Elimination Diet Day 1, Sort of...

So today was our first day on the elimination diet, sort of.  I say sort of because we still were trying to eat everything that was not part of the elimination diet that would go bad before we finished clean.  As it is we had already have thrown some stuff away, but you have to draw the line some where.  I drew it at the cupcakes and the last of the Easter chocolate.  The big thing I eliminated from my diet today was coffee.  It turned out to be harder than I thought.  I usually drink 3 to 4 cups every morning.  As a result I've been some what tired all day and have had a headache.  However, I'm comforted by the fact that by tomorrow hopefully it will be better.  My lunch also did not meet the diet requirements because it was left overs from last night.  That said my breakfast, morning snack, and dinner will meet the requirements.

So what exactly is the elimination diet?  Its a dietary program based on removing all the foods from our diet that are known to cause food allergies, sensitivities, and disruptions to the digestive process.  It is used as part of the clean program because when your body generates allergic responses to food you may have eaten it is consuming energy that could be used to detox and repair functions.  For a list of what is and isn't included in the elimination diet click here.

We have also begun trying to modify our normal eating behavior/pattern so it is more in line with the clean program.  This morning we had our first clean program smoothie (Mango & Coconut Milk) rather than our normal bowl of cereal or oatmeal.  I also skipped my afternoon snack and began attempting to drink my full 64 oz of water a day.  I also plan on changing my normal exercise routine since it would be too intense once I start the clean program.  Normally I do at least 30 minutes of pilates, 15 minutes of strength training, and 45 minutes on the elliptical or a 2.5 mile run.  My goal has always been to do this routine five days a week but more realistically I do it 3 to 4 days a week and balance it out with working in the yard on weekends.  I'll be replacing that routine with 20 minutes of pilates and 10 minutes of meditation every day during clean.  I figure I can add stuff back in depending on my energy level.

The other thing we began doing today was taking all our supplements.  I kind of felt like an old person carrying around my little AM/PM pill holder.  I think total for the day I've taken around 15 pills.  We originally tried to eliminate a few of them by doing things like eating a whole clove of raw garlic instead of taking a garlic pill.  We thought this would be easier and save us some money.  Have you ever tried to eat a whole clove of raw garlic?  While it can be done if you like the taste of fire in your mouth and don't mind offending everyone with your breath, I wouldn't recommend it.  Pay the few extra dollars for the pills and learn from my mistake.  The other one I'm having a problem with is taking the olive oil.  You are supposed to take two tablespoons a day.  I thought it wouldn't be a problem since I love the taste of olive oil and we regularly cook with it.  What I do not love is the feel of two tablespoons of olive oil going into and in my mouth.  Today at lunch I couldn't even eat my salad because I could taste the olive oil in the dressing.  We may need to look for an alternative here!

As we go along I'll try and take pictures of the food we are eating, etc.  I also think I'll include pictures of myself along the way since that will be the best way to compare my results from beginning to end.