I've lived with chronic congestion my whole life. My throat and nose are seldom clear, my ears swollen, sensitive and blocked daily, affecting my hearing... and worst of all, from time to time I am overwhelmed with pressure headaches that cause me to see white light.
I've never dealt with my allergies, always assumed they were a weakness I was born to live with. Silly, really. I have recently been advised that these allergies could surely be food intolerance related and I'm eager now to challenge myself to an elimination diet to see what might be causing the problem.
30 Day Elimination challenge: No gluten, no wheat, no dairy, no sugar, no coffee and no processed foods.
Meal Suggestions
Breakfast - Smoothies. Add in a protein like nut butters, nuts (soaked overnight) or protein supplements like rice protein, spirulina or chlorella. Gluten-free oats, quinoa or eggs.
Lunch - Stir-fry served over rice and/or lentils. Soup from scratch. Leftovers. Salads with protein such as meat, nuts or grains.
Dinner - Meat with rice and vegetables. One pot meals: curries, chilis and soups. Large salad can serve as a meal if protein is included.
Snacks - Rice crackers with nut butters or hummus (preferably homemade), popcorn with ghee or olive oil instead of butter, nuts or trail mix, fruit.
Drinks - Water, water, water and green tea is OK too.
Good Foods
Any type of wild game is acceptable. Deep-water ocean fish such as orange roughy, halibut, tuna, and wild salmon are allowed. Choices can include lamb, crab, lobster, oysters, deer, rabbit, duck, goose, clams, pheasant, frog legs, quail, scallops, and Cornish game hen.
You can eat nuts, including filberts (hazel nuts), almonds, or pecans. Use fresh cracked or nuts still in the shell, not roasted, or otherwise treated. (Peanuts are not nuts despite their name. They are actually legumes. Avoid peanuts.)
You may use safflower oil, sunflower oil, flaxseed oil, sesame oil and extra virgin olive oil. Use only cold pressed oils with no additives, purchased from a natural food source.
You may eat sweet potatoes, yams, cabbage, carrots, squash (many varieties), asparagus, cauliflower, avocados, celery, garlic, okra, radishes, greens (beet, mustard, spinach, collards, etc.), cucumbers, eggplant, Brussels sprouts, kale, avocado, broccoli, parsnips, green peppers (not hot pepper or peppery spices), rutabaga, leek, and turnips.
Because wheat, corn, rice, rye, oats, barley, buckwheat, millet, and other grains are common causes of allergy, and because all grains belong to related food families, avoid grains while on this diet. This means you must avoid all breads and other foods made with any kind of flour. Although buckwheat, amaranth, milo and quinoa do not belong to the grain family, many grain sensitive people react to those grain substitutes and they should also be avoided.
You may eat fresh or fresh frozen fruits (not fruits dried in sugar or packed in sugar or syrup), including bananas, grapes, peaches, pears, pineapple, kiwi, papaya, mangos, melons (watermelon, cantaloupe, honeydew, Crenshaw), cherries, apricots, pomegranates, mangos, coconuts, plums, persimmons, blackberries, blueberries, strawberries, cranberries, raspberries, or loganberries. Eat only small servings of fruit, as fruits contain lots of natural sugar. Fruit canned in its own juice without sugar or additives are allowed. Avoid fruit juice except in small amounts.
For condiments, you may use honey in very small amounts as a sweetener. Sea salt is allowed. The allowed oils can be used for cooking and on salads. Chopped nuts (of allowed types), ginger, garlic, cilantro, almond butter, and sesame butter are allowed.
Foods to Avoid
Avoid milk, cheese, yogurt, egg, all grains, corn, wheat, rye, oats, barley, rice, sugar, oranges, grapefruit, legumes, beans, peas, peanuts, beef, chicken, pork, apple, white potato, food colorings, chemical additives, emulsifiers, yeast, preservatives, chocolate, cola, processed and packaged foods, coffee, tea, and alcoholic beverages. Avoid chemical exposures. Read all labels carefully. Do not breathe tobacco smoke, exhaust fumes, solvent fumes, chemical fumes, or perfumes.
Milk and milk-containing foods: Avoid milk and dairy products entirely, including cheese, butter, ice cream, margarine, yogurt, cream soups, breads, crackers, cookies, cakes, candies, luncheon meats, and other manufactured or processed foods. Casein and lactalbumin are other names for milk protein. Read all labels carefully.
