The Elimination Diet is designed to help identify food sensitivities by systematically removing and reintroducing common inflammatory foods. It involves temporarily eliminating foods like gluten, dairy, eggs, soy, corn, and yeast to reduce inflammation and identify potential triggers for chronic symptoms.
Understanding the Elimination Diet
A food sensitivity is a delayed immune reaction to a food, often occurring hours or even days after eating, making it hard to pinpoint. Unlike allergies, which cause immediate symptoms, sensitivities can quietly drive inflammation, gut issues, fatigue, joint pain, and more. The Basic Elimination Diet offers you a chance to pause, listen deeply, and nourish your body with what truly heals.
How the Elimination Diet Works
To begin, remove gluten, dairy, eggs, soy, corn, and yeast completely from your meals. After symptoms have improved, reintroduce one food group at a time. Eat that food 2 to 3 times daily for 3 days, then wait another 3 days before testing the next. Watch closely for returning symptoms-digestive upset, skin flares, mood changes, fatigue, or headaches.
After 4 to 6 weeks on the Basic Elimination Diet, and after symptoms have calmed down, it is time to begin reintroducing foods. It is best to reintroduce foods from what are often the least problematic foods to the most problematic foods. Start by adding in recipes that contain baker's yeast, red wine vinegar, balsamic vinegar, white wine vinegar, or nutritional yeast. You will include these foods 3 times a day for 3 days.
If any of your previous symptoms return, then immediately remove all yeast containing foods from your diet and wait until your symptoms calm down before reintroducing another food group. If no symptoms return after 3 days of consuming yeast ingredients, then wait 3 days to see if any delayed food reactions occur and then begin to test corn and soy in the same way.
Read also: Is a Vegetarian Elimination Diet Right for You?
When you are ready to test dairy, use plain 24-hour fermented yogurt and hard cheeses (this excludes lactose as a potential irritant in order to see if dairy proteins are your issue). For gluten, it is best to use rye flour or barley flour made into flatbread or cooked rye or barley grains (this excludes wheat and helps to single out gluten as a potential irritant).
The Importance of Journaling
It is important to journal during your elimination diet. Write down the date, what you ate, and how you felt that day, along with a list of any symptoms. This journal will be essential to look back on at the end of your diet to notice any patterns about food consumption, sleep, moods, energy, and symptoms. This isn’t just a diet-it’s a sacred reset.
Navigating Desserts on the AIP Diet
Although the autoimmune protocol diet (AIP) excludes refined sugars (eliminating many store-bought treats), you can still enjoy desserts made with natural ingredients. The AIP diet is a therapeutic approach to nutrition that aims to eliminate inflammatory foods to manage autoimmune conditions, focusing on nutrient-dense, healing alternatives. Adhering to the AIP diet doesn't mean forgoing all of your favorite desserts.
Sweetening Agents for AIP Desserts
While most of us have become accustomed to using refined table sugars to make homemade desserts, the AIP diet requires the exploration of alternatives. While most of us have become accustomed to using refined table sugars to make homemade desserts, the AIP diet requires the exploration of alternatives. Embracing substitutions like these not only caters to dietary restrictions but also enhances the nutritional profile of AIP desserts.
General Tips for Enjoying Desserts on AIP
There aren’t consistent rules for the AIP diet because it isn’t a standardized eating pattern. That means you can follow the general guidelines of the diet, but there is room for personalization. For example, nuts and seeds are often discouraged from AIP, but they are healthy foods, so if you can tolerate them, you should include them. You may also be able to include more variety of foods, depending on which phase of the diet you are in (elimination versus reintroduction).
Read also: Comprehensive guide to the IC diet and food list.
Other tips for desserts include:
- Embracing intuitive eating and ditching food rules or labels.
- Keep it simple by making easy-to-follow recipes.
- Ask your dietitian for recipes and pre-packaged options when you’re on the go.
- Practice mindful eating and savor every bite. Pay attention to how it feels to eat when you’re hungry versus full (towards the end of the meal).
