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Elimination-Rotation Diet

One-quarter of what you eat keeps you alive. 
                   The other three-quarters keep your doctor alive. 

Written by White Shark, 2004

Why Elimination-Rotation Diet?

If you are suffering from any chronic health problem, odds are your diet is an important factor. Diet is a factor for 99% of people suffering from chronic health problems. Huge number of people suffering from different chronic health problems are actually intolerant or hypersensitive to some of the foods they are consuming on the daily or weekly bases. It could be common fruits, it could be milk and dairy products, it could be tree nuts, soy, food additives, sugar, chocolate, bread, orange juice, strawberries, raspberries, lemons, limes, fish, shrimps etc.

Babies and toddlers can even be hypersensitive to mothers milk, reacting to many different foods that mother consumes, like organic fruits, homemade cheese, raw natural honey, natural tree nuts, ketchup, wheat, eggs, coffee, vinegar, orange juice, apple juice and many other foods mother is consuming on the daily bases.

If you are the one suffering, or if your child or a family member is the one that is suffering, you really need a reliable tool to figure out what foods you are able to tolerate, and what foods you should minimize or completely avoid.  Elimination-rotation diet is a scientific tool used exactly for that purpose, to figure out what foods you can tolerate, and what foods are actually contributing to your symptoms.

Elimination-Rotation Diet, How To?

The Elimination-rotation diet have 2 main phases.
Phase one is the total elimination of all potential triggers. This is the short, initial phase.
Phase two is the food testing and food rotation. This phase practically never ends.

The first part of any Elimination-rotation diet is the complete elimination of all possible "suspects". This phase is not suppose to last very long,  but for the best results, diet has to be extremely restrictive until most of the major health symptoms and health problems caused by diet are gone.

Once most of your symptoms are gone, you are ready for the second phase of the Elimination-rotation diet, food testing and food rotation. During the second phase, you start re-introducing different foods, or even different environmental triggers, one item per day.  If any food gives you old or even new negative symptoms, that food is eliminated for several weeks before you re-test again.  When some food item produces negative reaction more than once, it should be eliminated for a longer time, like for several months, before it is re-tested.

The first phase, complete elimination for babies, toddlers, kids, teenagers and adults in special situations?

If you want to use Elimination-rotation diet on your baby, toddler, child, teenager, or if you are breastfeeding mom, or if you are highly physically active person and need a lot of food during the day, then you should start with a highly restrictive diet, but diet providing more than enough nutrition.

For example, you eliminate all industrially processed foods, all common trigger foods, and you follow low histamine diet. Common triggers are foods known as high histamine foods, histamine liberators and common food allergens.
Top 8 food allergens are milk, wheat, peanuts, soy, treenuts, shrimps, eggs and fish.  Tp 16 food allergens (or top 16 foods many people are intolerant of) are the previously mentioned  top 8 allergens plus oranges, lemon, strawberries, raspberries, gluten, sugar, alcohol and vinegar.

The first phase, complete elimination for adults, how to?

An adult person can do it by eliminating almost all foods, and living for several days on extremely few food items like rice, carrots, meat, apples and oats. Some people who suspect to be hypersensitive to meat and fruit, choose to embrace water fasting or vegetable juice fasting as a baseline for their complete elimination.

If you eliminate all foods from your diet, and you live for a few days on water alone or on vegetable juices alone or on vegetable soups alone,  you have practically eliminated 99.99% of all potential dietary triggers, and that may help you quickly eliminate most of the food triggers and most of the symptoms.

What foods are safe foods to start Elimination-rotation diet with?

Commonly considered safe foods for 99% of people are:

  • Grains: natural whole grain rice, natural whole grain oats, whole grain millet, whole grain buckwheat

  • Unrefined and unprocessed sea salt, with no additives. Extremely important part of the low histamine diet, as it is a natural antihistamine!  Read the label! Available online!

  • Fresh, clean water. Another very important part of the low histamine diet, as it is a natural antihistamine!

  • Root vegetables: carrots, red beet, onions.  (some people react on onions! be careful with onions!)

  • natural organic apples, natural organic plums

  • adzuki beans, mungo beans (may not be well tolerated by all people, be careful with beans)

  • sweet potatoes

  • natural fresh unprocessed meat

  • natural, wild, fresh unprocessed ocean fish like cod

  • sesame seeds

  • quinoa

  • chia seeds

  • fresh raw milk (common allergen, not safe for many kids)

  • coconut. Most people can tolerate coconuts!

Though beans and raw milk possess antihistamine properties, you can still be allergic to or react to them so please always proceed with caution! Beans contain lectins, surface proteins, and people of blood type O have particularly problem to tolerate beans. Soy is also a bean, and is also a top allergen. Milk is a top allergen!

