I went to the dermatologist for eczema that was spreading painfully across my legs. “Sorry.” I was told. “There’s nothing you can do for it. You’ll struggle with it for the rest of your life. Here’s a steroid cream to ease the suffering.”
I found a holistic doctor who said “Umph. They’re still living in the dark ages!” To which I agreed. She put me on this elimination diet to uncover the causes of my eczema.
The Elimination Diet:
- No dairy
- No gluten
- No soy
- No peanuts
- No shellfish
- No corn
- No beef
- No pork
- No processed meats
- No coffee
- No chocolate
- No excess sugar
And needless to say, it wasn’t easy for the first few days. I wasn’t prepared for such a feat but was eager to jump right in so that the burning and itching that was spreading to my arms would begin to go away.
So the first day or two there wasn’t much in my house to eat until we could go get groceries. Luckily, I had been practicing intermittent fasting for a while so my body did well with not having much to eat. It got better as I figured things out.
Finding Food for the Elimination Diet
Of course, fresh fruits and veggies are kosher. I, of course, didn’t know what to do with most of them and hate to cook. So whereas I did get these things in, I mostly opted for easy to grab things because that’s my personality.
All food is required by the FDA to label the top allergens and most of them do so collectively at the bottom of the ingredients list in bold. Not all of them, though, and soy in particular can be sneaky so make sure you’re reading all of the ingredients or you may be doing a lot of unproductive work.
The listed below foods were what I ate each day. They’re in order of which they were eaten throughout the day even though I decided not to label “Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner”. I also tried to mention specific labels and brands to make things a little easier for you.
Day 1 of the Elimination Diet
- Quinoa with strawberries, almond butter, cardamom, nutmeg, turmeric, cinnamon, acai powder, hemp and chia seeds
- Zucchini noodles with basil pesto
Day 2
- Quinoa with almond butter, cardamom, nutmeg, turmeric, cinnamon, hemp seeds
- Oatmeal with pumpkin puree, cardamom, nutmeg, turmeric, hemp and pumpkin seeds
Day 3
- Quinoa with almond butter, cardamom, nutmeg, turmeric, cinnamon, hemp and chia seeds and acai powder
- Pumpkin seeds, figs, grapes, cucumbers
- Vanilla coconut milk yogurt
- The Good Bean Balsamic Herb Favas + Peas
Day 4
- Quinoa & oatmeal with almond butter, cardamom, nutmeg, turmeric, cinnamon, hemp seeds and acai powder
- Lemon herb tuna with crackers
- Coconut milk vanilla yogurt
- Orange
- Veggie roll sushi
- Smoked salmon sashimi on a dry cucumber and lettuce salad
Day 5 of the Elimination Diet
- Quinoa with blueberries, almond butter, cardamom, nutmeg, turmeric, hemp seeds and coconut flakes
- Market side buffalo style hummus with carrots
- Cashews and dried cranberries
- Sauteed chicken, asparagus and spinach
- Steamed red potatoes and carrots
- Basmati rice
Day 6
- Sweet potato and rice crispies cereal in vanilla almond milk with hemp seeds, nutmeg, cardamom and turmeric
- Veggie roll sushi
- Market side pico de gallo with Beanitos Hint of Lime White bean tortilla chips
- Pan seared salmon
- Sauteed spinach
- Leftover Steamed carrots, potatoes and rice
Day 7
- Oatmeal with strawberries, bananas, Sunflower seed butter, hemp and chia seeds, coconut flakes, nutmeg, turmeric, cardamom and 3 drops monk fruit sweetener
- Marketside buffalo style hummus with carrots
- Strawberry banana coconut milk yogurt
- The Good Bean Balsamic Herb Favas + Peas
- Market side pico de gallo with Beanitos Hint of Lime White bean tortilla chips
- Kellogs rice crispies cereal with vanilla almond milk, blueberries, cardamom, turmeric and 3 drops monk fruit sweetener
Day 8
- Oatmeal with strawberries, bananas, Sunflower seed butter, hemp and chia seeds, coconut flakes, nutmeg, turmeric, cardamom and 3 drops monk fruit sweetener
- Barilla Red lentil pasta, zucchini noodles and spinach in marinara sauce
- An orange
- Oatmeal pumpkin muffins
Day 9
- Oatmeal pumpkin muffins
- Leftover Barilla Red lentil pasta, zucchini noodles and spinach in marinara sauce
- Sushi bowl with rice, avocado, cucumber, ginger and seaweed snacks
- Market side pico de gallo with Beanitos Hint of Lime White bean tortilla chips
- Strawberry banana coconut milk yogurt
- Cashews
Day 10 of the Elimination Diet
- Kellogg’s rice crispy cereal with Bear Naked triple berry granola, blueberries and vanilla almond milk
- Market side pico de gallo with Beanitos Hint of Lime White bean tortilla chips
- Kite Hill vanilla almond milk yogurt
- The Good Bean Balsamic Herb Favas + Peas
- Grilled salmon with asparagus
- Sauteed spinach and squash
- Quinoa, cranberry and kale medley
Day 11
- Oatmeal with sunflower seed butter, cardamom, nutmeg, turmeric, cinnamon, hemp and chia seeds, acai powder and blueberries
- Orange
- Banana with almond butter and hemp seeds on a Toufayan Bakeries gluten free smart grain wrap
- Leftover grilled salmon with asparagus
- Sauteed spinach and squash
- Kite Hill vanilla almond milk yogurt
Day 12
- Oatmeal with sunflower seed butter, cardamom, nutmeg, turmeric, cinnamon, hemp and chia seeds, acai powder and blueberries
- Chipotle tuna and crackers
- Berries, grapes and figs
- Dirty rice with ground Turkey in baked peppers
Day 13
- Quinoa with almond butter, coconut flakes, cardamom, nutmeg, turmeric, cinnamon, hemp and chia seeds, acai powder and blueberries
- Dirty rice with ground Turkey
- Homemade, everything free cookies courtesy of a good friend
- Amy’s canned bean soup
- Homemade, everything free cookies
Day 14
- Quinoa and oatmeal with cardamom, nutmeg, turmeric, cinnamon, monk fruit sweetener, hemp and chia seeds and blueberries
- A banana
- Sriracha tuna and crackers
- Gluten free bread
- Chicken fajitas with peppers, mushrooms and onions on Toufayan Bakeries gluten free smart grain wrap topped with nutritional yeast and Louisiana hot sauce.
