The Elimination Diet

WOW.  Thank you for the overwhelming support on my new blog yesterday and today!  It is so great to see that already people have been able to learn a little about themselves through my experiences.

In response to several comments/requests, I decided to hold off on the recipes and begin with the ins and outs of an elimination diet.  Admittedly I did not stick to it as long as I should have, but since I made some many discoveries and have been able to successfully avoid flair ups, I feel I can introduce other foods in when I am up to it.

The most important thing about an elimination diet is starting with a calm digestive system.  By this, I mean you need to cut everything out.  The thought process is that if I can "reset" and get my system back to "normal" everything i add will either not hurt or will hurt and I will know for sure.  In my research I have read that it takes one to two weeks to reset.  Listen to your body and do what works for you.  For me it took about 10 days.

First one-two weeks:

• Breakfast: organic plain oatmeal and super ripe/spotted banana
• Lunch: boiled/grilled chicken (no oils or butter), roasted butternut squash (found pre-cut at Trader Joe's), and organic roasted carrots. 
• Dinner: Same as lunch
• Fluids: water (lots of it), and organic peppermint tea (NO honey, sweeteners, or milk)

This was one of the roughest part of the diet.  It gets so boring and redundant to eat the same thing over and over.  And…being a foodie and wino like me, it was hard not to give in to a delicious glass of Pinot Noir or some yummy bite of food.  BUT I lost a lot of water weight, bloating, and the pain went away.  

After my 10 days of "resetting" my body, I began to introduce things back in.  It is insanely important  to do this s  l  o  w  l  y  .  It is tempting to give in and gobble up the yummy things you've been starved of, but those one-two weeks of resetting will be useless if you mess this part up.  As I mentioned in my last post, I used this guide to help me properly reintroduce foods.  

***It is very important to make sure to not add everything in the category at once.  For example, for dairy, I reintroduced yogurt Monday during breakfast (only once), then waited until Wednesday to confirm my findings.  Next, I introduced cheese (only once), then waited until Saturday to introduce something new. 

I've attached my spreadsheet (yes, I love those darn things) that I used to help me track my foods.  Feel free to use mine or make one of your own.  Whatever works for you, do it.  There is absolutely no reason to continue living life in pain.

Download the Elimination Diet Log Here


I hope this blog is helpful to you in some way.  If you have any questions, please feel free to comment or send me message.

**I am not a licensed nutritionist or doctor.  These are simply suggestions from my personal experiences.  Do what is good for you.  Not everything that works for me will work for you.  Consult a doctor for medical conditions.