Elimination Diet - Improving Consciousness of Healthy Food

Elimination diet

"Did you ever stop to taste a carrot? Not just eat it, but taste it? You can't taste the beauty and energy of the earth in a Twinkie."

“The food you eat can be either the safest and most powerful form of medicine or the slowest form of poison.” - Ann Wigmore
 
Have you felt a lack of energy? Suffered from Allergies? Asthma? Nausea? Headaches? Ever thought the food you eat and the liquids you drink have a major impact on your health? Well, they do!
 
I always made excuses as to not begin consuming a healthier diet. Especially while traveling, one makes up excuses that it is impossible to be vegetarian, vegan, gluten free, etc. The truth is, anything is possible. So give it a try, one day at a time, one meal at a time. If a traveler that moves locations multiple times a week can do it, you can do it in your home.
 
I learned this diet from another traveler, Pip from Australia. So thanks Pip for being the inspiration behind this blog and diet.
 
What it an elimination diet?
An elimination diet will eliminate certain foods and liquids from a diet for two to four weeks. After this elimination period is the testing period. The testing period is a time when you try certain foods that you eliminated to see how your body reacts and feels. For instance, you stop eating chicken for three weeks, then one day have a big serving of chicken. That day you eat chicken, and the following two days, you observe how your body reacts as you return to the elimination diet. You may not feel any difference, you may feel gassy, nauseated, foggy headed, have diarrhea, etc. Then you will know if your body reacts well to chicken. After two days, you try the next food you want to test. If you have no negative symptoms, you can add this food into your normal diet.
 
What did I eliminate?
I eliminated all meats, lactose, gluten, sugars, alcohol, nuts, flavor enhancers and caffeine. What I could eat for three weeks: fresh fruits, fresh veggies, rice, beans, herbal tea, water. So I ate real food, alive food. Nothing processed. The more you eliminate, the more you can test. You may try only eliminating gluten from your diet if you are suspicious gluten effects you.
 
What did I experience?
Cravings! Especially for bread and cookies the first couple weeks. The first two weeks are the most difficult as your body craves certain foods that are not good for you, and you are not used to the diet. A few days my body seemed to go through withdrawals and I felt tired.
After a couple weeks, I began craving only the healthy food I was eating. I felt alive, energetic and healthy. My cravings for fast food and processed food decreased dramatically.
After three weeks into the diet, I began testing foods, one at a time. First I tested peanuts, almonds and other nuts as I craved them and they provide energy. Then I tested certain foods like egg, cheese, beef, yogurt, etc. I followed the diet for about three months and preferred the original diet I began.
 
What I learned?
I learned that yes, you will have cravings, but they pass. Just like everything in life-emotions, people, situations, etc. they all come and go, always changing. At times I would have an intense craving for bread, especially if others were consuming it around me. But with patience, this craving passed and I felt normal again.
I continue the vegetarian lifestyle and I am very conscious of what I feed myself. Everything in proportion. My intake of lactose and gluten is under more control and I limit the amount I eat. It is a treat when I eat these foods.
If you are traveling, yes it is difficult, but it is possible. You are also separated from your normal routine, so it may be easier as everything in new when traveling. It is probably easier if you are settled in one place and you can store foods.
 
Here is a link to a great website describing in detail the diet.
http://global.oup.com/us/companion.websites/9780195371109/pdf/00_Mullin_Appendix_3.pdf