381: The Elimination Diet Problems No One Talks About (My Own Personal Journey)

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Are elimination diets the holy grail for healing your gut and clearing your skin? Or could they be quietly creating new problems no one warned you about?

In this deeply personal solo episode, I open up about my own rollercoaster journey with elimination diets. I dive into the decisions that led me to cut out foods like gluten, dairy, and eggs for years — and what happened when I finally tried to bring them back.

Spoiler alert: it wasn’t smooth sailing. From misinterpreting food sensitivity tests to developing full-blown food fears, I share how this “clean eating” journey took a surprising toll on my health, happiness, and even my social life.

Did you know that eliminating top allergens for too long could actually lead to a permanent food allergy? Yep. It happened to some of my clients. And most practitioners don’t talk about that risk.

I also break down the difference between food sensitivities and intolerances, how gut health and digestion play a bigger role than you think, and why reintroducing foods like eggs and gluten doesn't have to feel terrifying.

If you're deep in the trenches of an elimination diet, considering starting one, or paralyzed by fear at the thought of eating your old favorites again, this episode is for you.

Let’s bust some myths and get real about what true healing really looks like. Tune in now!

Or, listen on your favorite app: iTunes (Apple Podcasts) | Spotify | Stitcher | TuneIn | Subscribe on Android

In This Episode:

• Why elimination diets can increase how reactive you are to foods
• The dark side of food sensitivity tests (and why they often miss the mark)
• What happens when you avoid top 9 allergens for too long
• The role your gut microbiome plays in food tolerance
• How I safely reintroduced gluten, dairy, and eggs after years of fear
• Signs your elimination diet might be doing more harm than good
• Before starting any food elimination…
• Stool testing vs food sensitivity testing: What’s better?

Quotes

“It created so much anxiety. I started avoiding eating out altogether because I felt I couldn’t trust anything unless I made it myself.”

“You should never be left on an elimination diet indefinitely. There needs to be an off-ramp.”

Links

Healthy Skin Show ep. 379: Is Sourdough Bread Gluten Free + Healthy? (Sourdough Bread Benefits + How To Tell If It’s Real)

Healthy Skin Show ep. 321: Before You Invest in Food Sensitivity Testing (What You Need To Know)

Healthy Skin Show ep. 213: Stool Testing Do’s + Don’t’s For Skin Rashes

 

381: The Elimination Diet Problems No One Talks About (My Own Personal Journey) {FULL TRANSCRIPT}

Welcome back to episode 381 of the Healthy Skin Show! In today’s episode, I am sharing my personal experience with elimination diet as well as my journey to reintroduce foods like gluten, dairy and eggs.

It’s my hope that this will give you some insight into some pervasive problems that even I got caught up in. I’d like to save you the frustration and confusion that I’ve experienced over the years.

Now there’s a big myth in the integrative and functional medicine space—that food sensitivity testing and eliminating “inflammatory” foods will automatically lead to healing. Depending on your health condition—whether it’s skin-related or something else—there’s often a list of so-called trigger foods. And the idea is that removing them will be the magic solution.

Now, don’t get me wrong—I absolutely believe in the power of food. Diet can do things that supplements and medications often can’t. Food is medicine. But I also think we need to be more honest in the integrative world about the limitations of elimination diet. They're often painted as a cure-all, but that’s not the full story.

Let me take you back to 2008. I was struggling with chronic diarrhea, bloating, fatigue, brain fog—you name it. I didn’t feel well, and I didn’t look well. I’d dealt with gut issues for years and had no idea that the rash across my face after eating gluten was actually tied to it.

I remember one night in particular—dining out at an Italian restaurant, I had this beautiful pasta dish. I hadn’t had a drop of alcohol, but by the end of the meal, I felt drunk. The room was spinning. It was such a strange, unsettling experience.

At the time, I was working with a nutritionist who emphasized food sensitivity testing and healing leaky gut. I truly believed that removing reactive foods was the answer—that it would heal my gut and fix everything. And in some ways, it helped. Cutting out gluten, dairy, eggs, and even things like cruciferous vegetables and cashews (which showed up on my test) did ease my GI symptoms, headaches, and brain fog.

But here’s what I didn’t realize: the gut is far more complex than just what you eat. Leaky gut isn’t only about food—it can be driven by many factors. And when you remove foods for too long, something else happens. Your body can become even more reactive to them.

