The Elimination Diet Step 115oriented health food shop is the best place to find these. Otherwise buy a
nutcracker and open your own.
Extras
A word on what we may call extras. Fried food is allowed. But do not use
corn oil or any undefined oil, which may contain corn. Sunflower oil or
safflower are good. Coconut oil is probably the healthiest, if you can master
the taste. Olive oil is fine if you like Mediterranean food; remember not to
heat it too high, otherwise it produces unhealthy smoke.
Salt and pepper are allowed but not sauces and condiments, like
vinegar. For salad dressing, only oil and fruit juices are permitted.
Herbs are good and will help to keep the diet tasty. I have no
problem with patients eating chilies and spices. They are all whole foods.
Spices get a bad rap but I have invariably found that patients warned off
them because of indigestion and other problems are fine. The real foods
which inflame the stomach are wheat, dairy, coffee, sugar and so on. Once
off these foods, patients can eat a full Tex-Mex or Indian curry and enjoy
it without ill effects.
There are many surprises in store for you like this. Over the years I
learned that most food wisdom handed around is faulty and better replaced
by what you learn for yourself and about yourself!
Modifications
Now all that remains is for you to make any personal modifications. Look
over your diet survey again. Try to be objective and decide if there are any
foods that you eat rather a lot of which were not banned: these should also
be excluded from the diet. It is hard to define what is meant by ‘eating a lot
of ’ a certain food; to some extent how you feel about it is a guide. If you
are definitely keen on it and look forward to the next helping, take this as a
warning of possible addiction!
For example, the common potato is often eaten excessively;
many people don’t feel the main meal of the day is complete without this
vegetable. But do not underestimate its potential harm. I have seen a child
lose virtually all its skin due to potato, a woman who spent twenty years in
psychiatric care (including shock treatment) because of it, an Irish boy who
almost went to jail for several years, because it made him violent, asthma