Have you thought about going on some sort of crazy ass detox where you drink some magic potion of teas, honey, and witches dust? Ok, maybe I\u2019m exaggerating a little bit on that but for the most part I\u2019m not a fan of people trying this. Here\u2019s what happens (it may sound familiar to you). You go on this extremely low calorie and low NUTRIENT diet for days or weeks, you feel like you just had a week long bender, you lose a lot of \u201cweight\u201d (where a good amount of it is lean tissue), and then once you are done you gorge yourself into a food coma and gain most, all, or even more of the weight back!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I have a better solution for you! Instead try an elimination diet and get your gut to reset, eat foods that will nourish your body, and don\u2019t even worry about counting calories!!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, here is an elimination diet protocol to help you understand your body more. This is a way to take out major allergen foods and slowly reintroduce them after 30 days. So you may not have to say goodbye to one of your favorite foods forever, just goodbye for now to see what the issue is and help heal your gut. This is a great way to get more in tune with your body, as well as eat a lot of whole foods and get creative with adding them into your diet. Now, this is NOT a weight loss diet, but it is likely that you will lose weight from taking away major food allergens and decreasing inflammation. I\u2019m not going to give you a calorie range here, simply eat real food! Do your best to stay the course and if you go off track for one meal or bite, just own it and move on! <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Here’s the thing – I prefer you stick to this 100%, but we all mess up every now and then. For example, it’s very likely that in the first few days you eat something that you forgot had nuts in it or had a sauce with honey. That’s okay. I don’t need you to go back to day one; just keep on moving. If you accidentally eat gluten on day 20 and feel like death, then you know that probably caused a reaction. Get back to the plan and take a note of that body response. But, if you find yourself constantly struggling to do this and eating what you\u2019re not supposed to, then maybe it’s not for you. And that\u2019s okay too. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
You may want to ease into this and simply start taking out processed foods, alcohol, and sugars before doing this, but if you are a hit-the-ground-running type of person, then have at it! Important: stop taking any NSAIDs if possible while on this and do not do this if you are taking antibiotics, as they will do a number on your gut all by themselves.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n The 30 Day Belly Bounce Back<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Day 1 – 30 – <\/strong>Remove the following foods: <\/p>\n\n\n\n Alright, I know what you\u2019re all probably thinking right now, \u201cSo what can<\/em> I eat??\u201d Fair question. Here\u2019s what I want you eating for the first 30 days of the gut cleans:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Before you start thinking you\u2019re going to be eating boring, bland food for thirty days. Remember you can easily yummify your meals with herbs and spices. Ginger, peppermint, parsley, dandelion greens, and basil are a great way to add some flavor. There are also a lot of spices that can aid with certain tummy issues. If you\u2019re constipated, try some ginger, cayenne, fennel, cumin, or turmeric. Or if you have diarrhea, peppermint, turmeric, or nutmeg can help. Other herbs just good for general health include thyme, chamomile (chamomile tea), rosemary, cardamon, cumin, oregano, coriander, licorice root, and slippery elm. Also, bitter foods are a great way to increase the natural process of digestive enzymes. Add in dandelion greens (or tea), arugula, endive, dill, Jerusalem artichokes, kale, saffron, pure cocoa, and citrus fruits, like lemon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Okay, so you might be feeling super overwhelmed right now. I get it! But remember, this book is ultimately about doing what is best for you<\/em> and not shaming you into anything. If all of the above feels impossible, just do what you can. Or again, just focus on removing processed foods and eating more whole foods. The main goal is to start reading the labels on everything and being better informed on what\u2019s in the food you\u2019re eating. Ultimately, I would love for you to get to the point where none of the food you\u2019re eating even has a label!<\/p>\n\n\n\n I want to point out that a lot of elimination diets give you calorie restrictions as well. I\u2019m not going to do that. Instead, I want you to focus on removing the foods listed above and eating as much as you want of the allowable foods. And if you can, try to diversify your food as much as possible instead of eating the same things every day. Variety is great for nutrient diversity and microbiome health. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Again, the goal of this diet isn\u2019t to lose weight, but you likely will shed a few pounds due to the increase in fiber and nutrients and decrease in inflammation. If you\u2019d rather maintain or gain weight, then be sure to load up on approved carbs, healthy fats, and proteins. Bottom line – make this your own and remember you are eliminating foods in order to GAIN better health. <\/p>\n\n\n\n A note on cost:<\/em><\/strong> It is a sad fact that it is cheaper to eat unhealthy food. Processed foods often cost much less than whole foods and your bank account may feel that when you start making the switch. Think of this as an investment in you and your health. You may be spending more on the frontend, but you\u2019ll be saving A LOT on the backend\u2026 in both dollars and quality of life. Heart disease, diabetes, obesity, and other health issues end up costing a lot in doctors visits, medications, and more. <\/p>\n\n\n\n After Day 30 <\/strong>– Begin Reintroducing Foods<\/p>\n\n\n\n After 30 days, you will start to reintroduce one food that you removed every three days. You\u2019ll eat a few servings of that food on the first day of the three days, and don\u2019t have any more of that food for day two and three. Record how you feel each day. If you don\u2019t experience any symptoms, you can keep that food in your eating plan. If you have any kind of reaction, then don\u2019t eat that food again. