I Really Wanted the Elimination Diet to Fail
Updated: 15 hours ago
What’s the Hurry?
My head swam as my new doctor handed me a stack of papers while walking me from the exam room. We’d spent all of maybe ten minutes together. The printouts explained side effects of a treatment we discussed, scans she would order, targeted exercises, references to information about my condition, and a list of foods that might contribute to it. Apparently, she preferred to determine the cause rather than simply treat symptoms. Despite feeling rushed, in theory, I liked the approach, or so I thought.
Once inside my car, I dove into the paperwork. Whoa! Throw me a life preserver!
An Elimination Diet? Seriously?
Page two provided details to follow an elimination diet. This wasn’t simply a list of foods and beverages that, by the way, might irritate my condition, leaving me to decide which I wanted more: the food or relief from my symptoms. Hmm, did she intentionally avoid mentioning that she expected me to actually follow this diet?
According to the written information, I was to eliminate the foods under the avoid list for ten days. On Day 11, I would add back one food item for three days. If the added food caused symptoms, I should eliminate it and then wait three days before adding back the next. Repeat. At this rate, it would take me—pause to calculate—forever to work my way back to chocolate!
Man Cannot Live on Meat, Beans, and Vegetables Alone
I would starve! The diet allowed me to eat any meat, beans, and all vegetables, except tomatoes—but aren’t tomatoes a fruit? Actually, man can live for a long time on the OK foods. The truth was, Angela didn’t want to live without the majority of the avoid foods.
Sugar Isn’t Forbidden, But It Might as Well Be
How was I supposed to eat sugar? Gluten was out, no baked goods. With dairy off the table, no ice cream or cheesecake. I couldn’t even enjoy a chocolate bar. The only way to get my sweet fix was to eat a spoonful of sugar or syrup.
Born and Raised in Oklahoma Where Most People Bleed Iced Sweet Tea
Never acquiring a taste for iced tea, herbal teas, coffee, or alcohol classified me as an outlier. My vice was Coca-Cola which also landed on the chopping block.
Only recently, I started drinking matcha tea—not because I enjoyed it, but because I’d read that green tea was associated with a number of health benefits. Now, that defense beverage had been denied.
By default, water represented my only beverage option.
1 Corinthians 6:12 NLT
You say, “I am allowed to do anything”—but not everything is good for you. And even though “I am allowed to do anything,” I must not become a slave to anything.
Eating food that contributed to a health condition wasn’t good for me. Scripture confirmed I should participate.
It was Only Ten Days
This wasn’t a fast. I could eat plenty of food, albeit restricted. This was for one week, plus three days. I could easily do this, right?
And Then I Really Wanted the Elimination Diet to Fail
Surely these foods I consumed regularly hadn’t turned against me.
Day 1
My typical breakfast consisted of toast, an English muffin, or cottage cheese and strawberries. All banned. While allowed, eggs were out, because when I eat eggs without some type of bread, my stomach rejects them. Cherry and blueberry Larabars contained none of the forbidden ingredients, so they became my breakfast staple.
What Exactly Is “Highly Spiced Food”?
Should I skip the heat producing spices—chili, pepper flakes, cayenne? What about basic spices—salt, black pepper, and garlic—are they fine? The doctor really should have provided more detail.
I utilized my normal spicing routine on all the chicken breasts I placed into the crockpot, except mine. After lightly dusting my chicken breast with only the basic spices, I carefully segregated my main course to the far-right side of the crock.
At dinner, my tastebuds rated my chicken breast as a solid bleah.
Day 1 Down and Forever to Go
As the days crawled forward, like a banana slug crossing a six-lane highway, my cranky meter ramped up while I teased my taste buds with meals my family loved but I stripped down for me.
Following the Diet was Easier Said than Done
One day, before realizing what I was doing, two small squares of watermelon slid down my throat. I released an, “Aack!” Melon was on the avoid list. I derailed my whole elimination diet. Now, I’d have to start all over. When my meltdown finally cooled to room temperature, I chose to ignore the small infraction as if it never happened.
Day 5: Something Changed
I awoke feeling strange, different. It took several minutes to put my finger on it. I felt good. Better than on days when I’d previously thought I felt good. The minor aches, pains, and stomach irritation I was so accustomed to—that I didn’t even realize were there—had vanished. My main symptoms had not gone away entirely, but had improved.
Maybe all doctors should suggest elimination diets to patients before they prescribe drugs.
But then my elation took a nose dive off the high board. Which of the avoid foods must I give up to feel this well? Chocolate? Soda? Tacos? All of the avoid foods?
Hallelujah! Day 11 Finally Arrived
To test gluten, I consumed an English muffin and pasta with a little butter (tomato sauce was still held captive). Yay, no symptom change.
Days 14—18 Proved Problematic
I accompanied my husband to Portland for his monthly treatment—six hours from our home. I clearly had not thought this through before starting the diet. It is very hard to find restaurant food that conforms to a strict diet. I should have added back one additional food item during these four days, but almost every item on restaurant menus contained at least one and often multiple food items from the avoid list. I did the best I could, but symptoms increased as I consumed several forbidden foods.
When we returned home, I rewound to avoiding all the foods except gluten for the next three days.
Troublesome Foods
After all was said and done, I determined that heat spices, tomato-based foods, carbonated drinks, and caffeinated drinks such as matcha tea subtly increased my symptoms, but eliminating them didn’t cure my condition.
Several of the irritating foods provide health benefits. Heat spices improve heart health, lower mortality rate, and boost metabolism. Tomatoes help prevent cancer and protect eyes and skin. Okay, carbonated drinks have no redeeming qualities and deserve to be on the elimination list.
Was the Elimination Diet Worth It?
Yes. It was an illuminating experience, helping me notice subtleties in the way that my diet affected my body and how I felt. I learned I don’t need to totally banish the irritating foods. The diet revealed my food triggers. Now, I'm learning the portions and frequencies that let me enjoy those foods without symptoms.
I admit that sometimes stress and my cravings get the better of me, and I overindulge in a troublesome food. The important takeaway is that I get back up, dust myself off, and return to minimizing the foods that trigger my symptoms.
Should I Try the Diet Again?
Maybe I’ll do it once a month, just to reset my body.
Who am I kidding? That’s too lofty a goal. Once or twice a year is more realistic. And nowhere near my birthday or Christmas. Or Thanksgiving. Or Valentines Day ….
If you have a health condition, I pray that you find the right combination of treatments to help you feel your best.
Blessings,
Angela
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Angela L. Gold is an encourager who shares the love of Christ in her writing. She is the author of The Lion Within and Kill Shot.
