Monday, March 23, 2009

Elimination Diet Recipes and a FREE Book Giveaway


Yes, that's right, we are giving away 4 Whole Life Nutrition Cookbooks next month! All you need to do is write a short success story about your journey through the the 28-Day Elimination and Detoxification Diet in the appendix of our book. Even if you are only a week into the diet we welcome your story. For more details on this you can view our last newsletter. Stories need to be submitted by the end of this month in order to qualify for the drawing. Many thanks to those of you who have already submitted your story, I have enjoyed reading them!

The complete 28-Day Elimination Diet is detailed in our cookbook, The Whole Life Nutrition Cookbook. This post is meant to provide additional information and a few more Phase 1 Elimination Diet recipes.

This is the most restricted and difficult phase of the diet so it is helpful to have more ideas. The apple salad dressing recipe below is a creation of mine but some of the other ideas and recipes here come from a good friend who recently did the diet.

If you have anything else to share please do so in the comment section at the bottom of this post. I am sure others reading this would greatly benefit from your ideas!


Green Apple Salad Dressing

Here is a great salad dressing that is citrus-free and vinegar-free. The tart apple adds the needed zing to balance the oil. Those of you who are not on the elimination diet will enjoy it too. I made this for dinner tonight and drizzled it over mixed organic greens, sliced avocado, and toasted pumpkin seeds. I am sure you could make a more elaborate salad and make a meal out of it. You can add as much or as little ginger as you like. If you add too much though, the dressing could become a little bitter. Enjoy!

1 green apple, cored (Granny Smith)
1/2 cup filtered water
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
3 to 4 cloves garlic
1 to 2-inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled
Herbamare or sea salt, to taste

Place all ingredients into a blender or Vita-Mix and blend until very smooth and creamy. Add salt to taste and blend again.


Pumpkin Seed Smoothie

1/2 cup raw pumpkin seeds, soaked in filtered water
2 cups filtered water
1 apple, cored
2 cups frozen blueberries
2 medjool dates

Soak pumpkin seeds in water all day OR all night. Rinse, and then place into a blender with 2 cups fresh water, apple, frozen blueberries, and dates. Blend until very smooth and creamy.


Thai Sauce

2 tablespoons virgin coconut oil
1 large or 2 medium shallots, sliced
1 tablespoon tamarind concentrate
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon Thai chili powder or ground cayenne (Phase 3)
3 tablespoons maple syrup or a little less agave, to taste

Saute sliced shallot in coconut oil until near translucent. Add the rest of the ingredients, heat through and serve right away. Serve this over Quinoa with mung bean sprouts, sliced green onions, and cilantro.


Pesto Sauce

1/4 cup pine nuts
1 bunch basil, rinsed
1/8 cup olive oil
1/8 cup water or more to smooth it out
3-6 cloves fresh garlic

Process in a food processor until smooth. Serve it over spiralized raw zucchini. It would also work over a cooked whole grain. Sprinkle with sprouted lentils if desired.


Other Ideas:

On our Red Lentil Dal recipe (page 154), substitute the red potato with a sweet potato, and leave out the tomatoes. Serve with cooked quinoa and roasted Brussels sprouts, or steamed broccoli.

Try our Sunny Sunflower Seed Burgers (page 263) using cilantro in place of the parsley and adding about 1/2 teaspoon chipotle chili powder to the mix (you can make this version once nightshades [chili powder] have been added back in during Phase 3).

Try our Coconut Vegetable Curry (page 255) and substitute cooked adzuki beans for the chickpeas and sweet potatoes for the red potatoes, and remember to keep out the tomato paste.

Lightly saute a variety of Phase 1 veggies with Brown Jasmine Rice in a little olive oil. Add a few dashes of Adzuki Bean Tamari or drizzle the Apple Salad Dressing recipe over it.

In Early spring, if you are experienced at harvesting nettles, try adding them to your daily green smoothies. I did a green smoothie/nettle cleanse 2 years ago this month and it felt great.

