My Elimination Diet: Update & surprising “diet” results
January 20, 2010 by Dinneen
Filed under Blog, Food Sensitivity, Nutrition, Weight Loss
Back at the end of November (November 30, to be exact), I decided to eliminate wheat from my diet. Not to lose weight. Not to fit into my skinny jeans. And not as a “quick fix” to shed pounds before the Holidays. Instead, it was to see if wheat was causing, or at least contributing to, the eczema that had been on my face for quite some time.
And after one week of being on the “diet” (no, not THAT kind of diet) I blogged about it. (To read more about my Elimination Diet and why “going on one” can be helpful at times, read my original blog post about it here.)
So though I LOVE wheat (you could say it’s ‘my crack’ as I could easily get addicted to it) I decided to eliminate it from my diet for at least a period of four weeks (but ended up doing it for five). Then, as elimination diets go, one slowly adds back the food into their diet to see if it really is the “culprit.”
So here’s a lowdown of how it went for me, and what was in my thoughts during the process:
Week One: At first never thought I’d survive (there’s SO MUCH wheat in the American diet, even for someone like me who eats healthy). First few days were difficult. You know how you want what you can’t have? But I knew, at least for a little while, it was only temporary. But then by the end of the week I was feeling GREAT! I was sleeping better, less bloated, had more energy, and my often ‘runny nose’ was going away. Things were really looking up. And my skin was getting better.
Week Two: Wow, can’t believe how good I feel. And I’m not missing wheat so much anymore. Thinking to myself, “why didn’t I do this before?” Pants started to fit better, and though I did NOT weight myself — I’m guessing I lost a pound or two. Okay, not much, but I don’t NEED to lose weight, and it wasn’t my goal. Still sleeping good, got lots of energy, and overall feeling great.
Week Three: Oh my goodness, I miss pasta. And bread. And pizza. And cereal. And I feel like I’m running out of things to eat. Energy just okay…..feel like I need to snack (on things like nuts) in order to keep my energy level up. And missing my breakfast of cereal or whole wheat bread with all-natural peanut butter. I eat breakfast and 2 hours later I’m hungry!! Hmmm, what’s going on? And, my eczema: though skin looked like it was getting better the first week, is back to normal again. Eczema is still here. Argh….probably why I feel like I want wheat. But I keep on the road.
Week Four: (Christmas week) Cravings (that were in my head in Week Three) are gone. Don’t really care if I ever have pasta again (okay, who am I kidding??). But seriously, I know that I can survive on eating a lot less wheat. And went to Christmas Eve party where there was LOTS of wheat (think pasta, sandwiches on big thick rolls, cookies, more pasta….) I didn’t eat any…..and I was happy with it! But was still able to eat and enjoy myself at the festivities. Ditto for Christmas Day. But my skin hasn’t really improved much. Eczema is still there. Same as before. Runny nose coming back a bit (though less than it was before).
Week Five: (New Year’s week) Still not seeing improvement in my skin or runny nose. Though overall I’m feeling good, and my energy level is also pretty good, I’m getting a bit bored. Yeah, my pants were feeling a bit better but now they’re back to where they were at Week One. By not eating wheat I’m finding it “easy” to eat too many potatoes, and I even had potato chips at party two weeks ago. And I’m finding I’m eating these foods (which I normally don’t each much, if at all) because I feel like “I can” and “I’m allowed too, ‘cuz hey, I’m not eating wheat!” Which is exactly what happens to a lot of first-time vegetarians (but that’s a blog post for another time).
As the New Year rolls around, I decided to slowly let wheat back into my body. Slowly. And you know what? Nothing changed. Skin didn’t get worse, neither did runny nose.
So here’s my diagnosis (and I’m not a doctor….this is based on my personal and educated knowledge of both food and my body): it’s not the wheat that is the culprit (or part of the culprit) to my eczema.
So what’s the reason for my increased energy, better sleeping, and what looked like better skin? And what about my pants fitting slightly better???
