Elimination Diet Phase 2: Days 3-14
Chicken Fried Cauliflower Rice- during our final days of the elimination phase
A couple weeks ago, my husband Mark and I decided to begin an elimination diet. I wrote about phase 1 (detox phase) here. The point of phase 2 "elimination phase" is to completely eliminate the most common foods known to cause the most irritation to the gut and the rest of the body. Hopefully, various symptoms will disappear during that phase. Upon reintroduction, symptoms may return and that is the way to find out exactly which foods are irritating your body.
Most people who perform an elimination diet report back with improved energy, improved bowel movements, reduced pain, clear skin, etc. I can help guide through this process if you're interested in improving your quality of life. Contact one of my offices to schedule today!
My experience:
Just to be clear, we already ate a pretty irritant-free diet beforehand. I had already identified certain foods that I don't tolerate well. So, as expected, I didn't see a huge difference in how I felt. Part of me was a little disappointed because I was hoping there was something I missed and would use the elimination diet to catch it. As we begin phase 3 (reintroduction) I will definitely watch for new symptoms.
One of the more challenging experiences during the elimination phase was the limitations when trying to eat out. Generally, it's fairly simple to eat out if you're only eliminating gluten, dairy, or soy. However, eliminating nightshades and citrus made it much more challenging. One night, we wanted to go to the movies but couldn't have our usual "movie snacks" so we stopped by Whole Foods to grab something quick. We thought of two potential snacks that we could have: kale chips and seaweed snacks. We couldn't find a kale chip without cashew or curry and a seaweed snack without sesame (cashew, curry and sesame are eliminated as well).
So instead, we decided to have a date night at home. I know you don't have to have snacks to go to a movie, but we just wanted some food to help us enjoy our movie. We stopped by PCC, our local Co-op and bought some lamb chops, purple carrots and chanterelle mushrooms (my favorite!). I cooked up a wonderful meal in less than 15 minutes and we watched a movie at home.
What could have been an opportunity for cutting our elimination phase short and giving in to the temptation of wanting our movie snacks, we turned into a fun-night-in where we could enjoy each other's company and eat delicious food without worry of "contamination".
