet unless you are otherwise instructed by your doctor.

Be sure to test each type of gluten grain separately such as wheat, barley, rye, etc. to get the best results because certain types of gluten may cause problems in some and not others. You may find you have trouble with wheat and not rye. This goes for nightshade vegetables as well. Therefore it’s important to isolate and thoroughly test each food separately in order to properly rule it out.

What should you do after you complete the Elimination Diet?

If you finish the Elimination Diet and had no change in your symptoms, this may mean that the foods you removed are not the primary cause of your symptoms. Use this information to tell your doctor to explore the next steps of identifying the underlying cause of your health concerns, including whether you should try this diet again and eliminate other foods and see if you feel a difference in symptoms.

If you did find relief removing the foods in the Elimination Diet, which I did, I moved on to the next phase where you start to slowly add in one food group at a time (one food every 3 days) because it can take up to 3 days to see a reaction from a certain food.

If a reaction occurs, you will be able to identify it and you’ll know to remove that food from your lifestyle. It’s important at this time to write down and record all reactions or symptoms that you experience. Your doctor will be able to tell you the order in which you will add in these new foods. Usually, you add in the foods that you least suspect to be problematic and work your way up to the foods that you suspect are causing symptoms – this is done in this order so that you don’t unnecessarily experience any potential reactions early on and have to start the entire process over to let the symptoms subside.

What are your next steps after the Elimination Diet plan?

The next step is to work closely with your doctor to investigate what is behind your sensitivities, intolerances or allergies to develop a plan to address that food’s role in your diet. I am also happy to work with you and your doctor on creating menus and recipes as well as meal and snack ideas for your new food lifestyle so that you are not overwhelmed. Here are a few Integrative Medicine Tests that I asked my Integrative M.D.s to check me for – these tests were crucial in finding out what was causing my pain.

My best advice is to eat as many whole foods as possible and steering clear of processed packaged foods with chemical additives.

Many of my clients have been on this Elimination Diet and I’ve helped them execute this plan since it is quite complicated and not easy for the average person who is used to eating whatever they want, whenever they want without thinking twice about it.

Before You Get Started

A food intolerance is much different than a food allergy. An intolerance can take longer to emerge – days or hours – and they can take a couple of days to go away.

A food allergy is mistaken by the body as a threat. Antibodies are produced to fight off whatever is leading to the symptoms such as hives and vomiting.

I recommend getting the ALCAT testing done, which your Integrative M.D. can do – it’s a simple blood test that will show your food sensitivities. For instance, my ALCAT showed that I was sensitive to salmon, basil or grapefruit, etc., which meant that those foods were causing inflammation in my body.

These are not to be confused with allergies – I am not allergic to salmon or basil or grapefruit however they cause internal inflammation in my body and should, therefore, be avoided. The ALCAT testing can be done every 6 months to see if your food sensitivities have lessened by removing certain foods that showed up in your results.

Be sure to always check with your doctor before starting any diet because they will need to closely monitor how you are feeling and make sure you are eating enough.

You’ll toss everything from your kitchen that included the restricted foods and won’t have any clue as to how to create a meal or snack – let alone survive without these foods. (Here is more information on how to meal plan.)

It takes time to prepare breakfast, lunch, dinners, snacks, and desserts because, on this plan, you can’t eat from a vending machine. Many clients aren’t ready to face the fact that so many of their emotions are tied up in food along with their coping mechanisms. They don’t know how to respond to family, friends, and co-workers about this diet. This is why I work with them one-on-one to address these issues and help make their life more enjoyable while going through this process.

What are the common health issues that lead people to an Elimination Diet?

These are a few of the common health issues people experience before they go on the Elimination Diet plan. Everyone is different so you may experience completely different symptoms from someone else but these are a few of the most common symptoms people experience.

• Headaches
• ADHD
• Muscle and Joint Pain
• Asthma
• Arthritis
• Insomnia
• Acne
• Eczema
• Depression
• Chronic Fatigue

How I Can Help

Many people get frustrated with this Elimination Diet plan and I can relate! I had to go through this plan to figure out what was going on in my body when doctors had no idea what to do with me. This is what inspired me to go back to school to understand Integrative Medicine and nutrition and take a deeper look inside the body at inflammation.

