Why This Diet?

And now, for a little education…….

Not just for those people who are already dealing with food sensitivities, but for all those Joe Blows in the world. If you happened to stumble upon this blog by accident and don’t have any known reactions to food, you may be asking yourself, “Why do I care?!”

There is an answer to this question. This diet has benefits for everyone. Such as, the benefits for our overall health and the uses as an aid in weight loss.

By eliminating these three food groups (wheat, dairy, and eggs), we consequently eliminate most processed foods. The average American diet (and our health) would improve substantially if these sugar and salt filled processed foods were excluded.

This fact doesn’t only support the idea that this diet will improve overall health. It is also the reason why a diet excluding all dairy products, wheat products and eggs can be easily used for healthy weight loss. Even if one would only take wheat out of their diet! Gluten products are carbohydrates. (Just think Atkins).

Finally, there is one other reason behind paying attention to this diet: It is very possible that you are living with some type of food sensitivity. Assuming you aren’t one of these people without proper research and experimentation might be causing you harm.

  1. Food intolerances are very common. 1 in every 100th person has celiac disease (a high gluten intolerance) and 60% of adults can’t digest milk.  [Sources: USA Today and The New York Times]
  1. Most people’s food reactions are undiagnosed. For Celiac disease, the average time between the onset of symptoms and diagnosis is 10 years. If you have had unexplained and chronic health problems, (diarrhea, gas, abdominal pain, anemia, and depression to name a few) then perhaps you have sensitivities to food.  [Source: Healthandage.com]

Lets say you are one of these people: chronic health problems without explanation all your life, ready to try something new, tired of not feeling well…. Well, here is how you can start.

THE ELIMINATION DIET
This diet is a really great start to a diagnosis. It’s free, you are in control of it, and it’s safe.

First, you start by eliminating the most common foods that people have reactions too. My doctor told me they are:

Wheat
Dairy
Eggs
Nuts
Shellfish
Corn
Soy
Citrus

This is a hefty list, I know. Especially when you have to follow the diet for 3 weeks to a month and a half. If you don’t mind coughing up some dough, go to a doctor and ask for a IgG blood test so that you can eliminate some of these foods before starting the diet. (You do still have to go on the elimination diet because the test has many false positives)

The rest is simple. Don’t eat the foods for 3-6 weeks. Then, add them back in… but, only ONE at a time. This way, you are isolating your body’s reaction to the food. Once you have added one back in, wait until the reaction has subsided (if you do have a reaction that is), and then move on to the next food.  My doctor also recommended keeping a diary of all the foods you eat in a day and documenting how you feel.

A SIDE NOTE!!!! Gluten and casein free diets has also been linked to reduced symptoms in kids with Autism and Asperger’s Syndrome. http://www.autismweb.com/diet.htm