So in rolls 2010, what does this mean for everyone? The first thing I thought was that it means that I have been friends with the readers of this blog for 6 years, and I still feel like the new kid on the block! I know what it means for Dan, mainly because I decided to copy his post because I am too sleepy to come up with an idea for myself.  

To me 2010 is going to be about fixing my health, not in a “this year I am going to be healthier and lose weight” sort of a way (talk about original!) but in a “I am going to take myself seriously and try every NATURAL way I can to cure my god damned skin!” sort of a way.  I am going to start on an elimination diet. Now I know that not all skin conditions are caused by a food allergy, I am not even sure of the percentage but apparently it is quite low and my doctors have discouraged me from trying it because they think it is a waste of time BUT in saying that my mum suffered from a multitude of food intolerances and my little brother can keep his skin under control by simply cutting out wheat. I am not sure how well the test will go because both my brother and I have had SO MANY different allergy tests and they came up with a few things for James and NOTHING for me… to the point where they have decided that I may in fact be allergic to myself (talented huh?) but I figure what do I have to lose? It isn’t like my skin can get much worse and hey; it will be making me eat healthier for a few weeks.

Sorry this post isn’t really that interesting, but it is the only thing I have been researching for a while now. Below is the basic information associated with elimination diets. There are many different forms of the diet listed on the net but this one seems to make the most sense to me, even if I have the world’s smallest list of things to eat!

Part of doing this will be keeping a food diary… I can’t even post regularly so a diary may be a bit of a struggle! Noting what I eat and any changes to my body and see if any symptoms change.

So without further ado (to all of you who have bothered to read this far!) here is what I plan on doing to myself after I get paid so I can afford to stock up on things such as pealed pears. This is going to be interesting!

p.s. Please feel free to give me any feedback on how you think this will go… I am quite happy for people to tell me I am insane etc. Actually I am quite interested to see what people think of this type of action rather than putting steroids on ski n. I am looking forward to hearing what people have to say J

Elimination diet          

• Commence the elimination diet at a point of relative symptom stability and not at the same time as making other changes, e.g. supplements, medications, activity levels, etc.
• In the weeks before an elimination diet eat a nutrient rich, unrefined and varied diet. Gradually decrease your caffeine intake over this time to minimize caffeine withdrawal.
• Choose the most convenient time to try this diet. For example not around the time of important social occasions, when relatives are staying over or you have little time for food preparation. Ask for the support of your family.
• For 10 days consume nothing but the foods listed in the table below.
  • If there are any foods on this list you know or suspect you may be reactive to, or a close relative is reactive to, eliminate these foods as well.
  • Also if you crave any foods on the below list, exclude this food also, as craving is a common marker for allergy or intolerance.

Consume a varied diet, eating some vegetables, lamb, pears, rice and oil daily. Plan out meals before hand, making sure you eat proper meals and eat enough calories every day. This point about calories is particularly important if you are under-weight. Before starting the diet make a trip to the shops to stock up on the allowed foods.

*Aspirin should preferably be avoided during this period due to it’s high salicylate content.

*If possible it is also preferable to avoid anti-histamines during this process as anti-histamines can mask allergy symptoms.

*Some people become constipated on this diet. If this happens use pure psyllium powder (provides bulk) or plain coloxyl (stool softener) as needed.

• Keep a diary of symptoms throughout this process and note any changes.
• If symptoms worsen, new symptoms appear (e.g. headaches), or food cravings develop in the first 2- 4 days, this usually indicates withdrawal from food allergy or addiction.
• If after 10 days certain symptoms have improved, this indicates food reactivity of some kind.
• Add back foods one at a time in a pure form (e.g. corn on a cob not cornflakes).
  • Allow 48 hours between adding new foods.
  • Consume plenty of the foods you are testing (e.g. 2x daily over the 48 hour period).
  • Carefully observe changes in symptoms/signs upon adding back foods.
  • If you react to a food, eliminate it entirely for the time being, and wait until the reaction has completely cleared before adding in the next food.
  • If there is no reaction to a food after eating it regularly for 48 hours, add in the next food.
  • The following order is recommended, which are among the most commonly reactive foods.

1. Dairy (in the form of milk).

2. Wheat (in the form of a 100% wheat product).

3. Eggs (whole fresh eggs).

4. Peanuts (whole peanuts).

5. Corn (corn on a cob or canned corn).

6. Soy (canned whole soy beans).

7. Cocoa (sugar free cocoa powder or plain cocoa beans).

8. Yeast (tsp’s of baker’s yeast or brewer’s yeast).

9. Citrus fruits.

10. Tomatoes.

11. Beef.

Possible meal and snack suggestions:

• Whole grain rice, lamb and fried/boiled vegetable based dish.
• Mashed sweet potatoes seasoned with olive oil and sea salt. Add fried vegetables if desired.
• Salad made with desired combination of cabbage, kale, carrots, cauliflower, squash or broccoli. Add olive oil.
• Baked vegetables with olive oil and salt.
• 100% rice crackers or rice noodles.
• Carrot sticks.
• Peeled pears.
• Drink several glasses of filtered water per day.

Sources of gluten include:

• Anything containing wheat, barley, rye, oats & spelt.
• Anything that contains the word gluten, gliadin & glutenin.
• Foods which state they may contain traces of wheat/gluten.
• Maltodextrin/malt (if it is derived from wheat or barley).
• Soy sauce (unless or states it is gluten free).
• Bulgur, couscous, durum, dinkle, kamut, semolina & triticale.

Gluten is a protein in wheat, barley, rye, oats & spelt. Many people who react to wheat are reactive to all forms of gluten, while some can tolerate the other forms but not wheat. If you react to wheat consider other sources of gluten may also be a problem.

Sources of casein include:

• Anything containing milk, yoghurt, cheese, butter, cream, ice-cream, goats milk derived products, etc.
• Milk solids.
• Anything that says casein or caseinate.

Casein is a protein in dairy products. There are different reasons people react to dairy products. If dairy primarily causes bloating, stomach cramps & diarrhea, you are likely lactose intolerant. The other type of reaction is allergy or intolerance to dairy protein. This can cause a diverse array of symptoms in people.

Sources of dietary yeast include:

• Yoghurt with fruit, aged cheeses, hard cheeses, processed cheeses, moldy cheeses.
• Bread, sourdough bread, rolls, breakfast cereals, crackers (check label).
• Mushrooms, olives, capers, tempeh.
• Peanuts, peanut butter.
• Liquor, anything made from malt, beer, wine, cider, coffee.
• Vegemite, vinegar, catsup, mayonnaise, French mustard (made with vinegar), salad dressing made with vinegar, sweets, Chinese food, any foods which are obviously moldy.