Elimination diet - month 2, reintroduction phase

So, a few developments;  I can definitely tolerate the coconut milk yoghurt (even a whole cup!).  I've also successfully reintroduced carob, which means I can make a type of yummy faux chocolate with coconut oil and pure stevia extract (super yummy when I add a few drops of orange essential oil, cinnamon and cardamom!). I am probably eating way too much of this though...it's so easy to have in the fridge to grab when I'm hungry, but some-times I overdo it and feel a bit yuck.  I need to figure out more things to have in the fridge to grab and go.  I'm pretty hungry most of the time, with so few carbs in my diet...especially since I have cut down on the carrots (because my skin is turning orange!!). 

 

I also seem to be okay with a small kiwifruit and strawberries (not at the same time though, I have to watch my fructose intake).  I am also good with hemp protein and pine-nuts (which are seeds). 

 

Broccoli seems to be a no-go at the moment (and I love broccoli!) :( .  Sauerkraut is okay in moderate quantities.  

I'm planning to re-read through the recipe section before shopping day this week to get a little inspiration...my diet is very repetitive and I'm worried I'm overdoing some things (like coconut yoghurt and oil).  

The eczema under my eyes is looking a lot better this week (hooray!!)...still some redness but the skin is a lot smoother.  Haven't lost any weight (it's not my goal with this diet, but I always hold out hope...)

This week I'm going to try blueberries (yum!), kelp noodles and some new vegetables...maybe lettuce...would be nice to have to cook everything all the time!

Till next week...

Elimination diet - end of month one!

Well, it's been a month of ups and downs.  I've been through periods of being totally fine with my diet, and a few days where I've just really struggled, and messed up.  

Here is what I've tried re-introducing so far

Egg yolks - I can handle these digestive-wise, but it seems to flare up my facial eczema, so it's a no for now. 

Dairy - I knew I was pushing it with this, but I tried reintroducing kefir-fermented cream (because I love it and it's so healthy!)...but again, eczema flare up

Almonds & Cashews - soaked and dried nuts...I can digest these fine, but they do seem to cause an eczema flare up as well.

Banana - I can tolerate 1/2 a banana per day (hooray!), which makes a nice change from all the meat and veges, and gives me some much needed carbs (the only other carb I can eat ATM is carrots, and I've been eating too many...my skin has a light orange tinge!).  

Kale - I have really enjoyed adding another vegetable to my restricted diet...the other veges I can eat are zucchini (too expensive to buy at the moment!), spinach and green beans (which I'm totally sick of!).  I'm not sure if it's maybe giving me a little gas or not...I've added some new probiotics and fermented foods at the same time (I know,  I'm not supposed to add more than one thing at a time!) so it could be my body adjusting to that.  Kale chips are the bomb!! 

Coconut Milk Yoghurt - Had an epic fail on this recipe the first time around...was completely runny, even with the gelatine.  I've now sourced a brand of canned coconut milk that only has coconut (60%) and water, without all the stabilizers, emulsifiers and preservatives, which is what effected the ferment the first time around.  I used 1 TBS of gelatine (dissolved in half a cup of hot water - then cooled) mixed into the can of coconut with two probiotic capsules (I used this one which is the Bio-Kult GAPS diet recommended formula).  It tasted great, but I used way too much gelatine, so I'll try 2 tsp next time.  I fermented it for 10 hours in an electric yoghurt maker. I added stevia and ground vanilla beans (yum!).  Unsure if I tolerate this or not yet (too soon to say, I only ate it today!) as I don't tolerate regular coconut milk at all...I'm hoping the fact that it's fermented and without all the additives will mean I do...fingers crossed!

So, my list of confirmed NO's:

• Coffee (including decaf)
• Chocolate and cocoa
• Eggs
• Nuts
• Dairy

So, all in all, just enough success to keep me motivated (I'm SO appreciating anything I can add in at this point!!) and enjoying my food.  Of course, I'm disappointed about the egg yolks, nuts and dairy, but I'm not surprised, and I'd rather have the red, irritated eczema under my eyes gone!  

Thanks for stopping by and reading my ramblings! ;)