My Experience with Elimination Diets

As you may know, great health is attributed to good gut health and Hippocrates hypothesised that "all disease begins in the gut".

Gut issues are common and complex but when we find the right path to wellness through diet and lifestyle, healing can be more simple and not take years and years.

Many people find the culprit of what is causing their gut and health issues by undertaking some kind of elimination diet (in my case and maybe like you, I have tried many).

Recently, I have discovered the ultimate form of an elimination diet and I will get into this throughout the article. I believe this one to be the best yet (for me anyway) and I hope to challenge some belief systems in this article as my own beliefs were deeply challenged when I first heard about this particular diet many years ago.

I have tried the low FODMAP elimination diet, the GAPS elimination diet and other various elimination diets that I don't mention in this article (vegan, vegetarian etc.)

Low FODMAP Diet

The low FODMAP diet essentially eliminates all simple carbohydrates and the FODMAP simply stands for oligosaccharides, disaccharides, monosaccharides and polysaccharides or polyols.

This diet was created by an Australian dietician named Sue Shepherd to help eliminate IBS (irritable bowel syndrome).

This diet appealed to me as i have struggled with IBS for over 20 years. I tried this diet for about a year and it did not heal my gut lining not did it heal my microbiome. I still have had IBS challenges since then (until I found the ultimate elimination diet).

Whilst I am not here to knock any of these diets, I am here to share my story and my thoughts since I've been learning a different way to heal the gut etc.

If any of these diets are working for you, I think that is awesome and you should do whatever feels right for you, there is no dogma here, only information to consider or not consider.

Your journey with food, health and healing is deeply personal and what works for one, may not work for another?

I won't get into the FODMAP foods here but we did write a blog about it a few years ago so if you feel called to check it out you can do so here.

Autoimmune Protocol (AIP) Elimination Diet

The purpose of this diet is to remove any foods that have the potential to be inflammatory or immune-stimulating. The other intention of this elimination diet is to add in or encourage nutrient-dense foods.

I personally have zero experience with this diet but some of our customers do though I am not sure the level of healing they are having? It is difficult for me to say.

Like just about every elimination diet (except for one and which I will get into soon), the problem I have with all of these diets is that they still contain plants!

Stay with me because this is potentially health-revolutionary!

Yes, they are contain fruits and vegetables and other plant matter.

Not to mention glyphosate (a toxic herbicide sprayed heavily on non-organic produce).

The elimination diet I have been on recently would be very low in both plant toxins and agricultural chemicals and this alone can dramatically increase healing.

Specific Carbohydrate Diet (SCD) 

This elimination diet focuses on getting rid of grains and foods that contain sugars called disaccharides and polysaccharides. Like the AIP elimination diet, it claims to add in nutritious foods to rebalance the gut microbiome.

Again, if this diet is working beautifully for you and you have ZERO health concerns, more power to you! I am not here to argue with you that's for sure.

However, as far as it all resonates for me lately, I am now sceptical of any diet contains plant matter (such as SCD, Low-FODMAP, AIP etc etc.) 

I get it if you are sitting there going "what on earth is wrong with plants, we have eaten them for the longest time and everyone knows fruit & veg is healthy"? Right?

Keep reading because I will get to it soon...

Whole30

This elimination diet removes grains, sugar, alcohol and dairy which are all potentially inflammatory foods that may be problematic).

It still contains fruits and vegetables and other plant foods which have the potential to be irritating and a hindrance to healing and optimal wellness.

It sounds mind-blowing and UNBELIEVABLE I know!

GAPS (Gut & Psychology/Physiology Syndrome)

This is probably one of the better of the elimination diets and there's even a 'No Plants GAPS diet' which has been life-changing for many.

The GAPS diet was invented by a neurologist and nutritionist named Doctor Natasha Campbell-McBride in her quest to cure her young son of Autism.

She succeeded in her mission to heal her sons gut lining and gut microbiome (thus healing his autism) and now she has been successfully teaching people all over the world how to heal.

Note: this is not to say that anyone with autism can be cured as it depends how long they have had this condition and many other factors I'm sure. They may still get vast improvements in their condition through doing the GAPS diet?

I am very familiar with this diet as I have done the GAPS intro and full GAPS myself. 

Some improvements were seen but I think the thing that put me off was the long timeframe to true healing (most people with chronic gut and health issues take 2 full years of strict GAPS dieting).

I knew I had to find another way...

ENTER THE CARNIVORE DIET.

The Ultimate Elimination Diet (Carnivore)

The more I am on this diet and the more I continue to learn, the better I feel and the more sure I am that I've found the holy grail when it comes to health and healing.

A friend of mine mentioned this diet to me about 2 years ago and I honestly thought she was insane! I mean maybe I didn't think that she was insane personally (she is a very sound-minded, intelligent and intuitive woman) but I thought the concept was nuts! Like bat shit crazy!