Well, that’s simply because by not eating wheat, I WAS eating TON of vegetables. On a regular day/week I eat a lot more vegetables than the average American, and I already eat fairly healthy….but I was eating really, really well those first 2 weeks (until I started eating potato chips and other junk to replace the wheat). I was the “Veggie Queen” and loving it. And I was eating more fruits than normally this time of year (as it’s not really fruit season here in Boston, if you know what I mean).
So in order to “replace” the wheat, I was eating a lot more vegetables. And yes, I was eating really healthy things like quinoa (a personal favorite) and lentils (lentils are awesome! I first “discovered” them when I lived in France and a great alternative to animal protein too), and beans. Oh, and water too. Don’t ask me why but I found myself drinking a lot of water (which is more difficult to do during the winter months)
So it WAN’T the fact that I “eliminated wheat” from my diet — but rather it WAS the fact that I was “adding in” a lot more really good things for me (that is, until I started eating potato chips….haven’t I mentioned that like 5 times already?)
So what am I doing now? Well, to get rid of the eczema: instead of the $50 bucks cream my dermatologist prescribed for me (which irritated my skin even more) — I bought the generic $3 bucks over-the-counter Hydrocortisone which has done wonders.
And I’m now eating less wheat than before, and I’m feeling really good. Though I do need to make it a conscious effort sometimes to think “lentils, beans, or quinoa” instead of wheat, I’m amazed how easy it is to still eat SOME wheat, but cut it down a lot (without missing it). Oh, and now that I “can” eat wheat, I’m not eating things like potato chips to satisfy my “craving.”
AND, during those five weeks of my Elimination Diet I tried a lot of new recipes like lentil soup and different bean soups, chickpeas, edamame…I could go on & on….and ate a lot of variety especially in my veggies. I had forgotten how much I loved things like butternut squash, sweet potatoes, parsnips, and other winter and root vegetables. And it got me eating a lot of foods I liked, but hadn’t eaten for a while (like the lentils, chickpeas, edamame, parsnips).
So — moral of the story? – even for ME, an expert in food & nutrition who has been able to keep her weight in a healthy range for many years and got over emotional eating…..time to time needs to “shake things up” a bit. And that doesn’t mean you have to (or should) eliminate one food (or food group) from your diet.
The reason I did the elimination diet was to see if I had a SENSITIVITY or ALLERGY to a food — NOT to lose weight.
And I’m a better person for it as I’m eating a lot of foods I had forgotten about. And it reminded me that nature has given us so many wonderful and good tasting foods that one doesn’t need to go looking for the perfect food or the fat-blasting superfood…..all foods that nature gave us are “super”. We just need to eat a wide variety and keep (and maybe discover) new things all the time.
So great you found out you aren’t sensitive to wheat, Dinneen. Now you can keep eating all those yummy foods! So great you also discovered some other things about your food choices that make you feel better. Sometimes approaching our eating as an experiment can be really helpful in discovering what’s right for us as individuals. And in the long run, we’re the best experts about our own bodies — we know better than any book, guideline or whatever what makes us feel best.
You are such a smart cookie. Pun intended. I love the thoroughness and thoughtfulness of ALL of this.
Foodie McBody´s last blog ..Bubbles of Hope
Great reaction to eliminating one food. I’m curious why you chose wheat -and will go back and read your archives to see if it’s explained there.
Often skin irritations are caused by a sensitivity to cow’s milk. Have you already tried to eliminate that and see if it helps?
Hey Dineen-
Thanks SO much for sharing your journey. Like you, I am a lifestyle expert on healthy living, but that does not mean that I always know what’s going on in my body. We simply have to learn to listen and put the pieces of the puzzle together. I find myself tweaking things, seeing what works and what doesn’t. The fact that you listened to your body and that is what it is all about.
Thanks for sharing your story. I found it very interesting and applicable.
I also have eczema which is caused by some unknown factor. I eliminated dairy for over a year when nursing my second son, so I know it’s not dairy for me. I always feel like I’m not strong enough to eliminate wheat, so I put it off. I suppose I probably should just do it. Even if it’s not wheat (like for you), at least I’ll know, and it will likely be a good experience overall. Thanks again!
I saw this article tweeted and had to read it since I am thinking of starting a similar experiment.
