Camping Comments and Photos Soon, But For Now, Another Boring Post About Food

Well. I've done dairy-free. I've done wheat-free. I'm mostly vegetarian. I've done a modified detox diet. What else can one do? Well, one can do a strict elimination diet and REALLY STICK TO IT to find out once and for all what the heck is up with the tummy?

I suspect it's wheat. I think sugar has something to do with it. I wouldn't be surprised if dairy does too. But I don't know for sure, and that makes it really hard to stick to an eating plan when I'm never completely convinced that something does or does not have an effect on me. I'm not severely allergic, nor do I have terrible reactions to these foods. But it's bad enough that I feel sick to my stomach (or have stomach pains) I'd say at least half of the time. Which is plenty, you know?

I have a vacation coming up, heading to Canada for a few days for an exchange student reunion. I think it would be really hard to stick to a strict elimination diet while visiting with friends, going out to dinner, etc. So I think what I'm going to do is, for the next two weeks, concentrate on eliminating, as much as I can, wheat and dairy, and limiting sugar and caffeine. Just so I can stop this cycle of tummy ick and have fun on my trip.

And then, when I come home, commit to the strict diet thing for about a month. They recommend at least 30 days, for full clearing of allergens/reactive foods (including yeasts, etc.). Then it's about another month of adding back things, one at a time.

Why not just get allergy testing? I've had a number of doctors (and my acupuncturist) tell me that an elimination diet is the only thing that will for sure tell you what your body reacts to. While it isn't easy, it does work.

So what will I be eating? Um, well. Many vegetables (but no beans/legumes or tomatoes). No grains (except a little brown rice and quinoa). No dairy. No sugar. No caffeine. Wild fish is okay, if I can stomach it. Fruit is fine, but not too much (fruit of course contains a lot of sugar). Ummm.... yep, that's about the size of it. No soy, no yeast, no eggs.

Because I might be sensitive to something I've never suspected, you know?

I'm going to be buying a lot of cucumbers. At least this will give me an excuse to eat a ton of vegetables that I usually, for some reason, don't eat as much as I'd like. Somewhere along the line I got the idea that it's not okay to eat an entire cucumber at one sitting. Whatever! That's going to be lunch, baby!

One thing I will need is support and encouragement (even the virtual kind). I'll keep you posted!