I prescribe an elimination diet to patients several times a week. This diet is specifically designed to discover food sensitivities affecting your skin, your gut, energy or weight gain. It’s not easy to make drastic changes to ones’ diet so I prescribe the same diet to myself annually, just so that I can help guide patients through it for success.
I am well into my annual elimination diet and I learn something new every time. This year I needed to appreciate my allies. Allies can be found in foods, people and habits. I suggest you find your allies to ensure success on your elimination diet.
People: It’s tough to make major changes in your life. Even tougher if you are doing it alone or you keep running into resistance from the people who surround you. If you can put this therapeutic diet into practice with a friend, or even a loved one, your chances of success are much better.
Food: Your go-to foods that are convenient, easy and quick will likely be tossed to the back burner. So before you start, do some searching and find foods that will also serve you and fit in this elimination plan. Stock up on these foods and have them on hand so you don’t run into the ‘there is nothing I can eat!’ situations that cause most to fall off the waggon. My go-to foods are hummus (chickpeas) or tapenade (olives) with rice crackers or cucumber.
Habits: The elimination portion of the food plan is three weeks long. This is the perfect length of time for new habits to form and these healthful habits can be the foundation for lasting health all through the year. Habits to consider: beverages of choice, meal preparation, rest and rejuvenation.
I am now two weeks into the elimination portion of my therapeutic diet and I feel more energetic and relaxed than I have in a very long time. These are successes in their own right!