Instead of exzema I have cystic adult acne, and I hate thinking that I’ll have to continue taking very expensive pills just to keep it under control.
I’m not quite ready to try it out but I am becoming aware of looking for gluten on all items that I am buying. I’ve also heard what Deb said too as being a culprit with acne.
I guess I’ll just have to experiment!
What a cool experiment to have run on yourself. And in a way, I’m happy for you that wheat wasn’t the all-out evil-doer that we thought it might be- given that you do in fact love wheat. Yay for $3 otc creams that work!
Yes, increasing the other healthy foods definitely has a way of crowding out the other “less healthy” foods. As you can probably surmise from my “name”, I drink smoothies – mostly for breakfast and sometimes as a beteween-meal snack- they keep me full for a long time and are satisfying- and they crowd out other ’stuff” I might eat instead. Just my personal trick that has worked for me (and helped me keep off 90 pounds for many years).
So anyway, glad that your experiment was a success in so many ways!
Thanks for ALL of your comments!!
It is all about discovering what is right for us as individuals (thanks Mars!) and eating what is right for YOU. No two people are alike, and neither should be their diet (way of eating).
Like some of you mentioned, I am aware that cow’s milk sensitivity sometimes causes a skin reaction…but thanks for the reminder (and it help educate the other readers!!). It’s also true that a large majority of the population has a sensitivity to milk…but that’s a post for another time.
When I eliminated wheat, I told myself if it wasn’t that then I would next eliminate cows milk. But I’m going to wait a bit. I actually don’t consume much milk at all. I get most of my calcium in other ways: dark leafy greens, beans, almonds, etc. But I’m going to try dairy later on and let you know how it goes.
Awesome comments and let’s keep the conversation going!
Dinneen, thanks for sharing your experiment with us. I have iron-resistant anemia and it’s been suggested that I might also have a gluten allergy but I absolutely refuse to consider it! I actually interrupted my doctor when he suggested it because I can’t imagine living without wheat…and cereal…I’m not a big pasta freak (though will be having it for dinner momentarily) but for me it’s the bread and cereal. Takes me back to my horrible Atkins memories and I can’t go there again! Glad you’re back on pasta & thanks again for sharing.
I eliminated wheat for one week and, while I really missed it, I felt great. The only reason I stuck with it for the week was because I purchased all of my meals for the week through Dr. Mark Hyman’s company.
The meals were made with fresh, organic ingredients so it was yummy. Anyway, I also have eczema and have noticed that sugar really affects my outbreaks. Whether that really has to do with sugar itself or if the sugar is simply feeding an overgrowth of yeast, I’m not certain. I do know that when I’m faithful in taking my probiotics and my Cod Liver Oil, I have no outbreaks…even if i have some sugar that day. Thanks for your wonderful website!
Hi Dineen, I have done a couple of elimination diets. Not usually as long as yours. One of them eliminated wheat. And the same thing happened to me–lots more veggies, eating stuff I had forgotten about or had never tried. And although I have not eliminated wheat entirely, I realized just recently that it is drastically reduced in my diet. And I feel better ‘intestinallly’ if you know what I mean!
I really appreciate this. I just wanted to share with you and your other readers that I have been eating gluten-free for just about a year now. As far as motivation/willpower, it was really easy for me because I was absolutely miserable and my symptoms were clearly related to the gluten in my diet, so I can’t offer much wisdom on that front. What I will say is how pleasantly surprised at the disappearance of symptoms I never even considered being associated with my diet. I, of course, lost all the bloating, stomach cramps, and (severe) constipation, but what floored me was that the chronic BV/yeast infections I had had since my very first period miraculously vanished! I also had been having wild mood swings in the year preceding my elimination diet, and you wouldn’t believe how different it is now. I highly recommend anyone who is suffering from undiagnosable symptoms to consider it. If nothing else, you’ll gain peace of mind. Plus, as Dinneen said, you’ll end up eating more fruits and veggies, you’ll get more adventurous in your cooking (to prevent boredom), you’ll eat a more varied diet, and less processed/pre-packaged food (perhaps the greatest benefit!) And once you get over the initial hump, you’ll find it’s not as hard as you think. Good luck!