That’s exactly what happened to me. After feeling better for a while, reintroducing any of those foods suddenly triggered stronger reactions than before. It made me afraid to eat. And back in 2008, gluten-free options were limited—especially if you were also avoiding eggs and dairy. Just trying to find breakfast became a challenge. Travel? Eating out? Nearly impossible.

It deeply impacted my life—not just socially, but culturally. Coming from an Italian family, suddenly being unable to share traditional meals was heartbreaking. But through this process, I learned a lot. I learned how to advocate for myself, ask the right questions, and think critically about what healing really looks like.

 

It Probably Wasn’t The Food Triggering My Symptoms

Even though I did feel better for a time, years later I began to question whether I really needed to keep certain foods out of my diet forever. I believed that if I avoided them long enough, my gut would eventually “heal.” But the truth was—I was still reactive to those foods.

What I didn’t know at the time—and what my nutritionist didn’t tell me (and maybe she didn’t know)—was that food reactivity and leaky gut are more complex than we often assume. The real drivers behind these issues go beyond just the food on your plate.

For starters, food intolerance and food sensitivity are not the same thing (I’ve covered this in another episode), but most people use the terms interchangeably. Regardless, what often gets overlooked is how your gut functions—specifically your ability to digest and absorb food, along with the state of your gut microbiome. These play a much bigger role than simply eliminating trigger foods.

Take gluten, for example. Research from celiac experts has shown that gluten can increase gut permeability in everyone—not just those with celiac disease or gluten sensitivity. That permeability does spike, but then it gradually normalizes. So, it's less about the food being “bad” and more about how tolerant your body is to it over time.

For years, I believed that keeping foods out longer would lead to healing—that eventually, I’d be “fixed.” But that never really happened.

Eventually, I came to see that my food sensitivity test hadn’t been as accurate as I’d been led to believe. I wasn’t actually reactive to cruciferous vegetables or cashews. Those restrictions were unnecessary and only made life more difficult.

What I was reactive to were gluten, dairy, and eggs. But even that began to shift. Over time, I started reintroducing dairy in small amounts—cheese, fermented options—and while I didn’t go overboard, I wasn’t as strict as before. I loosened the reins. And that flexibility was key.

 

The Sneaky Way Food Fear Starts

To be honest, what started to happen with gluten, eggs, and even dairy was that I developed a deep fear of food. I became terrified that restaurants weren’t being honest about what was truly gluten-free. At one point, I was carrying around a little device to test my meals for gluten—and sometimes it would say the food wasn’t safe, even though the staff had done their best.

The elimination diet created so much anxiety. I started avoiding eating out altogether because I felt I couldn’t trust anything unless I made it myself. That isolation was exhausting.

I was constantly surrounded by messages telling me that gluten was the devil—dangerous, damaging, and that even the tiniest amount would keep me sick forever. That fear ran deep. And if you're in that place now, I see you.

Whether you were guided by a doctor, a health coach, or decided on your own after reading something online, eliminating food can feel like the only way forward. Maybe you even paid for a food sensitivity test—one of the worst tools, in my opinion, to shape your diet around. These tests are highly changeable. They often reflect what you’ve recently eaten rather than what’s truly triggering your system. And sometimes the results are just… nonsensical.

Looking back, I could’ve figured out that gluten and eggs were bothering me simply by tracking how I felt after eating. It would’ve been less stressful—and far less expensive—than relying on a test that led me down the wrong path.

But one of the biggest issues? No one gave me a roadmap for reintroducing foods. That’s something I now work hard to support clients with. So many people eliminate food after food based on what they read in forums, books, or were told by a practitioner. But no one gives them an off-ramp. No one tells them if it’s even possible to bring these foods back.

Over time, that creates a hostile relationship with food. We become convinced that food is the root of all our health problems—when really, the food might not be the true issue at all. It’s just the most obvious, easiest thing to blame.

I want to be clear: I’m not talking about the broader issue of chronic illness that so many are facing today. I’m specifically speaking to the functional and integrative medicine world, and how food elimination has been positioned as the solution.

I no longer believe that’s a complete or accurate conversation.

Just today, someone in my community shared that their practitioner couldn’t make sense of their stool test—even though everything was in the reference range. But that’s not how you interpret a clinical stool test. Instead, the practitioner recommended a food sensitivity test, which only made things worse by adding more fear and confusion around food.

We’re still stuck in an old mindset that removing foods and an elimination diet is the most powerful way to heal. But at this point, I believe that’s more of a band-aid—it gives the illusion of progress when we don’t yet know what else to do.

