The Elimination Diet I Recommend For Optimal Health

Here's a quick overview of what you can expect from the plan:

One of the biggest misconceptions people have about the elimination diet is that they won't be able to eat any delicious foods. Let's first go over all the nourishing and nutritious foods you can enjoy on the elimination diet.

I recommend bringing in lots of wild-caught fish, such as albacore tuna and salmon. You'll also be getting your B vitamins from grass-fed beef and clean protein from organic chicken.

Enjoy a variety of different colors, especially green leafy vegetables, and starchy vegetables, such as sweet potatoes and yams. In my mindbodygreen course, I offer lots of great-tasting ideas so that you don't dread eating more veggies or feel like you're eating like a rabbit.

Every type of fruit is allowed on the elimination diet, but I recommend focusing on lower-fructose berries like strawberries, raspberries, and blueberries, as well as citrus like lemon, lime, and grapefruit.

Cook with natural fats from grass-fed organic meats, like tallow and clarified butter or ghee. I also encourage you to use extra-virgin coconut oil daily, as well as avocado oil and extra-virgin olive oil.

Cassava, coconut, and plantain flours are great alternatives for baking. I also like tapioca starch and arrowroot powder.

There are so many delicious uses for coconut. My favorites are full-fat coconut milk, butter, and aminos—a great soy sauce alternative.

You can enjoy raw honey, dark maple syrup, and molasses.

These foods include those that are common food intolerances, as well as those most likely to cause inflammation.

Cutting out sugar probably won't come as a surprise—but you should also avoid even the healthier-sounding euphemisms, like agave nectar or turbinado. Sugar is still sugar—no matter how exotic the name.

This includes all grains—even the gluten-free ones such as rice, quinoa, oats, and corn. During the reintroduction phase, we'll add each back one by one. This allows you to discover which grains work for your body and which ones don't.

Taking out eggs and dairy during the elimination phase allows you rule out an albumin (egg-white protein) or casein (dairy protein) intolerance, which I find is common with digestive issues.

Nuts and seeds can be rough on some people's gastrointestinal system. By not eating them in the elimination phase, you'll give your gastrointestinal system a little break. And then, when you reintroduce them, you'll have clearer insight into whether nuts and seeds irritate your system or not.

This is a plant group that includes white potatoes, tomatoes, eggplant, peppers, and some spices. They can cause inflammation in some people with autoimmune spectrum problems.

FODMAPS is the acronym for the fermentable sugars found in foods like legumes, onions, and garlic. Not everyone has to eliminate this group of foods, but people with digestive issues like IBS should try it for a little while and see how they do. As you heal your gut, these foods can typically be brought back in with no problem.

Give your liver a break and avoid all alcohol during this time. I also recommend limiting your caffeine intake to a few cups of green or white tea per day. An occasional organic coffee is OK as well.

(I’ll be sharing some of my favorite recipes for this protocol in my video course.)

In my mindbodygreen course, I go more in depth into how to reintroduce foods back into your diet and take you through the eliminate diet step by step.