I told myself we’d do this elimination diet for two weeks if we saw no changes. But when you’re a mom, you want the best for your child – even if it’s not so great for yourself. So when we saw no changes after two weeks, we kept on going. For one more. And we still saw no changes.
We did learn a lot though:
1. Variety is key. I love me some eggs in the morning with dry toast and orange juice. I could it it…. for a really long time. Omelet, by itself when in a hurry, with red onions and garlic and bell peppers, eggs over easy, eggs prepared in the oven. But this is not variety and we run the danger of lacking important nutrients in our diet. So while eggs are great, we need to switch it up. Welcome oatmeal, pancakes, toast with jam, oh the list goes on.
2. Adequate intake is not only important because somebody (USDA) said so, and because nutritionists and health coaches adhere by some form of nutrition platform, whether that’d be “MyPlate” (please don’t use that) or the real food diet, which I advocate; but, also because when your body is used to getting a certain amount and macronutrient distribution of energy from food, when that drops, you become more susceptible to illnesses. (Case in point: me catching cold). Especially when you’re active – and P90X2 is more than just being active. It’s crazy, I’m telling you. And don’t think for a second that I lost weight. I didn’t. My sugar intake went up, I’m assuming that helped, or my body started reaching for its reserves. Good thing though, because losing weight is not a goal of mine.
3. Balance kind of goes with variety. This elimination diet was such a numbing experience for me. I love cooking and baking. But with the usable ingredients being so limited, I was a pretty terrible cook. For example. I bought this gluten free boxed pasta. It tasted awful at first, but Sophie loved is, so I realized it wasn’t that bad. But that’s all I did. Followed the instructions. Until I made that for lunch when my husband was home, and I made some shrimp for it (just quick saute on butter with some lemon and garlic) – added the whole thing to the pasta, including the bit of butter sauce that formed (soy free earth balance) and bumm – completely different dish, surprisingly tasty.
4. I can do anything. I’m a foodie. But when there is something at stake, something important, like, Sophie’s eczema, that becomes first. She comes first. And for that, I put down my favorite foods and experimented. It was hard, I’m a planner, and this one was really tough to plan (as in, I didn’t), but I did it. We did it. And while there was no improvement for her, it was a great experience.
And let’s be honest. This is great. Her eczema not improving with the elimination diet means she is not sensitive to foods. She maybe to a small degree, but not enough for us to have to be concerned. Because when there is a severe food allergy, that just elevates the problem to a whole new level.
Mom of Balance 