AIP Dessert Recipes to Satisfy Your Sweet Tooth
AIP diet doesn’t include refined sweetening agents, so many AIP-friendly desserts contain fruits, spices, and other natural ingredients as alternatives. You can modify these recipes to suit your preferences better. Be sure to ask your dietitian for personalized serving size recommendations. Here are some recipes to try:
- Fluffy Strawberry Coconut Whip: This airy, fairy dessert delight uses dairy-free coconut cream and freeze-dried strawberries. To make it, whip the coconut cream on high until it’s light and fluffy. Add the dried strawberries and mix again until fully incorporated (this should only take a few minutes). Enjoy immediately!
- Frozen Berry “Yogurt” Bark: Dairy isn’t included in an AIP diet, but you can use fermented coconut yogurt (a plant-based alternative with a similar texture to dairy yogurt). To make this yummy frozen bark, spread a layer of coconut yogurt onto a lined baking sheet (parchment or wax paper will work). Next, sprinkle frozen or fresh berries on top of the yogurt. Mix your fruit choices and add a medley of cherries, blackberries, blueberries, strawberries, and currants. Freeze for about two hours or until solid. The bark is ready when you can easily snap a piece off and enjoy. Keep your berry bark in the freezer and take a piece when you want to eat.
- Chocolate Avocado Pudding: Avocados are rich in unsaturated fats and can be used to make a creamy, comforting pudding. You will need a food processor to make this recipe, but if you don’t have one, you can also try using a smoothie blender. Process or blend a ripe avocado with cocoa powder, vanilla extract, and a splash of unsweetened coconut milk to make this dessert. Spoon your pudding into a ramekin and refrigerate for at least thirty minutes to allow for setting time. Top with fresh raspberries and mint leaves before eating.
- Carrot Cake Energy Balls: Energy balls are bite-sized treats that are super convenient to make and enjoy. For this AIP-modified recipe, you will use shredded carrots, shredded unsweetened coconut, ground nutmeg, ground allspice, a splash of orange juice, and maple syrup. You’ll also need a ripened, mashed banana and coconut flour. To make, mash and combine everything in a bowl. Use a spoon to form two-inch balls and set them on a lined baking sheet. Freeze or refrigerate until solid (about forty minutes). Transfer to an air-tight container and keep frozen for up to three months.
- No-Bake Lemon Cheesecake Bars: Coconut butter is made from ground coconut and lends a creamy, smooth texture that’s perfect for these no-bake lemon bars. Make a crust by combining melted coconut oil with crumbled coconut flour. Press into a small baking pan to cool. Next, combine coconut butter with lemon juice, a splash of coconut milk, grated lemon zest, vanilla extract, honey, and a pinch of turmeric. Spoon your lemon mixture onto your crust and refrigerate for half an hour until set. Cut into squares and enjoy.
- Cinnamon Apple Bake: Make this recipe with a sour apple variety like Granny Smith for the best flavor. Warm your oven to 400°F. Wash your apple thoroughly and cut it in half. Remove the core and sprinkle ground cinnamon and nutmeg on top. Combine coconut flour and oil to make a crumble, and coat your apples generously. Bake for about twenty minutes or until the apple is soft enough for a fork to pierce through easily. Enjoy this dessert while it’s still warm.
- Poached Spiced Pears: Boil peeled pears in spiced water until soft (about twenty minutes); add cinnamon sticks, vanilla extract, star anise, cloves, nutmeg, and honey. Add a few slices of fresh orange for a subtle citrus taste. Once cooked, serve your poached pear with coconut whip or crumbled pistachio (nuts are usually excluded from AIP, but if you can tolerate them-you should enjoy them because they contain healthy fats and fiber!)
- Frozen Chocolate Banana: Many people break the AIP diet into two phases: the elimination phase and the reintroduction phase. In the latter portion, many people can have dark chocolate, but if you’re unsure, you can ask your dietitian if it’s appropriate for you. To make this dish, melt dark chocolate (at least 75% cocoa) and drizzle it over a banana. Place the bananas in the freezer overnight or until the chocolate has set. You can enjoy the fruit whole or slice it into medallions for easy-to-eat bite-sized pieces.
- Carob Date Bars: Carob can substitute many chocolate-based ingredients, and it’s a great addition to this gooey recipe. Mix coconut flour, dates, melted coconut oil, and carob powder to make these carob date bars. Line a shallow baking pan with parchment paper and spoon the bar mixture into the pan. Press it down so it’s an even layer. Set in the fridge to cool for one hour and cut into squares when ready to eat.