What foods are considered safe depends on your previous diet.  Any foods you have eaten at least 2 times per week or more often should be eliminated during the first elimination, as those foods are more likely to be triggers.

How long time should I live on this highly restrictive diet?

Until most of your symptoms are gone, but not longer than a few weeks.  If there is no any even slightest change in symptoms after the initial 24-48-72 hours,  you probably may need to re-think your diet.

What should I do if there is no change in symptoms the first 2-3 days?

If there is no change in symptoms, you should be asking the next questions:
Is all food you are consuming during phase 1 made from fresh raw ingredients?
How sure are you that the food you are eating is free from all food additives?
Have you made all foods from scratch or have you maybe used something produced by food industry? Vegetable oils are produced by food industry, and are often polluted during the production process!  Meat often comes from industry.
Are you 100% sure that meat you are eating is without any additives?
If meat is sold packaged in plastic, it is most likely polluted by food preservatives and food additives used to keep production line free from development of bacteria.
In other words, if you are going to eat meat, watch the butcher while he is cutting it, and make sure it really is not polluted by anything!

The same goes for fruits and vegetables. Whenever possible, choose organic, unprocessed, untreated, unwashed, not packaged in plastic, not treated with wax etc.  Most symptoms related to your diet will start changing and disappearing already after a few days.
Even a slightest change in symptoms may be a confirmation that some of your symptoms are related to food you are eating.
If most of your symptoms are gone after 3-7 days, you can start with food testing or you can continue the same diet one more week.

Food Testing, How to?

So, now most of your symptoms are gone, and you are pretty sure your chronic health problems are related to food you were consuming before you started the phase 1 of the Elimination-Rotation diet. Now you really want to find out what foods you can eat, and what foods you should avoid.  It is time for food testing, the most exciting part of the diet.

The first few days day you may choose to test any food items you consider the most important items in your diet.  If those foods happens to be something you can tolerate,  it will make life significantly easier during the rest of the testing and rotation phase.  So, it can be wheat, milk, dairy products, eggs, fish, tomatoes, peppers, soy, gluten, nuts  or whatever else you consider the most important foods for you.

You include clean food, and you watch for any reaction, like change in symptoms, indigestion, headache, digestive problems, flatulence etc.
Clean wheat does not mean including in your diet bread with 10 or 15 ingredients. Clean wheat testing means trying to eat pancakes made from pure wheat flour and water, unrefined sea salt, and nothing else. If that works, no symptoms, that means now you can test you favorite bread and watch for reactions.
If your favorite bread gives you symptoms,  it will mean it is not wheat you react to, but it is all the other ingredients.

If your symptoms are visible symptoms on your skin, use those symptoms as a measurement.
If any food increases symptoms, it should be eliminated for at least several weeks or several months, before you try the same test again.
After every food that gives you back old symptoms, you will have to return to the baseline diet until your symptoms are gone, and then continue the testing again.
If you are already receiving cortisone therapy or are using any other medications,  those medications should be discontinued, before you start the food testing.
 

Why can't I just skip the phase 1 start with the food testing, one by one?

To understand why phase 1 is important,  here is one explanation.  Imagine you are hypersensitive or allergic to a large number of tree pollens, springtime grasses and weeds.  The removal of only one of these airborne allergens would usually have little or no impact on your total allergy symptoms. If the allergen was added back into the mix you probably wouldn’t notice. The effect from this one allergen would be hidden or ‘masked’ by your already prominent symptoms to the other allergens. The same phenomenon occurs with foods.
You must eliminate all foods you are hypersensitive to, before you can start the food testing, or your food testing will be meaningless.

But, there are people who only react to one single trigger. Very few.  Like people allergic to nickel. For them, just elimination of all nickel from their home may be enough to recover from all of their heath problems. The problem for you is, there are very few people who suffer from chronic health problems and are in the same time hypersensitive to just one single food item, or just one single environmental trigger.
Another problem is: when you are about to start Elimination-Rotation diet, you usually do not know if you are hypersensitive to just one item, several items or 100 different items.
That is why you are doing Elimination-Rotation diet, to find out if it is diet at all, and if it is the diet, to find out exactly what food items are the problems for you.

Can I drink coffee or tea during the phase 1?

Anything that you were consuming on the daily bases should be eliminated during the phase 1.  Elimination of coffee, tea or other drinks high in coffein may give you several days of headaches. Sorry, there is not easy way to find out if coffee or tea is a trigger for you.  Coffee and teas must be eliminated during the phse1 one, or you are wasting your time an your health.

