Why You should Consider an Elimination Diet

I'm a huge advocate of establishing a really solid understanding of your mind-body connection. Can you say with full certainty if there are any foods that cause you to exhibit mental distress? Doing a formal elimination diet is a really fantastic way to know for sure what foods are holding you back from optimal mental functioning. Get the scoop on how to do an elimination diet the right way.You most likely know that food intolerances, sensitivities and allergies can cause physical reactions, but did you know that they can also cause mental reactions as well. Brain fog, irritability, increased anxiety, and mild depression are all possible side effects of food sensitivities.I work with my clients to really uproot their limiting beliefs and energetic blocks to well-being so that they can transform their lives. If you are continuously putting into your body, foods that disrupt your mental stability then you are at a disadvantage. For this reason, I always make sure my clients are eating to perform at their best mental state so we can really get to work on the transformative process.An excellent way to go about assessing sensitivities is through a formal elimination diet. The elimination diet I work through with my clients was created by Functional Medicine doctors and nutritionists. The first step in the process is to completely remove specific food groups that are common food triggers for sensitivities.The food groups you will remove are:

• Alcohol

• Caffeine

• Gluten

• Dairy

• Beef

• Shellfish

• Corn

• Eggs

• Peanuts

• Pork

• Processed Meats

• Soy

• Sugar

What you are left with is tons of phytonutrient rich fruits, vegetables, dairy alternatives, lean and clean meats and seafood, and nuts and seeds. After only a few days you will naturally start to feel better and your gut will be able to heal as it will not be irritated.  I always give my clients a large selection of recipes to work with during this time and encourage them to let their social network what they are up to while asking for support.After a specified amount of time you will begin reintroducing each food group, otherwise known as a Challenge, and take note of your mental and physical symptoms anywhere from 24-48 hours of eating the specific group. You will continue to do this until you have exhausted the list of challenges.While going through the challenge groups, I work with my clients to do a deep assessment of mindset and their physical condition with each new challenge introduction. We write everything down so it's easy to connect the dots. It's pretty amazing what comes up. In western society we have been so conditioned to ignore the fact that real food truly is medicine. You have nature's medicine shop at your full disposal. Do yourself a giant favor and start making the connections!