Elimination Diet

An elimination diet is a special diet, an essential part of functional medicine, that offers a highly effective approach to treating chronic inflammatory diseases. While it may sound like a diet, it's not actually intended to cause weight loss. It's based entirely on eliminating all foods considered potential antigens to regulate the immune system response in the intestines. As a welcome side effect, overweight individuals may also experience weight loss.

Because the elimination diet involves significant restrictions, it's not suitable for extended periods. It's recommended that those with chronic inflammatory diseases follow this diet for only 4-6 weeks, and the diet consists of 12 main prohibited food groups. The following version of the elimination diet, with slight variations, is Dr. Atasoy's Elimination Diet, which you can find in many sources.

FOOD GROUPS PROHIBITED IN THE ELIMINATION DIET

1. ALL SUGAR AND SWEETENERS (FRUCTOSE SYRUP, SUCROSE, SUGAR)
2. GLUTEN-CONTAINING GRAINS AND FLOURS (WHEAT, BARLEY, RYE)
3. DAIRY PRODUCTS (CHEESE, YOGURT, MILK)
4. EGGS
5. PROCESSED MEAT PRODUCTS (SALAMI, SAUSAGE)
6. SHELLFISH
7. CORN
8. BEEF
9. SOYA AND PRODUCTS CONTAINING SOYA
10. ALCOHOL, COFFEE, CHOCOLATE
11. PEANUTS
12. NEW WORLD FOODS SUCH AS TOMATOES, PEPPERS, EGGPLANT, AND POTATOES VEGETABLES (This is NOT a must, but it would be very beneficial if those with joint pain could do it.)

I can almost hear you saying, "If all the above are forbidden, what are we supposed to eat? Are we going to starve completely?" Actually, there are more foods that are allowed than forbidden. However, you need to plan what you're going to eat during the elimination diet. If you don't plan ahead, you'll either break the diet or starve :)

FOOD GROUPS ALLOWED IN THE ELIMINATION DIET

1. VEGETABLES AND FRUITS (choose organic whenever possible)
2. RICE (Rice made with olive oil or clarified butter, without noodles, is fine)
3. ALL LEGUMES EXCEPT SOY AND PEANUTS ARE ALLOWED
4. UNROASTED RAW NUTS (Walnuts, almonds, hazelnuts)
5. SEED FOODS (unroasted seeds, etc.)
6. LAMB (Only lambs fed with milk)
7. FISH (Small, seasonal sea fish)
8. POULTRY (GMO-free, organic chickens, IF YOU CAN FIND THEM)
9. GLUTEN-FREE GRAINS AND SIMILAR FOODS (Amaranth-Quinoa flours)
10. HEALTHY OILS: OLIVE OIL - CLARIFIED BUTTER (Heated, milk-separated natural butter)
11. SPICES (Turmeric, Ginger, Thyme, Rosemary, Cinnamon)
12. GREEN TEA IS FREE, BLACK TEA? (A small amount of weak tea is fine for those who can't live without tea.)

Remember, this diet is a special diet designed to support you in recovering from serious conditions such as autoimmune or inflammatory diseases for a very short time. As you can see, all vegetables, legumes, and fruits that you know don't cause you discomfort are allowed on this diet. Olives, olive oil, and herbal teas are allowed. Coffee and black tea are allowed in small amounts.

For patients who say, "I can't follow this diet perfectly," we can implement diets like the 6-Food Elimination Diet, which only excludes the first 6 foods, or even the 3-Food Elimination Diet, which only excludes the first 3 foods. Our essential ingredients are the foods listed in the first 3 items of the "Restricted" list. The foods listed in the first 3 items are strictly prohibited during the elimination diet. For patients who can tolerate it without any problems, we use a triple elimination diet (excluding the first 3 foods) along with some food sensitivity testing. However, the most definitive method for regulating your intestinal mucosa and immune response is a properly implemented elimination diet. Your physician, trained in functional medicine, will recommend the nutritional supplements to use during the elimination diet.

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