It’s exhausting trying to figure out how to meal plan, prep your food and identify all the hidden trigger ingredients that are lurking in the foods you eat at home, at restaurants and while traveling. I know because I followed this Elimination Diet plan for over 10 years and it’s become second nature to me.

Now, I work with clients in person or via phone to help them get acclimated to this new way of eating and encourage them that this is not the end of the world. You can still eat great-tasting, delicious food and not feel deprived, which is what my recipes are all about!

Start on my Getting Started page where you will find a vast array of the most frequently asked questions we receive. The answers on this page will help guide you through the process or understanding inflammation, food intolerances and more.

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I receive at least 10 emails a week from people who are currently experiencing acid reflux. It’s amazing how so many people overlook this awful condition and simply ignore their symptoms by swallowing a handful of Tums or antacids that are eroding their gut lining. Yuck!

What Is Acid Reflux?

Acid reflux is the burning sensation that moves up from your stomach to your throat and chest. It’s also known as acid indigestion and heartburn. When acid backs up into your throat and/or mouth, that is called regurgitation, which happens quite often with people who suffer from acid reflux. It’s amazing to think that everything from nausea after eating, burping, GERD, indigestion, stomach pain after eating, stomach fullness, upper stomach pain, stomach discomfort and bloating are all a part of acid reflux and are called dyspepsia. It’s VERY important to pay attention to your symptoms when you have acid reflux because they are RED FLAGS that your digestive system is not working properly and there is an underlying health issue. Acid reflux is not something to ignore; however, sadly most of our population ignores it and swallows over the counter pills to take the burning sensations away!

Acid reflux is pretty much simply the backup of stomach acid into your esophagus. Most people think there is TOO MUCH ACID in the stomach and that this acid gets refluxed back up into the esophagus; however, you actually may not have enough acid in your stomach!  Sadly, the antacids and prescription drugs that block acid production at a cellular level – some even being buffers of the acids – can give you relief but they are NOT a healthy long term solution because they do NOT address the root cause of the problem here.

Acid reflux can easily been corrected without drugs that will end up giving you awful side effects. So, instead of looking at the PROBLEM of acid reflux as having TOO much acid, look at your gut and the health of your digestive tract.

Here are a few easy solutions that have helped many of my clients:

1. Digestive Enzymes. Digestive enzymes may be helpful for you before you eat your meals and snacks because they actually HELP you digest your food completely. These enzymes start the digestive process in your mouth.
2. Chew. Be sure to chew your food VERY well. I’m talking 30 chews per piece. Yes, you heard me. 30. Trust me. You’re putting such a load of food into your body that it can’t handle digesting large amounts at once – leading to Leaky Gut and numerous other health issues that you don’t want.
3. Probiotics. Our intestines are in need of GOOD bacteria to function correctly. Many of our good bacteria are killed each day from the chlorine in our water and the toxic chemicals in our food such as pesticides, antibiotics, processed foods and sugar. We all need a good dose of probiotics to keep our guts healthy and able to fight off the toxins we’re exposed to each day!
4. Elimination Diet. Remove the foods that are bothering you by starting an elimination diet and removing gluten, dairy, soy, nightshade vegetables such as eggplant, tomatoes, peppers, etc. You can also remove sugars, fried foods and processed foods.
5. Toxic Build-Up. Our bodies are slammed with toxins in our air, water, food, etc., every minute. All these toxins get stored in our liver and, if we don’t DETOX them out, they will circulate in our bodies and make us sick and toxic!
6. Body Burden. When too many toxins accumulate in your body – your body can’t function correctly because it’s trying so hard to deal with these toxic things floating around and getting trapped in your liver. To keep your intestinal tract clean, make sure your body’s detox system is running efficiently.

Did you know that one of the biggest major side effects of long-term acid blocker use is osteoporosis? Yep. So, taking all those over the counter Tums and Rolaids isn’t helping you one bit in the long run! Try my 10 Day Clean Eating Cleanse to get you started eating whole, organic foods.

