Should you try the newest trend, the 'Elimination Diet'?

LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- The saying goes "You are what you eat," and now the latest diet craze is taking that to heart. Some people are cutting entire food groups out of their diets. Does that help you or hurt you?

"I ate a lot of processed food, I ate a lot of fast food, and I had just gotten so tired," said elimination dieter Jessica Lee Anderson. "I wasn't feeling very well."

So after doing online research, Anderson went on an elimination diet, cutting out wheat, eggs, nuts and processed foods.

"Eliminating certain things in the diet had helped other individuals, so I figured 'What the heck, let's give it a chance,'" said Anderson.

Dietitian Marjorie Nolan Cohn says the idea is that cutting out certain foods can cut down on certain symptoms, from digestion issues to skin irritations, while improving immune system health and increasing energy levels.

"For someone who has a medical condition that warrants eliminating certain foods or food groups, the quality of life just improves dramatically," said Cohn.

But gastroenterologist Linda Lee believes many people mistakenly go on these diets who don't actually need to do so.

"The problem is that people think that often it's an allergic reaction that's triggering these symptoms when actually there's no allergy at all," said gastroenterologist Linda Lee. "Sometimes diet is not the cause of symptoms. You might end up eliminating a lot of foods and not feeling any better. If you eliminate too fiercely, then you can run into nutritional problems."

And cutting out certain food groups without professional help could leave you at risk for other health problems.

"Someone who goes gluten-free could actually increase their risk of diarrhea on a regular basis," said Cohn. "People who go on a carb-free diet are actually increasing their risk for constipation. And a dairy-free diet is also going to contribute to potentially setting yourself up to have low bone density or osteoporosis later in life."

Instead of elimination -- no surprise -- moderation is recommended.

"If you have specific symptoms that you want to address, I would really encourage you to discuss it with your doctor first before you decide that you're going to embark on an elimination diet," said Lee.