Modified Elimination Diet

This dietary approach has been most helpful in patients who complain of fatigue, recurrent gastrointestinal problems (especially diarrhea), food intolerance or sensitivity, chemical or environmental sensitivities, chronic headache, and muscle or joint pain of unknown origin.

The diet is dairy- and gluten-free and usually well tolerated.

The primary guidelines are:

  1. Eliminate all dairy products, including milk, cream, cheese, cottage cheese, yogurt, butter, ice cream, and frozen yogurt. Avoid products like soy cheese, which are made with casein (a milk protein).

  2. Eliminate fatty meats like beef, port, or veal. Chicken, turkey, lean cuts of lamb, and cold-water fish such as salmon, mackerel, and halibut are acceptable if you are not allergic to or intolerant of these foods. Select from free-range products whenever possible.

  3. Eliminate gluten. Avoid any food that contains wheat, spelt, kamut, oats, rye, barley, or malt. This is the most difficult part of the diet but it is also the most important. Unfortunately, gluten is in many common foods, including bread, cereal, pasta, crackers, and products containng flours made from these grains. Products made from rice, millet, buckwheat and gluten-free flour, or potato, tapioca and arrowroot may be used as desired by most individuals.

  4. Drink at least two quarts of water, preferably filtered, daily.

  5. Avoid all alcohol-containing products including beer, wine, liquor and over-the-counter products that contain alcohol. Also avoid all caffeine-containing beverages, including coffee, caffeine-containing tea and soda pop. Coffee substitutes from gluten-containing grains should be avoided along with decaffeinated coffee. Be sure to read the labels of cold remedies and herbal preparations as they frequently contain caffeine and/or alcohol.

  6. Avoid foods containing yeast or foods that promote yeast overgrowth (processed foods, refined sugars, cheese, commercially prepared condiments, peanuts, vinegar, and alcoholic beverages).

Food Group

Allowed

Avoid

Meat, Fish, Poultry

Legumes

Eggs

Chicken, turkey, lean lamb
All legumes, dried peas and lentils
Cold-water fish such as salmon, halibut, mackerel, trout, tuna

Egg replacer

Red meats, cold cuts,
frankfurter, sausage, canned meat, eggs, cholesterol-free egg substitutes

Dairy Products

Milk substitutes such as rice milk, nut milks and soy milk

Casein-free soy yogurt

Milk, cheese, cottage cheese, yogurt, ice cream, cream, non-dairy creamers

Starch

White or sweet potato, arrowroot, rice, tapioca, buckwheat, millet, gluten-free products

All gluten-containing
products, including pasta

All corn and corn-containing products

Bread/Cereal

Any made from rice, quinoa, amaranth, buckwheat, teff,
millet, soy, potato flour, tapioca, arrowroot, or gluten-free flour-based products

All made from wheat, oat, spelt, kamut, rye, barley, or gluten-containing grains

Vegetables

All vegetables, preferably fresh, frozen or freshly juiced

Creamed or made with prohibited ingredients

Fruits

Unsweetened fresh, frozen, freshly juiced, or water-packed canned fruits,
excluding citrus and strawberries.

Fruit drinks, ades, cocktails, citrus, strawberries, and dried fruit preserved with sulfites

Soup

Clear, vegetable-based broth, homemade vegetarian or chicken or turkey soup, chili made with ground chicken or turkey

Canned or creamed soup

Any with glutenous flours or grains

Beverages

Freshly prepared or unsweetened fruit or vegetable juice, pure water, non-citrus herbal tea

Milk, dairy-based products, coffee, tea, cocoa, Postum, alcoholic beverages, soda pop, sweetened beverages, citrus drinks

Fats/Oils

Cold, expeller pressed, unrefined, light-shielded canola, flax, olive, pumpkin, sesame, and walnut oil, salad dressing made from allowed ingredients

Margarine, shortening, butter, refined oils, salad dressings, and spreads.
Nuts/Seeds Almonds, cashews, flax seed, pecans, pumpkin, sesame, squash seeds, sunflower seeds, walnuts, hazelnuts/filberts, nut/seed butters made with allowed ingredients Peanuts, pistachios, peanut butter, macadamia nuts
Sweeteners Brown rice syrup, fruit sweeteners Brown sugar, honey molasses, maple syrup, corn syrup, fructose
Condiments Salt-free herbs and seasonings such as basil, bay, caraway, chives, cinnamon, curry, dill, dry mustard, garlic, ginger, mace, marjoram, mint, nutmeg, parsley, poppy seeds, balsamic or rice vinegar, savory, tarragon Salt, soy sauce, mayonnaise, ketchup