Food Intolerance Test Alternative : The Elimination Diet

An elimination diet is designed to discover what foodstuffs cause allergic reactions by separate and successive withdrawal of foods from the diet until the food that causes the symptoms is discovered. It can also be used for determining food intolerances. While allergies to food are very uncommon, food intolerances affect much more of the population and are the root of an assortment of ailments. Many sufferers of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, irritable bowel syndrome, obesity, asthma and skin disorders are finding that they’re diet is largely responsible for their illness.  The elimination diet is the only alternative method to food intolerance blood testing that people have found works in determining what specific foods are causing their sickness.

Food Intolerance Diagnosis & Treatment

How to Diagnose Food Intolerance ?

The time tested, trial & error method is the simplest way to test for food intolerance. This is done by removing food one by one from the diet for a while and monitoring symptoms for improvement, If the symptoms decrease, the food is then reintroduced after a small waiting period.  If symptoms re-appear this reveal whether or not that food was the culprit.

This method works best for those who have intolerance to one or two foods. Which is not usualy the case with food intolerances…

For those people (like me!) who have intolerance to several foods, the elimination method could take months…years…and an answer still might not be found.  The best way is to use a food intolerance testing service, such has the one at http://www.food-intolerance.ca/en/

How is Food Intolerance Treated?

Food intolerance is usually controlled by removing the troublesome food(s) from the person’s diet. For instance, lactose intolerant individuals can replace regular milk with soy milk.

If the intolerance is mild to moderate, the affected person can try eating only very limited amounts of the food in question. Mild lactose intolerance can be managed through the use of lactase enzyme supplements.

If foods are removed from one’s diet, they should be replaced with nutritious alternatives. It’s crucial to avoid malnutrition, especially in growing children. If you have questions about suitable food replacements, speak with your nutrition specialist.