Questions about the Elimination Diet

[Kim_Crabtree]

Hi! I have been dealing with RA for the past 5-1/2 years and more recently medication-induced Lupus. I was doing fairly well on my meds, but after being hospitalized in April, ultimately due to my immune system being weakened by the drugs, I decided it was time to find a different approach. Friends of mine, who have been "McDougallers" for quite some time, shared Dr. M's DVD's with me. I began my vegan diet on Memorial Day weekend. I felt wonderful for the first two weeks. Suddenly, almost overnight, I developed severe pain and swelling in my hands and feet. I emailed Dr. M and he graciously gave me advice on how to proceed, but to no avail. He finally directed me to the Elimination Diet and to Burgess Laughlin. I am still looking for Burgess, but thought I would start here for info and advice.

1) Are baked white potatoes ok on the elim. diet?
2) What about oats and other grains?
3) Is there a more extensive list of veggies and fruits that are acceptable?
4) For added flavor to veggies, are herbs ok to use rather than just salt?

Thank you in advance for your help, and ultimately for your support to this newbie!

________________

Kim

[Burgess]

Here are my experiences and suggestions for the Elimination Diet:

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

Keep in mind that I am a layman and my condition and experiences may be different from yours.

Suggestion: Read the first (oldest) posts on the weblog as background.

[Burgess]

1) Are baked white potatoes ok on the elim. diet?

Probably. Suggestion: peel the potatoes and make sure you remove any dark spots, to remove possible sources of problems.

2) What about oats and other grains?

No. Examine Dr. McDougall's list carefully. You will see it includes no grains except brown rice, which I suggest dropping from the list. (It is just about the only "seed" food on the list. Is that a coincidence? I doubt it. Note the patterns.)

3) Is there a more extensive list of veggies and fruits that are acceptable?

No. You don't need one. Based on my experience and examining Dr. McDougall's list, my suggestion is: Eat any fruit or veg that is generally not seedy. E.g., figs. However, keep in mind that since some people do report reactions to tomatoes (which are seedy) and citrus fruit (especially grapefruit), you might want to avoid those until you can test them.

4) For added flavor to veggies, are herbs ok to use rather than just salt?

It would be better to use only salt at first, because you would get cleaner experimental results. Try adding an herb (basil? oregano? and so forth) as your first reintroduction test.

My experience leads to this suggestion: Avoid all flavorings made from seeds: pepper, cumin, and so forth. The herbs never caused me any problems, especially if I used them as whole foods--e.g., plants such as onions. So, yes, you could reasonably take a chance and use herbs if they are pure.

[Adrienne]

These links may be helpful:


http://www.drmcdougall.com/med_allergic.html

http://www.nealhendrickson.com/mcdougal ... pudiet.htm

[Kim_Crabtree]

Thank you, thank you for the replies. I am so grateful for your help and direction and will try your suggestions.

______________________________________

Kim