FOOD ELIMINATION DIET PROTOCOL
FOOD ELIMINATION DIET PROTOCOL
The clinical protocols for establishment of food allergies/sensitivities which can affect every organ system in the body require:
• An elimination period (5 days for most conditions; 14 days for joint symptoms). Symptoms will often ironically get worse during withdrawal, improving at 4-5 days.
• If symptoms improve during elimination, each eliminated food must be restarted in a pure form, allowing 48-72 hours between rechallenge foods. If symptoms do not recur during a rechallenge, that food is an unlikely suspect
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Food allergies/sensitivities are more likely if there is a personal or family history of allergy, if certain foods are craved, or if certain foods are consumed frequently on a daily basis.
Elimination protocols may be done in three ways. (Ed. Note: I recommend #3 for kids and breastfeeding moms!)
1. The most extreme is to go on a water fast for five days. Many are not prepared to do this.
2. The second option is to eat only the least likely sensitizing foods for five days: one protocol calls for only pears, carrots, rice and lamb.
3. An easier protocol eliminates the most likely offenders:
• Cow's milk and derivatives - including breads and all foods containing whey, casein, butter, cheese, etc.
• Wheat - all breads, pastries, pastas, and all foods containing wheat
• Corn - usually consumed as corn starch, powder, oil, syrup; a common source of sucrose
• Refined sugars - table sugar, candy, pastries, cookies, etc; there are >18 label names for sugar
• Eggs
• Citrus fruits
• Nuts, especially peanuts
• Chocolate
• Coffee, tea, alcohol
• Any food you eat more than three times a week.
The skeptic says, "What's left?" A lot: any vegetables, any fruit except citrus, meats, fish, poultry, any grain except wheat and corn. It is impossible to do this elimination diet and eat away from home.
Suspect food allergy/sensitivity in the following syndromes if no other explanation is readily apparent. The following is a list of more likely possibilities from the work of Doris Rapp, M.D.
Urticaria. Chocolate, milk, egg, peanut, cinnamon, preservatives, artificial coloring or flavoring.
Seasonal strawberries, melons, tomatoes. Aspirin, penicillin, other antibiotics.
Eczema. Milk, chocolate, nuts, peanut, egg. Mold, yeast, dust mites, pollen.
Nasal Problems. Milk, orange, corn, chocolate, wheat, artificial food coloring, egg.
Ear problems. Milk, egg, chocolate, peanut, corn, chicken, wheat. Dust mites, pets, mold.
Wheezing or Asthma. Milk, egg, wheat or any grain, fish, shellfish, peanut, cocoa, corn, nuts, wheat, onion, garlic. Aspirin, tartrazine dyes.
Systemic symptoms (hyperactivity, fatigue, hostility, irritability, emotional lability, depression, speech problems). Artificial food coloring, preservatives, sugar (cane or beet), milk, corn, cocoa, wheat, egg, orange, apple, grape, peanut, tomato and food additives or artificial flavoring. Dust mites, mold spores, pollen. Odors from perfume or chemicals.
Convulsions. Milk, yeast (vitamin B), chicken, other foods.
Aphthous ulcers. Citrus, pickle, apple, coffee, chocolate, potato, nuts, cinnamon.
Inflammatory bowel disease. Milk, wheat, egg, corn, cocoa, nuts, orange, pork, beef, chicken, peanut, sugar.
Gall Bladder Disease. Egg, pork, onion, chicken, milk, coffee, orange, corn, beans, nuts.
Duodenal ulcer. Milk, chicken, wheat, corn, egg, beef, tomato, coffee, tea, orange, avocado, peach, potato, barley, chocolate, grape, peanut, spices.
Bladder (Bed wetting, Frequent or Urgent Wetting). Milk, egg, citrus (orange), corn, wheat, pork, tomato, chicken, cola, cocoa, onion, fish, cinnamon, apple, peanut, preservatives and artificial coloring. Mold.
Renal (e.g. nephrosis). Milk, wheat.
Hypertension, arrhythmias, vascular problems. Chocolate, corn, nuts and peanuts, pork, coffee, milk, wheat, rice, beef, shrimp, seafood, chicken, apples. Chemical odors (natural gas, gasoline fumes, chlorine), air pollution, auto exhaust, soft plastic, cleaning chemicals (Lysol, phenol), perfume, polyurethane, tobacco smoke, polyesters, fiberglass, Naugahyde, new carpeting, formaldehyde, pesticides, pest strips, foam rubber.
Headache. Milk, chocolate, chicken, coffee, egg, corn, peanut, peas, beans, cinnamon, pork, garlic, food colorings. Pollen, mold, dust mites, pets, air pollution, auto exhaust, tobacco smoke, paint fumes, perfume, chemical odors, natural gas.
Arthritis, joint pain, rheumatism. Pork (bacon, ham), lard, milk, chicken, chocolate, wheat, beef, coffee, egg, artificial food coloring.
Recurrent infection. Milk, egg, corn, wheat, cinnamon, other spices, citrus (orange, lemon, lime, grapefruit), chocolate, colas.
Edema. Pork.