Run a 30-day elimination diet and reintroduce properly

  1. Choose your elimination protocol and define the rules
    30 min

    This step produces a one‑page reference sheet that stays visible for the full 30 days — every eliminated food group, every allowed food, and the strictness rules that prevent accidental slips. Most people fail the elimination not because they forgot to cut out dairy or gluten, but because they never decided about condiments, supplements, medications, or chewing gum before starting.

    Write these nine eliminated categories on your reference sheet.

    1. Dairy — milk, cheese, yogurt, cream, butter, ghee, casein, whey, from any animal.
    2. Gluten grains — wheat, barley, rye, spelt, triticale, and any flour or starch derived from them.
    3. Eggs — whites and yolks, in any form (whole, powdered, or as an ingredient).
    4. Soy — edamame, tofu, tempeh, soy sauce, miso, tamari, soy lecithin, and anything labelled “soy protein” or “textured vegetable protein.”
    5. Legumes — beans, lentils, peanuts, chickpeas, peas, and all varieties including alfalfa sprouts and green beans.
    6. Nightshades — tomatoes, white potatoes, eggplant, bell peppers, chili peppers, paprika, cayenne, goji berries, and any spice blend containing pepper flakes or paprika.
    7. Corn — corn on the cob, cornmeal, corn syrup, popcorn, corn starch, and anything with “maize” or “corn” on the label.
    8. Added sugar — honey, maple syrup, coconut sugar, date syrup, agave, stevia, monk fruit, brown rice syrup, and any ingredient ending in “-ose” (sucrose, glucose, fructose, dextrose, maltose).
    9. Alcohol — all types including cooking wine, extracts not labelled alcohol‑free, and kombucha above 0.5% ABV.

    Write these allowed foods. Meat, poultry, fish, and seafood with no added ingredients. All vegetables except those in the nightshade family. All fruits, fresh or frozen. Healthy fats: olive oil, avocado oil, coconut oil, avocado, coconut milk (the canned kind listing only coconut and water). Nuts and seeds except peanuts. Herbs, spices, and salt. Bone broth. Water, sparkling water, unsweetened herbal tea, and black coffee (no dairy, no sweetener).

    Strictness rules: read every ingredient label every time — “natural flavours” and “spices” are common dairy, soy, or gluten hides. No condiments unless you made them from allowed ingredients. For medications and supplements, check the inactive ingredient list for lactose, corn starch, soy lecithin, or gelatin — ask your pharmacist for a dye‑free, allergy‑friendly version if needed. Chewing gum is eliminated (sweeteners, gum base, often soy lecithin).