Health is wealth, eat well to live well.
Join my community and receive my free ebook! Subscribe now >>
Lessons from the elimination diet journey goes far beyond just pinpointing what foods to avoid. It serves as a mirror, reflecting aspects of our lives we may not have noticed before. From improved mental clarity and emotional balance to a newfound awareness of how food impacts all areas of health, the lessons extend well beyond the dinner plate.
Dive into the heart of what makes this diet a life-altering experience, as we uncover the unexpected ways it can enhance clarity, resilience, and personal growth.
Anyone who has experienced digestive pains, cramps, skin issues, joint pains, allergy symptoms, mood changes, and bloating knows how frustrating and uncomfortable these symptoms can feel. Though there are many causes of digestive problems, food is often a culprit. The elimination diet helps us pinpoint which foods might be causing these symptoms, so we can finally feel better.
Welcome to the High Blood Pressure Wellness Lifestyle Podcast, where your journey toward a healthier, more vibrant life takes center stage. I'm Donna Williams, your host and guide, Certified Holistic Health Coach, and passionate advocate for transforming lives through mindful, practical approaches to health.
At my digital home, info-on-high-blood-pressure.com, and through this podcast, I commit to transforming lives through tailored wellness strategies. I specialize in guiding and empowering women of color to prevent, manage, and conquer high blood pressure and other chronic diseases.
Through my comprehensive online resources and personalized coaching, I offer effective, mindful eating programs and blood sugar management strategies that focus on long-lasting lifestyle changes, rather than short-term fixes.
I'm passionate about turning wellness into a way of life, ensuring vibrant health is accessible to everyone I work with. My tag line is “Eat Well to Live Well” so that you can ‘Transform your Health, Elevate your Heart, and Empower your Wellness’.
Today’s topic is on Discovering a New You: Surprising Lessons from the Elimination Diet Journey!
At the end of today’s podcast, hopefully I’ll have provided you with some answers to your worries and encourage you to embark on a transformative journey when implementing an elimination diet. A path not only paving the way towards better health but also unveiling deep personal insights.
These lessons from the elimination diet journey isn't just about identifying food sensitivities; it's a gateway to understanding your body's unique language, refining your dietary choices, and enhancing overall wellness. Join us as we explore how removing specific foods can lead to a greater sense of well-being and self-discovery, providing a roadmap to a healthier, more vibrant you.
Today’s topic was generated by Ava after she listened to Episode #53 of High Blood Pressure Wellness Lifestyle Podcast on the topic of ‘Decoding Diet Myths: Making Sense of Health Hypes. She had questions and wanted to know more about elimination diet.
Thanks Ava, from Richfield, Minnesota, for your support.
So, what is the elimination diet? Food intolerances, sensitivities, and allergies are far more common than you think. Foods that trigger an immune response don't necessarily have to break you out in hives. Trigger foods can cause even the mildest yet uncomfortable symptoms, such as constipation or bloating.
The elimination diet involves eliminating the most common triggers for food sensitivities and intolerances for a few weeks so you can do some investigative work.
The recommended elimination process is at least 21 days. After the 21 days or 3 weeks have passed, you can begin slowly reintroducing foods - one at a time - in order to observe your body’s reaction.
Common trigger foods include nuts, soy, eggs, citrus, corn, shellfish, dairy, and wheat. If you feel better or symptoms improve after eliminating these foods, you'll know one (or more) of these foods is the cause. You have to be consistent here— this isn't the type of diet you can do halfway. Even the smallest amount of your trigger foods can lead to an immune response.
After a few weeks pass, you can reintroduce these foods one by one, hopefully identifying which ones are causing your digestive problems or other symptoms. The key is choosing one food at a time. Give each food a few days before introducing the next. Eat it once or twice over the course of 2 to 3 days. Evaluate how you feel.
Sometimes you’ll feel lousy right away, and other times it’ll take a few hours or a whole day before symptoms arise, which is why you eat the same foods repeatedly over a few days. If the first reintroduced food doesn’t result in any symptoms, try reintroducing another food from your elimination list. You can follow this method with each food, closely observing your body’s reaction.
If any of the foods cause a flare up in old symptoms, you can test your theory by avoiding the food completely for another 2 weeks to see if the symptoms clear up. Finally, reintroduce the food to see if the symptoms appear again. By this point you should see a clear cause and effect reaction, indicating that you may have an intolerance or allergy to this food.
Over the years I have experience allergies but this year the attack was bad; I was down for three weeks.
Stepping into the world of the elimination diet was daunting, but the rewards were substantial and amazing. It became for me more than discovering food intolerances; it was about uncovering a more energetic, alert, and healthy version of myself.
Cutting out certain foods improved my sleep, increased my energy levels, that led to better health outcomes, that included moving me away from the diabetic borderline, while also offering me a deeper understanding of how diet, I don’t like saying diet, so I’ll say how food affects emotional and physical health.
Join me and explore these remarkable benefits and learn how to make smarter, more informed dietary choices that align with your body’s needs within my Achieve Balanced Blood Sugar Control through Holistic Lifestyle Adjustments, your all-in-one journey to wellness. It was for me and will be for you a life-changing step-by-step guide to improvement in all areas of your health within 30 days!
The next phase of the elimination diet is planning meals without trigger foods that may have been a significant part of your diet in the past.
For example, if you react to dairy, you might have an adjustment period eliminating that entire food group from your diet. You may want to work with a nutritionist, physician or me, to ensure that you're still getting all the necessary nutrients into your diet.
Lessons from the elimination diet journey shouldn't feel restrictive, and it's not about weight loss— the benefits should motivate you not to want to eat your trigger foods. It's all about choice!
If you have cravings for your trigger foods, it's comforting to at least know the cause of the symptoms that follow. Once you've eliminated and reintroduced the trigger foods, you should hopefully have a better understanding of which foods cause your symptoms.
Surprisingly, foods you previously considered healthy might not be beneficial for you. Remember food is not good or bad— everyone is different, and everybody reacts differently to certain foods.
The elimination diet goes far beyond just pinpointing what foods to avoid. It serves as a mirror, reflecting aspects of our lives we may not have noticed before. From improved mental clarity and emotional balance to a newfound awareness of how food impacts all areas of health, the lessons extend well beyond the dinner plate.
It helps you to understand what your body needs and what it can do without. You may notice improvements in your well-being that you didn't even think to associate with food, such as energy levels and skin texture. Dive into the heart of what makes this diet a life-altering experience, as we uncover the unexpected ways it can enhance clarity, resilience, and personal growth.
During your elimination journey I’m encouraging you to keep a food journal throughout the process to take note of any and all changes. You'll get to know your body better than before, learning a new meaning for healthy foods.
Like my balanced blood sugar control online program where we use evidence-based research and making the information easily understandable for anyone who isn’t a scientist, we’ll help you to understand why you’ll benefit from changing the way you eat and how to do it successfully and safely.
Within the "Nourish" module, you’ll discover the profound impact of nutrition on overall well-being without adhering to a rigid meal plan. You'll learn how to make healthier food choices that suit your lifestyle and dietary needs, understand the connection between food and mood, and develop a more intuitive relationship with food. This approach emphasizes portion control and encourages a sustainable, balanced diet that supports long-term blood sugar management.
So, click the link and let us guide you on how you can nourish your body with Smarter Food Choices!
Thanks for tuning into the High Blood Pressure Wellness Lifestyle podcast. If you enjoyed today’s episode, "Discovering a New You: Surprising Lessons from the Elimination Diet Journey" I'd love to hear your thoughts!
Click the fan mail icon to leave me a comment, and you might get a shout-out in a future episode. Don’t forget to subscribe and rate us too. Thanks again for your support. Share this episode with friends and family to spread Surprising Lessons from the Elimination Diet Journey!
See you next week.
Return to HBP Wellness Lifestyle Podcast from Lessons from the Elimination Diet Journey
New! Comments
Have your say about what you just read! Leave me a comment in the box below.