Often people who suffer from allergies or intolerances are advised to follow a Rotation Diet to some degree, particularly if they have multiple allergies or intolerances. This is because this can help prevent them becoming sensitive to any more foods, particularly any which they are using as substitutes. Following a Rotation Diet can also help your body to rebalance and recover.
Preparing for a rotation diet
The principle of a Rotation Diet are very simple. However, the practicalities of following the diet can be difficult. You may be advised to stick rigidly to the diet, in which case you need to plan your meals carefully. It’s a good idea to make a chart and keep it somewhere visible, such as stuck to the door of your fridge. And you may need to adapt existing recipes, particularly with oils, milks, sugars and grains as well as the meats, fish, fruit and veggies.
Don’t despair, though. Once you get used to following the diet, it’s very do-able. While it may seem expensive to stock up on all the various ingredients at first, they will, of course, last that much longer. And it’s amazing how quickly you can get used to following the plan. Just stay organized and ask your family and friends to help you to stick to it. Take the hassle and effort out of your shopping, too, with internet ordering and delivery schemes.
Following a rotation diet
It is important to consult a trained practitioner before you embark on a Rotation Diet. If you have any health problems or you are pregnant or breastfeeding, or are a young child, you must consult your doctor before following this diet.
Most practitioners will advise that if you eat an ingredient one day, you need to avoid it for the next three (although some may suggest avoiding it for longer, if your allergies/intolerances are severe). So you might eat apples on day 1, for example, and then you will need to avoid them – or any product which contains them – for days 2, 3 and 4. Critical to this is also the concept of food families. So if you are eating a particular ingredient on day 1 – apples, for example – you need to avoid all the other members of that family on days 2, 3 and 4 (and eat them on day 1, if you want to).
Simply work out a chart with foods for each day. Remember to include everything – not just meat, fish, fruit and veggies – but also grains, flours, oils or margarine, sugars, milks, teas, drinks, herbs and spices and all other flavourings. Then follow this plan carefully.
It is important, too, to try to limit exposure to any other chemicals or additional substances. So drink only filtered or mineral water and don’t eat any processed or tinned food – just fresh, organic produce. Use only additive-free products in the home and on your body, including soaps, shampoos, toothpastes.
Once you have followed a Rotation Diet for a while, you may notice that some symptoms may clear or lessen. Conversely, you may also find that you notice smaller or tiny symptoms – which become noticeable now that you are managing your foods more rigorously. If this happens, simply follow the principles of the Elimination Diet to discover the culprit food(s).
After some time, you may also think it is worth experimenting with foods to which you were previously reacting a little, in case these sensitivities have cleared. Take it slowly and carefully – and do discuss this with your doctor.