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.

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

Easy Nightshade Free Meal Plan (low FODMAP and Whole30!)

Many of you have been asking for a nightshade free meal plan, and I'm happy to be able to share one with you this week!!

Adjusting to a nightshade-free diet can be a challenge because nightshades are both convenient and full of flavor. Nightshade foods include tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, and potatoes, along with a few others. (See a more complete list here.) These foods contain compounds that can contribute to a leaky gut. (More info on that here.)

I eliminated nightshades from my diet back in 2015 when I first started on the Autoimmune Protocol, and lived without them for a long time. I gradually started adding some back in over the years without negative effect, and now I enjoy them when they're around. However, if I ever have pesky symptoms that pop up, nightshades are one of the foods that I minimize or eliminate to reduce the burden on my gut. Right now it's prime nightshade season (tomato crop galore!), and as such, I've been having them a little more than usual. Unfortunately, I've also been seeing some minor symptoms flare up. This could be related to several different things, including a change in my supplements as well as my skin care routine, but reducing/eliminating my nightshade consumption wouldn't hurt, so this meal plan is timely! Coincidentally, it is also Whole30 compliant and low-FODMAP!

Here's the plan for the week:

Breakfast: Zucchini Bread Bowl with Collagen

Lunch: Nightshade-Free No-Cook Plate

Dinner: Beef with Chimichurri Sauce, Squash, and Sweet Potato

Ingredients by recipe:

Zucchini Bread Bowl (5 servings)

1.5# organic zucchini

1 small spaghetti squash

3 very ripe bananas

1 can full fat coconut milk

2 tsp cinnamon

3/4 tsp cloves

1/2 tsp nutmeg (or mace, for AIP)

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 cup Guiltless Goodies Superseed Flour (or 1/4 cup each ground flax and chia, or omit for AIP)

5 eggs (omit for AIP)

5 scoops collagen

Toppings: pumpkin seeds, cinnamon, almond butter, etc

Beef with Chimichurri Sauce and Veggies

1.5# tri-tip (I used Bulkbox, "wholedailylife" for 15% off)

2 cups parsley

2 cups cilantro

1/2 cup olive oil, divided

3 tbsp red wine vinegar

Juice of 1 lemon

2 garlic cloves, peeled (if tolerated; alternatively, sub half garlic infused evoo above)

2 tsp salt, divided

4 small sweet potatoes

5 organic yellow summer squash

No-Cook

5 bottles ZUPA: Kale + Avocado, Cucumber Avocado, and Carrot Coconut Lime are all nightshade-free! (wholedailylife for 15% off) // alternatively, sliced carrot, cucumber, radish, and avocado

5 servings fruit

5 portions protein (I'm using Safe Catch salmon and Wild Planet Foods sardines)

Common Ingredients

Oil of choice (Dignity Coconuts, Tin Star ghee, and Kouzini olive oil are my staples)

Salt

Step by step:

1. The night before (or morning of) meal prep, slice the tri-tip into 1/3" slices and marinate with the juice of half of the lemon, a heaping tsp of salt, and about 3 tbsp olive oil.

2. When ready to start prepping, cut your spaghetti squash in half and place in your Instant Pot with the steamer insert and about 1 cup of water. Close and lock the lid and steam for 9 minutes, then use the quick release.

3. While the squash is steaming, prepare the chimichurri. In a food processor, combine the parsley, cilantro, remaining lemon juice, garlic cloves, remaining olive oil (about 1/3 cup), red wine vinegar, and 1 tsp salt. Process until smooth to your preference, then set aside.

4. Preheat oven to 350. Peel and chop the sweet potato into 1/2" cubes, then place on a baking sheet. Drizzle with about 2 tbsp oil of choice and a hearty sprinkle of salt, toss to combine, then place in the oven.

5. The squash should be done by now, so carefully remove it from the pot and set aside to cool. Drain any liquid in the pot, then add the beef that has been marinating, along with 2/3 of the chimichurri sauce. Stir briefly to combine, then close and lock the lid. Set to high pressure for 30 minutes, then allow pressure to naturally release.

