Don’t panic when you see the word diet! SROSM's Neurologist Dr. Amy Howe does not recommend crash diets or ‘detox’ diets because the benefits are very short term and not sustainable. When you are trying an elimination diet for pain relief, approach it with one food at a time.
For example:
- Week 1-3: remove all egg products from your diet
- During the 3 week elimination period, observe for improvement in your pain, skin, digestion
- After 3 weeks, you can start eating egg products again
- When you reintroduce the eggs, observe for any increase in pain, skin changes, digestive issues
You can use this strategy for any food that you think may be a trigger for your symptoms. This is an easy way to identify food sensitivities, and to eat foods that are healthy for YOUR body.
Removing inflammatory foods from your diet is easier than it sounds. The key is to gradually change your eating patterns in a way that is healthier but still enjoyable. For example, when Dr. Howe started to change her diet, one main goal was to eat 5-6 cups of fruits/vegetables per day. So now instead of having eggs for breakfast, she has an organic steel cut oatmeal with coconut and lots of fresh fruit (plus a little honey on top!). She has made similar adjustments to her lunch and dinner plans over time. By making these small changes, Dr. Howe has dropped her LDL (bad cholesterol) by 20 points and has noticed better digestion, less headaches and less neck pain. Healthy eating is always a work in progress, but if you make it fun and tasty it is much easier!
