What Not to Eat – Elimination Diet Part 2

This is the second part of our three part guest blog series on the Elimination Diet.  By now you may have tried out some of the suggestions in Part I, or are ready to jump right in and start!  Make sure you have a food diary handy, as this will be essential to tracking symptoms during the Elimination Diet.

For TWO WEEKS, you will make some replacements in your current diet as follows.  All items should be organic, or as many items as you can.

Food Group

INCLUDE these foods:

EXCLUDE these foods:

Fruits Fresh and frozen fruit, fresh fruit juices. All citrus fruits (includes grapefruit, oranges, limes, lemons), any sweetened fruit drinks, dried fruits, and canned fruits.
Starch Non-gluten grains: brown rice, millet, quinoa, amaranth, teff and buckwheat. Wheat, corn, oats, barley, spelt, kamut, rye, and gluten-containing products.
Meats All fresh fish (halibut, salmon, cod, sole, trout), wild game, chicken, turkey (free-range, organic). Beef, pork, cold cuts, sausage, canned meats/fish, eggs, and shellfish.
Legumes All dried beans and legumes (except for soy). Soy and soy products.
Nuts and Seeds Almonds, cashews, walnuts, sesame (tahini), sunflower, pumpkin, and nut butters made from these seeds. Peanuts, pistachios, and peanut butter.
Dairy Products Milk substitutes such as rice coconut, or nut milk – unsweetened. Soy milk, cow’s milk, goat’s milk, cheese, butter, cottage cheese, yogurt, ice cream and frozen yogurt.
Vegetables Raw, steamed, sautéed, juiced or baked vegetables. Mushrooms, corn, and all nightshades (tomatoes, eggplant, bell peppers and potatoes (except sweet potatoes and yams), canned vegetables or creamed casseroles.
Fats Olive oil, flax seed oil, safflower, sunflower, sesame, walnut, pumpkin, almond (all cold-pressed and unrefined). Margarine, butter, shortening, processed oils, spreads, mayonnaise, salad dressings (except home made with allowed oils).
Beverages 8 cups filtered water per day, herbal tea. Soda pop, alcoholic beverages, coffee, tea, all caffeinated beverages (green or black tea, energy drinks, etc).
Spices Cinnamon, cumin, dill, garlic, ginger, oregano, parsley, rosemary, tarragon, thyme and turmeric. Cayenne pepper, paprika, curry powder containing cayenne pepper.
Sweeteners Fruit sweeteners, molasses, limited honey, stevia, coconut sugar. White or brown refined sugar, maple syrup, corn syrup and high fructose corn syrup, evaporated cane juice, succanat, artificial sweeteners, brown rice syrup.

 

Note: Some people notice that in the first week, especially in the first few days, their symptoms will become worse before they start to improve.  If your symptoms become severe or increase for more than a few days, consult your health practitioner.

Your practice with reading labels will come in handy here!  The best bet here is to consume foods that are not pre-packaged, but that are organic and fresh and contain only one or two ingredients.  That is a failsafe way of knowing that you aren’t ingesting anything that could cause a reaction.

 Some helpful hints:

  • This is not a calorie-restricted diet.  Use snacks as needed for hunger or cravings.  This program provides all the nutrition that you will need while your body cleanses and heals itself.
  • If you are vegetarian, eliminate the meats and fish and consume more vegetables, beans and rice, and gluten-free grains.
  •  If you are consuming coffee or other caffeine containing beverages on a regular basis, please SLOWLY reduce your caffeine intake.  This will prevent caffeine withdrawal headaches.
  • Here is an Elimination Diet Shopping List, which gives a good idea of foods to incorporate.
  • By all means, if you suspect you are sensitive to a food that is on the list of foods to include, remove it!  Nuts, for example, can be a highly sensitive food in some people.

ID-10048046

 Elimination Diet-Friendly Recipes

  • Elimination Diet Recipes for Phase 1
  • The Elimination and Detoxification Diet – It’s about Feeling Good!
  • Go To Green Smoothie*
  • Creamy Cauliflower Soup
  • Roasted Butternut Lentil Soup (omit lemon juice)
  • https://www.simplyscrumptioussf.com/2012/01/day-1-of-21-start-of-elimination-diet.html
  • Big Salad with a variety of veggies, almonds, avocado, and chickpeas with an olive or flax oil and apple cider vinaigrette and garlic
  • Brown rice or quinoa bowl with your choice of fish, chicken or turkey, steamed veggies such as bok choy, broccoli, cauliflower, celery, carrots, etc.
  • Roasted yams with cumin, turmeric, ginger and sea salt; yams are also very kid-friendly and can be made into fries with a pinch of sea salt
  • Bean or gluten-free pasta salad with red onion, celery, artichokes, and kale or lettuce (and more veggies of your choice)
  • Quinoa with cinnamon, tiny bit of sweetener, molasses, nuts and your choice of fruit and coconut milk or milk substitute
  • Apple and nut butter makes a great snack, as do chopped veggies and hummus.  Using cookie cutters to cut fruits and vegetables into neat shapes help to make food more interesting.
  • Have your kids help prepare dinners, meals or food items to get them involved and in the kitchen.

*smoothies are a great way to incorporate extra veggies like kale or spinach into your diet, and are very easy to digest in their blended form!  They are also perfect for kids, and can be labeled as something exciting (ie – green could be “swamp juice” or “Shrek potion”)!

Good luck!  Please feel free to share your own go-to recipes and tips, as well as update us on your progress.

Any questions, comments or experiences?  We want to support you during the Elimination Diet, and help you feel confident while undertaking it.  Ask a question by leaving a comment below.

ashley eliminationBio: Ashley’s interest and passion in holistic health developed from a personal experience with chronic and widespread eczema for nearly a decade. After investigating through holistic health practices, she was keen to learn more about the inner workings of the body and their connection to nutrition, supplementation, and the mind/body/ spirit connection. During this journey she decided to obtain her Registered Holistic Nutritionist designation from the Canadian School of Natural Nutrition in Vancouver. She complements her love for nutrition with an interest in cooking and gardening.

 

 

2 thoughts on “What Not to Eat – Elimination Diet Part 2

  1. Pingback: Step By Step Guide to the Elimination Diet « In Your Own Skin | Vancouver Holistic Nutritionist

  2. Inna says:

    Very helpful post, thank you! Can you please post a link where I can find more recipies for phase 1. Also that would be great to learn more about phase 2 and 3 ☺

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *