Chronic allergies are allergies that are persistent all year round and are commonly caused due to many environmental and indoor allergens. Prescriptions may help relieve allergy symptoms. However, many people are surprised to learn that making dietary changes can also effectively manage them. If you’re looking for a more holistic approach to controlling allergies, a food-elimination plan could be just what you need. Here’s a week-by-week meal plan for six weeks to tackle aggressive allergies.

Best food elimination nutrition plan for allergies
A six-food elimination nutrition plan identifies food allergies or intolerances by temporarily eliminating certain foods from your daily meals and then slowly reintroducing them to see if they cause any adverse reactions. The six most common foods that people with eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE), asthma, bronchitis, etc., are usually allergic to and which are eliminated are:

• Milk and dairy products
• Wheat and gluten-containing products
• Soy and soy-containing products
• Eggs and egg-containing products
• Fish and shellfish
• Tree nuts and peanuts

Here’s a sample six-food elimination meal plan:

Week 1
Eliminate milk and dairy products from your meal routine. Read food labels carefully and avoid anything that contains milk, cheese, yogurt, cream, and butter.

Week 2
Eliminate wheat and gluten-containing products. This includes bread (white and brown), pasta, legumes, cereals, and processed and baked goods. You can replace these with gluten-free alternatives such as rice, quinoa, fruits, vegetables, and oats.

Week 3
Eliminate soy and soy-containing products that include soya sauce, soy milk, tempeh, tofu, and edamame.

Week 4
Eliminate eggs and egg-containing products. This includes baked goods, mayonnaise, and some sauces.

Week 5
Eliminate all types of fish, including shellfish like shrimp, lobster, and crab.

Week 6
Eliminate tree nuts, walnuts, cashews, and peanuts. This includes almonds, cashews, walnuts, and peanuts. Check food labels carefully, as these ingredients can be found in many processed foods such as bread spreads, ready-to-eat foods, flours, and crackers.

After six weeks, you can slowly start reintroducing each food group to your meals. Monitor any reactions you might experience. However, you should consult a healthcare professional before starting any elimination meal plan. It is important to make sure your body receives all the necessary nutrients while on a particular meal routine.

In all, an elimination nutrition plan can be a powerful tool to help identify the presence of food allergies and intolerances. Such meal plans require commitment but are easy enough to implement with little research and professional help. Although elimination meal routines can be challenging, they provide valuable insight into potential food sensitivities and enable you to find tailored solutions that work best to curb allergy symptoms.