I'm very unadventurous & a bit faddy; I have a new exclusion to try....help?

[KatyMac]

So far I am:
egg free
dairy free
coconut & almond free
No green veg (except green beans)
No raw fruit
No onions & garlic & mushroom
No pulses
& I struggle with bit (nuts/oats/seeds)
& I don't eat rice/pasta/noodles

I am doing this under medical advise!! But my dietician is a bit "well I'm sure you'll find something" & "it'll be fine"

But yesterday the GP asked me to go Gluten free with a possibility of non coeliac gluten intolerance - which if it is diagnosed means some of my other exclusions might be able to be re-introduced.

I'm quite a meat & potatoes girl (which is good as that's about all I can eat) & I've given up my planned spelt bread

But my question is "Where do I go from here?" - what on earth do I eat? I have to say the everything free sausages I picked up today at the butcher were very uninspiring so I got some steak too (no mushrooms no onions - so chips then?)

I don't have any actual recipes to offer, but just wanted to offer my support. I had an extremely restricted exclusion diet a number of years ago (IBS type stuff) and can completely relate to the bewilderment. To begin with, it is hard, but it does get easier, as you get the hang of it and investigate more products. I think what is key is to arrive at a few recipes/meals for each of breakfast, lunch and dinner that you like and that aren't a faff to prepare. Cooking from scratch can be a real hassle, so I cooked quadruple portions and froze.

I'm now 'only' wheat free, dairy free and nut free. I still cook most stuff from scratch, and it is the snacky type of meals that I find hardest (oh to just be able to have a cheese sandwich for lunch!). But it really does get easier. And hopefully, like me, you'll see the health benefits which will give you a boost and help you retain some enthusiasm for what is basically a real pain in the butt.

Good luck.

OK - they are in the oven but based on the description I am totally wrong

cardamomginger - thanks I am feeling a bit lost

I was always a faddy eater as a child & it turns out the things I had to be trained to like are the things I should never have been eating (Dairy & eggs & nuts & & cabbage & even oats particularly). I changed my diet and ate more healthily about 12 years ago and lost over 5 stone.

Then gradually foods have had to be 'dropped' Almond, then coconut, then raw green, then cooked green etc

This latest FODMAP has decimated my diet - there is nothing other than root veg, stew (no onion) and bread that I was eating.....then I lose the bread

Katymac- don't be discouraged if they don't turn out perfect first time- mine were not at all right at first but GF bread is a thing which takes practice

I know

I only made half a batch & I think they are a bit doughy

Another issue (right now) is a mouth full of Ulcers - so I just ate an entire pack of quick jel (bloody chemicals)

You might find that after a while you can start re-introducing things as you find out what it is that is a really bad idea for you, and what's fine, or what you can tolerate in moderation.

I do my GF bread in a breadmaker, which is obviously not much help if you haven;t got one. I add sundried tomatoes and olives (but if these are no good, then there might be something else that you can add). It really helps make it taste better. I slice it and freeze, as I've found it doesn't keep very well left out. Mine is hopeless for sandwiches or toast, but is really good with soup or with dips.

Polenta any good? You can get ready made 'sausages' of it that you can slice, season and fry in olive oil. Really nice with a veggie sauce, or with fish or chicken.

Quinoa? You can make bulgar wheat type salads out of this (tabouleh type things). I think you can buy packets of it ready made, so a salad with that as a base could be a quick(ish) snack-type meal.

It's starches to fill you up that are going to be the pain to find. Hmmm... (goes away to have another think).

Sounds like you undercooked slightly if still doughy?

They were much better this morning - actually bread like; but with my ulcers they were too hard to eat

So I'll freeze until I feel better

Maybe lots of yummy soups are the way to go if your ulcers are bothering you?
You could make a really easy onion - free tomato soup with passata, a bit of basil, a bit of veg stock and seasoning. If you want to add creaminess then oat cream is nice stirred through. Or perhaps you could try soya cream if you are off oats?

