First things first, an elimination diet is not about losing weight. Y'all...the older I get, the more I realize that my body has a happy point, weight-wise. I also have a happy point, and that is a life WITH cookies, not without them. This is not about "bad foods" vs. "good foods." I hesitated to share this little experiment. It makes me feel vulnerable and a bit anxious, but well, talking about food is what we do here, so let's do it.
The idea of the elimination is to pare down your diet to remove inflammatory foods for two weeks, then work different categories of food back in, one at a time, to see if your body reacts. For example, the first food group I added in was citrus, the second was nightshades (tomatoes, potatoes, chile pepper, etc.). You can change the order of categories you're reintroducing. I added in sugar and chocolate before sesame. I guess that's what they call "being on brand?"
I used the book The Elimination Diet as a guide through the process. It is super helpful and has some great recipes that'll keep you from two weeks of eating nothing but spinach and chicken breasts. Several recipes are now in our regular rotation. Now, the book does call for a 2-day juice/smoothie "detoxification" kickstart. I skipped that. I don't have a juicer...and mama needs some real food. Ha.
I've always had "tummy issues." Nothing serious...nothing debilitating. For the most part, I feel good. My mom lived with ulcerative colitis her entire adult life. Thankfully, that is not an issue for me because when she had a flare-up, it was not fun for her, to put it mildly. But, over the years, I noticed that after eating certain foods, I'd want to change into my PJs, curl up on the couch, and do nothing but watch 7 hours of The Office.
A few things happened during the pandemic.
- I developed an eye/eyelid issue that took FOREVER to clear up.
- My skin started itching. (I thought maybe it was too much hand sanitizer.)
- One day, I ate a big bowl of cherries for lunch and ended up with one of the worst stomach aches in recent memory.
Interesting; thanks for sharing! Nightshades tend to give me trouble — I’ve eliminated mushrooms and can only eat bell peppers in salsa (store-bought, not fresh). Tomatoes and peanuts used to give me stomach issues, but not any more.
ReplyDeleteOh, I'll have to test store-bought vs. fresh. I only seem to have an issue with some nightshades...maybe that's part of it. Thanks! ♥
DeleteSo interesting! I am glad you shared about this. I need to check out that book for those recipes.
ReplyDeleteI checked it out from the library, but I'm definitely going to buy it!
DeleteI think your post is very interesting. I did this type of diet years ago and found that corn can cause bloating in me. So I still eat it but not very often. Also I am allergic to most nuts,& sunflower seeds. Dairy tends to give me trouble so I eat it very sparingly. Its a lactose intolerance sort of thing. I wonder about night shade. I seem to do ok with things like speghetti sauce, but raw tomatoes can be a problem.
ReplyDeleteI'm right there with you on the lactose. It seems ok if it's in smaller amounts and after I've eaten something else. Ice cream after dinner is ok, but a milky latte first thing in the morning is a no-go.
DeleteI have no idea..My husband has collagenous colitis..and certain foods do affect him..
ReplyDeleteI did develop a terrible itch last December that is getting better thanks to an antibiotic..Clindamycin..NEVER again.Never.I broke out in hives Christmas eve..and honestly just now ..is the itch stating to get beter.Good for you for doing this.What discipline!
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDelete