How ClearToEat Works — Cross-Reference 5 Elimination Diets in One Search
How ClearToEat Works — Cross-Reference 5 Elimination Diets in One Search
Quick answer: ClearToEat is a mobile app that lets you search any food and instantly see a combined safety rating — safe, caution, or avoid — across up to 5 elimination diets at once. No spreadsheets, no switching between apps, no guesswork.
Who this is for
- You follow more than one elimination diet at the same time (e.g. low FODMAP + low histamine)
- You spend too long checking whether a single food is safe across all your restrictions
- You're a GI dietitian looking for a tool to recommend to patients managing overlapping diets
Who this isn't for
- You follow only one diet with no overlaps — a single-diet app will serve you fine
- You're looking for meal plans or recipes — ClearToEat focuses on individual food safety checks
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What diets does ClearToEat cover?
ClearToEat cross-references five major elimination diets:
| Diet | What it restricts | Common condition |
|------|-------------------|-----------------|
| Low FODMAP | Fermentable carbohydrates | IBS, SIBO |
| Low histamine | Histamine-rich or histamine-releasing foods | Histamine intolerance, MCAS |
| SCD (Specific Carbohydrate Diet) | Complex carbohydrates, certain sugars | IBD, Crohn's, ulcerative colitis |
| Gluten-free | Gluten-containing grains | Coeliac disease, NCGS |
| Lactose-free | Lactose-containing dairy | Lactose intolerance |
You select only the diets that apply to you. ClearToEat then filters every food search through your specific combination.
What problem does it solve?
When you follow multiple elimination diets, checking whether a single food is safe means:
1. Opening one app or PDF for low FODMAP
2. Checking a separate list for histamine
3. Cross-referencing an SCD guide
4. Mentally combining the results
This process takes minutes per food, is exhausting, and leads to mistakes. A food might be low FODMAP but high histamine — and you won't catch that unless you check both sources.
ClearToEat does all of this in one search. You type a food, and it shows you the combined rating across every diet you've selected, instantly.
How a search works — step by step
1. Select your diets — choose which elimination diets you follow from the settings screen
2. Search a food — type any food name into the search bar
3. See the combined rating — each food gets a colour-coded rating:
- 🟢 Safe across all your selected diets
- 🟡 Caution — safe on some diets, limited portions on others
- 🔴 Avoid — restricted on one or more of your selected diets
4. Tap for detail — see the breakdown per diet, including portion guidance where relevant
What ClearToEat does not do
- No meal planning — it checks individual foods, not recipes
- No medical advice — ratings are based on published diet protocols, not personalised medical guidance
- No calorie tracking — this isn't a nutrition app
- No account required — no sign-up, no data collection, no ads
Key features
- 778 foods in the database, covering fruits, vegetables, grains, dairy, proteins, nuts, seeds, and more
- Portion-specific guidance — some foods are safe in small amounts but not large (especially on low FODMAP)
- Works completely offline — no internet needed after download
- No ads, no data collection, no accounts — your dietary information stays on your device
- Built by a patient — created by someone with hEDS and severe GI issues who needed this tool and couldn't find it
How is ClearToEat different from other diet apps?
Most elimination diet apps focus on a single diet. Monash covers FODMAP. SIGHI covers histamine. There's no app that cross-references them.
| Feature | Single-diet apps | ClearToEat |
|---------|-----------------|------------|
| Covers one diet | ✅ | ✅ |
| Cross-references multiple diets | ❌ | ✅ |
| Combined safety rating | ❌ | ✅ |
| Portion guidance | Some | ✅ |
| Works offline | Varies | ✅ |
| No account needed | Varies | ✅ |
If you follow only one diet, a dedicated app is fine. If you follow two or more, ClearToEat saves you from doing the mental cross-referencing yourself.
Where to get ClearToEat
- iOS — Download on the App Store
- Android — Coming soon
- Web — cleartoeat.com
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FAQ
How many diets can I select at once?
Up to all five. Most users select two or three.
Is the food data evidence-based?
Yes. Ratings are based on published protocols including Monash University (FODMAP), SIGHI (histamine), and established SCD, gluten-free, and lactose-free guidelines.
Can I suggest foods to add?
Yes — contact us through the app or website.
Does it cost anything?
ClearToEat is free to download with no in-app purchases, no ads, and no subscriptions.
Who built this?
ClearToEat was built by someone with hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (hEDS) and severe gastrointestinal issues who was frustrated with juggling multiple diet apps and spreadsheets for every meal.
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Next step: Compare overlapping elimination diets to see where the confusion happens — and how ClearToEat helps you navigate it.