Looking to do the Elimination Diet

[meg]

I am a mother of 3 young kiddos, have RA and have done the McDougall Program for 3 weeks. I am new to the discussion board, so I don't know what I'm doing yet. I feel like I need to do the elimination diet so I can begin to move forward and KNOW the foods that affect me. I am hoping to get in touch with a Burgess Laughlin, and haven't had luck in finding where I can find him. Does anyone know how to get in touch with him?

Thank you!

[Burgess]

I am hoping to get in touch with a Burgess Laughlin, and haven't had luck in finding where I can find him. Does anyone know how to get in touch with him?

You can write a comment on one of his posts on his website:

http://www.anti-itisdiet.blogspot.com/

The best post to comment on would be this Addendum:

http://anti-itisdiet.blogspot.com/2007/ ... foods.html

The address for his website is always the second one under his "signature" in all his posts on the McDougall Discussion forum. Do a search for his name here and you should find it easily. Or search for Elimination Diet and his name in the discussion arena.

In the meantime, are there any questions you want to ask now? Maybe I or others can help.

P. S. -- (1) Which McDougall diet are you following now? Regular, Max Weight Loss, Mary's Mini? If you continue on the Regular program, you might not need to do the Elimination Diet (which is not fun, though it can be very informative). You might see a gradual reduction anyway.

(2) Also, have you considered that at least some of your arthritis pain may be due to joint wear coming from poor posture?

http://anti-itisdiet.blogspot.com/2007/ ... erapy.html

[meg]

I have been doing the regular program. I have a feeling that I have sensitivities to other foods, and need to determine which ones.
As for the joint pain, it began after my appendectimy, then I had an abscess drained, within 6 weeks, I had RA.
I appreciate your information so much! Thank you for pointing me in the right direction! I know it won't be fun, but I sure hope I can get some answers.

Thank you again!

[Burgess]

Suggestion: Use this thread of comments as a sort of "mini-journal." You could make brief notes about questions you have when you try to implement the ED. You could also show others what is involved by very briefly listing the content of your meals: which fruit, which vegs, which starches, which spices (none except salt), and which drinks (water only).

I mention this because in my experience many who first attempt the ED interpret Dr. McDougall's instructions either too narrowly or too broadly.

Best wishes for your experiment.

[meg]

Thank you so much, Burgess!
I do have some questions about the elimination diet!
I understand that everything that I eat has to be cooked....what does that mean in accordance to the peaches/other fruit? Is that canned as long as they are in their own juice? Is that dehydrated peaches as long as there is no sugar? Or do I need to buy fresh and steam?
Am I still able to have rice milk? What ingredients do I need to watch for besides oil and sugar?
On his list of foods, he has tapioca rice flour, can you give me any ideas as to what I would us that for?
Most of my questions are in regards to what can I make while I am eating this way. I am planning on stir-fry, steamed vegetables, rice, rice noodles, rice cakes, puffed rice cereal.
If you have any information or ideas for me that would be AWESOME! I appreciate any help I can get. I intend to follow it strictly so I can know what I can do to help myself.
Any suggestions are welcome. Thank you so much!

[Burgess]

I understand that everything that I eat has to be cooked....

Yes, and the first re-introduction test (if the full ED brought some progress) could be to stop cooking everything. I doubt you will see any difference. I suspect Dr. McDougall's suggestion to cook everything was designed just to be extra cautious, so it's a good place to start, but you probably can abandon it quickly--maybe at the end of Week 1 or 2.

. . . what does that mean in accordance to the peaches/other fruit?

Cooking all foods means cooking fruit, which is a kind of food.

Is that canned as long as they are in their own juice?

If they are canned, then they are probably already cooked. Most canned food is cooked, in my experience. That is why canned peaches are so soft.

Is that dehydrated peaches as long as there is no sugar?

Here is how you can answer some of your questions for yourself: Ask yourself: Should I cook all food? Is X a kind of food? Has it already been cooked (not just heated to dehydrate it)?

