ELIMINATION DIET I HATE YOU

Have you ever had to go on the elimination diet? You are very lucky if you never have to. BUT if you have constant stomach pain, you should probably consider trying out this diet. It seems to have helped me at least a LITTLE bit so far :). 3 weeks of very specific eating... Then you slowly add things in and assess for pains and symptoms of discomfort. Anyway, it is an incredibly difficult diet, so I thought I would share some recipes you can do and some tips of food to eat for a bit of variety in your diet... :)
Foods you CAN eat:

• chicken, turkey, lamb, and cold water fishes 
• rice, soy, and nut milks 
• all legumes (beans, lentils) 
• all vegetables except corn and tomatoes
• all fresh or juiced fruits except strawberries and citrus fruits
• rice, buckwheat, millet, quinoa
• breads/pastas/cereals: rice, quinoa, amaranth, buckwheat, teff, millet, soy 
• clear, vegetable-based soups
• drinks: fresh or unsweetened fruit/vegetable juices, herbal teas, filtered/spring water
• fats/oils: cold/expeller pressed, unrefined light-shielded canola, flax, olive refined oils, salad dressings, pumpkin, sesame, and walnut oils
• nuts/seeds: almonds, cashews, pecans, flax, pumpkin, sesame, sunflower seeds,
• sweeteners: brown rice syrup, fruit sweeteners 

Foods you CAN'T eat:

• red meat, processed meats, eggs and egg substitutes
• dairy: milk, cheese, ice cream, yogurt
• creamed or processed vegetables
• strawberries and citrus fruits
• starches: gluten, potato, corn products
• breads/pasta/cereal: wheat, spelt, kamut, rye, barley
• canned or creamed soups
• margarine, shortening, butter, and spreads
• peanuts, pistachios, peanut butter
• brown sugar, honey, fructose, molasses, corn syrup

So basically buy a lot of vegetables, fruit, and rice. Things we've added to our diet to make up for some gaps in variety and deliciousness:

• almond butter
• coconut milk
• sweet potatoes
• V8 fusion
• rice flour pasta
• oats
• nuts: almonds, cashews, pecans
• rice crackers
• rice cakes
• avacados
• quinoa (it's actually quite delectable)
• lots and lots of salad - buy several different oil-based dressings

Anyway, for most of our meals we have simply adapted recipes that we already have. Some recipes haven't even needed to be adapted, just the toppings have been left out. Anyway, here are some recipes that we've been able to do and the changes invoked. :) Good luck!

1. White Chicken Chili - Just don't add the cheese at the end.
2. Curried Squash Soup -Leave out the butter. Don't add sour cream as a topping-just the cilantro is enough!
3. Dilly Veggie Pasta Salad - Use pasta made with rice flour and leave out the tomatoes and cheese. Add other vegetables such as cucumbers for more variety. Add apple cider vinegar instead of lemon juice in the dressing. :)
4. Sweet Potato Fries - no changes!
5. Roasted Veggies - Just leave off the Parm.
6. Breakfast Shake - Coconut milk, oats, almond butter, 2 ice cubes, coconut flakes, half a frozen banana
7. Oatmeal - use coconut milk instead of dairy milk. Add dried cranberries.
8. Beans and Rice - Leave out meat. Leave tomatoes out of salad.
9. Italian Wedding Soup - Use chicken instead of meatballs and rice instead of pasta.
10. Hawaiian Haystacks - Leave out tomatoes, chow mein noodles, and cheese as toppings. Add other vegetables if desired. Leave out flour and milk in gravy. Add some almond milk to make it more of a sauce.

Things I miss the most: DAIRY, WHEAT, sugar, potatoes, and tomatoes... Man. Those alone make up most of the foods I ate pre-elimination diet. Seriously. Every time we try to find something I can eat these are the main food products that make it impossible. AHHHHHH. Only one more week. Then I can start adding things back in... And stop dreaming of ice cream and cheese every night...