So I want to share a bit about what happened when I began reintroducing foods—the fears that came up, the emotional hurdles—because I know many of you have shared that this is the scariest part. You’re afraid reintroductions will trigger flare-ups. That you’ll get sick all over again. And underneath that fear is a belief that the food was the problem… when in reality, the deeper issues were never addressed.

When we get to the root of those issues, reintroduction becomes not only possible—but freeing.

So let’s talk about that.

 

Why I Was So Afraid of Gluten + Eggs

One of the foods I was most terrified to reintroduce was chicken eggs.

The last time I’d eaten them—back in March 2008—I had three hard-boiled eggs with mayo and thought I was having a heart attack. I was in so much pain I nearly drove myself to the ER. I ended up violently ill, but once it all passed, I felt better.

Later, I saw eggs show up as a strong reaction on my food sensitivity test. Honestly, I probably could’ve figured that out on my own without the test. But what stuck with me was the fear—and the belief that I’d have to avoid eggs forever. That’s what my nutritionist told me at the time: no reintroduction, no discussion—just keep them out for life.

But that’s simply not true. Food sensitivities can change. If you address the underlying gut dysfunction, reintroducing foods is absolutely possible.

Still, I was terrified. Eggs felt like the one thing I’d never be able to eat again. Even gluten felt more approachable. Then, in 2014, I had a conversation with my friend Dr. Terry Wahls about my fear of reintroducing eggs. She suggested trying a different kind—like duck or quail eggs—since I didn’t have an IgE allergy.

So I did. I tried duck eggs on a day when I had nothing planned, just in case I got sick. I was so nervous—but I was totally fine. That moment was huge. Duck eggs became my bridge back to enjoying protein-dense breakfasts—something I had really missed.

I stuck with duck eggs for years. Then, about two years ago, I started thinking about reintroducing chicken eggs again. But the trauma from 2008 lingered. I began slowly—eating foods that had eggs in them, like muffins or cupcakes, where the egg content per serving was minimal. That felt safe.

Eventually, I decided to try a hard-boiled egg. I’ll never forget sitting in a meeting afterward, rubbing my face, convinced I was having a reaction. I asked my team, “Does my face look swollen?” They all said no—I looked totally fine. I was just panicking. There was no reaction.

Looking back, I wouldn’t reintroduce eggs the way I did. There’s a better, safer approach—and I’ll share more on that. But after that incident, I didn’t eat eggs again until May 2023.

I was traveling solo in Florida for a conference. Out of nowhere, I decided—I’m done being afraid. I ordered scrambled eggs and ate them. And… nothing happened. I was totally fine. (Again, not the best strategy—but sometimes, we just know we’re ready.)

Since then, I’ve eaten chicken eggs daily, with zero issues. And no, I’m not worried that eating them regularly will make me sensitive again. That’s a myth I believed back in 2008—that you could “overeat” a food and become sensitive to it. But that’s not how it works.

Food sensitivities happen when gut function is compromised—when your digestion and microbiome are out of balance and contribute to leaky gut. It’s not about how often you eat a food—it’s about the environment inside your gut.

 

How I Reintroduced Gluten

Long story short, I was able to reintroduce eggs—and then came something I really didn’t see coming: gluten.

I recently shared this on the Healthy Skin Show with Dr. Bill Schindler, but I’ll recap here. I wanted to try reintroducing gluten, but I felt the safest way to start was with sourdough. Because it’s fermented, a lot of the gluten (though not all) is broken down in the process. I found a bakery that ferments their dough for up to three days, and I figured that was my best shot.

To my surprise, I wasn’t nearly as afraid to try it. I started slowly—half a croissant one day, the other half the next. I felt totally fine. A few weeks later, I tried it again—still fine.

Eventually, I worked my way up to their less-fermented options, like their standard sourdough loaves (which only ferment for a day). And I tolerated them, too. Now, I enjoy all of their products—ones I never thought I’d be able to eat again. It’s been incredible.

My tolerance to these foods has improved so much. And I’m sharing this because I know how easy it is to believe the narrative that you’ll never be able to reintroduce certain foods. I used to believe that gluten was the devil. That eggs were bad for eczema and were a kind of eczema trigger foods. That these foods were inherently inflammatory and harmful and were dietary triggers for eczema.

But none of that was true. That kind of mindset just keeps us stuck in fear—constantly at war with food, unable to trust our own bodies or the nourishment we’re giving them.