Can I take vitamins or prescription medications during the phase 1?

During the phase 1,  you should try to eliminate anything and everything that you are consuming on the daily bases.  That means you should eliminate all vitamins and all dietary supplements.

If you are suffering from any serious health problem, and you are highly dependent on prescription medications,  you should continue using your prescription medications,  until your symptoms are gone.
As soon as you are free from all of your symptoms, you should slowly decrease and eliminate all prescription medications you were using to treat your symptoms.

Can I continue taking cholesterol lowering drugs during the phase 1?

I have no symptoms related to my cholesterol levels, but for precaution, I am taking cholesterol lowering drugs.  Can I continue taking cholesterol lowering drugs during the phase 1?
You should try to eliminate cholesterol lowering drugs during the phase 1.   You can not continue to Phase 2 until cholesterol lowering drugs have been completely removed from your diet.

My baby is suffering from severe whole body eczema and is dependent on corticosteroids, antibiotics and antihistamines.  I do not think I can eliminate topical drugs  during the phase 1 ?  What do I do?

You should continue using corticosteroids and other drugs during the phase 1 until itching has stopped.
Once your child is free from itch,  and that can happen already during the first 72 hours of strict phase 1,  you can slowly decrease and eliminate all prescription medications you were using to treat your symptoms.  

Remember, you can not continue to Phase 2 until all synthetic steroids, antibiotics and antihistamines have been eliminated 100%, or you will be wasting your time with food testing.  Food testing will give meaningless results as long as your baby/child is using any steroids, any antihistamines or any other drugs, topical treatments, moisturizers, lotions, or anything else.

 

What is Food Intolerance?

It is a sensitivity to elements/chemicals found in food. Unlike an allergy, a small amount of the food identified may be able to be eaten without producing illness. The amount varies from person to person. During times of stress or hormonal change a person may become more sensitive/intolerant. Intolerance to salicylates, histamines, lactose, sugar and gluten (celiac disease) are examples of common intolerances to natural elements/chemicals. Intolerance to sulfites, nitrates, nitrites, citrates, sorbates and MSG is common intolerance to industrially processed foods.

Intolerance to different lectins, surface proteins is also common intolerance. Often, foods that we do not tolerate, we can not properly digest.
There are also many people who are intolerant of introduced chemicals/elements, such as MSG, sulfites, nitrates, nitrites, citrates, sorbates ( preservatives used in many processed foods, including wine) and other common food additives. Extra amounts of MSG, salicylates, gluten, sugar, ...  are introduced into some foods and beauty products to enhance flavor, freshness or fragrance.

If I am hypersensitive to some food, does it mean I am also allergic to it?

To not tolerate some food or to be hypersensitive to some food  does not automatically mean that you are allergic to that food ! It only means you are hypersensitive.


An allergy is defined as a specific antibody response. An allergy is the response of the body's immune system to normally harmless substances, such as pollens, foods, and house dust mite.  In IgE mediated allergies the immune system produces exaggerated amounts of a distinct class of antibodies known as IgE antibodies that are, specific for the particular offending allergens.

There are 2 general types of allergy tests. Skin tests and blood tests. 

There are three common types of skin tests: Skin prick test, Intradermal test and Skin patch test.

During the skin prick test, skin is intentinally injured by a series of scratches or needle pricks allowing the solution with allergn to enter the skin.  A drop of a solution containing a possible allergen is placed on injured skin. If the skin develops a red, raised itchy area (called a wheal), it usually means that the person is allergic to that allergen. This is called a positive reaction to the allergy test.


During the Intradermal test, a small amount of the allergen solution is injected into the skin. This test is usually performed when when a substance does not cause a reaction in the skin prick test but is still suspected as an allergen for that person. The intradermal test is more sensitive than the skin prick test but is more often positive in people who in reality are not allergic. (false-positive test results are common).

For a skin patch test, the patch with allergen solution is taped to the skin for 24 to 72 hours. This test is used to detect a skin allergy called contact dermatitis, common cause of eczema.

Allergy blood tests are designed to measure the level of substances in the blood called antibodies. Blood tests are not as sensitive as skin tests but are often used for people who are not able to have skin tests and for babies.

What are the most common signs of food intolerance?

Signs of intolerance could be, but are not limited to:

  • gas and bloating

  • abdominal pain

  • headache (immediately, or even many days after eating that food )

  • itch, eczema, rash

  • constipation

  • diarrhea

  • excessive sweating'

  • fever, freezing

  • nervousness

  • depression

  • excessive anger

  • fear

  • head banging

  • phobias

  • sadness

  • pain in different parts of body

  • reaction on the skin

  • reaction in the eyes, eye twitches

  • muscle twitches, cramps, tremor

  • mood swings

  • hot flushes

  • anxiety

  • chronic fatigue

  • chronic insomnia

  • hair loss

  • grey hair

  • etc ...



