How do I start an elimination diet?

Hi Ladies,

DD has been having tummy issues for months and I am finally ready to take control and fix it for her as it seems to be affecting her everyday. Originally it started as her just complaining about having a sore tummy after a meal and I didn't think too much of it (maybe just her testing boundaries or something) - but over time she is complaining more and more and I am starting to really think she may be having a reaction to something she is eating.

I mentioned it a while ago to our GP and she said that the best thing to do is (a) start a food diary or (b) to cut DD back to basics until the symptoms went away and see what she reacts to as we introduce things back into her diet.

I am thinking of doing B because it will be good for her anyway and I feel like we might get to the cause of the problem quicker - I am just not sure where to start...

What should she eat if she is on a basic diet? I know it will be lots of fruit and veggies, what about meat? Or eggs?

I would love some tips from people who have been through the same thing - I just don't know where to start??

Hey Ash, we are still in the process of doing elimination diets. We are under the care of a dietitian who has guided us through what foods to eliminate to begin with and then our challenges. I gave her two weeks worth of food diaries to begin with. We never went back to basics as it were, as we moved through eliminating food groups and waiting to see if that showed improvement. Our big ones were Fructose, which is found in some fruits. And Wheat, which is in everything :rolleyes: and moved on from there. We were looking for a specific trigger to DS's constipation issues and are still looking. We have gone the elimination of food groups route using FODMAPS as our guide. I was told about GAPS here on BB, but decided to go with our dietitian to get things started as it can be a little daunting. We wait at least 2 weeks between each elimination before we challenge it, to see firstly if eliminating it makes any difference and secondly if reintroduction brings the symptoms back. We did have a starting point as DS has had SPT done for other issues. We self referred to our dietitian (a free service through our hospital) and she has been an invaluable source of information, like you I knew I wanted to do an elimination diet but had no idea where to begin so I started with her.

i wish you luck, it can be a lengthy process but if you can find your source then you are half way there to working out what to do next. I hope your DD feels better soon. :)

I'd suggest going to a good naturopath they will take all the hard work out of it for you.