Eliminate!

It's time to pare it down, people!  Today is the first day of the elimination diet.  We've been pretty strict the last two weeks about sticking to the anti-inflammatory diet, but now IT'S TIME!  The sooner we start this, the sooner it will be over and we will know (I seriously hope!) what H's food allergies really and truly are.  I am predicting: Wheat, Dairy, Soy, Peanuts, and Almonds.  I am hoping that it turns out he is not allergic to dairy.  Oh, how I miss cheese and cream!  I could give up milk easily-even in recipes, but cream and I are having a harder time separating!

For the next 6 weeks or so, here are the do's and don'ts.  They are almost identical to those found in Is My Child's Brain Starving, although we have a few additional restrictions.

NO Foods:

• Dairy 
• milk, cheese, ice cream, cream cheese, etc. 
• Casein, lactose, whey
• Wheat 
• Durham, semolina, whole wheat, white bread, wheat bread, pasta, flour, Kamut
• Gluten 
• all of the above under wheat and also: rye, barley, cross-contaminated oats, gliaden
• Corn  
• I would need the rest of my natural life to list all the possible ways corn is used in food.  Chances are if you don't know what an ingredient is, it's dervied from corn (or wheat or soy). Here are a few that surprised me: baking powder, xanthum gum, millet-related to corn, stevia that has been formulated to be cup-for cup for baking.
• Yeast 
• commercial or natural
• Eggs 
• all parts of the egg, also lactalbumin
• Peanuts
• Tree Nuts
• Although not technically a requirement, we are very suspicious that H. is allergic to almonds and are choosing to avoid tree nuts as a precaution.
• Soy 
• non-fermented soy products-although I have not been able to find a fermented one that doesn't contain wheat yet.
• Chocolate
• Citrus 
• oranges, lemons, limes, grapefruits
• Strawberries
• Sugar 
• all refined sugar (sucrose)
• honey-for now
• molasses
• Our goal here is to consume as little added sweetener as humanely possible
• Oils
• Trans Fats
• Vegetable Oils
• Margarine
• Fried Foods
• Beverages
• Coffee
• Alcohol
• Sugary drinks including juices
• Water is the preferred beverage
• Food additives
• colors, flavors, preservatives
• including: nitrates, BHA, BHT, aspartame, MSG

YES Foods:

• Grains
• Rice: preferrably brown
• Amaranth
• Quionoa
• Oats
• Teff
• Buckwheat
• Vegetables
• All are OK.  No restrictions!
• Protein
• Meat
• all types OK, except those that have been processed including cold cuts and hot dogs
• Poultry
• Fish
• Beans/Legumes
• all are OK except soy and peanuts
• Seeds
• Roasted first
• Oils/Fats
• Coconut Oil to be used when heating
• Olive Oil to be used when cold (like dressings)
• Sweeteners
• Pure Stevia
• liquid or powder
• Very small amounts of pure maple syrup
• Beverages
• Water should be 1st choice
• Herbal teas
• Rice or coconut milk, unsweetened
• Spices/Condiments
• salt, pepper
• All herbs and blends that do not include citrus
• Vanilla extract