What is an Allergic Reaction to food?

Allergic reaction occurs in blood and in different organs.  You don't have to be allergic to any particular food item, but you may still be intolerant of hundreds of different foods and chemicals.


Can I Improve my Tolerance to Foods?

Yes, You can improve your food tolerance!   To improve your food tolerance, learn about fecal microbiota transplant and learn about liver flushing!

 

In the end

Diet alone may not be enough for every person to promote health or to regain health, once you loose it! Combination of healthy diet, cleansing and healthy lifestyle will help most of people to achieve health!  If diet does not help you, you may have any combination of those: gallstones inside liver/gallbladder, intestinal/internal parasitic animals or other parasites, poor lifestyle, poor attitude, poor thoughts, unresolved emotional issues, stressful lifestyle,  toxic teeth, toxic house - toxic air, sedentary lifestyle, injury/trauma that have damaged body beyond the possibility of body to heal, others ...!   Diet is only one of many aspects of healthy lifestyle!
Learn also about cleansing, Negative Emotional Charge, suppressed emotions, stress, dental cleanup, house cleanup, importance of sweating and importance of physical activity,....

Harmful foods - foods you should always be avoiding?

Those foods are harmful for everyone !
EVERYDAY TOXINS and  Foods that kill

 

Improve digestion:

Eat to beat disease - important rules when eating :

  • eat less than you are use to, but chew longer food than you are use to.
  • never overfill your stomach
  • chew food well (at least 20 times each mouthful);
  • make at least 1 hour pause between fruit and next meal;
  • use mostly fresh spring water for drinking (without CO2) !
  • do not mix proteins with carbohydrates to often. (avoid  Pizza )
  • never eat desserts with rest of food ! Make minimum 2 hours break between food and desserts!
  • never eat fruits with rest of the food  - make break between fruit and the rest of the food.
  • eat more often but less mixed food
  • eat salads with cold pressed oils
  • don't eat proteins with deserts
  • eat food that have been prepared with love - food preparing and cooking are like an art !
  • avoid eating 3 hours before sleeping
  • avoid eating fruit or deserts for dinner
  • eat fish instead of meat
  • use root vegetable In cooking and salads ( carrots, onions, burdock, radish, daikon, dandelion root, parsley, celery... )
  • avoid non-organic foods (antibiotics, hormones, pesticides)
  • antibiotics can harm intestinal flora !!!  Hormones will help you tumor grow.  Pesticides will poison your healthy cells and organs.

 


 

About Elimination - rotation diet by ROBERT MCFERRAN

THE ELIMINATION DIET from: ELIMINATION DIET

THE ELIMINATION DIET

I’ve often talked with folks that were confident that foods didn’t have any impact on their symptoms. I ask if they’ve ever run a good ‘elimination’ diet and a surprising number assure me that they have. Upon further questioning I always find that they have only eliminated a couple of foods, say milk or wheat or nightshade vegetables (tomatoes, eggplant, peppers, etc.). Even though milk and wheat are common food allergens and nightshade vegetables create problems for those possessing one specific metabolism, this should not be considered a true elimination diet.

Over 85% of people with chronic disease have food sensitivities. Most will find not one, but a handful of foods acting as the major culprits. This is the reason why eliminating just one or two random foods is all but useless. If you were hypersensitive to a large number of tree pollens, springtime grasses and weeds, the removal of only one of these airborne allergens would usually have little impact on your total allergy symptoms. If the allergen was added back into the mix you probably wouldn’t notice. The effect from this one allergen would be hidden or ‘masked’ by your already prominent symptoms to the other allergens. The same phenomenon occurs with foods.

How could we find whether the airborne allergen in the above example was a significant factor in triggering our allergic symptoms? The best way would be to place ourselves in a room with perfectly filtered air (in essence eliminating all airborne allergens) until our allergy symptoms abated. The specific allergen would then be re-introduced and any allergic reaction noted. In this way the impact of a single, specific allergen can be isolated and tested. What was previously thought to be a rather insignificant allergen would often deliver a surprisingly strong allergic response.

We can do the same thing with foods. Historically ‘spring water fasts’ have been employed. Patients would drink only spring water for the initial 4-5 days. This type of ‘fast’ would obviously eliminate all food allergens from the diet. It was maintained for 4-5 days to also allow physical elimination of all foods eaten prior to the start of the ‘fast’ from the digestive tract.

