A leading contributor to chronic pain and inflammation is the food we eat. When symptoms and conditions fail to respond to standard medical therapy, an individual may incorporate an anti-inflammatory diet such as the Institute for Functional Medicine Elimination Diet.

The Elimination Diet incorporates nutrient-rich food and removes certain foods that are known triggers for inflammation, such as refined and processed carbohydrates, i.e. refined sugar, white flour, white pasta, dairy, and gluten. After three weeks, certain foods are added back into the diet, one at a time, over a three-day period each, to determine if any of the symptoms return. If so, those food items are eliminated from the diet for 3 to 6 months, and are not reintegrated until the gut is healed.

Many inflammatory conditions occur because of increased intestinal permeability or “leaky gut.” The standard American diet is notorious for disrupting the gut lining which allows larger particles to come in contact with the immune system. The immune system then creates a response that, if left burning, can fuel the fire in a vicious cycle of inflammation in our bodies, manifested in one form or another.

Thousands have been liberated from their symptoms of pain, aches, fatigue, brain fog, mood swings, and rashes by following an anti-inflammatory diet. When the gut lining is healed, the immune system calmed down and the symptoms resolved, many have come off of unnecessary medications, lost significant weight, extinguished the symptoms of chronic inflammation, and have dramatically improved their lives.