Of course, this isn’t a blanket statement about all diets. I’m not talking about the standard American diet here. I’m talking about whole foods—foods that can be part of a healthy, balanced diet if you don’t have a true allergy or, in the case of gluten, celiac disease.

That said, reintroducing food has been life-changing for me. Truly. It’s brought so much joy and normalcy back into my life—like simply being able to go out for brunch with my husband again, something I missed out on for a long time.

So if you’re in a place where you're considering reintroducing foods—whether you’re still in the early stages of an elimination diet, deep in the middle of one, or starting to feel like it’s time to move on—I want to help. I’d love to share a few thoughts and guidelines to support you in that process.

 

What I Wish I Knew About Elimination Diets

Here’s what I wish more people knew before starting down the road of food elimination: they may not actually be necessary.

There is some evidence—and I see it clinically—that eliminating gluten can help if you’re dealing with chronic health issues, especially skin or gut problems. But that doesn’t mean you need to eliminate it to the extreme level required for someone with celiac disease. In fact, some people may tolerate long-fermented sourdough, like a three-day ferment.

When I work with clients on gut issues, I do typically recommend removing gluten as we begin supporting the GI tract. But everything else? That’s where nuance comes in. We figure it out through food logs, symptom tracking, and honest conversations—not just blanket eliminations.

As a clinical nutritionist, I’m trained to read between the lines—to look at someone’s diet and connect the dots based on symptoms and patterns. And I’ll say it again: food sensitivity testing is, in most cases, a massive waste of money. If you’re going to invest in something, go for an integrative clinical stool test instead. That gives us far more meaningful information.

And please, I beg you—don’t waste your money on hair analysis food tests. They tell you nothing. Truly, they’re one of the biggest scams out there.

The other thing I wish more people knew: you should be able to reintroduce foods over time—if you’re doing the right work underneath. The idea that you have to eliminate certain foods for life is outdated. We now understand that when you correct gut function—especially things like gut permeability or leaky gut—you can reverse those sensitivities.

But here’s the deeper question: why aren’t we digging further than just blaming food? Why are we sensitive to these foods in the first place? It’s not like real, whole foods suddenly became the villains.

Sure, there are countless videos and influencers telling you certain foods are “inflammatory” and should be cut out forever. But let’s be clear—we’re not talking about trans fats or ultra-processed junk here. We’re talking about whole, nutrient-dense foods.

Yes, people may say, “I went carnivore,” or “I went plant-based,” and claim they feel amazing. But ask them if they were ever able to reintroduce other foods. The answer is usually no. And that’s because the underlying issues—gut dysfunction, microbiome imbalances, leaky gut—were never actually addressed.

Diet alone can’t fix everything. I wish it could. It’s an important part of the puzzle—but it’s not the whole solution.

 

Three Things You Should Know About Elimination Diets

If you’re considering an elimination diet—or you’ve been on one for a while and are thinking about reintroducing foods—I encourage you to reflect on three key points:

First: Diet is not always the issue. Out of the 16 root causes I use to help clients uncover what’s driving their skin or health issues, diet is just one. And if it's only one piece of the puzzle, then hyper-focusing on it isn’t likely to fix everything.

Elimination diet is, at best, a band-aid. They might help you feel a little better in the short term, but they don’t heal the root of the problem. They don’t fix gut permeability or rebalance the microbiome. Gut function and microbiome health are much bigger drivers. And yes, other factors like chronic NSAID use, overtraining (like HIIT), glyphosate exposure, and high stress can play a role—but those are often distractions from doing the deeper, more effective work.

Second: An elimination diet can fuel food fear. When you’re constantly told that food is the enemy, you begin to see it that way. Instead of nourishment, food becomes something you fear—something that might harm you. That fear triggers a chronic stress response every time you eat, especially when you’re not in control of the meal—like dining out or eating at a friend’s house.

That’s what happened to me when I tried reintroducing chicken eggs. I was convinced I was reacting, but it was all in my head. Was it a real reaction? No. It was fear, anxiety, and a stress response that felt like a reaction. And let me be clear—I absolutely take true allergies seriously. But we also need to recognize that sometimes, what we’re feeling isn’t an allergic reaction—it’s the result of years of conditioning and fear around food.

Third: This one is the most serious—removing top allergens for extended periods can lead to the development of new-onset IgE food allergies in adults. I’ve seen it happen in my own clients, and I’ve spoken with colleagues who’ve seen it too. These are people who were not allergic to foods like dairy or eggs before. And now, they are. In many cases, those allergies are permanent.