That sounds lovely - I'll see if I can get someone to make some - I'm too poorly just now

When I'm back on form there will be no stopping me!

egg free
dairy free
coconut & almond free
No green veg (except green beans)
No raw fruit
No onions & garlic & mushroom
No pulses
& I struggle with bit (nuts/oats/seeds)
& I don't eat rice/pasta/noodles

M&S g-f flour should suit you. With those restrictions for evening meals you could do:

• scone based or yeast-based pizza with toppings, ham etc (no cheese)
• stew with g-f dumplings and potatoes
• baked potato with bolognese type sauce (obv different veg/spices in it but it'd work)
• stuffed peppers with mince and various veg you can eat. Accompany with mashed potato.
• tacos (heat in oven for 10 min till yummy and crispy, put chicken fried in spices of your choice inside, with salady veg + dressing.
• Roast dinner (make own roast pots)
• Meat of choice with 'safe' veg and chips (if you look, there are plenty on offer that are just potatoes, veg oil, salt).
• Fish e.g. salmon with boiled potatoes and veg
• Meat pie with pastry top
• Stir-fry with permitted veg, beef/chicken strips. Serve with chips/mash/...

Lunches:
Taco shells with pre-cooked meat/veg mix to put inside them. Take stuff in a box, tacos separately. Microwave to warm shells, pop stuff inside. Yum!
Rice cakes/corn cakes (whichever you like!) with marg and ham/smoked salmon...
Crisps (for the calories) - Seabrook ready salted are nice!
Savoury scones (look for vegan recipe with marg and no milk!) with fish paste or tuna and a tomatoey sauce...
Or just re-heat an extra portion of last night's dinner!

Thanks zirca

I'm sorry to be all pathetic atm - I'm sure I'll get accustomed to it soon

It might be worth mentioning too, that when I did one of those exclusion/elimination diets, as a late teen, I did similar to this: www.precisionnutrition.com/elimination-diet which was unpleasant for a short period of time, but worked amazingly well. Then, once I was free of symptoms, we gradually added stuff back in. The whole process didn't take that long, and was very conclusive.

It seems to me that your dietician is guessing really. Excluding one thing after another, but the problem is still there. The relief from the symptoms, for me, was enough for me not to mind the restricted diet for a bit, then when we found the cause, I could add the rest back in! I also found that the cause of the problem made me react to other foods, but once it was eliminated, they didn't cause issues at all.

I did it with the dietician using FODMAP and it was very similar to that

The problem was re-introduction

I can eat very small amounts of onions/garlic & very well cooked beans. The grren beans surprised me as they are fine but sprouts/broccoli etc are awful.
Egg is the most violent followed by milk
Coconut & almond are more like an allergy really; the bitty stuff guess is an irritant.

At least my GP is taking my IBS/mouth ulcers seriously and I get to have a Biopsy for the Ulcers today

So you re-introduced gluten (and it was fine?) and now you've got to cut it out again? Confusing! I wonder if they think that's causing the rest, as if your gut is already irritated, it will react easily to other things.

No I never managed Gluten - by diet was too dependant on it

I'm doing that now as really have no choice

fish finger sandwickes for tea with GF cibatta rolls & pretend mayo!!

& it tasted lovely - but I couldn't eat it as I can't swallow as my tongue is numb!!

How did the biopsy go Katymac?

It hurt - well afterwards it did; during it was was anaesthetised

2 weeks for results so the 8th

& I'm starting to get the hang of what I can eat.....

It does get easier KM, although my diet isn't quite as restricted as yours.
It's getting to know the things you can and can't have and knowing what you need in the cupboards etc to make a good meal.

well done and good luck xx

It is easier already

I need to relax a bit & calm down

& eat chemicals

I had a nice meal today which made me think of you, Katymac.
Salmon fillet, with rosemary roasted new potatoes in their skins, and broccoli. I realise the broccoli wouldn't work for you but it would definitely work with some other kind of veg, whichever you fancy.
I often do salmon fillets in the oven, so quick, just lay slices of lemon on top, season and wrap in tin foil. Bake for can't remember how long ( prob says on pack of salmon ) but not very long.
And Bobs your uncle- so moist and yummy!
If you did roasted veg with it you could just shove them all in together and roast for a bit then stick the tin foil parcel of salmon in near the end.

That sounds lovely; salmon is a favourite

I'm off to have chicken casserole now (maybe with a baked potato)

If it makes you feel any better to know others are a similar situation, I'm currently unable to eat:
meat/fish/eggs/gelatine
gluten
xanthan gum/guar gum
rice
soft cheese

So no bread/pastry/cake gf products, as they're either bound together with egg or a gum of some sort. No gf pasta either. For carbs I have potato/sweet potato, buckwheat, corn cakes (like rice cakes), taco shells and nachos (plain). All this goes with beans/nuts/peanut butter/cheese. I cannot tell you how unbelievably boring this is! The nicest food I've found is fruit salad with cream. The rest is just existing!