- Ginger Cookies: Experiment with different flours to make these cookies: we recommend using cassava and tiger nut flour for this recipe. Add molasses, cinnamon, maple syrup, coconut oil, gelatin powder (to replace eggs), water, and ground ginger. Roll two tablespoons of cookie into a ball and place on a lined cookie sheet. Cook them in a hot oven at 400°F for about 13 minutes. You’ll know they’re ready when the edges are brown. Set aside to cool on a cooling rack and enjoy fresh.
- Pineapple Mango Popsicles: Blend mangoes and popsicles in a blender. Add fresh herbs like mint or basil for additional flavor. Pour into a popsicle mold and freeze to set overnight.
- Stuffed Peaches: Make a stuffing by mixing cinnamon, coconut butter, and carob powder. Once combined, set aside and start working on your peaches. They need to be halved, and the pit should be removed. When your fruits are ready, spoon your filling into the fruit. Brush your stuffed fruit with lemon juice and honey and put it in your oven to broil on high for seven minutes. Enjoy the dessert while it’s still warm.
- Pumpkin Parfait: This recipe has layers and will be easier to assemble if you prepare your recipe components the night before. Start by mixing unsweetened pumpkin purée with ground cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, and arrow-starch root. Stir until well combined, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate. Repeat this step with coconut milk so you have two plastic-wrapped dishes in the fridge when you’re done (one with pumpkin and one with coconut). The next day, layer your ingredients into a shallow glass vessel (like a dessert coupe). Repeat two to three times until your dish is filled to the top. Garnish with fresh mint and enjoy!
More AIP Dessert Ideas
Here are some more AIP dessert recipe ideas. Note that not everyone with an autoimmune condition will have the same, if any, symptoms related to specific ingredients on this list.
- This AIP dessert recipe is gut-friendly and grain-free, using coconut flour to help support digestion and offer a mild sweetness while curbing inflammation.
- Antioxidant-rich blueberries combat inflammation and are naturally sweet.
- We love the use of anti-inflammatory spices like cinnamon wherever possible.
- Sweet potatoes in brownies? You bet! Sweet potatoes are naturally sweet, nutrient-dense, and provide a creaminess that can’t be beaten in this AIP dessert recipe.
- These yummy bites are basically AIP gingersnap cookies. Reap the anti-inflammatory benefits from turmeric and ginger, blended with other AIP ingredients like maple or coconut sugar, cassava flour, and gelatin.
- Enjoy the pumpkin spice obsession all year long with this AIP dessert recipe!
- Panna cotta is traditionally a cold Italian custard, which has been made AIP-friendly with this recipe.
- Just because you’re on the AIP diet doesn’t disqualify you from ice cream.
- This AIP dessert recipe incorporates antioxidant-rich cherries combined with nutrient-packed chia seeds for AIP-compliant nourishment and delight.
- This simple no-bake easy AIP dessert recipe is just what your heart desires.
- Who doesn’t love the combination of apple and cinnamon? This is a comforting dessert featuring gut-friendly apples and promoting AIP wellness.
- This AIP dessert recipe only uses four ingredients: pears, water, rosemary, and honey.
- This AIP dessert uses eggs, so be aware of this if you’re in the beginning stages of AIP.
- This recipe combines coconut flour, date or maple syrup, coconut oil, and lemon to create grain-free, dairy-free, and AIP-friendly muffins.
- If the name of this recipe already has your mouth watering, you’re in for an AIP-friendly treat. Made in a deep dish skillet, it combines AIP ingredients like coconut flour, maple syrup, and carob chips.
- These are fun berry-rich cookies that are easy to make and can stand in for traditional dessert cookies or even be enjoyed for breakfast.
- Smoothies fit any time of day, whether it’s in the morning, afternoon, or as a dessert.
- You read that right: gummies! This AIP dessert leans on gelatin, ginger, honey, lemon juice, and water.
- Ingredients for this delicious AIP dessert recipe include things like tiger nut flour, coconut flour, cinnamon, gelatin, maple syrup, and applesauce.
- These might just be a new go-to AIP copycat of your favorite coffeehouse version.
- Mug cakes are so satisfying in that they’re super easy to make and just enough to fill your tummy. Even when adhering to an AIP diet, you can intertwine health-conscious choices with indulgence without triggering unwanted symptoms.
