Did you know that many of us have food allergies or sensitivities to food without even knowing it? Symptoms to food reactions are varied, the most severe resulting in death, but most are subtle, such as gas, an uncomfortable belly or even forgetfulness.
So how do you find out if you have food intolerances and what foods your body dislikes? Well, one way is to go on an elimination diet . This is a super restrictive diet that cuts out all food allergens known to affect some people. This includes:
- Sugar
- Dairy
- Gluten (wheat, rye, barley, spelt, oats)
- Peanuts, pistachios and cashews
- Nightshade veggies (tomatoes, potatoes, eggplant, peppers)
- Soy
- Shellfish & catfish
- Citrus fruits, strawberries, bananas, melons & dried fruits
- Corn
- Genetically modified foods
- Caffeine
- Alcohol
- Certain meats (beef, pork, bacon, deli cuts, hotdogs, sausages, canned, smoked)
The elimination dieter cuts all these potential food culprits out of their diet for 4 – 6 weeks. They will experience detoxification and are encouraged to perform light body cleansing to help their natural detox processes. Elimination dieters will experience a range of detoxing symptoms as their body moves the offending food out of their system.
As you can see, this leaves the person on the elimination diet quite the challenge in preparing tasty meals. A couple of weeks into my elimination diet and I’m finally getting into the game. I was frustrated at first because there are many recipes out there that claim to be elimination diet recipes but in fact contain one to two ingredients that are on the `foods to avoid’ list.
I’ve quickly developed a knack for immediately identifying the offending foods and either coming up with a substitution or moving onto another recipe. Now this elimination diet has become a fun adventure! I’m trying new and interesting foods and spices, and recipes that are easy to make, scrumptious and healthy.
So to help people who are still in the pangs of elimination diet woes, I’m going to publish true elimination diet friendly recipes over the next six weeks. Actually, these recipes are good for anyone who wants to lose a few pounds or eat a clean diet.
My elimination diet dinner last night:
Chickpea dip, rice crackers and veggies (carrot and celery sticks). Really, this dinner was YUMMY!
Chickpea Dip Recipe – taken from the CCNM ’s Brown Rice Cookbook
2 cups chickpeas (cooked – if prepped from dry - drained and rinsed)
¼ cup chopped green onion
2 cloves minced garlic
1 Tbsp each balsamic vinegar & distilled water (substituting for 2 Tbsp of lemon juice)
½ cup olive oil
1 cup chopped parsley
½ tsp dried basil
¼ cup sesame seeds (optional but I put them in and I highly recommend it)
Warning: to all the significant others of elimination dieters out there – what out for the garlicky kisses!
Tell me what you think of this recipe and if you want more!
April 8th, 2008 at 9:43 am
Wow is following a diet like this hard! I am currently on an even more stringent diet - I can’t eat any of those things plus I’ve had to cut out all grains (no potatoes, breads, rice, pasta, etc.), eggs, most fruits, and a lot of spices.
It’s hard getting used to eating veggies, meat, and nuts all day long, and I find that I’ve seen a decrease in energy when at the gym.
Any recipes that you have are greatly appreciated, thanks!!
April 9th, 2008 at 8:59 am
Hey, Tiff. Yes, the elimination diet and the like are very challenging. Here are a few suggestions that might help:
First, usually when they say to cut out all grains, they mean only those that contain gluten. Ask your doc about using brown rice, including brown basmati, quinoa (my new found love), millet, buckwheat, tapioca, teff and amaranth.
Second, to help you with more variety, a little planning will help. Get your list of foods allowed and find recipes (I’ll do my best to help here) or create new ones. Shop for groceries based on your meal planning (don’t forget snacks) and either make your meals ahead of the time for the week or plan a cooking schedule. I’ve found the best time for all this planning is on the weekend. By the way, this meal planning and preparation is a skill, you’ll get more efficient as the weeks progress.
Third, your drop in energy levels is normal. Your body is cleansing and is stressed as it adjusts to the change in diet. I’ve found the process is made easier and faster when I change my lifestyle to help ease the burden on my body.
During my cleansing as well as this elimination diet, I’ve needed to slow things down a bit. For instance, instead of going to the gym, try walking in your ‘hood or doing light exercises like yoga and pilates. Try not to schedule too many extracurricular things for the next few weeks either. Think: a Zen existence.
Your body WILL adjust and you’ll not only get back to your old self but your energy levels will shoot through the roof and you’ll feel a 1000 times better!
April 12th, 2008 at 10:36 am
I love this elimination diet term. It could be seen as a great metaphor for other aspects in your life. Thanks Steph for the inspiring blog post!
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