My experience is that the dehydrated foods I have bought are not cooked. So, I would cook them for the ED.

Or do I need to buy fresh and steam?

No. BTW, remember the many ways of cooking foods: steaming, dry-frying, boiling, baking, roasting, grilling, and saute.

Am I still able to have rice milk?

What is in the rice milk?

What ingredients do I need to watch for besides oil and sugar?

What are the ingredients of what you are considering? Once you answer that, then you can answer your own question. Watch out for anything that is not a whole food, water, or salt. Examples are citric acid, "natural flavors" (which might include pepper or worse), and mystery ingredients.

Suggestion: Eat whole foods, salt, and water. You won't need to worry about additives. They are what they are.

On his list of foods, he has tapioca [and] rice flour, can you give me any ideas as to what I would us that for?

No. I tried and couldn't find anything that was convenient, tasted good, and had enough fiber to make up for the zero fiber of tapioca. I deleted it from my list. However, I am sure some of the very accomplished cooks here could make suggestions that would fit the ED. E.g., could you use the flours to make a sort of crust for a peach cobbler? I don't know. I don't do that sort of cooking.

Keep it Simple is my approach. An example ED meal: One sweet potato, baked; one apple, cooked; one carrot, cooked. Not enough? Multiply by 2, 3, or more until you are full. Delicious without spices or sugar? No. But these foods are edible and tastes do adjust quickly--or we starve.

I have read that some individuals do have a reaction to rice, but I suspect that is rare. Did you notice that the ED list contains no grains except rice? If you want to be super safe, you could consider not eating the rice and then make it one of the first foods you re-introduce as a test. However, you would probably not be able to get through the first part of the ED without the rice because you are not accustomed to preparing other starches. So, my suggestion is to go ahead and eat the rice from the start, though I would use white rice because it is much less acid-producing than brown rice. The chances are that rice won't be the cause of your medical problems anyway.

Most of my questions are in regards to what can I make while I am eating this way. I am planning on stir-fry, steamed vegetables, rice, rice noodles, rice cakes, puffed rice cereal.

Sounds okay to me, assuming they are pure (e.g., make sure the noodles don't contain wheat).

If you have any information or ideas for me that would be AWESOME! I appreciate any help I can get. I intend to follow it strictly so I can know what I can do to help myself. Any suggestions are welcome. Thank you so much!

Two big categories you didn't mention: sweet potatoes (and yams); and gourds (pumpkin and other "winter squashes").

[meg]

I so appreciate your help. You are right, I didn't mention the sweet potatoes. I haven't been a fan of them in the past, but thought I would try to make them into french fries and bake them with salt. We'll see

Do you feel that I should be doing strictly the ed for 2 weeks? Does it generally take that full time to get results? I am obviously hoping for results quicker than that, but just was looking for some sort of idea of what to possibly expect. Can it happen faster than 2 weeks?

You have been very helpful. I am starting today...wish me luck!

I will record on here what I am doing. I think that is a great idea...I would love the feedback while I am trying to be successful. I will be looking for ideas of reintroducing foods when I start getting closer to that.

Thanks for being my support group!haha. You are great.

[Burgess]

I so appreciate your help. You are right, I didn't mention the sweet potatoes. I haven't been a fan of them in the past, but thought I would try to make them into french fries and bake them with salt.

That is appealing. I never tried it. I simply baked them or boiled them (but not too much of the latter). There are lots of recipes around for them in various forms, when you can add more things to your diet.

Do you feel that I should be doing strictly the ed for 2 weeks? Does it generally take that full time to get results? I am obviously hoping for results quicker than that, but just was looking for some sort of idea of what to possibly expect. Can it happen faster than 2 weeks?

Keep in mind that I am trying to offer advice that others might use too. Everyone is different. In my case, one -itis problem (dermatitis) responded noticeably within a few days. The key word is "noticeably." That is, the intensity of the problem decreased by say 2% in the first week. Then I knew I was on the right track.

