That Time I Could Only Eat 7 Foods

At one point, there were only 7 foods that I could eat.

I want to tell you the story of how I got there,

and how I got back to eating a (mostly) normal diet.

That Time I Could Only Eat 7 Foods | Whole Daily Life


Sneak preview: it wasn’t all about the food.

In late 2014 I was finally diagnosed with Hashimoto’s and SIBO after many months of trying to navigate a whole host of seeming disconnected symptoms. Earlier that year I had stumbled upon the Autoimmune Protocol while working with a client and, after researching it thoroughly, had successfully implemented it with multiple clients since then. When I was diagnosed, I knew with confidence that I wanted to use the AIP diet as a tool in healing my own Hashimoto’s. However, the presence of SIBO created an additional challenge, as many of the foods that are traditionally allowed on an AIP diet were off limits (high FODMAP foods, such as onion, garlic, broccoli, pear, etc). In addition, I also did some food sensitivity testing to see if there were any foods causing problems that I might not be aware of…and there were.

Come to find out, garlic, sweet potato, zucchini, pork, cinnamon, and a handful of other foods were all provoking my immune system by way of my (very) leaky gut. I added these to my “eliminate” list, which when combined with my SIBO and AIP lists, left me with about 7 foods total. (I’ll probably be able to list them forever: carrot, celery, lemon, olive, coconut, sole, and scallop.)

7 foods certainly do not allow for a nutritionally balanced diet, nor is that level of restriction sustainable, but I was motivated to do whatever I needed to do in order to heal. I stuck with this list for two weeks as recommended by the food sensitivity testing protocol (believe me, I had to get pretty creative with my meals!!) before starting to reintroduce foods. After a few weeks of reintroductions, I ended up with a mostly low FODMAP version of the elimination phase of the AIP diet (which also excluded my specific sensitivities).

I maintained this for about 3 months until I could get my antibodies tested again, at which point I was thrilled to find that my TPO antibodies number had come down by about 40%! Even though it wasn’t yet at goal, I began strategically reintroducing non-AIP foods according to the process proposed by Sarah Ballantyne, and was fortunate in that I did not have any notable reactions. About 6 months after starting the elimination phase in January of 2015 I had successfully reintroduced most non-AIP foods, though I continued to limit many of them out of principle until I could establish a good health baseline. There were still many higher FODMAP (AIP compliant) foods that I couldn’t tolerate due to GI symptoms such as gas and bloating. It took me much longer to re-establish some tolerance to FODMAPs, but that is a topic for another post!

As mentioned above, I have used the Autoimmune Paleo Diet with countless clients with amazing results. I have seen many people put their autoimmunity into remission simply by healing up their leaky gut and identifying their triggers! It truly is an amazing protocol, and is beneficial not only in cases of autoimmunity, but for anyone looking to reduce overall inflammation in their body.

Benefits of the AIP diet:

-STRUCTURE: following the AIP template gave me both structure and resources, which were incredibly helpful in the beginning of my journey as I was still trying to get my feet on the ground. There are so many more resources out there today (recipes, cookbooks, blogs, etc) than there were even three years ago!

-COMMUNITY: any kind of elimination diet comes with challenges, and the more restrictive, the more isolating it can be. There is a strong community around the AIP diet, and I was grateful to experience their support and encouragement first-hand! I have been able to connect with a local AIP group in each city that I have lived in.

-FUNCTION: the AIP diet is incredibly nutrient dense and eliminates all major allergens and common triggers. As such, it is valuable for not only reducing the attack on the body, but also for helping it to heal. As I mentioned above, I have seen many people successfully implement it to reduce systemic inflammation even outside of the context of known autoimmunity.


Challenges of the AIP diet:

-SOCIAL: the biggest challenge that I experienced personally was not actually the limited number of food choices, but having to navigate (or forego) social events. I’ve always been a foodie, and in the years leading up to my Hashimoto’s diagnosis, many of my social events revolved around dining out or attending events with food. This was a major shift for both me and my husband. (We felt like we had to learn how to date in an entirely different way!)

