What Is an Elimination Diet, Why Is It Chosen and What Are Its Risks?

Different trends come and go in the diet world. One says fat is bad; the next blames carbohydrates or fruit. Elimination diets are no different: they are a new trend in the diet world, and people are evaluating their benefits as a solution to all sorts of complaints and conditions. An elimination diet involves removing certain foods for a set period, usually three or four weeks, then slowly reintroducing specific foods while watching for possible reactions.

An elimination diet is highly restrictive and may carry potential health risks!

For anyone wondering whether this diet might help, we wanted to examine the potential outcomes of these programs and discuss what might be a better idea instead.

First, these diets may be problematic because they increase fear and anxiety about certain foods. For example, if you believe you will experience discomfort after eating baked goods and eat a sandwich with that fear in your subconscious, you will probably experience abdominal pain. The problem is that it is not clear whether your symptom (complaint) really comes from the pastry or merely your fear of that food. Anxiety about a food can produce the same symptoms as intolerance, and identifying the real problem may not be easy.

Elimination diets can actually cause unwanted physical symptoms. You may experience mental fog or fatigue, and these symptoms may result from the elimination diet. You might think a specific food is responsible, but they may actually be symptoms of hunger, stress and inflammation caused by inadequate nutrition.

Another important point is the growing concern about orthorexia. Orthorexia is an obsession with healthy eating , and people with it often eat too little, inadequately or in an unbalanced way. Food variety is important for our health; eating very few foods is not healthy either. Therefore, before cutting out specific foods entirely, it is necessary to consider whether this is really needed.

Advocates of this diet believe eliminating or removing foods that may cause a problem is a good idea. An elimination diet may also be tried to identify existing food sensitivities. However, as with most trendy diets, elimination diets are often merely a one-sided approach to rapid weight loss. One may be prone to developing disordered thoughts and behaviors about restricted foods. Restriction may cause overeating and disordered eating, worsening whatever you are trying to treat with this diet. Elimination diets have also not been found effective for long-term weight control.

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Instead of imposing inappropriate restrictions on your diet, try to acquire basic knowledge about healthy eating . Taking care of your health without strict restrictions and rules is not that difficult.