Of course, the next step was to begin very slowly adding one food at a time back into the diet. So:
Week 1: ED only. Decrease in symptoms, so ...
Week 2: Re-intro 1 food (the food you love the most, let's say pinto beans) as a test. No reaction, and your symptoms continue to diminish slowly, so ...
Week 3: Re-intro 2nd food (e.g., oranges). No reaction, and your symptoms continue to diminish, so ...
Week 4: Re-intro 3rd food (e.g., corn) and bingo, your symptoms get worse! So, you know corn is a trigger. But there could be other triggers, so you have to keep trying foods. Ideally try one per category until you have covered all the categories.

This does not mean you will need to test every food in the world. You should very quickly see patterns. If one bean causes a problem, you should tentatively assume all legumes cause problems and avoid them all until later. If one citrus fruit causes probelms, avoid them all.

In other words, each new test should be in a different category of foods.

If you follow the ED strictly for one week (two would be much better) and you get no decrease in your symptoms at all, then food is probably not the cause. However, keep in mind that some -itis symptoms respond very slowly. Severals months went by before my arthritis was gone. If I remember correctly, Dr. McDougall suggests that if food is the cause then you should see substantial improvement within a few weeks.

I always reserved one week per test. That is why it is so slow. I have explained all this on the website, so I won't repeat it here.

What is your plan? Do you have a schedule of the foods you will be testing and in which order? In other words:
- Over how many days will you test?
- How many days will you allow for your system to clear itself of a food that causes a reaction before you test the next food?
- In what order will you test foods?
- Will that sequence quickly let you test a variety of categories?

[meg]

So far I have eaten
Day 1
Breakfast: Puffed rice, rice milk and peaches
Lunch: Butternut squash with salt
Dinner: Rice, yellow squash and asparagus

Day 2
Breakfast: Same as day 1
Lunch:
Dinner: Rice pasta with asparagus, spinach. Baked sweet potato like french fries with salt.

Day 3
Breakfast: Puffed Rice cereal with rice milk and peaches
Lunch: Leftover from day 2 dinner
Dinner: Rice with squash, and asparagus

Day 4:
Breakfast: Puffed rice, rice milk and peaches
Lunch: Leftover from day 3 dinner and a plum
Dinner: Rice with asparagus, yellow squash, and zucchini squash

Day 5:
Breakfast: Hot rice cereal, rice milk and peaches
Lunch: Leftovers and a plum


I am only seasoning with salt and only drinking water.

I seem to be feeling a difference in my knees. My hands still are the biggest problem area, and will probably take longer to get results. I jogged for a short distance today and didn't feel the usual sharp pain in my knees.

[Burgess]

Meg, you are one in a million. You are sticking to one of the most severe diets around.

I hope you are getting enough to eat. One of the great things about healthy food is that one can eat a lot and often. The Elimination Diet is difficult enough without going hungry.

Congratulations!


P. S. -- Do keep in mind that for some individuals (such as me) the arthritis pains can have two components: diet and some damage from poor posture (including overuse in an improper position). My arthritis pains diminished slowly and steadily for weeks, but then no further. It was only after following exactly the exercises in Pete Egoscue's book, Pain Free, for several months, that I got rid of the rest of the pain.

[meg]

Thanks Burgess! It gets old, but it hasn't been that difficult to follow.

I hope I can feel good enough that I can feel a difference when I reintroduce foods, whether they help or hinder.

I appreciate all of your help, suggestions, and encouragement!

[meg]

I introduced pinto beans on Sunday and on Monday my hands and knees were in so much pain!!

I was also up late with family in town, so that may have been part of it. I am assuming it is the beans, which is unfortunate.

My plan is to wait until I feel back to how I was before Monday, and try to introduce another food group.

