Restricted Diet!

[shavefan]

So, my wife was put on an elimination diet about a week ago to try and help clear up a medical condition. Things we (I am with her in solidarity) can't eat;

-Garlic
-Pepper of any kind, or anything "spicy"
-Tomatoes
-Onions
-Citrus of any kind
-Alcohol
-Caffein

Even though it's only been about a week, I am already struggling with flavor diversity. The list above, while short, is amazingly restrictive, at least the way I cook. Oy! Any out of the box flavoring ideas are most welcome.

 

[Tannhauser]

Yikes, that really does put a big limit on what you can do for seasoning. When you say "pepper of any kind", you're not just referring to the spice, but also to things like even bell peppers, right? Rules out paprika as a seasoning, too. What about other spices like ginger, sage, thyme, etc.?

Smoking and grilling can help add flavor. Vinegar might be able to help with adding some flavor, unless that violates the alcohol restriction, or is too acidic for the diet's purpose.

 

[shavefan]

Yikes, that really does put a big limit on what you can do for seasoning. When you say "pepper of any kind", you're not just referring to the spice, but also to things like even bell peppers, right? Rules out paprika as a seasoning, too. What about other spices like ginger, sage, thyme, etc.?

Smoking and grilling can help add flavor. Vinegar might be able to help with adding some flavor, unless that violates the alcohol restriction, or is too acidic for the diet's purpose.

Yep, any pepper. Peppercorns, chilis, bells... I've been using ginger, sage, thyme, cilantro, rosemary etc... basic herbs. Vinegar is OK. I need to check to see if mustard would be OK, we're unclear on that.

Unfortunately, the wife isn't a huge fan of smoked meats, great idea though. She'll do mildly smoke fish, we had smoked salmon for breakfast this morning.

 

[Macfrommichigan]

Butter & cream sauces: chicken, pasta, veggies.

 

[davent]

I make myself a stir fry with vegetables three nights per week, add in chunks of any leftover proteins or prep some tofu. Would be easy enough to work around the restrictions with the endless vegetable combos. Sauce based on chicken stock, soy sauce, oyster sauce and sriracha or other hot sauce which you'd leave out and add back into your bowl, Sambal Olek is fave for that.

Sometimes sub in black bean sauce for the oyster sauce.
More often than not i'm the only one eating my stir fry and it's not unusual for three different meals for three people those nights.
dave

 

[DoctorShavegood]

Nightshades are the first foods to eliminate.

 

[shavefan]

I make myself a stir fry with vegetables three nights per week, add in chunks of any leftover proteins or prep some tofu. Would be easy enough to work around the restrictions with the endless vegetable combos. Sauce based on chicken stock, soy sauce, oyster sauce and sriracha or other hot sauce which you'd leave out and add back into your bowl, Sambal Olek is fave for that.

Sometimes sub in black bean sauce for the oyster sauce.
More often than not i'm the only one eating my stir fry and it's not unusual for three different meals for three people those nights.
dave

Great advice Dave. Thanks.

Nightshades are the first foods to eliminate.

Yep, they're what I understand causes problems for some.

 

[shavefan]

Butter & cream sauces: chicken, pasta, veggies.

Doing all of the above. Thanks.

 

[Sabin]

No alcohol ? ... That's tough..

 

[davent]

Nightshades are the first foods to eliminate.

Potatoes and eggplants are two more in that family that aren't on BT's restricted list and maybe should be?
dave

 

[davent]

Doing all of the above. Thanks.

You're welcome BT, i forgot to mention and i'm not sure whether you are doing the keto thing but i'll put put this most often on rice but also millet, quinoa, or cook all three together, same cook time, pasta, other grains, it's very versatile.
dave

 

[shavefan]

Potatoes and eggplants are two more in that family that aren't on BT's restricted list and maybe should be?
dave

Right now we're strictly following Dr's orders. Those two aren't on the list.

 

[shavefan]

You're welcome BT, i forgot to mention and i'm not sure whether you are doing the keto thing but i'll put put this most often on rice but also millet, quinoa, or cook all three together, same cook time, pasta, other grains, it's very versatile.
dave

Thanks for the suggestion

No, not following keto although I sometimes inadvertently make a Keto approved meal.

