Week Two - Elimination Diet Phase 2
You made it through week one! Yahoo! If you're feeling great, you can stay right where your at or we're going to take it a step further.
This week: we're going paleo. Focus on real, whole foods. Still gluten/dairy/soy/sugar free but we will also be avoiding grains, beans, legumes, and processed foods.
Why??
What to avoid:
-all grains
-all beans/legumes
-sources of hidden gluten [herbal blends, imitation seafood, meat/sausages, sauces/dressings, soups]
-dairy [milk, yogurt, cheese from an animal]
-all soy [tofu, soy milk, tempeh, miso]
-sugar [ALL but whole food sweeteners: raw honey, coconut sugar, pure maple syrup] **be sure to read labels - sugar hides in yogurts, ketchup, dressings, a lot of pre-packaged food!
-alcohol [often high in sugar and taxing on the body, avoid for the first two weeks at least to give your system a rest!]
What to eat:
-all vegetables
-all fruit
-nuts & seeds
-organic/grass-fed/cage free animal proteins [chicken, turkey, fish, lamb, eggs, bison, pork, beef] **check out the "Start up guide" for more information on vegetarian sources
-healthy fats [avocado, extra virgin olive oil, coconut oil, ghee, sesame oil, nuts, seeds]
As a reminder, you will want to focus on eating fat/fiber/protein at every meal and snack. This will keep you satisfied and fueled throughout the day. You will also need to be mindful of your carbohydrate intake - by removing all grains, you may feel a decrease in energy throughout the day. Be sure to eat carbohydrate dense fruits and veggies to keep your energy up! Here is a great chart with dense carbohydrate choices.
By cutting out these foods for two weeks you are allowing your digestive tract to heal. Sometimes we don't realize just how good we can feel! After clearing out the major triggers, you can choose to test for food intolerances if you wish. Starting with the ONE food/food category you are most curious about (i.e. beans, grains, dairy, etc), add this in and track any and all symptoms that arise. Pay attention to digestive, skin, mood, energy, cognitive, and performance changes. These symptoms can sometimes arise immediately after consumption but can also take 2 days (or longer!) to arise. After three days, if you have no negative side effects or want to test another food, you may test another.