elimination

spring cleaning | about elimination

health coaching / nutrition / secondary food

No, don’t worry, we’re not talking about that kind of elimination again. (Although, you know, as the book says, everybody poops.)

Today, though, we’re taking this quarter’s spring cleaning series back to the topic of food—and why we might want to consider an elimination diet.

the best way to eat

If you’ve been following me for a while, you know that I don’t preach a particular diet; instead, I urge you to focus on:

If you’ve achieved that, I urge you to consider choosing foods that are (within your budget):

  • Seasonal
  • Organic
  • Local
  • Ethical

And what if you’re already doing all that and you still feel, well, meh?

pick your symptom(s)

What do I mean by “meh?”

It’s when you basically feel fine. You’re able to go about your daily tasks more or less successfully—and yet something is not quite right.

Read through the following symptoms and consider whether you have experienced them on a somewhat (or very) regular basis:

physical

  • Headache, dizziness
  • Nausea, gas, or other digestive upset
  • Insomnia/poor sleep
  • Muscle weakness or cramps
  • Joint pain
  • Fatigue
  • Skin problems/rashes

mental

  • Poor focus
  • Lack of alertness
  • Lack of interest

emotional

  • Anxiety/depression
  • Irritability
  • Agitation
  • Lack of humor

energetic/spiritual

  • Lack of calm
  • Lack of happiness/joy
  • Low energy
  • Lack of creativity
  • Increased restlessness

ooo—that’s me!

If you had a moment of recognition somewhere in that list (or more than one somewhere) and you’re already eating according to the principles above, it might be time to consider next steps.

And for many of us, that can be an elimination diet.

That might sound complicated and distinctly un-fun. I mean, just the word “diet” is a turn-off, right?

And the process is, actually, amazingly simple. (Full disclosure: I didn’t say easy—I said simple.)

At its most basic, an elimination diet is removing one or more foods from your life entirely for a certain amount of time, then, possibly, reintroducing them to see what happens. And along the way, you pay close attention to the changes you notice.

Of course, there are detractors who will tell you that elimination diets are not scientific. That you might be deluding yourself that you feel better when you eliminate a certain food. That it’s all in your head.

And that’s okay. We’re all bio-individual, so their experience (and their opinion) are not relevant to you.

An elimination diet, done properly and safely, is a great way to get in touch with your body and what really nourishes you (or doesn’t). And it can be a great form of spring cleaning.

make the connection

If you want to explore the topic of elimination diets more deeply, join me on Wednesday, May 3, 2023 for a workshop I call, “Maybe I should give up….” And if you want to know how you can provide this workshop (or similar ones) for your staff, schedule a time to talk!

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