What the Heck Is the Elimination Diet (and Should I Try It)?

Your friend Megan has totally sworn off gluten, your mom no longer eats dairy and your work colleague can’t stop raving about the benefits of going soy-free. So, should you start a special diet, too? Here’s what you need to know about the elimination diet and whether or not it’s right for you.

So, what is it? An elimination diet has nothing to do with weight loss. Instead, it’s used to determine foods you might be sensitive or allergic to by eliminating (hence the name) ingredients over a period of weeks or months.

How does it work? First, you and your doctor will start with a list of foods or ingredients that could be causing your symptoms. Common foods on this list include milk, eggs, nuts, wheat, corn, shellfish, alcohol and soy. Next, you’ll remove these from your diet and monitor your symptoms by keeping a food diary. Then comes the reintroduction phase, where you slowly add the suspicious foods back, one at a time, while keeping note of any symptoms. Once you’ve figured out which foods are problematic, you’ll eliminate them from your diet permanently. 

Should I try it? If you suffer from a severe allergic reaction after eating a certain food (i.e., your throat tightens, you break out in hives or you go into anaphylactic shock), then you don’t need to try a new diet—you need to see a doctor, stat. But if you sometimes suffer less severe symptoms after eating (think: bloating, headaches, fatigue, eczema or constipation) and you aren’t exactly sure why, then an elimination diet could help you figure out what’s going on.

Are there any potential downsides to the diet? An elimination diet will take weeks, if not longer, to pinpoint what you’re allergic or sensitive to. And for the diet to really work, you’ll have to follow it very strictly and keep meticulous records. That’s partly the reason why it’s important to work with a professional, in addition to making sure that you’re still getting all the nutrients you need. Another bummer? While elimination diets can be extremely helpful for some, there are no guarantees that they’ll work for everyone. 

Bottom line: If you’ve been suffering from nasty symptoms after eating and you suspect that a food allergy or sensitivity may be the culprit, you should absolutely talk to a doctor or nutritionist about trying the diet. (Just get ready to say goodbye to bagel Mondays and happy hour for a while.) 

RELATED: 5 Diets That Actually Work (and 3 That Definitely Don’t), According to Nutritionists