Day 15 of the Elimination Diet
- Quinoa with Almond Butter, cardamom, nutmeg, turmeric, cinnamon, monk fruit sweetener, hemp and chia seeds and blueberries
- Veggie Roll sushi with ginger
- Rice wrapped in grape leaves
- I failed. I’m not proud of it. My in laws took us to Texas Roadhouse and I ate Yeast rolls, Steak, A jalapeneo popper in ranch dressing, fried pickles in ranch dressing and a half of a boneless buffalo wing in ranch.
- I’m human.
Day 16
- Quinoa with Almond Butter, cardamom, nutmeg, turmeric, cinnamon, monk fruit sweetener, hemp and chia seeds and a banana (cut up in it)
- Homemade guacamole with Beanitos Sea Salt black bean tortilla chips
- Leftover fajitas
- Ginger wrapped in seaweed snacks
- The Good Bean Balsamic Herb Favas + Peas
- Knorr 90 second chicken flavored rice
Day 17
- Diced Sweet Potatoes, pan seared and in Kellog’s Rice Crispies cereal with vanilla almond milk, cardamom, nutmeg, cinnamon, turmeric and monk fruit sweetener
- Hash browns and grilled chicken strips in sweet and sour sauce
- Strawberry banana coconut yogurt
- Sushi bowl with rice, riced califlower, asparagus and mushrooms. Spooned into seaweed wraps with ginger
Day 18
- Oatmeal with cardamom, cinnamon, nutmeg, turmeric, sunflower seed butter, monk fruit sweetener and sliced strawberries.
- Sushi bowl with carrots, seaweed wraps and ginger
- Sweet potato toast with almond butter and hemp seeds
Day 19
- Quinoa and oatmeal with Bear Naked triple berry granola, cardamom, cinnamon, nutmeg, turmeric, Almond butter, hemp and chia seeds, coconut flakes, blueberries and vanilla almond milk (Yes it tasted like a jumbled mess but wasn’t bad, haha)
- Sweet potato toast with Market side buffalo style hummus, spinach and nutritional yeast
- Ronzoni gluten free pasta with prego spaghetti sauce, ground venison and spinach
Day 20 of the Elimination Diet
- Oatmeal with cardamom, cinnamon, nutmeg, turmeric, sunflower seed butter, hemp and chia seeds with sliced strawberries
- Leftover Ronzoni gluten free pasta with Prego spaghetti sauce, ground venison and spinach
- Sandwich on gluten free bread with Market side buffalo style hummus, sliced cucumbers, raw green bell pepper and spinach.
- Off the Eaten Path hummus crisps with Market side pico de gallo
Day 21
- Oatmeal with cardamom, cinnamon, nutmeg, turmeric, sunflower seed butter, hemp and chia seeds with sliced banana
- Knorr olive oil and garlic brown rice
- Ground venison taco meat salad with diced green bell pepper, diced avocado and nutritional yeast on a bed of spinach
Elimination diet imperfect success
Per instructions, I was supposed to ditch everything for 21 days until my eczema went away before I started adding things back one by one. I started adding things back as soon as my eczema was noticeably better instead and that made things a little easier on me. It wasn’t perfect but it worked.
Be diligent and keep a close eye on what you’re eating. Keep notes of what you’re eating every day so if you have a flare up during the challenge you can more easily find the culprit.
Hang in there. It’s only a month. It’s temporary and the results will be worth it if your problems are food sensitivity related. Join our community below!
Other Articles you may enjoy:
- How to Make Food Easier ; Neurodivergent Meal Prep & Planning
- How to Use Alchemy for Self Healing & Creating the New Earth
- Top 5 Superfoods for a Healthy Body & Mind
- How to Make Sweet Protein Packed Energy Balls
- How I Stopped Stressing Over How My Kids Eat
Author
S.S.Blake; Spiritual Life Coach, Yoga + Meditation Teacher and Founder of Earth and Water
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