The next group I tried was Dairy! I started with low lactose dairy products such as parmesan, swiss, cheddar cheese and greek yogurt. I then moved to high lactose items, such as heavy cream and milk. Low lactose items seemed to be okay and high lactose items irritated my throat and stomach. Luckily there are now a ton of awesome substitutes such as almond based yogurt or coconut milk ice cream, etc. I still plan to have some delicious goat cheese or queso in small doses because there is no way I could give up QUESO!
The next group I tried was Meat and Fish! Now I had already been eating turkey and salmon, but at this stage I tried chicken, steak, shrimp, pork, eggs and BACON! I was definitely missing bacon. Previously I had tested that I was allergic to chicken, but I honestly did not feel any symptoms from the chicken when I tested it. I did however get some stomach cramps after eating steak and had a slight reaction to eggs. I learned that red meat is the hardest thing for your body to digest and can take up to two days to fully breakdown in your system. For this reason, red meat should be eaten sparingly. I will still have a nice steak on occasion but won’t go out of my way to eat it regularly.
The nest group I tried was Starch! I tried wheat, rye, and corn. Whole corn, like you eat on the cob, is considered a vegetable. The corn kernel itself (where popcorn comes from) is considered a “whole” grain. To complicate things a little more, many grains including popcorn are considered to be a fruit. Very confusing, but for my purposes I added it to the starch category. Corn gave me a little gunk in my throat, wheat was a little worse and rye was similar to soy…absolutely awful.
Next up was Fats! This includes butter, margarine and hydrogenated oils. After doing some research I learned that some say the best oil to use for cooking and for cold food is Extra Virgin Olive Oil. It is very important that the oil is Extra Virgin because if it isn’t and it is used for cooking the beneficial compounds in oil start to degrade, and potentially health-harming compounds form. I used olive oil during the duration of the diet and it was great! Ps: My body had NO issues with butter.
The next group was Beverages! This includes green tea, black tea, coffee and alcohol! Yum! I went ahead and permanently switched to decaffeinated black and green tea in our house to help avoid a caffeine addiction. A glass of coffee in the morning was fine and bourbon at night was also fine. Wine on the other hand did give me some issues which was DEVASTATING! My girls and I were worried about wine once I realized my body didn’t love grapes. I will likely still have some in moderation, but I am fine with sticking to Bourbon. I am a Kentucky girl after all.
The next group was spices and condiments. This group did not affect me at all because I am a plain jane. I never have been a fan of sauces, other than chocolate and caramel. I did see another interesting label post I want to share. This is a picture of a Heinz Ketchup label in the US vs in the UK, notice the difference?
The last group was SUGAR AND SWEETS! This group I DEFINITELY over did. I would absolutely warn you that if you can make it 45+ days without sugar, ease your way back in. I started out the day with French toast with powdered sugar and maple syrup for breakfast, Mexican for lunch/dinner, and ice cream with a cookie and a brownie for dessert… oh and whipped cream. I was so jacked up, I felt like the kids from Step Brothers, all jacked up on mountain dew. I was jittery and absolutely wired. My hands were physically shaking, and I could not sleep. It. Was. Awful.
Kristen’s Intolerance Scale
- Gunky throat – feeling the need to clear your throat or tongue tingling
- Gunky throat (more serious) + headache
- Gunky throat + headache + stomach cramps
- Gunky throat + headache + stomach cramps + diarrhea
- Gunky throat + headache + stomach cramps + diarrhea + vomiting
Elimination Diet Discoveries:
- Celery – 1
- Lemon – 1
- Peppers – 1
- Acai – 2
- Avocado – 2
- Corn – 2
- Eggs – 2
- Grapes – 2
- Peanuts – 2
- Beef – 2
- Wheat – 2
- Apple – 3
- Milk – 3
- Peas – 3
- Sugar – 3
- Rye – 4
- Soy – 4
September 9th, 2020 – 181lbs – Issues Resolved: Trouble falling asleep, trouble staying asleep, lack of energy, heartburn, headaches, constant need to clear my throat, and facial acne. I still have some bumps on my arms but am going to try some all natural lotions / soaps / shampoos and see if that helps.
I learned SO MUCH about my body and what makes it happy and healthy and what does not. Post diet I have been avoiding foods that irritate my system and have continued to eat healthy and am trying to learn more and more about natural and sustainable foods and products. I am so extremely happy that I finally dedicated the time to this project and can’t believe I waited so long. I encourage you to give it a shot and I promise you will be surprised by how much your body, energy and skin thank you. More on natural products in my next post.
Feel free to reach out with any questions! I would love to help you through this process.
Thanks again for taking the time to read what I have to say. I am really loving this outlet of expression and hope you are liking it too! Feel free to share this blog to encourage more people and subscribe to see my monthly updates.