It is essential to work with an Integrative M.D. because I am sharing general information that is not intended to be medical advice. This information is only given for informational purposes.

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The idea behind Integrative Medicine is to help people heal and get to the root cause of their ailments without using prescription drugs. I’ve had many clients and family members trying to figure out how to stop heartburn, Gastroesophageal reflux, GERD and Acid Reflux. Sadly, they were told by doctors to take drugs to band-aid their problem. Not good! So, I decided to do some investigating and research… to look into what’s really going on inside their bodies and how I can help them get relief without having to pop pills.

These tips will help you keep your symptoms from returning once they’re long gone and they’ll also help any of you from possibly developing any symptoms.

The common confusion with acid reflux and GERD is that people think it’s caused by too much stomach acid. That is NOT the problem – it’s actually caused by not enough stomach acid and the bacteria that overgrows in your stomach and intestines (aka your gut). The goal is to restore adequate stomach acid and eliminate the bacteria overgrowth so that other issues don’t start to flare up. As I’ve mentioned before, 80% of your immune system is in your gut so if you don’t have a healthy gut or if your gut is full of bacteria overgrowth, you’re going to end up with other issues such as acne, asthma, arthritis, eczema, etc.

With a few simply changes in your food and lifestyle, you can eliminate discomfort and pain after you eat. Many acid-suppressing drugs can make your heartburn worse as well as cause other awful issues such as cancer. The sad thing about Western medicine is that they don’t understand the real cause of heartburn and GERD.

So, there’s a few steps to take to get you started with this.

Step 1: Remove the triggers  that are contributing to your low stomach acid and overgrowth of bacteria, which is an overgrowth of bad bacteria. See my page on SIBO (Small Intestinal Bacteria Overgrowth) for more info.

Step 2: Add in supplements such as enzymes, stomach acid and nutrients to help your digestion and your overall health. Apple cider vinegar, lemon juice, raw unpasteurized sauerkraut and pickles can be helpful right before you eat food. Also, bitter herbs such as fennel, ginger, milk thistle, peppermint, caraway and wormwood in very small doses can be helpful when used under supervision of an Integrative M.D. Be sure to have yourself checked for B12, calcium, iron, zinc and folic acid by an Integrative M.D. to see if you need supplementation for ideal digestion. Organic homemade bone broth has been very helpful for people to restore nutrients and to feel much better and heal their guts.

Step 3: Restore the good bacteria in your gut and help build back a healthy gut lining from Leaky Gut that was caused due to GERD and acid reflux. Probiotics are a great way to help get your gut back to a healthy balance and protect you from pathogens. Not all probiotics are equal so be sure to work with your Integrative M.D. on what’s best for you before you do more harm then good- yes it’s possible to take too much probiotics or to take the wrong kind and make your gut even worse.

Step 4: Lower your stress levels with deep belly breathing. Lowering your body burden of stress also includes the stress you put on your body by what you are eating and how you eat it. Eating cheeseburgers from McDonald’s and not chewing properly? Hello disaster!

Step 5: Try to remove nightshade vegetables to see if that alleviates your symptoms. Also, stop drinking liquid during meals, especially water because it dilutes the concentration of your stomach acid.

xo

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Chronic Fatigue Syndrome | Anti Inflammatory Foods 

The term ‘Nightshade’ is not a household name, and upon first hearing it, some people might even be picturing a pair of sunglasses. Nightshades are a type of plant, or 2,800 types of plants to be precise. These plants all produce a vegetable or spice that could be harmful to some people who ingest them.

Although there is a general consensus that vegetables are healthy, what if these types of the vegetables are actually hurting you? This seems shocking, but there is evidence that certain vegetables and spices can ultimately cause inflammation and pain to those who eat them. I personally cannot eat nightshade vegetables as they cause joint issues and inflammation in my body. Many of my clients with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome can not eat nightshades because they cause pain in their bodies; therefore we stick to a diet right in anti-inflammatory foods.

