What to Eat When You Can't Eat Anything (Garlic, Citrus, Sugar, Dairy and Gluten-FREE)steemCreated with Sketch.

in #recipes7 years ago

My partner and I both healed ourselves by changing our diet. I have complained about intestinal pain since I was child but didn't realize it till young adulthood when my mother said "You always say your stomach hurts". When you live with something forever you forget or don't even know there is a problem. My partner has a family history of colon cancer and polyps. He had struggled with IBS for a few years before it became unmanageable. We both finally got to the point of cutting everything out.

The Elimination Diet:

NO dairy, corn, wheat, soy, tomatoes, peppers (bell-spicy), eggplant, tomatoes, potatoes, eggs, strawberries, oats, barley, citrus (lemon juice, oranges pineapples, citric acid in canned foods), sulfur treated foods (red wine), shellfish, peanuts, cane- sugar, and chocolate.

For 30 days you eliminate all of these foods before re-introducing them one by one. You keep a journal to list any reactions, even if mild, they are showing some kind of allergic response.
Examples for me were- headaches when I used hot sauce, itchy/scratchy throat from tomatoes, intense constipation with even small amounts of diary (not goat cheese) and terrible stomach pains from added sugar. Anytime you have a reaction you're suppose to wait another 30 days before adding another food. Although effective it is not 100% fool proof.

The FODMAP diet:

The elimination diet doesn't cover everything including "FODMAPS". Fodmaps are foods that contain "compounds thought to contribute to the symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome and similar gastrointestinal disorders. The term is used mainly with reference to a diet that is low in these compounds" The top 2 foods recommended to avoid entirely are alliums, garlic and onion. Apples are another culprit along will a surprising list of vegetables you can find in another online search.

Allergy blood test:

An allergy blood test tells you how your specific chemistry reacts to different foods. Mostly relating to the proteins available to your blood type. For more information I recommend the book "Eat Right for Your Type" or a simple search of "blood type diet". Any physician and hospital should be able to provide one, ranging from $100-$250 they are the best way to find out what you're allergic to and how much.

After combing and applying these techniques and information we found our "Big No's" list, the things in which we need to eliminate entirely or always say "No" to. Those were dairy, wheat, corn, and sugar. Although I'm not allergic my partners blood test showed his highest reaction was to garlic, then eggs and citrus. We both had mild reactions to potatoes and tomatoes both nightshades a food group many people are allergic too, those we would allow in rarely.

So what did I eat yesterday?
IMG_20170727_121348.jpg
Chickpea Sweet Pepper Rice

2 cups homemade veggie stock
4 small sweet peppers
1 tablespoon of onion powder or 1 small onion
1 can of chickpeas (about 3/4 cup dried then cooked)
1 cup white rice.
Fresh cilantro
Optional- Spinach preferably or Kale ( was out at the time )

-Bring stock, peppers, onion and chickpeas to a boil. Add rice reduce to a low simmer, covered for 12 minutes. Remove from heat and let sit for 5 minutes. Top with fresh cilantro. This quick meal can also be enjoyed with quinoa just cook it separately and add the chickpea broth on top.

Please comment if you would like to see more recipes or hear about my journey into wellness. I was inspired to post this after both my roommates were told by mainstream doctors to drastically change their diet or suffer the circumstances. It's a long and difficult process learning how to cook and eat all over again. If I can provide any tips or shortcuts on your journey I'll be grateful knowing I helped. FYI I am not vegan, I eat poultry rarely so there will be posts that include that. I'm trying to eliminate alliums whenever possible so there will also be recipes for people on the FODMAPS diet.

Thanks for the support!

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Thanks for sharing. It looks easy to get started.

Hi @thatgrlbeth and thank you for this thoughtful post. I have suffered from IBS for the last ten years or so and took a similar path to yourself by using an elimination diet. I eventually worked out that my problems were caused by eating too much fruit. We are told in the UK to eat at least five fruit and five veg every day to maintain optimal health. As I love fruit I had no problem with that and used to eat a lot of my fruit (apples, oranges, banana, kiwi etc) at work. Sometimes, by the end of the day, I would have the beginnings of a severe stomach cramp that would increase throughout the evening and into the night. It would become so painful that I was totally incapacitated. Anyway, to cut a long story short, I found by not eating the fruit I didn't suffer the symptoms. I have also found that if I blitz the fruit to make a smoothy I can still enjoy my fruit without incurring IBS.

I firmly believe our diets are extremely important for our well-being and although making a lifestyle change can be difficult it is well worth it in the end.

I would welcome more posts on this subject as it is useful to see how others have coped. Thanks for the recipe by the way. Simple but delicious. :-)

Thanks for sharing! I'm glad you finally figured out what was bothering you, a decade is a long time! Perfect example about how diets and even "healthy foods" can upset your body and lead to sickness. Thanks for the comment : )

I feel sorry for your situation! so hard to imagine everyday what you gonna eat there's a lot of food list not to eat , I'm still thankful I was born with a good appetite and no allergy, I can eat anything meat, veges.
that's a good idea you slowly introducing food one by one. I remember I got once allergy reaction long time ago when I ate crabs with veges squash and string bean then I felt Itchy all over my face started from lips to ear redness and the worst was the difficulty of breathing, I run myself to the nearest pharmacy and they gave me medication, after that same thing I slowly introduce again and try to eat often miraculously my body tired of reacting,lol. anyway thank you for your story it makes me recall those memories I had.

Wow! We're not deathly allergic to any of the above, we just get mild to terribly sick feeling. Thing is that your body gets used to it over time but that doesn't mean it's not hurting you. So when you remove it completely and add it back in your body can recognize it again as a poison. Many people who go through an elimination diet become more allergic (have harsher responses), since your body isn't use to coping with the allergen. If you have auto-immune issues it's essentially taking energy and immune-system fighting power to combat these foods every time you eat them. So there are lots of benefits to removing them, one being over-all better health. Thanks for commenting!

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This would be so good for me but at the same time would make me soo sad...
I dont have any luxuries in this life except for food, food is my reward, so eating non delicious (I know this food is yummie I am just exagerating hehe) maybe wouldnt be so nice for me! Hahahaha

It is easier when you're sick or feel unwell, you at least have that to motivate you. But you're right it is hard, dairy has caso-morphines in it and wheat has "opioid peptides", both mimic highly addictive drugs. I will say that if you have any stomach problems (most people do) maybe try to take baby steps. Be nice to your gut so you can continue to enjoy things, I waited to long and now can't have dairy, or larger amounts of sugar without a lot of pain. Don't wish that for anyone<3

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