US News and World Report highlights how elimination diets work in an interview with Kate Cohen, MS, RD, clinical nutritionist in the HSS Lifestyle Medicine Program.

An elimination diet gives the body a break in order to identify which foods may be causing gastrointestinal symptoms and other issues, like skin rashes and difficulty sleeping. There are an array of elimination diets, and not all registered dietitians agree on which eating regimens belong in that category.

"Elimination diets work best when they are simple, straightforward and singular, meaning one category of food is eliminated completely for a two- to three-week period," said Cohen.

"If someone tries to eliminate multiple categories at once and sees an improvement, that person will have to further eliminate or carefully reintroduce in order to identify the problematic food item or category," Cohen explained. 

Ultimately, "elimination diets are not designed to be your forever diet," Cohen added. "You might discover that a specific food doesn’t work for you, then you can thoughtfully figure out how to make sure you are still getting what you need. But don’t restrict forever."

Read the full article at usnews.com.