6. While beef is cooking, chop your yellow squash into 1/2" pieces and place on another baking sheet. Add oil/salt and place in the oven with the sweet potato.

7. Rinse out your food processor, change the blade to the shredder, and shred your zucchini. Transfer the zucchini to a large pot on the stovetop, add the can of coconut milk and the spices, and turn the heat on to medium. 

8. Mash the three bananas, then add that to the pot with the zucchini, along with the Superseed Flour (or flax and chia). Stir well to combine. Check the veggies in the oven and toss so that the cook evenly.

9. In a small bowl, whisk the 5 eggs until smooth. Slowly pour into the pot with the zucchini, stirring quickly so that they incorporate instead of cooking on top. (See a different approach (tempering) in this post.) Continue to cook and stir for 5 minutes, until mixture thickens as the eggs cook. Finally, stir in the collagen before portioning into 5 containers and adding desired toppings.

10. Remove the veggies from the oven (if cooked to your preference) and portion into 5 containers. Portion out no-cook fruit and veggies, if necessary. When the beef finished cooking, turn off the Instant Pot and allow pressure to release naturally. (You can put a wet dishtowel on top to help the pressure release more quickly!) When the seal breaks, portion out the beef into your containers with the veggies and call it a day!

NOTE: I kept the juices/sauce that was left behind from cooking the beef and have been using it on top of veggies or eggs. It's packed with flavor and delicious!

If you use this meal plan, I'd love to hear what you think! Please tag me in your photos and stories on Instagram! 

Have a great week!

-Tracey

Coconut and Macadamia Crusted Chicken Tenders (low FODMAP, GAPS)

I really think I could eat the whole batch in one sitting. These little nuggets are a delight, with their sweet/salty flavor and resemblance to a childhood favorite!

I originally shared this recipe on the US Wellness Meats page as part of their Featured Chef project, but wanted to share it here as well! The recipe is simple (as most of my recipes are), and the most time consuming part is the actual dipping process. If you're looking for a shortcut, just skip the part about cutting them up. They'll turn out just as well!

Coconut and Macadamia Crusted Chicken Tenders

Ingredients:

1# chicken tenders, cut into 1-2” pieces

1 egg

2 tbsp coconut milk

1 cup raw macadamia nuts

1 cup finely shredded unsweetened coconut

1 tsp salt

1 tsp garlic powder (omit for low-FODMAP)

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. In the bowl of a food processor, pulse the macadamia nuts, coconut shreds, salt, and garlic powder until a fine meal formed. Be careful not to over-process or it will start to turn into a nut butter! Transfer to a wide, shallow bowl.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs and coconut milk until well combined.
4. Dip each chicken tender into the egg mixture and then into the coconut/macadamia mixture, being sure to coat all sides. Place tenders on the parchment lined sheet.
5. Bake at 350 degrees for about 15-20 minutes until chicken is cooked through and coating is starting to brown.

Meal Prep 1/30/17

This past week of my low-histamine trial was not quite as successful as the first week. I had a few more symptoms (the return of some faint abdominal pain and some sinus congestion), and I suspect that it might have been the carob, which I found conflicting opinions on. As such, this week I'm taking it back to the basics! 

Breakfast: Protein Shake // 1 scoop Vanilla Build protein by PureWOD mixed with Native Forest Simple Coconut Milk, Bulletproof Brain Octane, and 1 cup frozen blueberries, cherries, or peaches. This is a slight change from last week, because I'm leaving out my favorite collagen peptides to see if they also might have been a factor. Gelatin is generally regarded as safe on a low-histamine diet, but some people do react to it. Since I use it almost daily, I decided I should try leaving it out and see if it makes a difference.

