The Elimination Diet

Morning smoothie

Fish, wild rice, shallots

Parsnip fries with thyme, rosemary, salt, & pepper

Effective Monday morning, 8:00 pst, I began an elimination diet. My typical breakfast (a soy chai latte and a bowl of plain instant oatmeal) was replaced with a hearty green smoothie (made with avocado, kale, chard, cherries, blueberries, and ginger).

I have been thinking about doing this diet for a while but couldn't seem to muster up the motivation, and probably, the belief in myself that I could do it. It is NOT for amateurs! LOL. In a recent post, I mentioned that I had removed dairy, soy, and peanuts from my diet to see if these foods have anything to do with my Fibromyalgia pain. I kind of got the idea from Sarah. It turns out little Anna has food sensitivities/allergies that created chronic pain in her body, just like the pain I had at her age--and still do. I also saw a new doctor and he suggested eliminating gluten because of stomach pain that I have been having for the past two months. My blood work came back mostly OK and the Celiac test was negative, so he diagnosed with me IBS (he literally told me it was just because he didn't know what was wrong and that is a nice umbrella diagnosis for these types of things--much like Fibro. Ugh.) Often testing negative for Celiac happens even if there is an intolerance or sensitivity, so he said a gluten-free diet was worth a shot.

I figured if I was going to stay off peanuts, dairy, and soy, and also eliminate gluten, I might as well buckle down and do a complete elimination diet. I had read about them online and when I researched them further, I kind of felt overwhelmed. I called up Sarah for advice and Ally for a pep talk. Sunday I chose a particular diet, outlined by The Whole Life Nutrition Kitchen, tweaked it a little because I am breastfeeding,* and made my grocery list and meal plans. I promised Dan that I would make my snacks and smoothies and avoid depending on him too much AND try my best not to be a crazy moody crabby lady.

I am allowed ONLY the following foods:

-brown rice/wild rice
-quinoa
-amaranth
-teff
-pears
-peaches, nectarines
-plums, apricots
-berries (except strawberries)
-cherries
-grapes
-figs (dried and fresh)
-mango
-kale, collard greens
-lettuce, spinach
-dandelion greens
-bok choy, cabbage
-parsley, cilantro
-sprouts (all types)
-brussels sprouts
-broccoli, cauliflower
-beets, carrots, parsnips
-winter squash (all types)
-yams and sweet potatoes
-avocados
-onions, garlic, and ginger
-sunflower and pumpkin seeds
-sunflower and pumpkin seed butters
-pine nuts
-mung beans, adzuki beans, lentils
-wakame seaweed, kombu seaweed
-nori seaweed, dulse flakes
-fresh herbs
-coconut milk
-coconut oil and olive oil
-kudzu, arrowroot (be sure its GF)
-guar gum (in small amounts)
-agave nectar and maple syrup
*-non-processed meats

I am NOT allowed:


-gluten grains and their flours
-gluten-free grains and flours
-potatoes, tomatoes, peppers
-oats
-yeast
-dairy
-eggs
-chocolate
-soy products
-corn
-mushrooms
-pineapple, papaya
-citrus fruits
-kiwi fruit, bananas, apples
-strawberries
-all tree nuts and peanuts
-all beans (except for mung, lentil, adzuki)
-sesame seeds
-refined sugar
-alcohol
-caffeine

After 14 days I will access how practical it would be to keep going an additional 7-14 days (WLNK recommends 28 days). After that, I will do phases of reintroducing foods such as soy, night shade vegetables, grains, and dairy. Dan is placing his bets on wheat. I have to admit that I kind of don't expect any foods to affect my chronic pain (even with Anna's success!) but I will be able to know definitively and not always wonder....

Anyway, it is the end of day three and I am really curious how this is going to turn out. I hope to have updates maybe every other day to keep track of what I eat, how I feel, and what this experience is like. I can tell you one thing: My savior so far has been Food Should Taste Good's sweet potato chips! ;)