Most people who complain of fatigue, recurrent bowel problems (especially diarrhea), food intolerance or sensitivities, chemical or environmental sensitivities, and chronic headache, muscle, or joint pain of unknown origin have been helped with the following dietary changes.

This diet is dairy & gluten-free and generally well tolerated.

    In order to evaluate one's constitutional food intolerance, an elimination diet can be one of the main diagnostic determinants.  But once these food intolerance's are found, the elimination diet no longer is a diet but a way-of-life for the person since these food intolerances are constitutional....they have been present since birth and as of yet there is no known way to overcome them...perhaps N.A.E.T or EPD - Enzyme Potentiated Desensitization - might be a potential answer.

Primary Guidelines:

1. Eliminate all dairy products, including milk, cream, cheese, cottage cheese, yogurt, butter, ice cream, and frozen yogurt.  Avoid products like soy cheese, which are made with casein (a milk protein).
2. Eliminate fatty meats like beef, pork, or veal.  Chicken, turkey, lamb, and cold water fishes such as salmon, mackerel, and halibut are acceptable if you are not allergic to or intolerant of these foods.  Select from free range meat products whenever possible.
3. Eliminate gluten.  Avoid any foods the contain wheat, spelt, kamut, oat, rye, barley, or malt.  This is the most difficult part of the diet, but it is also the most important.  Unfortunately, gluten is in many common foods, including bread, cereal, pasta, crackers, and products containing flours made from these grains.   Products made from rice, millet, buckwheat, and gluten-free flour, or potato, tapioca, and arrowroot may be used as desired by most individuals.
4. Drink at least two quarts of water, preferably filtered or distilled, daily.
5. Avoid all foods containing alcohol, this includes, but not limited to, beer, wine, liquor, and over-the-counter products that contain alcohol.  Also avoid caffeine-containing beverages, including coffee, caffeine containing teas, and soda pop.   Be sure to read labels of cold medications and herbal preparation as they frequently contain caffeine and/or alcohol.
6. Avoid foods containing yeast or foods that promote yeast overgrowth (processed foods, refined sugars, cheese, commercially prepared condiments, peanuts, vinegar, and alcoholic beverage).

(**) = Dried peas and beans, broccoli, cabbage, and brussel sprouts are not very allergic foods, but they cause abdominal gas which may be confused with an allergic reaction.  Therefore, eat them in small amounts if at all during the testing.

Secondary Guidelines:

While anyone can become allergic to any food, some foods are more apt to cause allergies than others.  When you are eliminating foods and testing allergies do so in the following manner.

    Most commonly cause allergies: Corn, eggs, fish, milk, nuts, and wheat.

   Often cause allergies: Alcohol (adults), berries, buckwheat, Cane sugar, chocolate, coconut, coffee (adults), mustard, oranges or citrus, peanut butter, peas, pork, potatoes, soy (adults), tomatoes, yeast.

   Sometimes cause allergies: Bananas, beef, celery, cheese, cherries, chicken (females), coloring agents, cottonseed, flavoring agents, garlic, green beans, melons, mushrooms, onions, plums, prunes, spices, spinach, vitamins (?yeast), tap water that has been chlorinated and/or softened.

Seldom cause allergies: Apples, apricots & their juice, barley, beets, carrots, chicken (males), cranberries & their juice, honey, kiwi fruit, lamb, lettuce, lobster, oats, peaches & their juice, pineapples & their juice, raisins, rice, rye, salmon, salt, soy (kids), squash, sweet potatoes tapioca, vanilla extract, vinegar (apple cider)

5-Day Sample of a Hypoallergenic Diet:

    To be added later

Re-introduction of Foods after an Elimination Diet:

    It is best to remain on the elimination diet for four weeks.  During this time you should experience a clearing of all or most of your symptoms(***).  These changes depend on many factors, but some improvement should be witnessed.

    When you begin to challenge foods back into your diet, do so from the "most suspicious" allergenic list first moving toward the "okay" foods.  Do this challenging as follows:
        1) Challenge a single food at a time - pasta NOT pizza, milk NOT ice cream
        2) Challenge only one new food each two to three days - this allows for delayed allergic reactions that may take the full three days to show up
        3) Record symptoms in a diet and symptom diary
        4) Do not challenge with a new food if still experiencing an allergic reaction
        5) In certain people, food addictions are really food allergies.  They are allergic to the food but need it in an "addictive" way so as not to initially experience withdrawal.  As time progresses and the food is continued to be eaten, the intense reactions become blunted and move into a chronic response, as described below.
            Stage 1 - intense reactions of symptoms
            Stage 2 - "chronic adaptation" - intense symptoms become masked; symptoms occur 3-4 hours after exposure, then relieved on re-exposure
            Stage 3 - "chronic response" - the body becomes worn out, intense symptoms resurface & chronic illness results
         The caution with this type of food allergy, is that when it is eliminated for 2 to 4 weeks and then re-introduced into your diet, you may have a severe reaction - including skin reactions like hives.  To the best of my knowledge, anaphylaxis has not been a result of food re-introductions...only a worsening of the below signs & symptoms and skin reactions like hives.  If anyone in cyber space knows differently, email me.

Elimination diets with re-introduction of foods is a serious undertaking.  If you feel that you have an "addictive food allergy" you may want to re-introduce the food under the care of a healthcare professional.

Fine Tuning the Elimination Diet:

    1) Adjusting the diet to take into account the person's blood type.
            See Eating for Your Blood Type 
    2) Making sure the diet is eaten in the correct food combinations.
            See Food Combining
    3) Eating a diet high in fresh, organically grown, well-prepared   foods and low in total calories, total fat, refined carbohydrates, food additives, stimulants (salt, tea, coffee, and tobacco) and processed foods.
    4) Chew all foods well in a relaxed peaceful atmosphere.  Couple this with fresh air, sunshine, exercise, good hygiene and rest.  All of these modifications help the person to stay healthy.  Adding in mind-body therapies will help the person to recover health to an optimal level.

    Again, realize that the Elimination Diet is not a diet but a lifestyle change that is necessary to regain and maintain OptimalHealth.

(***) = Major Signs and Symptoms-Note these changes in your diary!
        Physical - headache, fatigue, rapid pulse, rashes, or eczema, muscle aches, digestive complaints, sugar cravings
        Neurological - mood swings, sullen, tense, irritable, confusion, hyperactivity, concentration problems, perception difficulties, insomnia