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Day 31-33:<\/strong> Eggs. Remember, have 2-3 servings of eggs on day 31 and no eggs on day 32 and 33. Record your symptoms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Day 34-36:<\/strong> Gluten and\/or wheat. You can skip this category if you want to. Remember there are lots of options for breads and pastas that don\u2019t have gluten, like potato bread, cassava, and others. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Day 37-39<\/strong> Beans and legumes. Now, you may have heard about \u201canti-nutrients\u201d in certain foods like beans and legumes. I don\u2019t want this book to be confusing so here\u2019s the bottom line – yes, anti-nutrients are a real thing but they aren\u2019t a concern for most people because you typically cook them out of your food. The anti-nutrients present in beans and legumes are called lectins<\/a>. Lectins have been shown to potentially decrease the absorption of calcium, iron, phosphorus, and zinc. But again, most lectins are removed through boiling, soaking, sprouting, or pressure cooking. There is also evidence that some lectins could be beneficial to your health and different cancer therapies<\/a>. There are even studies on vegetarians who eat a high amount of anti-nutrients that don’t show a deficiency in iron and zinc. So it is hypothesized that the gut gets used to them and allows for more absorption of these minerals over time. Basically, diversity is key. If you eat a wide variety of foods, you\u2019ll get all the nutrients you need and won\u2019t have anything to worry about. But if you are still concerned about anti-nutrients, then pressure cook your beans on high for anywhere from 25 to 40 minutes. You can also buy beans in a can that were precooked in a pressure cooker. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Day 40-42<\/strong>: Nuts. Now, back to the anti-nutrient thing. Sorry, I have to cover my bases. The anti-nutrients found in nuts are oxalates and phytates. But simply soaking them in water and salt or lemon juice overnight then rinsing them in the morning can take care of a lot of the anti-nutrients. Honestly, my favorite is soaked almonds with some sea salt on them. They are a little chewy and delicious! You can even toss them in the oven afterwards for a good crunch if you want. Many companies now sell pre-soaked and dried nuts. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Day 43-45: <\/strong>Raw veggies.If you didn\u2019t remove raw veggies, then skip this and move onto the next category. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Day 47-49: <\/strong>Caffeine\/Coffee. If you cut or decreased your caffeine intake, the same rules apply as when you removed it – slowly increase the amount you drink. So I would start with just one cup on day 47. If you don\u2019t have a reaction, you can slowly increase over the next couple weeks. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Day 50-52: <\/strong>Dairy.Ahhh the dairy conundrum. You can opt to keep dairy out of your diet as long as you are getting enough calcium, vitamin D, and other nutrients found in dairy from other sources. Again, most people who have an issue with dairy have a problem with the lactose in the dairy. In fact, about 75% of the world’s population is lactose intolerant, meaning they don\u2019t have enough of the enzyme lactase, which is produced in your gut to break down lactose. Other people avoid dairy because of the hormones injected in the animals or because they believe the food the animals eat (which is usually awful) is then passed to us. I have to say I don\u2019t disagree with those concerns. There is a lot of research on the need to have dairy and, while I personally don\u2019t think we need it, that doesn\u2019t mean you can\u2019t have it. But here\u2019s my advice – if you are going to consume dairy, make sure it is organic, hormone-free, and from a reputable source. <\/p>\n\n\n\n And like so many other things, not all dairy is created equal. For example, milk has much more lactose than butter which has almost none. So if you are concerned about lactose but you still want to have dairy, here are your dairy go-to\u2019s:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Track your symptoms after eating dairy just like the other foods, but also be aware when you add a source that has higher lactose content and record how you feel. If you cut out dairy altogether, here are some foods with a high amount of calcium and other nutrients typically found in dairy: sardines, figs, Bok Choy, kale, seaweed, almonds, oranges, sesame seeds, oatmeal, and collard greens. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Once you complete all of the above, you should have a good sense for what foods cause poor reactions. From there, it\u2019s up to you how often you eat those foods. If you think the food is worth the stomach issues, then at least you are making an informed and intentional decision. Just be smart about it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n To your health,<\/p>\n\n\n\n Joey Thurman @joeythurmanfit<\/a> IG, FB, Twitter, TikTok<\/p>\n\n\n\n