-(POSSIBLY) LABOR INTENSIVE: let’s face it, when you have a limited list of foods and ingredients like black pepper aren’t on it, any kind of pre-prepared food is difficult to find. I found that I prepared 95% of my foods at home while on the elimination phase, and while I was used to cooking quite a bit, learning to get creative with this new food list also took some time. (However, it doesn’t have to be complicated!! Even these days, most of my meals are composed of batch roasted veggies and batch prepared protein.)


So the big question is, would I do it again?

Absolutely, but not in exactly the same way. All three of the protocols that I used were incredibly healing, and taught me a lot about myself and my digestion. However, while implementing them all at once was effective, looking back, I don’t think it was necessary. When I consult with clients now, I work with them to create a food list that takes into account the most urgent needs first, and considers what is realistic for each individual.

  • The AIP diet is an invaluable tool for reducing inflammation and healing a leaky gut, and I recommend it quite often.

  • Eating low FODMAP foods can help alleviate symptoms in a huge way until the root cause can be identified and corrected.

  • Food sensitivity testing can be incredibly helpful in identifying sensitivities to foods and chemicals that may not be obvious.

These days, I know my FODMAP tolerance and after lots of gut-focused healing, have been able to incorporate many higher FODMAP foods back into my diet. I do still use aspects of the AIP diet on a regular basis. I know which foods are absolute no’s for me, and which ones I can handle in small amounts vs in unlimited quantities. Whenever I feel inflammation sneaking up on me or symptoms threaten to arise, I can use various gradients of the AIP diet to fix the issue before it becomes a problem.

It Wasn’t Just The Diet, Though…

While the elimination diet itself absolutely contributed to my healing, It was definitely not the only factor. Treating my SIBO, managing my stress, improving my sleep, balancing my hormones, and identifying my root cause triggers were all ESSENTIAL components of my healing, and together, they restored my gut and allowed me to bring foods back into my diet. In fact, my healing stalled until I addressed each of these things. These are all factors that I cover in depth in my Healing Hashimoto’s course and in my free PDF download: The Top 5 Things That Have Helped Heal My Hashimoto’s Naturally, and which I will continue to explore here on the blog in the coming weeks!

If you’ve ever been on a limited diet and felt stuck in your healing, know that there IS hope!!

Have you used a therapeutic elimination diet? Share about your experience in the comments!

Until next time,

Tracey

How To Know When To Ditch Your Doctor

I’ve been through 7 doctors since getting my Hashimoto’s diagnosis in late 2014. Some of those changes were forced due to cross country relocations, and others were by choice.

Here’s how I knew when it was time to move on, and what I looked for when I did.

How To Know When To Ditch Your Doctor | Whole Daily Life

Each of my doctors has been helpful in their own way, and each has helped me understand more about my health. However, just as there is value in having a doctor who has known your full health history, there is also value in recruiting a fresh pair of eyes! As I have partnered with each of these doctors over the years, they have been able to recruit their own professional experience to see my story with a unique lens.

Even so, there have been a couple of times in recent years where I have found myself stuck, and my doctor didn’t really know what to look for or recommend next. The reality is, in healing, there are sometimes plateau periods like this. However, seeking out the root cause and optimizing health should still be the priority, rather than just sitting back and “waiting things out.”

Remember, your doctor is working for you. You should feel free to ask questions, request tests, propose alternative treatments, and more. Your doctor is the expert in medicine, but you are the expert on your body. You should feel like your he/she is on your side, supporting you with your best interest at heart. Even if you’re not actively seeing progress, your doctor should be able to explain why this is and what exactly you are waiting on before making another change. If this is not the case, consider looking elsewhere!


When I’m looking for a new doctor, here are a few things I consider:

-This relationship is a partnership. I am knowledgable about my body, my symptoms, and my health. It is important to me that my provider welcome my questions, input, and suggestions.

-What is his/her practice philosophy? Will they be seeing out the root cause or just treating symptoms? What do they believe about the value of diet and lifestyle in healing? (These are foundational concepts in the naturopathic approach to medicine.)

-Do they have experience in treating autoimmunity?

-Do they offer alternative treatments, such as IV therapy, sauna, acupuncture, etc?

-Is this person covered by my insurance? If not, do they offer a free meet and greet so that I can see if I feel comfortable with them before moving forward?

-When I share a brief overview of my health history with them, are they able to respond in a way that inspires confidence? Have they worked with patients with my particular health issues before?

