Diet & Nutrition
Food Trials
Food trials are used to determine what specific foods trigger a patient’s symptoms, with the goal of adding back non-triggering foods into the diet. In general, food trials consist of eating the trial food in a specified amount and frequency over a period of time. The serving size, frequency of consumption and length of the trial vary by the patient age and the trial food. To determine whether a trialed food is tolerated, disease activity is assessed at the end of the trial period by endoscopy and presenting symptoms.
Six-Food Elimination Diet
A six-food elimination diet involves avoiding all foods that contain the six most commonly implicated dietary antigens in the United States, i.e. milk, soy, wheat, eggs, fish (and shellfish) and peanuts (and tree nuts), regardless of allergy testing results.
Elemental Diet
An elemental diet is achieved via the use of nutritionally complete, amino acid-containing formulas. These formulas are referred to as “elemental formulas” because the protein in the formula is in the form of amino acids rather than whole, intact protein. Amino acids are the basic building blocks of protein, and the body breaks down proteins into amino acids during the process of digestion. Allergic reactions can develop against intact or partially broken down protein, but not against amino acids.
Elemental formulas, when taken in the prescribed amount, can provide all of the calories, vitamins and minerals that a person needs. There is a range of elemental formulas offered by Abbot Nutrition, Nutricia, Nestle, and Mead Johnson Nutrition.
Content by Cincinnati Childrens Hospital, https://www.cincinnatichildrens.org/service/c/eosinophilic-disorders/treatment/nutrition