I mean how on earth can we be healthy on an animal-based diet only? Don't we need fruits and vegetables and other plant foods?

The answer in short is no, we do not.

I don't want to sound like an extremist but we have been seriously misled down the garden path when it comes to nutrition and health.

Before I get into some credible sources that promote a carnivore diet and doctors who've been successfully carnivore for many years, I have to tell you the benefits I am already feeling on this elimination diet and I'm only less than 2 weeks in..

Improvements Such As:

• Zero IBS symptoms (this is a huge deal for me)
• Great digestion and yes, still doing a number 2 each day
• Great, sustained energy throughout the day
• A more stable mood (not experiencing the same ups and downs)
• My mind and mental clarity feels sharper than ever
• My skin is glowing and my eyes are crystal clear (am still getting hives though)
• I sleep so well (had a few issues with sleep since experiencing perimenopause)

In regards to my menstrual cycle, I am not sure as I haven't had a period in the past few weeks but it is due next week so I may fill my Instagram followers in on this in regards to improvements in PMS/PMDD so be sure to follow me there if you're not already?

I am still getting hives though (which is a histamine issue that I am currently working on) and once I figure this last piece of the Carnivore puzzle out I think mostly I am all good.

Eating Plants

None of these diets take into consideration that plants can be aggressive to most people's digestive systems, contain plant toxins and anti-nutrients such as oxalates, salicylates, solanin, lectins, trypsin, phytates, lipase inhibitors, amylase inhibitors, saponins, cyanogenic glycosides, tannins etc.

These plant toxins (also known as anti-nutrients) are all found in difference food sources - and from my research into this, vegetables and leafy veggies seem to be the worst!

Some folks may do ok ok fruits but if you are trying to heal a health condition or you have diabetes, fruits may want to be left out of the diet?

Nutrition is Politically-Motivated

Nutrition is heavily politicised and so is livestock and agriculture!

The plant-based movement has a very dark agenda but I won't get into this today but plan to chat more about this soon as there is much propaganda for plant-based and against meat and animal products. 

Why do you think there is such a massive push for a plant-based diet these days from the government, the media, celebrities and influencers? It is certainly not for ones health that is just the truth.

There are multi billions $$ to be made from the plant-based industry and also from fake meats like Beyond Burger and much less from let's say, the beef industry.

Without going down any rabbit holes here, Bill Gates is buying up land like there's no tomorrow to make way for yet more GMO soy and other GMO crops. These products are highly inflammatory for the body and this plan will never bring about global health (quite the opposite is true).

Over the years, I have learned that when something is popular (such as veganism), then usually it is something I would rather avoid*. 

*I have been a vegan many years ago and my health really suffered but that is a whole other topic and I've probably shared enough extreme views for most to handle in one day! 

I could talk about nutrition until the "cows come home" and perhaps I will write a book about all my learnings and ah-ha moments?

In Conclusion

What I do know for sure is that my body functions better than even just on an animal-based diet and I am even taking out most dairy at the moment to get a greater level of healing. I am still having ghee and a small amount of butter here and there but I may exclude the butter and just stick with ghee as it is just butter fat and doesn't contain the milk sugar (lactose) and milk protein (casein).

I'm mostly eating red meat, some chicken, pork, duck, lamb and fish and organic pasture-raised eggs each day and no I don't worry about cholesterol because that too is a massive lie and the truth is coming out about this as well.

Cholesterol is a vital substance in our body and responsible for many functions, in fact without cholesterol you would not exist! It plays a role in our hormones, our brain function, our mood, our ability to make vitamin D, our wound healing and on and on!

If you would like to learn more about this misunderstood molecule, please read our cholesterol article here. 

I hope you enjoyed today's article and if it stirred something within you, maybe this is an invitation or opportunity to further explore your own beliefs?

Our beliefs can either serve us or they can be a dis-service. The choice is ours to ours to make.

If you did find this article thought-provoking, please share it with someone whom you think this information may help.

Remember, I am not here to change anyones mind, tell anyone how they should be living or make judgements, I truly just share my own experiences, what I am learning on this healing journey and what's been working for me.

Where ever you are on your journey is perfect because it is YOUR journey. We are always where we need to be in order to learn whatever lessons we need to learn.

Resources:

https://health.clevelandclinic.org/elimination-diet/

https://www.autoimmuneinstitute.org/elimination-diets-what-you-need-to-know/

https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/food-science/antinutrients

https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/low-fodmap-diet#foods-list

https://www.doctorkiltz.com/plant-toxins/

https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/aip-diet-autoimmune-protocol-diet

https://wattsupwiththat.com/2019/02/01/whats-really-behind-the-plant-based-diet-agenda/

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2021/apr/05/bill-gates-climate-crisis-farmland

Disclaimer: This article is strictly for informational purposes and is not intended as health advice. Statements made have not been evaluated by the TGA and are not intended to treat, diagnose, cure or prevent and one should always consult with their trusted health professional before adding a new supplement to their diet.