Paleo Dessert Recipes
Next-level paleo dessert recipes to satisfy any craving! All use accessible, paleo-friendly ingredients and are free of dairy, gluten, grains, and refined sugar. Some are eggless, vegan, and nut-free too. Whether you're in need of a quick treat or a show-stopping dessert to impress guests, you won't feel deprived with this collection of delicious, paleo-friendly sweets!
The Secret to Great Paleo Desserts
The secret to great desserts suitable to a paleo diet? Harnessing the power of grain-free flours, unrefined sweeteners, and dairy substitutes. Here's a short list of grain-free flours to stock in your pantry.
Read also: Understanding the AIP Diet
Paleo Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe
Paleo dessert recipes to satisfy every craving, including these paleo chocolate chip cookies.
Ingredients:
- Cashew butter
- Maple syrup
- Coconut sugar
- Coconut oil
- Vanilla
- Cassava flour
- Tiger nut flour
- Baking soda
- Sea salt
- Chocolate chunks
Instructions:
- Position a rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat to 375ºF. Line a rimless cookie sheet with parchment paper for easy cleanup.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the cashew butter, maple syrup, coconut sugar, coconut oil, and vanilla until smooth and emulsified.
- Place a strainer over the bowl and sift in the cassava and tiger nut flours with the baking soda and sea salt. Stir to combine, then stir in the chocolate chunks.
- Scoop 2-inch diameter balls of dough (3 tablespoons or a #24 spring-loaded ice cream scoop) onto the prepared cookie sheet, spaced 2-3 inches apart. Top each cookie with a chunk or two of chocolate and a pinch of flaky salt.
- Bake the cookies in the top rack of the oven until golden and puffed, with the edges beginning to set and the centers soft, 8-12 minutes. Rotate the baking sheet at 8 minutes for even baking.
- Remove the cookies from the oven and slide them, parchment and all, onto a cooling rack. Let them cool as long as you can stand it.
Doman Diet Approved Desserts
Many of our parents know our Doman International Initial Nutrition Program is called an Elimination Diet. The changes we make are to help, not hinder, growth and development while doing the complete program (physical, cognitive, respiratory, social).
I like to think of the diet as a Replacement Diet. Yes, you need to eliminate certain foods but there is always something those foods can be replaced with. To me, this is a challenge I gladly accept. Every time a parent brings up a food their child loves I make it a goal to find a replacement for it. Remember any elimination takes time. It is a gradual elimination of one food and a gradual introduction of another, to replace it with. Our goal is not to rock your child’s world.
No-Bake Vegan Strawberry Shortcake Bars Recipe
No-Bake Vegan Strawberry Shortcake Bars are incredibly creamy from the cashew base and taste just like strawberry shortcake! No baking necessary to make these gluten-free, dairy-free, and sugar-free vegan bars.
Ingredients:
The Crust
- ¾ cup raw cashews
- ¼ cup almond flour
- 4 pitted dates
- 2 tablespoons coconut oil
The Cheesecake
- 2 cups raw cashews, soaked in cold filtered water for at least four hours or preferably overnight
- ½ cup canned organic coconut milk, shaken
- ¼ cup coconut oil, melted and cooled, use refined coconut oil if you want no coconut flavor
- ¼ cup melted nut butter of choice
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon organic (no alcohol) vanilla extract
- 2 cups strawberries, halved
Instructions:
- Line an 8×8” pan with parchment paper and grease well with coconut oil. Set aside.
- Add the cashews, almond flour, pitted dates, coconut oil, and salt to a food processor or high-powered blender and pulverize until it comes together into a sort of sticky dough, with small bits remaining. Don’t over-process, or it’ll turn into nut butter!
- Press the date dough evenly along the bottom of the prepared pan.
- In the same food processor or high-powered blender (no need to wash between) combine all of the filling ingredients except the strawberries and blend for about 2 minutes, or until the mixture is silky smooth and creamy. Scrape down the sides as necessary. You may need to add a bit more coconut milk or lemon juice to get it to blend smoothly if your blender isn’t super high-powered.
- Once it’s smooth, taste the mixture and adjust the flavor if desired.
- Pour the filling into the prepared pan over the crust. Smooth out the top and tap the pan hard against the counter a few times to release any air bubbles.
