How Elimination Diets Work

This Stuff You Should Know episode explores elimination diets, explaining how they work as a medical tool to identify food allergies, intolerances, and sensitivities. Josh and Chuck break down the science of how your body reacts differently to problem foods—from full immune responses in allergies to digestive issues with intolerances—and walk through the four-phase process of doing an elimination diet safely, from planning through reintroduction. They also dive into the real dangers, including how elimination diets can accidentally trigger orthorexia, an obsessive relationship with "clean eating" that can spiral into a full eating disorder, while cautioning that going DIY without professional guidance can lead to serious nutritional deficiencies.