Nightshade Vegetables comprise over 200 varieties of foods and spices. A few examples are:

• Eggplant
• Tomatoes
• Potatoes
• Peppers
• Tomatillos
• Huckleberry
• Pimentos
• Paprika
• Red pepper flakes
• Cayenne pepper

The reason behind the sensitivity nightshade vegetables cause is alkaloids. Alkaloids are a chemical compound that is comprised heavily of nitrogen and some can be quite acidic. When we eat these nightshade vegetables, some studies have found they can mettle with the calcium levels in our body, thus causing us joint pain, inflammation, digestive issues and in some rare cases can lead to GERD or acid reflux.

If you think you experience any of these health issues caused by nightshade vegetables, don’t worry; the test to find out is very easy. Simply try removing these foods from your diet for two weeks and see if your inflammation, joint issues, and digestive issues improve.

If you don’t experience any adverse reactions after eating nightshade vegetables, you can slowly add them back slowly into your lifestyle one at a time, but always in moderation. Check out my useful tips and information on the Elimination Diet for more information about rein-introducing foods back into your lifestyle.

Be sure to keep a daily log of how you feel when adding back in new foods. Are you tired? Do you have anxiety? Do you have sinus congestion or trouble sleeping? Headaches? Joint pain or stomach bloating and discomfort? These are a few things you can look for when you add back in nightshades to your lifestyle.

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Mother Earth knows just when our soil is right to grow the freshest and highest quality produce. I love to buy local from my farmer’s markets so I can purchase vegetables and fruits in season. My clients always ask me when to buy fruit and when to buy vegetables…well, the answer is simple. The best time to purchase them is when they are in season – that’s when they taste the best and are cheaper compared to when they are not in season. There is no denying the difference in taste between a fresh Jersey tomato and one that was picked last week and shipped from thousands of miles away. Believe me, the local ‘in season’ tomato tastes SO much better and is bursting with more nutrients to fuel your body.

We all know Miss Mother Earth doesn’t have a hotline to call and find out what’s in season so here’s an easy way for you to check out your seasonal produce whether you’re at the food store, the farm or the market!

SPRING

• Artichokes
• Arugula
• Asparagus
• Avocados
• Beets
• Broccoli
• Carrots
• Cauliflower
• Chard
• Cherries
• Fennel
• Kale
• Leeks
• Mint
• New Potatoes
• Peas
• Radishes
• Rhubarb
• Strawberries
• Turnips
• Yellow Squash

SUMMER

• Apricots
• Arugula
• Avocados
• Basil
• Beet
• Blueberries
• Broccoli
• Carrots
• Chard
• Cherries
• Collards
• Corn
• Cucumbers
• Eggplant
• Fennel
• Figs
• Grapes
• Green Beans
• Kale
• Leeks
• Melons
• Mint
• Nectarines
• New Potatoes
• Okra
• Parsley
• Peaches
• Pears
• Peas
• Peppers
• Plums
• Radishes
• Raspberries
• Rhubarb
• Strawberries
• Tomatoes
• Yellow Squash
• Zucchini

FALL

• Apples
• Artichokes
• Arugula
• Avocados
• Basil
• Green Beans
• Beets
• Bok Choy
• Broccoli
• Brussels sprouts
• Carrots
• Cabbage
• Cauliflower
• Chard
• Collards
• Corn
• Cucumbers
• Fennel
• Figs
• Grapefruit
• Kale
• Leeks
• Lemons
• Limes
• Mint
• New Potatoes
• Okra
• Oranges
• Parsley
• Parsnips
• Pears
• Peas
• Peppers
• Persimmons
• Pomegranates
• Pumpkin
• Quince
• Radishes
• Raspberries
• Rutabagas
• Sweet Potatoes
• Tangerines
• Tomatoes
• Turnips
• Winter Squash
• Yams

WINTER

• Avocados
• Beets
• Broccoli
• Carrots
• Cauliflower
• Chard
• Collards
• Fennel
• Grapefruit
• Jicama
• Kale
• Kiwi Leeks
• Lemons
• Limes
• New Potatoes
• Parsnips
• Persimmons

What are your favorite seasonal fruits and vegetables?

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