Triggers

Carrot salad and elimination diets: what to track before you commit

Do elimination diets (or “carrot salad”) actually help gut symptoms?

Sometimes, but many “detox” trends mix multiple changes at once, so you can’t tell what helped. Start with a 7-day baseline (Bristol type + timing + a few likely triggers), then test one variable at a time. Seek care for blood or black stool, severe pain, fever, vomiting, faintness, dehydration, or unexplained weight loss.

Key takeaways

Elimination diets work best when they change one variable at a time.
A 7-day baseline makes your results interpretable.
If symptoms are severe, persistent, or include red flags, get medical advice.

Safety notes

Seek care for blood or black/tarry stool, severe pain, fever, vomiting, faintness, dehydration, or unexplained weight loss.

What to track

Bristol type + timing
Foods removed/added (exact dates)
Fiber and hydration (rough estimate)
Caffeine timing, alcohol, sleep, stress

Try this experiment

Try the fiber +10g week ramp

Go to experiment

How to make an elimination test actually useful

Log a 7-day baseline first (Bristol + timing).
Pick one hypothesis (e.g., lactose, caffeine timing, polyols).
Change one variable for 7 days.
Compare before/after counts, not vibes.

If you want the simplest starting point, begin with timing and fiber consistency before cutting whole categories.

FAQs

How long should I test a change? +

Seven days is a good minimum for a single-variable test if you keep the rest of your routine steady.

Should I cut dairy/gluten immediately? +

Only if you have a clear reason and a plan. Cutting multiple food groups at once can make results hard to interpret.