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.