Many people argue that an elimination diet is superior to food intolerance testing, or that testing is better and more scientific and beneficial than the elimination diet. At Sensitivity Check, we don’t follow either of these narratives. Read on to learn the truth about the sensitivity testing/elimination diet divide.
The lone elimination diet
An elimination diet is where you remove various foods from your diet for a time. Usually at least 4 weeks are recommended to fully see the benefits of excluding foods. After the period of elimination, you slowly begin re-introducing foods, one at a time, to identify which items were the initial cause of your symptoms.
Why elimination alone isn’t enough
The elimination diet is a useful tool, but it has significant drawbacks. The issue with the elimination diet isn’t in the diet itself, but in the approach taken. The foods eliminated are often random and not based on anything concrete. Furthermore, many people end up needlessly restricting their diet far more than is necessary.
Lastly, the elimination diet alone is a very long and tedious process. Only one food item can be reintroduced at a time, and if you have eliminated 10, 20 or even more foods, it could be several months before even coming close to pinpointing your problem foods.
Food intolerance testing with an elimination diet
There is a simple solution to the issues presented with an elimination diet alone – food intolerance testing. The same results can easily be obtained through conducting a food intolerance test to learn which foods your body struggles to digest. You can then commence your elimination diet in a more systematic way, using those foods highlighted in your test results.
The elimination diet is an essential step to dealing with food intolerances. This is because a food intolerance test alone isn’t going to make your symptoms magically go away. There are also occasions where a food sensitivity you have doesn’t express any symptoms at all, and it doesn’t make sense to needlessly restrict your diet any more than necessary.
Most of us would agree that reducing our symptoms sooner, with as little changes to our current habits is the preferred route to go down. It also happens to be the easiest way to understand and work around your food intolerances.