-Is there anyone who has seen this doctor before of whom I could ask questions?


Medical care is expensive, and when it comes to health, it truly is important that we have our best interests at heart. One of the most important pieces of my healing has been to take the initiative and be my own advocate. When I reflect back on the early days of my journey, I was so desperate to feel better that I took anything that my doctors said as truth, and I didn’t know how to do my own research. Had I been better equipped from the beginning, and known what to look for in a provider partnership, my journey might have been quite different!


This concept of how to be an empowered patient and partner well with your provider is one of the topics that we explore in depth in my Healing Hashimoto’s course. We also discuss topics such as optimizing your lab work, different types of practitioners, how to make the most out of your appointments, and much more!

If you’re ready to understand your Hashimoto’s so that you can heal your Hashimoto’s and take back control of your health, you can start by downloading my free PDF on the TOP 5 THINGS THAT HAVE HELPED HEAL MY HASHIMOTO’S NATURALLY!

I hope you feel empowered by this information! I’d love to hear your thoughts and questions in the comments below!

Warmly,

Tracey

Simple Weeknight Recipes

Has it been two whole months since I last published a blog post? Yep. A LOT has happened in that period of time!! If you haven’t seen on Instagram, my husband and I moved from San Diego to Phoenix at the end of October. I went from working full time in a management position at a large healthcare organization to working from home, doing private practice and planning out how I will be creating more valuable content for you all in 2019! We've also been doing some traveling, and have a few more trips planned before the end of the calendar year.

The morning we left San Diego!

The morning we left San Diego!

If you’ve followed me for any period of time, you know that for YEARS I have done all of my meal prep cooking on the weekend so that I could eat leftovers all week. Well, when we moved, two things changed. (1) I have a more flexible schedule and (2) we acquired the smallest “full size” fridge ever. (I thought they couldn’t get any smaller than the fridge we had at our last place…I was wrong!)

This has prompted me to change up my strategy to do more cooking as the week goes along instead of doing it all on the weekend. I’ve been experimenting with cooking a meal every night, doing some limited batch prep that I can mix and match from all week, and cooking all of the meals earlier in the week. I haven’t settled on a favorite yet, and I think my strategy will evolve with time, but I wanted to share some of the easy weeknight meals and food combos that I’ve been making in case you’re in need of some simple inspiration! They’re not all 100% Whole30 compliant, and some do make use of some convenience products from brands that I appreciate. Most are easily modified to fit your specific needs!

Simple Weeknight Recipes | Whole Daily Life

Easy Weeknight Meal Ideas:

-Burger Salad (burger patty, optional cheese, lettuce, tomato, sautéed onions and peppers, pickles, ketchup and mustard) + Oven Fries

-Steaks (on a stovetop grill pan, seasoned with a spice blend) + Roasted Sweet Potato + Roasted Asparagus

-Crispy Skin Salmon + Cauliflower Rice (I always keeps some in the freezer) + Roasted Sweet Potato

-Eggs + Leftover Batch Cooked Veggies

-Sausage (Bilinski’s or True Story) + Roasted Carrots/Parsnips + Arugula salad

-Ground Meat with Sautéed Mushrooms/Onion in Marinara + Spaghetti Squash + Collard Greens with Bacon

-Sausage + Steamed and Roasted Broccoli + Banza Mac&Cheese

-Simple Chicken Soup

-Chicken and Veggie Stir Fry

-Taco Salad

Simple Weeknight Recipes | Whole Daily Life

Easy Weekday Lunches:

-ZUPA + Ayobayo + Apple (wholedailylife for a discount on either brand)

-Smoked Oysters with Simple Mills Crackers, Dijon Mustard, Cream Cheese or Mayo + Kraut + Sprouts

-Sardines + Tomato/Avocado/Basil Salad (dressed with evoo, balsamic, salt)

-Tuna Salad (Safe Catch tuna + grapes + celery + green onion + Primal Kitchens mayo)


I hope this gives you some ideas for easy meals! I definitely go through phases where meal planning is a breeze and other times where nothing sounds good, but these quick combos have been good go-to’s for the past several weeks!

I’ll be back again soon with more recipes!

-Tracey