Is An Elimination Diet Right For Me?

Around Christmas time – about the 3rd week of December – I developed a red itchy blotchy face. Certain foods, and certain foods in combination, were causing my face to flare up. This seemed to start out of nowhere. That being said. I was confused by the sudden, what appeared to be, onset allergy!

For those who follow my facebook feed and blog you see my lifestyle and food choices are pretty darn healthy.

I grow most of my food
Eat local and organic as much as possible
And eat minimal meat
I do however eat dairy and gluten/wheat
Am a sucker for chocolate
And love a good glass of red wine or pint of beer

I consider myself healthier than most….so I was surprised!? I headed to the doctor with my concerns. And after talking things over, he recommended I go on an elimination diet. The main goal of undergoing an elimination diet is to get to the root cause of what is causing your body to flare up in an inflammatory response.

When I got home. I sat back and was honest with myself about my current diet. Really honest. I had let a few of my old habits creep back in. Christmas and Thanksgiving season can be on us Right? Namely, I was eating WAY too much cheese. And a lot more bread/pasta than I can really tolerate. I was also drinking more beer than I knew my body could handle. For me this really is 2. Honestly, one is really all I can handle any more before my belly bloats out. So I looked myself in the mirror. Looked at my face.

And said….YOU ate your way into this problem and YOU can change it by eating your way out it.

What Is An Elimination Diet?

In an elimination diet you remove any and all foods which could possibly be causing an inflammatory response / allergy / intolerance. An elimination diet is something I had done before. The first time for 6 weeks with a nutritionist in Denver. The 2nd time, with a program out of Boulder called The Conscious Cleanse. Being familiar with idea, I was up for the challenge to get to the cause of unhappy tummy and face issue!

Some examples of physical body issues which can be traced back to an inflammatory symptoms YOU may be having include the following. If you find that you resonate with this list, you may want to consider this diet as an option to heal you gut and your body:

Bloating
Belching
Constant constipation or diarrhea
Rosacea
Acne / breakouts
Itchy skin
Constantly feeling tired
Foggy mind/brain fog/ADHD
Leaky gut, IBS, Colitis or Crohn’s
Overall body aches
Inability to sleep through the night
Lack of libido
Unexplainable aggression: snappiness and agitation
General tiredness or lack of energy
Weight gain

You do not have to be officially “allergic” to a food, to develop an intolerance. Too much of anything over time can result in inflammation or an adverse reaction. I myself am a sucker for good cheese and a pint of beer. Too much stuffs me right up. Literally. I am also finding the more and more energy work I do, the less I am able to tolerate low vibration foods that hold no nutritional value. I will share more on that as we go.

This diet is a great short term choice to clear out toxins naturally. It is also a great way to naturally shift your long term eating choices. Moving you away from a dependency and craving of processed foods, dairy, meat and heavy carbs to nutrient dense plant based nutrition. Once all inflammatory foods are removed, your body should begin to heal and you can watch the magic to observe your symptoms clear / heal themselves.

Once you build an awareness of which foods you are sensitive to – you can add them back in, in moderation. And follow this type of program as a lifestyle moving forward for a cleaner and brighter body. 30 days is nothing to make a change to your overall wellbeing. Join me – your body will thank you!

What Foods Are Avoided / Removed On This Diet? What Can I Eat?

The core foods which are avoided and those you will want to include are listed below:

Foods to Avoid:

Gluten
Dairy
Soy
Sugar
All forms of Alcohol
Refined white sugar
Corn
Caffeine
All Processed Foods
Vegetables part of the Nightshade family
Citrus fruits

Foods you CAN have include:

Veggies
Fruits
Lean proteins and fish
Healthy fats
A big list of spices
Most all Nuts and seeds
Nut and Coconut milk
Whole non-wheat grains
Teas & kombuchas
Fermented foods ( if you like those! )
Basically…a big list 😉

IN what proportions:

40% Organic Vegetables ( Or MORE if you prefer – I am more on the 70% side )
30% Protein
10% Whole food carbohydrates / fruit
20% Healthy Fats

Later today I will share a Complete List of which foods to keep on and off your plate, including those brands I typically buy and eat. Elimination diets do not have to be difficult or challenging.

I will follow up your food lists with:

My go to resources I look to for education, recipes and inspiration
Which supplements I weave in and why
And exciting recipes from me and others I use on the daily
Starting your own garden to support your plant based life
One of my 2018 goals is to be more public with what is working for me health wise
…to open and honestly share that!
….And to work towards completing a cookbook! ( Exciting I know! 🙂 )
I am super passionate about all things organic, gardening and plant based nutrition so I will be actively sharing that moving forward