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My Elimination Diet Journey
Since I was nine years old I have struggled with daily headaches and monthly migraines. I learned to live with them but my husband urged me to go to the doctor when I had 15 migraines in one month, so bad that I had to take painkillers. The doctors ran some tests and I tried daily prescriptions. Nothing seemed to work so I just gave up and dealt with the headaches. Back in October, I found a food allergy test on livingsocial.com. This is why I started an elimination diet.
*Disclaimer: I am not a medical expert. All the information found on this page is based on my own research and experience. Please talk to your doctor for any advice or medical questions.Â
Food Allergy Test
The food allergy test I took was the platinum test from checkmybodyhealth.com. The platinum test checks over 850 items – food sensitivities, metals sensitivities, gut health, additives, and much more. My report was 56 pages of information. The report includes instructions on how to read your results, diet advice, and a food diary template. Below are some of my food sensitivity results.
What Exactly is an Elimination Diet?
An Elimination diet is when you cut out certain foods for 4-6 weeks and then reintroduce them into your diet. You want to record your meals and how they make you feel. Did you get a headache after eating an apple? Does your stomach turn when you eat cereal? Over weeks of recording your symptoms and meals, you will begin to see a pattern of how your body reacts to food.
Symptoms to look for:
- Bloating
- Rashes or skin change
- Headaches or migraines
- Joint pain
- Fatigue
- Trouble sleeping
- Stomach pains or cramps
- Bowel changes
You can find a variety of generic elimination diets online. However, I highly suggest taking a food sensitivity test first. I tried a generic elimination diet years ago and gave up. I was eating 3 meals and snacks per day but only consuming around 900 calories a day because I was limited to lettuce, broccoli, and grilled chicken. This resulted in headaches from being hungry.
Checkmybodyhealth test shows food that you are highly sensitive to, moderately sensitive, and then non-food sensitivities. This helps guide you on what you should be cutting out of your diet.
Related Post: Elimination Diet Update
Benefits of an Elimination Diet
These are a few benefits of an elimination diet.
*Not everyone will experience these benefits. Every person is different and reacts to food differently. Please consult with your doctor first.Â
- Reduces IBS symptoms
- Clearing up skin problems such as acne or eczema
- Improve headaches and or migraines
- Reduce symptoms of ADHD
Tools For an Elimination Diet
What do you need to successfully do an elimination diet?
- Positive mindset- Remember that you are cutting out foods to help you feel better, gain more energy, reduce acne, reduce headaches, improve joints, etc.
- Food sensitivity test – This will guide you to what foods you should cut out.
- Action Plan – Make a plan to what foods you are going to cut out and when you will introduce them. For example, I am cutting out all my “highly sensitive” foods out this month and reintroducing them next month. Then I will cut out moderately sensitive foods in March and reintroduce them in April.
- Elimination Diet Journal – This is what I use to track my meals and how I react to them.
Comment below if you have tried or are going to try an elimination diet!
