Looks good...but issues...
Photo: 46137

Challenges: Restaurant Dining, Social Eating, Diet Fatigue

Beneficial results: Identified food sensitivities, reduced meat consumption

Adherence to the Diet: Completed 28-day plan in 17; continued with good dietary habits

Elimination Diet: Check!

While week one on my elimination diet was a little rough, the remainder of the diet turned out to be easier than I expected.

The plan I followed is called a 28-day diet, but depending on how things go, it can be much shorter than that, or if you take the time to reintroduce every possible food that was eliminated, I calculated it could take up to two months. Foods are reintroduced after the 9-day cleansing period by eating the select food three times a day for three days.

With every food that initiated a sensitivity reaction in me, the reaction was strong enough on day one that I stopped eating the offending food after one or two portions. So in effect, it sped up the process. I waited 24 hours to reintroduce the next challenge food, according to the diet’s recommendation.

Here are my results. I’m sensitive to lemons, not to grapefruit; sensitive to wheat-free tamari; sensitive to beans, corn and all soy. Nightshade vegetables and tree nuts caused no problems (and a chorus of many angels did sing upon this news). Eggs were fine and chicken was fine. Dairy caused my sinuses to clog and puffed up my abdomen like a blimp.

After I followed the diet long enough to gather this much information, and since company was coming, travel approaching and several new social events had been added to my calendar, I ended the diet after seventeen days. The only things I didn’t test according to the diet process were yeast, oats, and of course gluten since I already know that’s a no-go.

Photo: miheco

Several people asked me what I went back to first, after finishing the diet. I ate a few sweets, including ice cream and flavored yogurt; I also drank tea, coffee and soda on vacation (with the pre-packaged creamer and soda causing me to feel horrid) along with a few mixed drinks by the pool. This last week, I cut the caffeine out again except for a cup or less per day of decaffeinated green tea. I’m currently in search of a good caffeine-free tea that I could use to make chai, with homemade nut milk. Hazelnuts are a new friend, providing dosha-friendly forms of snack munch, milk and even flour for baking. Woo hoo!

What will stay with me from this diet is a 60% reduction in the amount of meat I eat – I’m staying steady at six to seven servings per week. I am also focusing more on eating a daily variety of fresh vegetables and fruits. Instead of guilting myself for not eating more leafy-green salads, I’ll be treating myself to more dosha-friendly steamed, baked or braised vegetables. I’ve broken my sugar cravings, and know I can survive on much smaller portions of food if my blood sugar isn’t roller-coastering from empty carbs. I gained two pounds back over vacation (less than the usual five!), but have since held steady with the fifteen I lost.

All in all, I’d say following this elimination diet has been a great success, and I am very glad I set aside the time and put forth the effort to do it. It answered some questions I’ve had for a while about soy and nightshades, and there’s nothing so convincing as feeling embodied reactions to food – I honestly trust those experiences more than I do scientific reports on what is or isn’t good for me to eat.

Of course if we overload our bodies with too many toxins all the time, they may not be able to give us the feedback we need to make good decisions.

Getting the Hamster off the Wheel

I’m also glad I did this for the simple victory of getting the hamster of my eating habits off the wheel of sugar and caffeine consumption. The two fallacies I’ve battled most often on a regular basis are “Eating or drinking this doesn’t make that big of a difference” and “I couldn’t stop if I wanted to.” This endeavor reminds me that it does; and I can.

Participating in the occasional cleanse or diet shakes up our denials and illusions, and gives us glimpses of what’s really going on inside. What we eat makes a significant difference, physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually (not to mention ecologically, socially, politically and economically…but yikes! No pressure. Relax.). It’s good to be reminded every once in a while that life beyond the wheel exists. It’s actually a nice place!

Any pattern of eating – even the healthiest one – can become an endless running wheel of mindless repetitive behavior. The occasional jump off this wheel puts us back in touch with our bodies, checks in, says hello, minds the weather, adjusts accordingly. Who knows, maybe in subsequent elimination diets, I’ll find my sensitivities have changed. Life is cyclical and changing; maybe our dietary needs are too.

Sustaining the Change

Here are two key concepts for making and sustaining dietary changes:

Moderation: Life is not all about food. We are whole and complex people. Make small and gradual dietary changes, and build on successes. Keep in mind (and heart) all the areas of your life that are affected by dietary changes, and proceed gently.

Compensation: Exercise a little give and take to make dietary changes more manageable, and less oppressive. If abstinence from alcohol isolates you from family or friends, make a point of finding other ways to connect. If taking the time to prepare your own food digs into your schedule, find a way to free up more time somewhere else. If you resist dessert at a social function, reward yourself afterward with something indulgent like tickets to a sporting event or a lengthy phone call with a dear and willing friend.

Choose moderate changes and compensate to maintain balance. Develop a mindset of focusing on what you can eat, what feels great to eat, what tastes wonderful, etc. Stay away from a mindset of doing without, getting left out or being put out. Focus on what works and forget what doesn’t. You’ll get to where you want to be, as long as you keep trying.

Giving Thanks

Photo: Sara Alfred

One habit I have added in the course of this cleanse and elimination diet is the practice of mindfully appreciating each meal and each snack I eat. I’m fortunate to have it, and taking a moment to recognize the best aspects of the food I eat ensures that it brings my body the best energy and nutrients possible.

In bringing this six-article series to an end, I would like to offer a big thank you to all of the friends and commenters here on Living Holistically who encouraged me, joined me and inspired me during this process.

Congratulations to my friend Shelly, who began her very first cleanse last month and had such great success, she went four weeks instead of three. Thanks to Sylvie Nalezny for providing excellent information on nutritional preparation for cleansing and elimination dieting – true inspiration for my next cleansing effort! And thanks to Dr. Anja Lindblad for outstanding professional support through this process, and for so much education and persistent nudging over the past few years.

Thanks be to all who bring food to our tables, all who eat together with us, all who plant and prepare for seasons yet to come.

View the first five installments of Kendra’s spring cleansing process in Special Detox Series: Spring Cleansing in Action, Special Detox Series: Moving and Shaking through Week One, Special Detox Series: Sacred Rituals of Eating and Cleansing, Special Detox Series: Finishing the Cleanse Yet Beginning the Elimination, and Special Detox Series: The Elimination Drama.

Disclaimer: Kendra Mellinger is not a healthcare professional, and therefore does not prescribe or recommend any treatment for disease or health concerns. Any cleansing program should only be done under the supervision of an experienced healthcare practitioner.

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