The Simple Elimination Diet That Could Change Your Life Forever

I actually recommend that everyone—yes everyone—do an elimination diet at least once. So how do you do it and not make it complicated? Here is my easy 5-step plan for doing your own elimination diet. You might be surprised by what you learn!

So, before you begin an elimination diet, make a list of everything you notice in your body, however subtle or long-standing the symptom has been. This assessment will allow you to notice the important changes when they happen on the diet.

The basic elimination diet is as simple as this: No gluten, dairy, eggs, soy, fast food, or alcohol for 23 days.

Antibodies, which are the proteins that your immune system makes when it reacts to foods, take around 21 to 23 days to turn over. So, if you don’t quit those foods you're sensitive to for at least that time frame, you won’t experience the true effects of elimination.

Alcohol also has a lot of sugar that helps things like yeast and harmful bacteria in your gut thrive. So when you eliminate alcohol, you may feel better in a few weeks, not just because of the absence of a sleep disruptor and a depressant in your life, but because you've actually changed the flora in your gut that are critical to keeping you healthy!

That said, your grocery list should comprise of:

See, it’s that simple! Here's the full breakdown of what you should eat and what foods you should avoid.

See how you feel over the next 48 hours. If you have no reaction after two days, eat that same food again for a second time, and notice how you feel. From there, it’s up to you whether or not to re-incorporate that food into your diet on a regular basis. Once you’ve made a call on the first food you reintroduce, pick another one and follow the same steps.

No blood test can tell you what life without a particular food will be like—the key here is experimenting. When you find out for yourself, you could be saving yourself a lifetime of inflammation, annoying symptoms, and in some cases, chronic diseases.