Total Elimination Diet Update
As of today, I’m two weeks into my new, and totally unfabulous total elimination diet. Sawyer is 4 months old, and I’ve already dropped 7 pounds under my pre-pregnancy weight (you wouldn’t hate me if you knew what I’ve been eating). After 13 days of agonizing decisions over what to eat for dinner - turkey or chicken, rice or potatoes, mmmm, maybe some salt - I added eggs back into my diet yesterday. So far so good, but I’m definitely knocking on wood as I say that.
I’ve begun exploring wheat, gluten and dairy free diet alternatives at our local Vitamin Cottage. I did a little shopping trip, and was pleasantly surprised at the options they offered which fit into my new diet plan. Unfortunately, some of these options are pretty much unpalatable (anyone want some vegan, soy free, rice “cheese”?). I did find a few things that are making me a happier person though:
Enjoy Life Foods sells soft baked Double Chocolate Brownie Cookies contain real, dairy free, soy free chocolate chips that actually melt if you heat them for a few seconds in the microwave. While the texture is a little gritty when compared to your average cookie or brownie, I still thought these little guys were pretty tasty. I’ll definitely be buying another box the next time I come across them, so I can have them on hand when I’m missing out on dessert or some other goody my family is eating.
Speaking of chocolate chips, Enjoy Life also sells their soy, dairy, nut and gluten-free chocolate chips by the bag for baking or snacking. I’ve only sampled a small handful, but they tasted just like regular semi-sweet chocolate chips to me. I’m hoping to try them out for baking in the very near future!
In case you’re wondering, Enjoy Life has a dedicated, nut and gluten-free bakery. They routinely test their foods for common allergens, and their foods are all free of the 8 most common allergens: wheat/gluten, dairy, peanuts, tree nuts, egg, soy, fish and shellfish. I’ll be writing a little more about my favorite allergen free finds in the weeks to come, so stay tuned for another update.
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