Anti-Inflammatory and Elimination Diets in Integrative Practice: Claims and Evidence

This page is information only. If you have ever had a serious allergic reaction to food, do not remove or reintroduce foods on your own. In the US, call 911 for swelling of the lips, mouth or throat, trouble breathing or fainting after eating. Check with a clinician before any restrictive plan if you are pregnant, are a parent of a child, are an older adult, have kidney disease, take several medicines or have a history of disordered eating.

Two different ideas under one heading

An anti-inflammatory diet is a general eating pattern said to lower inflammation in the body. An elimination diet is a supervised way to find out whether certain foods trigger symptoms. In integrative practice the two are sometimes mixed together and sold as a package. They have different evidence and different risks, so this page treats them separately.

Anti-inflammatory diets: what reviews found

There is no single official anti-inflammatory diet, so reviews test named patterns such as the Mediterranean diet and compare blood markers.

Two cautions apply. First, C-reactive protein is a lab marker, and a lower number does not by itself show that a person feels better or is healthier. Second, diet trials often cannot be blinded the way a pill trial can, so expectations may play a part. Whether a naturopath-designed anti-inflammatory plan beats ordinary healthy eating is not shown in the reviews we read.

Elimination diets: the legitimate use

Doctors do use elimination diets. For suspected food intolerance, the NHS lists a special diet among the tests you may have: you avoid the suspected food to see if symptoms improve, then eat it again to see if they return. It says you may be referred to a dietitian. [4] MedlinePlus describes a food elimination diet as removing suspected foods and then adding them back one at a time, and warns it may not be safe for someone who has had a serious allergic reaction to food. [5] NICE guidance on irritable bowel syndrome says single-food avoidance and exclusion diets should only be given by a healthcare professional with expertise in dietary management. [6]

Elimination diets: the marketed use

Some clinics build elimination plans from IgG blood tests or other panels. The NHS says tests sold to the public that claim to diagnose food intolerance are not recommended, as there is limited evidence they are accurate and they may suggest avoiding many foods, which can be harmful. [4] See food IgG and broad panels checked and food sensitivity panels.

How to use this information

Ask who designed the plan, what training that person has, how long it lasts, how foods return, and what happens if you feel worse. Do not stop prescribed medicines because of a diet. See nutrition counseling in naturopathic care, eating patterns compared and leaky gut cleanses and gut tests.