When you have gastrointestinal problems, a better phrase might be "you are what you don't eat."
Elimination diets - which cut out certain food groups - are often recommended to individuals who complain of chronic health problems. While anecdotal, most people claim an elimination diet helped them in some way or another. I skeptically chalk their success up to 'forced' healthier eating, rather than an actual food insensitivity, but who is to say?
As a self proclaimed foodie, I am generally NOT a fan of the newly popular restrictive diets like paleo, whole 30, ketogenic....etc. I would also like to claim that there isn't much of a scientific evidence to support them...Yet here I am, about to start on a 4 month long journey through a 4 phase elimination diet.
I suppose there comes a point in any skeptics life, when they will try anything to alleviate what ails them...
I am officially that desperate.
8 years ago I was diagnosed with Gastroparesis. For the past 2 years, I have been in and out of the hospital due to symptoms, and my body is no longer responding to the current medical treatment. My health has been inconsistent, and I can't take it anymore!
This particular elimination diet is one I found on Greatist-- how scientific of me -- that breaks down the typical components of an elimination diet into 4 much more manageable phases. You can find the diet and an explanation of potential benefits here.
The most important thing about trying an elimination diet -- is making sure you are meeting your nutritional requirements. For me that means roughly 1200-1500 calories per day, that breaks down into the following ratio:
Carbohydrates -- 45-65%
Protein -- 10-35%
Fat -- 20-35%
I will be posting my weekly menu and meal prep, and any recipes or products I am using during this journey. While I am hoping that we may identify trigger foods, I also hope that I see no changes so I can go on eating whatever I want...
You can also follow me on Pinterest to see other good resources and recipes!
