Reintroduction Day 21: 03/09/14

Well this is it, my last blog post about the JJ Virgin Elimination Diet. I have done all of my tests: eggs, dairy and corn.

I am so glad that I started this diet, it was quite a challenge but after the Elimination part, I felt amazing. The Reintroduction part was eye-opening and I believe that in the future I will notice more of my symptoms and reactions to foods. I think this diet has allowed me to continue forward with the tools I need to keep myself healthy and make good decisions about what to eat.

I think my biggest challenge going into this diet was not really knowing what to eat. That is the most frequent reaction that I got when I told people about the diet: "what do you eat?!" I would like to compile a list of meal options so that anyone else beginning the diet won't feel so overwhelmed.

Breakfast:
-Vegan and Paleo Muffins
-Paleo Granola
-Breakfast Smoothies

Lunch:
-Salad with Orange Chicken
-Chickpea Quinoa Salad
-Hummus with rice cakes or vegetable sticks
-Rice Tortilla with Refried Beans

Dinner:
-Kale and Lentil Soup
-Stir-Fry Greens
-Orange Chicken
-Spaghetti Squash with Meatballs
-Paleo Chicken Pot Pie
-Butternut Squash Soup
-Chicken and Wild Rice Soup
-Whole Foods Quinoa Burgers and Squash Salad
-Beef Stew
-Spaghetti Squash Chicken Lo Mein
-Oven-Roasted Vegetables
-Stuffed Peppers
-Lettuce-wrapped hamburger

Snacks:
-Celery with Almond Butter
-Apples with Almond Butter
-Roasted Spaghetti Squash Seeds
-Carrot Sticks
-Good Beans
-Coconut Date Rolls
-Sweet Potato Fries/Chips 

Not exactly sugar-free...
-Chocolate Chip Cookies
-Egg-Free Coconut Macaroons

As you can see, there was a lot that I was able to eat. I enjoyed taking the time to make all of these new recipes, each one was a challenge! My absolute favorite day would be: a smoothie with muffins for breakfast; rice tortillas with refried beans for lunch; paleo chicken pot pie for dinner. Just thinking about it makes me want to make those pies again, but they took the longest of all the dinners that I made!

For the future, my plan is to avoid the elimination foods 90% of the time. I think that I will generally do my best to eat clean, of course I will always be gluten-free, but I think I will try to not eat too much dairy or corn. Of course sugar will be my biggest struggle, I definitely was challenged by trying not to eat that. As I have said, now that I have gone through the diet, I am so much more sensitive to reactions to foods. There is no way that I can get away with eating three string cheeses in a day or a whole bag of candy, I feel it all throughout my body in headaches, grogginess, bloating and digestive slowness. It just isn't that worth it to me to eat foods that make me feel so bad, I would rather feel great and have enough energy to truly enjoy everyday and be able to do everything I want!

I hope that documenting my experiences doing the JJ Virgin Elimination Diet will help anyone who is thinking about starting the diet or struggling to follow it. 

Reintroduction Day 20: 03/08/14

I have been enjoying my healthy meal plan for this week! As usual, a kale smoothie and granola for breakfast. Then I had a nice salad with grilled chicken and some hummus and rice cakes. For dinner I had a quinoa sweet potato burger from Whole Foods. Feeling good!

I am a little sad that I won't be blogging as often once this is over. I have really had a lot of fun taking pictures of everything and sharing all of my recipes and experiences. I will have to continue posting any new recipes I try!

My new favorite restaurant ever is Life Alive, in Cambridge, MA and Lowell, MA. I didn't go out to eat the entire time I was on the elimination diet. This was mostly because I don't have transportation to go to any restaurants, but also because I knew that I would only be able to order salad and most likely it wouldn't even be organic so I didn't see any point in paying for a salad. Anyway, at Life Alive, I was actually able to order a nice well-rounded meal and it was already Elimination Diet approved!

I got a quinoa with delicious steamed dark greens, carrots, mushrooms, beets and broccoli flowers on it. I had olive oil and vinegar as a dressing and it was the best thing I have ever eaten in a restaurant. I ordered a delicious tropical smoothie with almond milk, coconut oil, bananas and pineapple.

After dinner, we walked to a gluten-free bakery called Violette which was absolutely adorable. They had so many delicious options and even had some vegan desserts. Violette also makes their own chocolate hazelnut spread which is amazing and vegan!