Spring water fasts have one major problem. A significant percentage of individuals cannot tolerate them and should not try them. Their metabolic demands make any kind of extended water fast dangerous. Fortunately years of previous testing has provided a list of ‘safe’ foods that can be temporarily substituted for your usual diet. These foods are not completely hypo-allergenic but they do have a low allergenic potential. In other words they are rarely found to induce a reaction. The foods include cod, trout, mackerel, pears, parsnips, turnips, rutabaga, sweet potatoes, yams, celery, zucchini, carrots and peaches. Any foods routinely eaten more than twice a week should be removed from the list. All the foods must be fresh and in their ‘whole’ or natural form. No cans or other packaging allowed.

Spring water or sparkling water are the only acceptable liquids. The only allowed condiment is sea or mineral salt. Steaming is an excellent method of preparing foods during your elimination diet.

Prior to starting the diet you’ll need to purchase a bottle of magnesium citrate (found in the laxative section) and alka-seltzer ‘gold’ (it’s found only in the gold colored box). All drugs should be continued. Smoking should be ceased when initiating the diet. You will not be able to eat at restaurants during the diet.

If you work, Thursday evening will be the best time to begin. Wait two hours after dinner and pour one-half of the contents of the bottle of magnesium citrate into a tall glass. Add an equal amount of water and some ice and drink slowly. Repeat the same procedure with the remainder of the magnesium citrate just prior to retiring.

Friday morning’s breakfast and all subsequent meals for the next six days should consist exclusively of the ‘safe’ foods (cod, trout, mackerel, pears, parsnips, turnips, rutabaga, sweet potatoes, yams, celery, zucchini, carrots and peaches). You may eat them in any combination and in any amount as often as you want throughout the first six days. Take note of what you are eating and how often you are eating it. You won’t be able to remember so keep a diary/food log. You will need that information later.

By Friday evening (day 1) you should start feeling your first ‘withdrawal’ symptoms. You won’t be getting the temporary lift provided by your allergenic food(s). Withdrawal symptoms can take many forms. The most obvious is an increase in joint swelling and pain. Headache, muscle aches, fatigue and other flu-like symptoms are very common. Strong hunger pangs and cravings are usually present. It’s not unusual to still feel hungry shortly after a meal.

Withdrawal symptoms will worsen on Saturday and Sunday (days 2 and 3). The intensity of these symptoms should not be underestimated. In fact many will feel completely crippled during these days. Withdrawal symptoms can be somewhat ameliorated by taking one tablet of alka-seltzer (in the gold box) in a large glass of water. This can be repeated every 4 hours if needed. You should try to drink plenty of water. It will help speed elimination and the ‘clearing’ of symptoms.

By Monday (day 4) some will feel significantly better as their withdrawal symptoms begin to clear. This ‘clearing’ will continue on Tuesday and Wednesday (days 5 and 6). While younger people tend to clear their symptoms earlier, 85% of all arthritics will clear a large part of their arthritis symptoms by day 6. After clearing most report that they feel better than they have in years.

Now that symptoms have cleared new foods can be introduced, one by one, to the base diet of ‘safe’ foods that you’ve been eating the past 6 days. Up to 3 foods can be tested each day if there is no reaction.

NB : If fresh/frozen mackerel not available, can substitute cod, or other white fish even. People who are pretty sure they are H-G can add in lamb.



 

To learn more about Different Diets, please read Diet Forums:

 Apple Cider Vinegar Forum 
 Blood Type A Forum 
 Blood Type AB Forum 
 Blood Type B Forum 
 Blood Type O Forum 
 Body Ecology Diet
 Coconut Oil Forum 
 Diet FAQ 
 Diet Forum 
 Diet, Climate & Seasons Support Forum 
 Dr. Atkins New Diet Revolution Support 
 Dr. Phil: The Ultimate Weight Solution 
 Food and Mood Support Forum 
 Kefir Grain Support Forum 
 Macrobiotics Support Forum 
 Maker's Diet Forum 
 Metabolic Typing Diet Support 
 National Cuisine Recipes Forum 
 No-Grain Diet Support 
 Nourishing Traditions Support Forum 
 Paleo Diet Support Forum 
 Raw Food Forum 
 Recipes Forum 
 Salt Support Forum 
 SCD: Specific Carbohydrate Diet Forum 
 South Beach Diet Forum 
 Vegetarian Forum 
 Vitamin C Discussion & Support Forum 
 Water Cure Forum 
 Zone Diet Support 

 

 "Let thy food be thy medicine, and thy medicine be thy food."
Hypocrites, the Father of Modern Medicine


 

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