- Press the strawberry halves into the bars. Place in the freezer to firm up for at least 3 hours before cutting and eating.
FWDfuel Elimination Diet Desserts
Vegan? Paleo? Mediterranean? Egg free? Dairy free? Gluten free? Peanut free? Not a problem. Here at FWDfuel, we believe when there is a will, there is a way. We also believe that if dessert is your thing, so be it. In fact, we spent weeks creating lower sugar, more nutrient dense versions of your favorite dessert classics.
Creamy Coconut Milk and Frozen Fruit Dessert Recipe
This dessert recipe is so easy and basic that it does not even deserve a formal recipe template!
Ingredients:
- 1/2 can of full-fat canned coconut milk
- 1 cup of your favorite frozen fruit
Instructions:
- Blend 1/2 can of full-fat canned coconut milk and 1 cup of your favorite frozen fruit in a blender until creamy.
- Option to add cinnamon, or shredded coconut flakes for a little flavor and texture boost.
Banana Bread Bites Recipe
Check out these delicious and easy to make banana bread bites. Perfect for a pre-workout snack or more of a health-conscious dessert after dinner. These also work well if you are on the go and need a quick source of protein post-workout.
Instructions:
- Once ingredients are blended evenly and a dough like texture has formed.
- Fold in chocolate chips or caco nibs if you choose.
- Scoop with spoon and roll into balls.
- Roll in cacao powder or topping of choice for a more elegant appearance and enhanced flavor profile.
- Refrigerate until ready to serve.
Chickpea Brownies Recipe
This dessert is vegan and free of the top 8 allergens. The base of this classic elimination diet dessert is actually chickpeas but shhh, no one has to know.
Instructions:
- Whip out that food processor and combine chickpeas, dates, vanilla, salt, and coconut oil.
- Add chocolate to food processor and pulse if you prefer smaller pieces more scattered throughout the batter. Otherwise, fold in chocolate chunks by hand.
- Pour batter evenly into baking dish. Optional to sprinkle a few pinches of sea salt on top.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes or until the edges are a darker brown. Be sure to insert a toothpick in the center to ensure it comes out clean.
Baked Apples Recipe
This delicious dessert is perfect for just about every human on the planet, no matter what food sensitivities you might have or what diet you might be following. Sunflower seed butter is great for nut allergies and fits on most eimination plans.
Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 350.
- In a small bowl, mix the nut/seed butter, maple, and cinnamon.
- Fill the bottom of each apple with the oats. Try to spread evenly.
- Take a heaping spoonful of filling and pour into the center of each apple.
- Cover with foil and bake for 40-45 minutes then broil for 1-2 minutes for a crispy apple top.
- Serve immediately.
Chewy Chip Cookies Recipe
Whether you’re into chocolate chips, toasted coconut flakes, raw cacao nibs, dried fruit, chia, flaxseed or all of the above, this cookie recipe is a winner across the board. Substitutions for key ingredients are also included.
Instructions:
- Add in flour and continue to stir until dough is formed.
- Fold in chips of your preference.
Dessert Cake Recipe
This recipe takes the most effort. However, it is delicious and totally worth it!
Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 325F and grease a square baking dish or large loaf pan. A 6×8 baking dish works well. Set aside.
- In a separate bowl, mix coconut oil, applesauce, vinegar, and vanilla.
- Add wet mixture into the dry and mix, pouring in milk as you are mixing until a dough has formed.
- Spread the batter into your prepared cake tin evenly with a spatula. Set aside.
Dessert Truffles Recipe
These rich little treats work wonders when you are in a hurry and need a quick bite of energy that won’t make you feel sluggish. The major bonus? They are so easy to make and just about any human can tolerate these truffles. Even those following the strictest of elimination diets can typically consume these without an issue.
Instructions:
- Blend all ingredients in a food processor until smooth, scraping the sides with a spatula when needed.
- Roll balls in dusting of your choice until completely covered.
The Role of a Dietitian
Although the AIP diet is restrictive, working with an autoimmune dietitian can help you develop a nutrition plan that is nutritionally balanced and delicious. You may not know what to expect if you’ve never worked with a dietitian. Here are examples of topics you can review during your appointment:
- What should I drink to reduce inflammation?
- What anti-inflammatory groceries should I buy?
- What foods support autoimmune health?
tags: #elimination #diet #dessert #recipes