The popular form of detoxing your body in recent years has been juice cleansing. However, have you ever stopped to wonder if juice cleansing could truthfully not be all that good for you? These juices are packed with sugar and the results of the cleanse are short-lived as people generally return to there old eating habits quickly following the end of the cleanse. There is no one-size-fits-all when it comes to food and how it affects our bodies. Everyone’s body, and how it reacts to food, is different. The only protocol to follow is to eliminate all foods that irritate your gut personally in order to actually allow it time to heal and reduce inflammation.

The elimination diet gives you the opportunity to eliminate inflammation-inducing foods and then slowly introduce them back into your diet one by one to see how you react to them with a clean slate. This has helped people uncover hidden food intolerances, overcome chronic fatigue, heal their gut, and improve digestive and skin problems. It has been proven.

This form of dieting is quite broad in a sense. It’s simple to say “eliminate all bad foods”, but where do you start and what does that constitute? Here are the amazing reasons to jump on board the elimination train, including what you will be eating and why it is so good for you.

1. It’s the number one way to uncover your food intolerances.

Quite frankly, there is no better way to find out what your body cannot tolerate. The elimination diet starts off with cutting out harsh foods and eating delicious foods that are also the least likely to irritate your immune system and trigger inflammation. This includes foods such as fish, meat, certain vegetables, and fruits, etc. (including going natural with the way you season these foods, just because you are eating natural foods does not mean you can dump ranch dressing on them). From here your body will have a “clean slate” in a sense due to the fact that this gives the body a chance to calm down and start to heal.

After eight weeks of clean eating, you reintroduce those potentially inflammatory foods one by one to see which foods your body has no problem handling and which ones you have a food intolerance to. Traditional dieting calls for cutting out all foods that are labeled unhealthy. This form of cleansing allows you to see which “unhealthy” foods actually affect you negatively and which ones you can indulge in every once in awhile if you chose to.

2. It restores your energy naturally.

Coffee and other forms of energy boosters offer short-lived energy that leaves you feeling even more sluggish at times. The elimination diet focuses on the world’s most nutrient-dense and healing foods for every meal. Food is medicine, eat it right and you will find yourself feeling naturally more energized. That’s how our bodies work. This process allows you to use food to heal your body from years and years of wear and tear.

Once your body is fully nourished with good food medicine, inflammation levels come down. This positively affects all parts of your body. That’s why many people overcome fatigue and brain fog and regain a passion for life with an elimination diet.

3. The food is not only filling, but it’s also delicious.

Sadly, many people believe that eating healthy involves tasteless meals that leave them feeling constantly hungry and unfulfilled by their meals. This may be true for some food plans (there are a ton out there and most of them are wrong), but not with the elimination diet.

Hearty, filling, and fulfilling foods such as grass-fed steak, sweet potato fries in coconut oil, and a coconut milk smoothie with greens and berries will satisfy the biggest of appetites. It is important to remember that you follow the “rules” of the elimination diet strictly in order to feel these effects. If you change the quality of the meat or opt for processed sweet potato fries, you will most likely not feel as satisfied due to a lack of nutrients. Stick to the plan and you will see a whole new world.

Not all foods taste good to everyone. People are picky, it’s normal. The meals we eat should be enjoyable and that is totally possible on a healthy diet such as the elimination diet. Some foods we will have to tolerate because we know they are good for our health, but overall, it is 100%, totally and completely possible to enjoy eating healthy to the fullest.

4. Easy prep for all meals.

Food prep does not have to be daunting. A common worry people have about eating healthy is that it’ll be too difficult to cook the meals, so they eat out because it’s easier.

Truthfully, there is no need to get fancy with your food prep just because it’s healthy. Also, you don’t have to spend hours seasoning and decorating in order to make healthy food taste good. Eating well is actually pretty simple.

5. It’s NOT about dieting.

It is important to recognize that “elimination” and “diet” in this case does not in any way mean restricting foods to lose weight instead of a rational, healthy way of eating. The word “diet” is not synonymous with “dieting”. Do not starve yourself. The elimination diet is not about dieting. It’s a food plan, and you eat until you are full and happy.

Losing weight through cutting meals out or not eating until you are full actually will do the opposite of what you are most likely looking for. Your body holds on to all the fat it can get when it goes into starvation mode, even if you are sure that you are not starving yourself.

Your body will tell you what it wants, so listen to it. If you are chewing slowly on filling, nutrient-dense foods, your brain will tell you when it’s full. It’s as simple as that.

6. It’s will heal your gut for a longer time than a juice cleanse would.

Just because you feel fine does not mean that you can’t feel better and it doesn’t mean that you are not inflamed. Whether you have digestive problems or not, your gut can also influence your hormones, brain, and immune system.

By finding out your food intolerances, avoiding inflammatory foods, and eating lots of nutritious meals, your gut can finally start healing.

7. It is your chance to customize a food plan that works for your body.

After the elimination phase of this food plan, you begin to reintroduce the foods that you cut out, one by one. You will be surprised how quickly you understand what feeling good actually feels like. You will uncover your intolerances and discover which foods work best for your body.

As mentioned before, everyone’s bodies are seriously different and react differently to different foods. We are DIFFERENT. Watch out for “diets” that claim to be the holy grail that will solve all of your weight loss problems. Instead, find that out for yourself. The elimination diet serves as a sustainable, rational way of eating—instead of just another fad diet. Do what’s best for YOU.