Our Nori Rolls made with Sticky Brown Rice dipped in our Ginger Plum Sauce is another great Phase 1 meal. Just be sure to leave out the salmon until Phase 3.

Snack on dried organic figs dipped in pumpkin seed butter.


You may want to read an overview of the Elimination Diet before beginning.

For all of the elimination diet recipes and ideas on this blog, please click here.

For more Phase 1 meal ideas or to order our cookbook, please visit our website and as always, we welcome your ideas.


10 comments:

meghantelpnerblog.com said...

This is so great! From now on, I am just going to send my clients to your site for help with the elimination diets.

Coconutgal said...

Great recipe ideas!
I have not been on your 28-Day Elimination and Detoxification Diet myself, but have done many elimination diets and basically live on an elimination diet now.
I would love a copy of your cookbook!! I am not eligible to enter a story about my own trials with elimination diets am I?!? :-)
Anyway, thanks for all your wonderful ideas and I so appreciate that you take the time to share these for free. You have no idea how helpful recipe ideas are to people who feel alone in the way they eat!!
Hugs xoxo

Ali said...

meghantelpnerblog - Thanks, I am planning on posting plenty more e-diet recipes coming soon.

Coconutgal - Great point, I had not thought of that. I think it would be great to send in your story even though you followed a different elimination diet. Essentially the goal is the same with all of the diets. Just state in your story the overall points of the diet you did. And this goes for anyone else reading this as well.

Stories can be emailed to me at info@wholelifenutrition.net

Thanks, -Ali :)

Bonnie said...

HI Ali
Just wanted to ask if a diabetic can go on your elimation diet? Have always wanted to try it since I have gotten your cook book but just didn't know if I should.

mike said...

I cant wait to try the pumpkin seed smoothie. It sounds delicious!

Ali said...

Bonnie - Yes, I confirmed with Tom that diabetics can go on the Elimination Diet. And, in fact, we have stories of people completely normalizing their blood sugar while on the diet. Phase 1 was difficult for one individual so Tom suggested adding all beans and nuts which helped him stay on the diet and see dramatic results. Good Luck!

Mike - Yes that smoothie is very tasty, though it is not my creation, it comes from my good friend, Jenna.

-Ali :)

Todd - Acai Berry said...

I think with president obama talking about preventitive
medicines that people are really relooking at diets and
nutritions as part of that principle.

We may be reaching that point where americans start to live
healthier lives.

talkinglikerain said...

I LOVE the green apple dressing - I did the elimination diet this summer and I still prefer this dressing over anything else for coleslaw and I'm still eating it daily this winter! For the coleslaw I finely chop (in my food processor; in batches) one whole head of green cabbage, 3-4 large beets, and 4 large carrots (the whole mixture looks pinkish/purple at the end). Then I store that in a covered container in the fridge. Then I pour the green apple dressing over it just before eating. For the dressing I actually alter the recipe a bit and reduce the garlic to 1 clove, add 1Tbsp of agave nectar, and 1/2 tsp of Herbemare. It's great garnished with cilantro. This coleslaw and dressing combo got me through many "moments" during the phase 1 of the elimination diet. Your pesto recipe over rice noodles was a favorite as well! Thanks for all that you do!

barb said...

Thank you so much for all these wonderful recipies! I have been on the elimination diet for 9 days. My nutritionist recommended this as an adjuct to my treatment for spondyloarthritis. I am very full on this eating plan. I noticed around day 5 that my body ached for sugar...I did not realize how much refined sugar was in my diet before! I am enjoying foods that i did not even know existed! I am following the E-diet to the tee, I am looking forward to a fresh start! Thank you for caring!

Anonymous said...

I'm about to start your Elimination diet. Thank you for all your helpful posts! I have your cookbook and am really enjoying the healthy options even before getting started.

Quick question - can you reccommend a substitute for olive oil? I'm allergic. Is canola ok? Thanks!

Meredith