Foods can often be the trigger for chronic conditions
So it’s begun. The Elimination Diet. But I must admit, I’ve gone for the simple approach this time. Less foods to cut out, which makes it easier to keep a balanced approach the whole family can enjoy.
You see the elimination diet is based on a set of charts, with foods listed as having low, medium, high or very high levels of natural chemicals. The higher the levels, the more likely you are to react (or the less you need before you do). So by cutting out just the foods that are very high in chemicals, Sofia can have a balanced diet while still avoiding likely triggers for her eczema and maybe even asthma.
The foods we are avoiding for the simple elimination diet include sauces (tomato, mustard, soy etc.) and stocks unless they’re homemade. No more nori (seaweed) on our sushi for a while. Tahini is out, and we’re limiting (but not completely cutting out) most nuts and seeds, except cashews. There are plenty of fruits to eat, but not dates, citrus, berries, kiwifruit, or any dried fruit. Veggies are mostly good too, but we need to steer clear of olives, soft & mashable avocado, herbs & spices, mushrooms, capsicum, spinach and onion. Some other things to remember, that we don’t really have much anyway, are processed meat (like bacon and ham), canned tuna, prawns and anchovies, yeast extracts (like vegemite) and really unpleasant things like chicken salt and artificial colours. So, as I said, it’s a simple approach that doesn’t require too many changes or disruptions to family meals.
Now, I should probably do some meal planning… some family favourites and some new things to try too (recipes and pics to come):
chicken with maple syrup and salt… mmm
chicken legs with fried rice, in which I hide plenty of carrot, boy choy, cabbage, peas and corn (all allowed on the simple elimination diet)
- meatballs packed full of veg (blitzed in the food processor or grated) and served with GF pasta, grated cheese and salad (cucumber, lettuce and carrot)
- try beef with zucchini, pumpkin, gluten free breadcrumbs and egg
- turkey, quinoa, leek, bok choy and egg
- lamb, goat’s fetta, parsley, mint, quinoa and egg
- chicken mince, sweet potato, grated apple, grated carrot, parsley, egg
home-made hummus
homemade hommus using chickpeas, olive oil (not extra virgin), splash of ACV and pinch salt, and no tahini, and served with carrot, celery and cucumber sticks and buckwheat crackers
- brown rice balls packed with carrot, spring onion, beans and rolled in sesame seeds and fried
- fish cakes with canned salmon (crushed bones for calcium) and cooked/cooled sweet potato and potato, leek, garlic, maybe ginger and a little sheep’s yoghurt
- falafels using chickpeas, leek, garlic, parsley and gluten free breadcrumbs (and an adult version with cumin and coriander)
stir fried veg with eggs makes an easy dinner
make a bubble’n’squeak or omelette with leftover and fresh veggies and eggs
- healthy fish fingers using white flesh fish, brown rice flour, egg and glutenfree bread crumbs and oven baked
- leftover roast lamb or chicken can be fried up in a cow’s dairy-free white sauce with blitzed up cauliflower
- risotto with homemade stock, parsley, peas and spring onion, served with grilled chicken
- savoury cheese and vegetable muffins make a great lunch or anytime snack
- if you’re making your own sauce or gravy using homemade stock, try cooking some cabbage into it and then whizzing it up for some extra hidden veg.
Healthy savoury muffins
stock can be made easily using leftover bones, such as from a roast chicken, lamb shanks or a whole fish, covered by cold water and brought to the boil with some bay leaves and peppercorns and a splash of apple cider vinegar, then left to simmer for around 3-12 hours, then add carrot, celery, leek and garlic for a further 30 minutes, strain and allow to cool before freezing in 2 cup lots (for risotto) or ice cube trays for small morsels of extra flavour and nutrients in any dish.
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