Lunch: Ginger Scallion Chicken Meatballs with Bok Choy, Zucchini, and Roasted Roots // Meatballs are so convenient because they cook up in a flash! To make these, I started with 1# of ground chicken from US Wellness Meats, added in about a cup of chopped green onions, 1 tsp salt, and 1/4 cup of chopped fresh ginger. I used my 1 ounce cookie scoop to make meatballs and baked on parchment paper at 425 for 12 minutes. At the same time, I sautéed about 1# of bok choy on the stovetop with more scallions and ginger, and also roasted about 1.5# of zucchini (in ghee) alongside the meatballs. When all of that was done, I portioned it out into single serving containers and immediately chilled before transferring to the freezer. Next up: the roots! I sliced about 2# each of carrots and parsnips into coins, tossed with a generous amount of ghee and salt, and roasted until golden at 400, then added them to my pyrex containers and froze. (I like these containers the most because they work perfectly with my Hot Logic Mini!)

Dinner: Sweet Potato Soup with Pumpkin Seeds // I basically made up this soup recipe on the fly. I started with about 2 cups each of carrot, celery, and onion, and sautéed those until soft in some ghee. At the same time, I peeled and chopped up two large sweet potatoes into 1/2 inch cubes and roasted them at 425 until tender and golden. (I roasted them for the depth of flavor, but you could also just throw them into the pot with everything else.) I added about 1# of chopped organic yellow squash and a can of full fat additive free coconut milk, then let everything simmer until soft before blending until smooth! Normally I would add two scoops of Vital Proteins Collagen Peptides as the protein, but since I'm testing a week without it, I'm using pumpkin seeds. It's a lower protein meal than I'm used to, but the fat should keep me satiated!

Snacks: Artisana Coconut Butter // I'll also keep a Primal Kitchen Macadamia Nut Sea Salt bar (definitely my favorite of the four flavors!!) on hand just in case. These bars are overall pretty low in histamine, but I'll only be using them as a backup this week as I test the absence of collagen/gelatin. 

Here's to another week of learning which foods work for me. This process takes planning and patience, but it's so worth it!!

Macadamia White Chocolate Truffles (Low-Histamine, Low-FODMAP)

If you've been following me for any time at all, you know that I LOVE chocolate. My usual go-to is a hearty chunk of Eating Evolved Signature Dark bar. Unfortunately, cocoa powder is a no-go on a low-histamine diet. From my research, it is on the lower end of the spectrum of histamine containing foods, but for these first few weeks I am avoiding all foods that contain a noted amount. The good news is, cacao butter isn't on that list! Macadamia nuts are also on the "low-histamine" list, so I decided to get creative in the kitchen and come up with a fun sweet treat that I could enjoy. What I ended up with is a batch of macadamia nut butter "cookie dough" and some makeshift white chocolate. I originally intended to chop up the white chocolate and mix it in with the dough, but ended up making some "truffles" out of it instead!

Macadamia Nut Cookie Dough:

• 1 cup raw macadamia nuts

• 2 tbsp brown butter (or sub coconut oil)

• 1 tsp vanilla extract

• 1-2 tbsp pure maple syrup

• 1-2 tbsp coconut flour

• 1/4 tsp salt

1. Blend all ingredients except the coconut flour in a food processor until a smooth paste forms.

2. Add 1 tbsp of the coconut flour and process until combined. If the mixture still seems thin, add the second tbsp of coconut flour. 

3. Scoop into balls using two spoons or a cookie scoop onto a parchment lined plate and place in fridge to set. 

White Chocolate:

• 1 oz cacao butter

• 1 oz coconut butter (Artisana is by far my favorite brand!)

• sweetener to taste (I used 1/2 tbsp maple syrup and 1/2 tbsp coconut sugar)

1. Place all ingredients in a small saucepan over low heat and stir until melted and well combined.

2. Transfer to small molds or a glass dish to later cut into chips.

To make the truffles, I put about 1/2 tsp of the white chocolate in the bottom of a silicone mold, a added a small ball of the macadamia dough, and topped it off with another 1/2 tsp of the white chocolate! 

Store any leftovers in the freezer. Enjoy!