elimination diet: week 2

You see that up there? Hardcore elimination diet food porn, huh?! I haven’t taken many food photos since starting this diet. In fact, I have hardly picked up my camera as my creative juices have slowed while my attention is diverted. I am focused on this diet, planning my errands around meal times so that I don’t get caught out or just relaxing to let my body go through it all.

I went to a baby shower high tea last weekend and sat there drinking water trying to avert my eyes from the other girls’ plates of treats. That day was in the middle of a hard few days. My symptoms came back to dishearten me and I was just so over the cravings, dreams, hunger and lack of enthusiasm to eat. But you get through it. I now know that the resurgence in symptoms from day 7-9 is quite normal. Yes, my books arrived this week and have filled me with lots of interesting information and some renewed eagerness for eating with its recipes.

Week 2 thoughts:

• It does get easier, persevere!
• If you ever get put on such a diet, I would recommend buying the literature that the specialist refers to as soon as possible so that you can get recipes and inspiration for your meals.
• Searching the internet for recipes doesn’t necessarily help as there are varying levels of this diet and seemingly different approaches to allowed foods all together.
• The crazy dreams have stopped. One night in week one I sat up in bed, sweating and called out incoherently , such was the stress from the dreams.
• My specific food cravings have lessened in intensity. It helps that I’m avoiding socialising at restaurants if I can.
• My kind bloggy friend Lavender’s Green emailed me to check what brand of rice bubbles I was eating. It turns out that it had gluten in it as she suspected, so we found a new one. Thanks a million to her for taking that time to help me. Isn’t that such a sweet thing to do?
• Organic produce has higher salicylates content so it has to be avoided on this diet until a salicylates intolerance is ruled out. It’s interesting to think that people could assume that changing to organic fruit and vegetables is better for them when it might actually be making their food intolerances worse.
• I’ve been thinking a lot how lucky we are to know so many cuisines and have such varied diets. While I have found this eating plan difficult and uninspiring at times, I have also been thinking how blessed I am to know that I will return to a healthy, varied, if slightly monitored selection once the intolerances are determined. So many in this world don’t enjoy such exciting diets.
• I’m on my second symptom-free day since the flare up. Three more symptom-free days and it’s time for challenge 1. How exciting!