 

[GaryTha]

So, my wife was put on an elimination diet about a week ago to try and help clear up a medical condition. Things we (I am with her in solidarity) can't eat;

-Garlic
-Pepper of any kind, or anything "spicy"
-Tomatoes
-Onions
-Citrus of any kind
-Alcohol
-Caffein

Even though it's only been about a week, I am already struggling with flavor diversity. The list above, while short, is amazingly restrictive, at least the way I cook. Oy! Any out of the box flavoring ideas are most welcome.

Your wife is suffering from food poisoning. If you have been eating like her, you are also suffering from food poisoning. Your symptoms just haven't become apparent yet. Somewhere about 95% of all chronic diseases are a result of food poisoning.

Let's start with elimination diets. A list of things not to eat is backwards as the list is long. Better to start with a list of things that will keep the body healthy and add something each week if the condition is getting better. Here is the best elimination diet I know of by one of the top four or five nutrition doctors in the world. Ignore the introduction. The same diet will work for any chronic condition that is still curable. (It may not work for infections, but doctors are pretty good with those.)

Given all the misinformation out there, I suggest an expensive shortcut to success. You will likely recoup the money in treatments prevented and drugs not taken. It's a 10-day live-in program and costs $5,450 plus transportation costs. The alternative is about 1,000 hours of reading, watching videos and listening to podcasts to learn why many of the currently popular ways of eating are deadly.

The doctor I prefer is Dr. McDougall because he has been saying the same thing since the 80's. His wife developed the menu for the original Pritikin plan. He been doing podcasts, writing books, making videos, writing newsletters since the 80's, maybe the 70's. I can't find a single contradiction. He references the best studies and in his later books gives links to those studies. He also points people to other experts in the field.

Other doctors I like are Dean Ornish (He proved heart disease could be reversed using this way of eating.) Dr. Esselstyn who reverses very advanced heart disease. Dr. Campbell who did the China Study. (Note: This study did NOT prove anything. It found associations that were researched later.) All of them have shown that cancer can be cured about 80% of the time with this way of eating without chemo, radiation or operations.

To summarize the way of eating:
1. No animal products at all.
2. No oils like olive oil, soybean oil, etc.
3. Eat all food in as close to its natural state as possible (frozen vegetables are fine).
4. Eat about 80% carbs, 10% fats and 10% proteins.

Starches are primarily for calories; vegetables and fruits are for vitamins and minerals. About 80% of the diet will come from starches for those who don't need to lose weight. A little less for those who do. There is no reason to ever be hungry.

If you are interested, I can guide you through the podcasts, etc., but it's not a quick process. Learning the way of eating can take a week or two with complete trust backed up by blood tests a month after strict compliance.

 

[Wtd1911]

We cook alot with Fennel, Star of Anise (if you like a licorice flavor) Curry. Fish, can be done with butter alone as long as it has it's own flavor. I.E. Shark, Swordfish, Tuna (good quality Tuna fresh). Cohiba, Walleye. Problem with most foods is the lack of acids which you can add. Everything she can't have is acidic. Need more Aromatics to replace the acids.

 

[Scarry Knight]

Is this because of intestinal permeability (leaky gut)? Has she undergone ELISA food sensitivity testing?

 

[shavefan]

Is this because of intestinal permeability (leaky gut)? Has she undergone ELISA food sensitivity testing?

Eczema

No ELISA tests, yet

 

[Scarry Knight]

Eczema

No ELISA tests, yet

Thanks. I have to eliminate over thirty foods and was going to comment toward that, but I’ll keep it to the initial question.

I use Coconut oil, no dairy, Coconut Secret Coconut Aminos and Coconut Vinegar, ACV, turmeric, fennel also, herbs-rosemary sage, stevia, flax chia and slippery elm as sauce thickeners, home grind my own mustards and flavor them as desired, ginger for heat since peppers are out, fruit juices, Herbapol (a Polish brand) syrups-aronia/cola/ginger, horehound for bitters, parsley and cilantro. Hope that helps some.

 

[StlEd]

Eczema

No ELISA tests, yet

Is this of recent onset?
If so, have you noticed any Lone Star ticks in your area and might your wife have been bitten recently?

I only ask because I have been reading a lot more often about the upsurge in red meat allergies that can present as eczema, but can also cause anaphylaxis. You can read more about it at this link from the Mayo Clinic:
Alpha-gal syndrome - Symptoms and causes
or by Googling "eczema lone star tick".

 

[Tester28]

One of the best regimens for elimination is to have the juice of half a lemon
in hot water on an empty stomach, first thing in the morning.