Types of elimination diets

Your medical provider may guide you to eliminate just one food or several entire categories of foods like dairy or gluten-containing foods. Depending on the structure your clinician is following, foods may be eliminated for a few weeks or even months in order to determine how well you tolerate different things.

Not all recipes in this collection are allowed on all elimination diets. Be sure to verify that your specific diet is listed for each recipe before you try it. There is no universal elimination diet. Each are developed based on specific protocols.

Some foods that are considered ‘safe’ in some diets are excluded in others.

Widely Used Elimination Diets

There’s no hard and fast rule as to what constitutes an elimination diet. These are some well-known and widely used elimination diets:

  • Six-Food Elimination diet
  • Gluten-free diet
  • Low-FODMAP diet
  • GAPS diet
  • Specific Carbohydrate Diet

Most people can tolerate going a few days or even a few weeks forgoing a small list of foods. Nutrition deficiencies are more likely to be a risk for longer length dietary changes. This is why it’s important to follow medical guidance and track what you’re eating to ensure you’re getting complete nutrition throughout your dietary experimentation.