Do you have any recommendations of what I should try to introduce next. I could really use some changes in my daily foods so I am looking for something that SHOULDN'T bother me. I have thought about either bananas (so I can help out my sweet tooth/breakfast) or oats. Would one have less of a chance of being bothersome?

When it comes to seasonings, do I add one in at a time just like a food group? I would love to be able to put cinnamon on my cereal.

Burgess, you have been awesome at helping me out and guiding me through this. Thank you!!!!

[Burgess]

Meg, most of your questions are answered here:

http://anti-itisdiet.blogspot.com/2007/ ... foods.html

on my weblog http://anti-itisdiet.blogspot.com

I introduced pinto beans on Sunday and on Monday my hands and knees were in so much pain!! I was also up late with family in town, so that may have been part of it.

Yes, my experience was that fatigue (and the poor posture that goes with it) added to the pain.

I am assuming it is the beans, which is unfortunate.

It is unfortunate in that it might mean that you will need to give up all legumes (beans, peas) except possibly green beans (which are more green than bean). But it is fortunate (if the interpretation is correct) in that you know something now you didn't know before. Knowledge is power--if applied to life.

My plan is to wait until I feel back to how I was before Monday, and try to introduce another food group.

That makes sense. You might need to wait for more than a week. My experience (working from skin flareups, not joint pain) was this:
- Tested the new food on Monday and Tuesday.
- Saw symptoms on Wednesday at the latest.
- Waited until next Monday to do next test, allowing the system to clear itself.

I tried to follow an unpleasant result with a "safe" test, that is, a food that probably would not cause a reaction and was in a different category.

Do you have any recommendations of what I should try to introduce next. I could really use some changes in my daily foods so I am looking for something that SHOULDN'T bother me. I have thought about either bananas (so I can help out my sweet tooth/breakfast) or oats. Would one have less of a chance of being bothersome?

You are taking exactly the right approach. Here are my guidelines:
1. In my experience, every veg was safe. So look in that huge category first.
2. In my experience, every unseedy fruit was safe. So look first or second in this huge category too. Avocados, not figs.
3. In general, be willing to try--with the reasonable hope it is safe--any whole food that is not a seed in any form: vegs, fruit, and starchy (or even not so starchy) roots, tubers, bulbs (canned beets are my favorite), and gourds. Initially, avoid all seeds: Nuts, beans, peas, grains (including corn), and conventional seeds eaten separately--such as sesame, sunflower, and so forth.

Your choice of bananas sounds perfect: sweet, easy to fix, easy to eat, nutritious. The seeds (if that is what those black specks are) are too tiny to consider. (Do keep in mind that apparently some rare individuals do get allergic reactions to bananas, but I wouldn't worry about that as long as you are eating bananas as part of a balanced meal.)

When it comes to seasonings, do I add one in at a time just like a food group? I would love to be able to put cinnamon on my cereal.

Yes, to keep the experiment useful, always test only one thing per week. Cinnamon is not made from seeds, but from scrapings on the inside of a tree bark, I think. It has never bothered me. I use about 2 T per week.

In general, if you have a condition similar to mine, avoid testing any seedy flavoring until later: pepper, and so forth. Test flavorings made from roots (e.g, ginger), bark (cinnamon), leaves (basil and a zillion others). Don't forget flavorful bulbs such as garlic and onions.

[Chumly]

Burgess,

What about fruits that have easy to avoid seeds, like peaches, mangos, melons and apples? Do they give you trouble?

Michael

[Burgess]

What about fruits that have easy to avoid seeds, like peaches, mangos, melons and apples? Do they give you trouble?

No, as long as I avoid the seeds (pits, etc.). If there were an easy way to extract the seeds from figs, I am sure I could eat figs. I eat "seedless" watermelon but I am careful to remove the immature seeds that appear in "seedless" watermelon.

The problem is the seeds, not the "flesh" wrapped around the seeds. I suspect the reason is that seeds are highly concentrated sources of certain amino acids or other substances which the new plant will need at the beginning of growth.