This isn’t just a one-off problem. It’s a pattern emerging in adults—and it’s something we have to start talking about more openly in the integrative and functional medicine world.

 

Case Examples – When Elimination Diets Trigger Food Allergies

There’s some research in children that shows that eliminating foods can trigger IgE food allergies. And what’s particularly concerning for me is that we now see it happening in adults who try an elimination diet for eczema or other chronic issues.

One client came to me after reading online that eggs were bad for eczema (eczema trigger foods). She eliminated them completely for about two years. When we tried reintroducing them, she had a full-blown allergic reaction—and now she needs to carry an EpiPen. Even eggs baked into foods trigger a response. That’s a huge, life-altering change.

Another client was told by a functional practitioner to stop consuming dairy. She did—completely. But when we later tried reintroducing goat cheese, she developed symptoms that presented like an allergic reaction. After seeing her doctor, it was confirmed: she’s now allergic to all forms of dairy (where she didn’t have a dairy allergy before).

This is something few in the functional space are talking about—and food sensitivity test companies certainly aren’t warning you. But the truth is: removing a food for too long—especially one of the top nine allergens—can increase your risk of developing an IgE allergy.

We don’t know the exact timeframe, but based on clinical conversations and research in children, it may be as little as a year. And while there’s not enough concrete data yet, this is a serious concern worth keeping in mind.

So, if you’re reintroducing top allergens like dairy, eggs, shellfish, fish, or nuts, proceed with caution. Keep antihistamines like Zyrtec on hand, and better yet—talk to your doctor first. Some allergists we’ve had on the Healthy Skin Show have shared great guidance on this, which I’ll link in the show notes.

Also, learn to recognize the signs of an allergic reaction. Both of these clients initially thought they were just experiencing symptom flares. But when they described what happened, it was clear—this was something much more serious.

It’s easy to dismiss this risk and think, “Well, I don’t eat eggs or dairy now, so who cares if I develop an allergy?” But once you have a true allergy, it changes everything. You have to carry an EpiPen. You have to worry about cross-contamination any time you eat out. It’s not just an inconvenience—it’s a constant concern.

And for the clients this has happened to, there’s a deep sadness. A sense that they may have unintentionally done this to themselves by following advice that lacked proper guidance. No one wants that. No one deserves that.

So please—be careful and intentional using an elimination diet as a tool. And don’t take elimination diets lightly, assuming there are no downsides to their use.

 

What To Ask BEFORE You Start Eliminating Food

I’m sharing this because, in hindsight, I wish someone had had this conversation with me. I wish someone had told me that food reactions can cause long-term challenges—and that there should be an intentional plan for navigating them.

If a doctor or practitioner recommends an elimination diet, the very first question you should ask is: How long will I be on this, and what’s the plan for reintroducing foods? If they don’t have a clear answer or strategy, that’s a red flag. You should never be left on an elimination diet indefinitely. There needs to be an off-ramp.

And to be clear, this isn’t the same as having a true IgE food allergy. Those are serious medical conditions—ones where you’d need something like an EpiPen. What I’m talking about are sensitivities or perceived reactions that lead people to cut foods out unnecessarily, without a real long-term plan.

If I could go back, I wouldn’t have eliminated foods for as long as I did. I wish I’d focused more on healing my gut, addressing stress, and supporting my body as a whole. Those were the deeper issues—not the food or so-called dietary triggers for eczema.

Looking back, I feel like I missed out. Especially when traveling—places I may never return to—I avoided so many beautiful food experiences out of fear. And that’s what I don’t want for you. If you think you can't reintroduce foods, you can. But if you're not addressing the root causes of your food reactivity, you’ll never be successful long-term. Eliminating food doesn’t heal leaky gut. But there are ways to do that—and we’ve covered many of them here on the Healthy Skin Show.

As for me now—I love sourdough bread. Focaccia? I hadn’t eaten it in over 15 years, and now it brings me so much joy. I eat eggs every day for breakfast. And guess what? I feel great. I don’t have eczema. I’m healthier now than I was when I was constantly restricting food from my diet.

Being able to reintroduce foods has made my life, and especially travel, so much easier. I can be present with meals instead of living in fear of what’s on the plate. I hope this gives you a new perspective—and maybe busts a few myths along the way.

Now’s your turn – I’d love to hear your thoughts, questions, and experiences below when it comes to elimination diets!