Elimination Diet Day 4

Eep! I know, I’m behind on my days, but I have been keeping a hand-written food journal to catch up with. Day 4 was completed with no (not too many…) complaints! Some of my meals and snacks are beginning to get repetitive, which means that it’s time to get back to the drawing board for meal planning this week. I will say that this process is not for the faint of heart and is definitely time consuming. How can you be more efficient with your time? Plan, plan, plan! How often do you grocery shop? Plan enough meals and snacks to get you from one grocery shopping trip to the next. I’m guilty of going several times per week, but I really only need to go once. You can even find some fun meal planning templates to download to make the process more enjoyable! Another tip is to pick a time to go to the grocery store that is not during peak hours (if possible). I personally like to go either in the evening or on a week day. This is helpful when you will need a little extra time to read those labels!

That being said, many people (3 out of every 4 IBS sufferers) have found relief with this diet! That’s a pretty impressive amount and, I would say, worth the pain, sweat, and tears. 😉 (It’s not all bad…I have found some new recipes and snacks that I will continue to make and eat!)

On another note, I ordered this Patsy Catsos book and it should be here tomorrow (whoo!), so I hope to share some new tidbits in the upcoming week.

I had to include a full size pic of this tasty morsel! This is a snack that I will be happy to continue eating after the elimination phase! This snack idea is a Kate Scarlata concoction. Rice cake topped with PB&J and a sprinkle of pepitas (hulled sunflower seeds).

Meals and snacks for the day:

• Breakfast
  • 2 slices GF toast with melted cheddar cheese, 1 fried egg, and 2 slices tomato
  • strawberries
  • cappuccino made with lactose-free milk and 1 shot espresso
• Lunch (this was a very light lunch since I had to run out to take a friend to the airport)
  • Kate Scarlata’s Chunky Monkey smoothie (again….I can’t stop!)
• Snack
  • 2 rice cakes loaded with PB&J and pepitas (another Kate Scarlata fave!)
• Dinner
  • handful of blue corn chips
  • 2 Slow Cooker Chipotle Chicken Tostadas 
    • topped with a sprinkle of lime juice and 1/8 avocado
  • 4 oz red wine (yes, just 4 oz, which is 1 oz short of a serving - try measuring your own at home…you may be surprised!)
• Snack
  • handful peanuts and pepitas
  • few strawberries and grapes
  • 1 rice cake