An exclusion diet is when a certain foods that would suppose to trigger adverse reactions are eliminated from the diet. However, they are reintroduced to find if they are actual culprits. The process of elimination of foods is done in a step by step manner eliminating each food at a time.

The elimination process starts with the most common foods that are considered as trigger foods like those foods which trigger food intolerance reactions. They generally include dairy products and those made of wheat. Other foods that are to be included in the list of foods to be eliminated if you are suffering with food allergies include alcohol, caffeinated drinks, artificial sweeteners, carbonated drinks, fried foods, poultry, fish and meat.

As can be seen dairy, poultry and meat which are rich source of nutrients are eliminated from the diet. Hence, it is essential to see that the person who is in elimination diet receives enough nutrients to avoid nutritional deficiency disorders. If the body nutrient needs are not met through diet, it is essential to take supplements.

Following the elimination diet blindly results in nutritional deficiency disorder. Hence, rather than trying to eliminate each and every food to identify the triggers, it is recommended to identify the culprit through simple allergy confirmation tests such as prick test. If you have positive results for any food then eliminate that food from diet. Elimination diet should be planned basing on the results of allergy tests as these tests give positive results to a great extent.

There are a variety of elimination diets. This classification is done basing on the foods that are eliminated from the diet. One type of exclusion diet is the few foods diet. This diet includes few foods that are thought to be non-allergic. Those foods generally include turkey, rice, and pears. Another type of elimination diet is the rare foods diet. This involves rare foods that you have not consumed until now. This is based on the assumption that the foods you have not consumed until now rarely involve in food allergies. Regular foods are gradually included in the rare foods elimination diet. The last type of elimination diet that fights with eczema includes eliminating all the foods that are believed to trigger eczema. This greatly improves the eczema allergy.

If you are planning for an elimination diet in case of infants, be careful. Mostly, food allergies develop in infants when you try a new milk formula. Make sure to check if the formula does not cause adverse reactions by using them in very small quantities. As milk is the only source of nutrients for infants, try another simple nutritious formula that is ordered by your pediatrician.

Lastly, it is recommended to plan an elimination diet under the supervision of your doctor as they will be able to properly identify which foods are allergic to you. A doctor can pinpoint the allergic food by removing and again including the foods in the diet. Many dieticians and doctors agree that elimination diet is the best remedy to cure food allergies. Strict practice of elimination diet helps you to stay away from food allergies.

Jason Ladock

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