Foundation
The Elimination Diet works because it removes variables one at a time. Most people with chronic low-grade symptoms — fatigue, bloating, brain fog, skin irritation, joint discomfort — have no idea which foods are contributing because they've never been without them long enough to find out. This program changes that. But before you can eliminate anything meaningfully, you need a clear baseline and a clean kitchen.
This week: audit your kitchen and your symptoms. Write down how you feel today — energy (1–10), digestion, skin, sleep quality, mood. This is your baseline. At the end of week 4, you'll compare. Also this week: read the elimination list carefully and understand what you're removing and why. The elimination isn't punishment — it's the experiment. Week 1 is about understanding what you're doing before you do it.
Your one habit this week
Record your baseline symptoms and read the full elimination list.
Write down today: energy level (1–10), digestion quality (good/uncomfortable/bloated), skin condition, sleep quality, mood. Keep this record somewhere you'll find it in week 4. Then read what you'll be removing: gluten, dairy, eggs, soy, corn, added sugar, alcohol, processed foods, and seed oils. Understand why each one is on the list.
Recipe of the week
Herb-Roasted Chicken Thighs with Sweet Potato and Greens
10 mins prep · 35 mins cook · serves 2
Ingredients
- 4 chicken thighs, bone-in, skin-on
- 2 medium sweet potatoes, cubed
- Large handful baby spinach or kale
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika, 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- Fresh thyme, salt, black pepper
Steps
- Heat oven to 200°C. Toss sweet potato with 1 tbsp olive oil, paprika, salt, and pepper. Spread on a large tray.
- Rub chicken thighs with remaining olive oil, garlic powder, thyme, salt, and pepper. Place on top of sweet potato.
- Roast 35 minutes until chicken is deeply golden and sweet potato is caramelized.
- Rest 5 minutes. Wilt spinach or kale in the residual heat of the pan.
- Serve chicken and sweet potato on a bed of greens.
- This recipe is fully elimination-compliant as written — no gluten, dairy, eggs, soy, corn, or added sugar.
Movement this week
Focus: Body awareness — notice how movement feels at baseline
Before the elimination begins in earnest, this week's movement goal is observation rather than performance. Walk daily and pay attention: how is your energy? Any joint discomfort? How long does it take to feel tired? These are baseline data points you'll compare to week 4. Keep movement gentle and deliberate — 20 minutes daily, nothing more.
- • 20-minute walk daily — observe energy and joint comfort
- • Light morning stretching — 5 minutes, note any stiffness
- • Write down one physical observation after each walk this week
Supplement of the week
Omega-3 Fish Oil
Omega-3 fatty acids EPA and DHA actively reduce systemic inflammation — directly supporting the anti-inflammatory goal of the elimination protocol. By removing processed foods and vegetable oils (high in omega-6), you're already improving the omega-6 to omega-3 ratio. A quality fish oil supplement accelerates that process. At least 1000mg combined EPA+DHA daily, taken with your largest meal.
View on Amazon →Book recommendation
The Elimination Diet
by Tom Malterre MS CN & Alissa Segersten
The most clinically rigorous consumer book on elimination diets available. Malterre is a functional medicine nutritionist and the protocol in this book is used by integrative medicine practitioners worldwide. Read the first two chapters this week — they explain the science behind every food group on the elimination list and will make the protocol make sense at a mechanistic level.
View on Amazon →The science
Elimination diets are considered the gold standard clinical protocol for identifying food sensitivities and adverse food reactions, superior to any currently available blood-based food sensitivity test.
Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology, 2018 →Structured elimination followed by systematic reintroduction significantly reduces IBS symptoms, with 76% of patients achieving long-term symptom control through dietary modification alone.
Gut Journal, 2004 →Elimination diets reduce systemic inflammatory markers including CRP and IL-6 within 3–4 weeks, with effects maintained at 3-month follow-up in adults with chronic inflammatory symptoms.
Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, 2019 →
Coming next
- • Week 2: The elimination begins — what to expect in days 3–10
- • Why symptoms often worsen before they improve (and why that's a good sign)
- • A batch-cook session that covers 4 days from 90 minutes of cooking
Ready for Week 2?
- • 9 more weekly lessons, recipes, and habits
- • Weekly coaching emails to keep you on track
- • Full supplement & book recommendations
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