What Would You Give Up to Feel Better?
Some alternative health practitioners, functional medicine providers, and chiropractors recommend strict elimination diets for chronic health issues. One example includes cutting out:
- Nightshades (tomatoes, potatoes, peppers, eggplant)
- Caffeine (coffee, chocolate, tea)
- Dairy (cow, goat, etc.)
- All sweeteners (sugar, honey, maple syrup, etc.)
- Juice and dried fruit
- Vinegar, alcohol, soy sauce, miso
- Gluten-containing grains (wheat, rye, barley, oats, spelt, kamut)
- Corn and corn derivatives (corn starch, corn syrup, zein)
- Eggs
- Yeast-containing or fermented foods
- Some gluten-free flours (like almond, amaranth, brown rice)
These restrictions are common in anti-inflammatory, anti-fungal, autoimmune, or gut-healing protocols. You remove common triggers for 90 days to help reset your immune system, reduce inflammation, and starve off yeast or bacterial overgrowth.
The list can feel overwhelming, but some people report real results when they commit to it
Have you ever followed an elimination diet this strict?
Cheese has been one of hardest for me to give up. I loved cheddar, feta, blue cheese, and brie with fig jelly on a cracker was tasty. When I tried to cut cheese out, I gave vegan cheese a shot, but none of them tasted like a sufficient replacement to me. I tried many brands and styles, but nothing came close. The best I got to a satisfying swap was nutritional yeast (aka nooch). Just a sprinkle on a salad was enough to make me happy. But since nooch is still a form of yeast, it’s off the table for an elimination diet.
What foods would be the hardest -or- the most surprising for you to give up?
| Approved | Avoid |
| Fresh vegetables (non-nightshade) | Nightshades (tomatoes, peppers, potatoes, eggplant) |
| Leafy greens (spinach, arugula, kale) | Caffeine (coffee, black/green tea, chocolate) |
| Low-sugar fruits (berries, green apples) | Dairy (cow, goat, etc.) |
| Sprouts and microgreens | Sugar, honey, maple syrup, corn syrup, barley malt |
| Coconut (oil, meat, water-unsweetened) | Juice, dried fruit |
| Avocados | Vinegar, alcohol, soy sauce, miso |
| Lemon and lime | Gluten grains (wheat, rye, barley, spelt, kamut, oats) |
| Herbs and non-yeast spices | Corn and corn products (starch, syrup, flour) |
| Olive oil, flax oil | Eggs (white, yolk, whole) |
| Herbal teas (non-caffeinated) | Yeast, cheese, mold-containing foods |
| Almond flour, brown rice flour, amaranth flour |
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4 Comments
Barbara
Oh boy! I’m not sure how much I could give up! I love tea. I started drinking more of it when I gave up soda. I figure the tea is way better for me. I would also have a hard time giving up dairy. I guess I could give up everything else, just not all together! lol!
Martha
Back in 2018ish I was diagnosed with non alcohol fatty liver disease. My doctor mention different medications but I told him I would opt for a diet plan. I gave up sugar, white bread, flour, potatoes and rice and within 2 months I lost 20 pounts. I lived on a gaint cup of McD’s sweet tea everyday and went cold turkey on it! I added fress/frozen fruit to water and I never went back to sweet tea. I made “faux” mashed potatoes with cauliflower and changed to sweet potatoes. I never really called it a diet, it was more of my healthy eating plan and I’m still following it but I do occasionally have the white rice or potatoes but it’s rare.
Angie Vallejo
It’s time for me to do this diet again to reset some gut issues. So this is a good reminder to get to it. I have read that the absolute worst food to eat is cheese – especially the pre-shredded (because they add something like corn starch so it doesn’t stick) and that is so hard to do!
Lily Leung
I love eggs. I could give up coffee or tea but not both at the same time.