Egg-containing foods: Avoid eggs or any foods containing egg, including custards, cakes, cookies, ice cream, pies, macaroni, salad dressings, noodles, pancake mixes, and all other manufactured or processed foods.
Grain-containing foods: Avoid wheat, corn, rye, barley, rice, and all grains and foods containing grains. This includes all commercial breads, cookies, crackers, cereals, batters, luncheon meats, pancake mixes, candies and a wide variety of other packaged and processed foods.
Citrus: Avoid orange, grapefruit, and foods containing those citrus fruits.
Sugar-containing foods: Avoid cane sugar, beet sugar, corn sugar, fructose, glucose, and brown sugar—including candies, cakes, sugar-coated cereals, ice cream, carbonated beverages, and the wide spectrum of processed and packaged foods which contain sugar. Sugar is hidden in dozens of foods including catsup, pickles, relishe, and salad dressings. Avoid artificially sweetened food or drinks that contain NutraSweet®, Equal® or aspartame.
Legumes: Avoid peanuts, beans and peas of all kinds, including string beans, lima beans, soy beans, baked beans, green peas, field peas, black-eyed peas, and vegetable gums. Soy bean protein ("textured protein") is hidden in a variety of manufactured foods. Read labels carefully.
Meats: Avoid all forms of beef, pork and chicken, including luncheon meats, hot dogs, bacon, sausage and hamburger. Avoid all cold cuts. Avoid tenderized, spiced, processed or otherwise treated meat products of any kind. Most shrimp now sold in the USA is farmed in Asia and raised on human waste, antibiotics, etc.)
Fruits & Vegetables: Avoid white potatoes (even if the outside skin is red), French fried potatoes, potato chips and any food containing potato. Avoid tomato, corn, and rice. Avoid fresh, frozen or dried apples, oranges, and foods containing apple or citrus flavoring (which is often an artificial chemical). Avoid any other fruit or vegetable that was regularly eaten more often than once each week in the past.
Yeast-containing foods: Avoid breads, wine, vinegar, mushrooms, and dried fruits. Use only vitamins that are formulated to be yeast-free and hypoallergenic, without chemical additives or preservatives.
Coffee, tea & alcohol: Avoid all coffee and tea products (including instant and caffeine free). Also avoid herbal teas and all alcoholic beverages. Drink pure water, it’s good for you.
ALLOWED FOODS AND MEAL SUGGESTIONS
The following are only a few suggestions, to be used as a starting point. Be creative and vary the allowed foods, while avoiding foods that are not allowed. Read over this whole document very closely and then use all of the information to create your own menus.
Food Suggestions For Breakfast: Sweet potato slices, yams, sliced bananas, strawberries, melon, allowed nuts, fresh pineapple slices (or canned in their own juice), sprinkle bananas with chopped fresh cracked pecans, almonds or other allowed nuts, fresh melon, mineral water, fresh fish baked or broiled, lamb patty, olive oil, shredded coconut, sea salt.
Foods You Might Eat For Lunch: Lamb patty, carrots, any allowed vegetable, pears, banana coated with ground nuts or almond butter, kiwi fruit, grapes, fresh almonds, slices of lamb, fish, sweet potato slices, salad with oil, vegetables and chopped celery, cabbage (raw or steamed), pear, broiled snapper, almonds.
Foods You Might Eat For Supper: Sweet potato, yam, lamb, any allowed meat, avocado, steamed carrots, any allowed vegetable, fresh fruit with shredded coconut, asparagus, almonds, baked fish, broccoli, banana, spinach, baked squash, green peppers, fresh raspberries or strawberries, roast duckling, Brussels sprouts, celery or carrot sticks, Cornish game hen, cauliflower, sea salt, chopped almonds or pecans, baked or broiled fish. Buy imported Australian or New Zealand leg of lamb, slice it into lamb steaks or cubes, and freeze meal-size portions—trimming off the excess fat.
Snacks: Pineapple slices, peaches, grapes, raw vegetables, allowed nuts, celery sticks stuffed with almond or sesame butter, banana coated with crushed nuts, sardines packed in olive oil.
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