THE ELIMINATION DIET/STAGE 2: REINTRODUCTION PHASE
Wait until you have been free of symptoms for two or three days, but don’t wait any longer than this. Begin by testing foods that are probably not the cause of any trouble – things you do not eat every day. Choose items that you like – if the foods pass the test, then you can incorporate them into your menus, which will allow you to eat less of the exclusion-phase foods. Throughout the reintroduction phase it is vital that you keep your diet varied and do not eat too much of any one food. In particular, do not eat any one food every day. Continue to record everything you eat, and your symptoms – if something goes wrong, this record will prove invaluable.
Only test one food at a time. Eat a normal-sized portion of the food in question, for lunch and supper. Notice any changes that occur at the time, or later in the evening, or the following day. Most symptoms will show up within this timespan, although bowel symptoms may take longer – they can occur anywhere between four and 48 hours after the food is eaten.
If there is no reaction by the following day, eat two portions of the food again. Should you get no reaction this time then repeat for a third day. If there is still no reaction, then the food can be considered safe, but avoid it again for four days (to offset any possible effect of eating it for three days in succession) before beginning to eat it once more.
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