If you’re among the unlucky 11 percent of people currently living with the symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome, you’ve probably wondered if your diet plays a role in when you feel good and when you don’t. (And even if you don’t think you have IBS, there’s a chance you do — it's estimated that only 30 percent of people with the condition actually see their doctors.)
Luckily, there’s a simple way to go about testing yourself for different food sensitivities, and it doesn’t necessarily require setting foot in a doctor’s office. (Though, as with any medical advice you read on the internet: Please talk to your doctor before doing anything dramatic.)
It’s called an elimination diet, and the premise is simple: Eliminate all but the most benign foods from your diet. That means cutting out all the things that make different people sick, from the most famous culprits — dairy and gluten — to more surprising contenders like onions and mushrooms.
