The Discovery Diet

The Discovery Diet
Introduction

The point of this dietary escapade is to reduce inflammation by resting the digestive tract from irritants. These irritants are usually in the form of foods to which the body has developed sensitivities. The underlying assumption is that inflammation is a major contributing factor in many, if not most, common illnesses and symptom syndromes.

The secondary implicit point of this dietary exercise is to identify the irritant foods. When this is accomplished, an individual can determine the level of inflammation s/he is willing to tolerate, if any, and can make food choices accordingly.

It is important to take some time prior to beginning this dietary adventure to think about how one will approach the changes. Although the recommendation only requires three weeks, it is advisable to be mentally prepared and firmly committed before embarking on this plan. Imagine what you are going to eat that you like from the Friendly list, clean out the fridge and pantry from the Culprit list, and get some mental momentum!

Also it is important to remember what you stand to gain. If you have any chronic or acute symptom, whether it is systemic, musculoskeletal, or even brain-related, know that you stand to gain either resolution or significant improvement from making this relatively small investment in yourself.

The Most Likely Culprits - Foods to Avoid

Gluten Grains (Wheat, Spelt, Oats, Rye, Barley, Malt, Kamut), commonly found in cereals, bread, pasta, etc., and Corn
Dairy (all milk-derived foods) including milk, cheese, sour cream, yogurt, kefir, butter, buttermilk, also margarine, shortening, almond and rice cheese that contain casein
Nightshade vegetables: Tomatoes, potatoes, peppers, and eggplant
Commonly eaten meats: Pork, Beef, Chicken, including but not limited to hot dogs, bacon, sausage, lunch meats, and meat substitutes made from soy or gluten
Shellfish: Lobster, crab, scallops and shrimp, and fish that are high in mercury, such as tuna, shark, swordfish, sea bass, and catfish
Soy based foods like Tofu, Tamari (Soy Sauce), Bragg's Aminos, soy based meat substitutes, etc.
Pungent spices, including but not limited to, black and red pepper, jalapenos, other hot peppers, cumin, coriander, curry, cinnamon, cardamom, and basil
Eggs, both white and yolk
Sugar, including refined, raw, Turbinado, Florida Crystals, honey, fructose, high fructose corn syrup, and artificial sweeteners, including but not limited to aspartame (Nutra-Sweet), and Splenda
Alcohol, Coffee, Tea (except herbal or green), including Chai, Black Tea; Soda
Peanuts, peanut butter
Anything else you know or suspect you are allergic to

Friendlies - Foods to Eat

Every other vegetable (besides nightshades), including but not limited to sweet potatoes, green beans, spinach, letttuces, broccoli, carrots, chard, cabbage, etc
Fruits: any and all (watch out for excessive sugar consumption!) Best to stick with what is in season in your area
Legumes: all dried beans and peas, fresh, dried, or frozen, but never canned
Meats: those you normally do not consume a lot of, such as duck, lamb, venison, buffalo, rabbit, possibly turkey if not a regular part of your diet. Regular sources of protien should be avoided.
Seafood: Tilapia, other fish besides those listed above, especially wild-caught Alaskan salmon
Non-gluten grains: rice (brown basmati is best), millet, buckwheat, quinoa, tapioca, amaranth
Nuts & Oils: Olive, Ghee (made from butter but OK to use), flax, sunflower seeds and oil, almonds, almond butter, coconut milk and oil, sesame butter (tahini), other nuts especially if not usually eaten on a regular basis.
Sweeteners: Stevia
Green tea, herbal tea, spritzer sodas you make from fruit juice and sparkling water
Good quality, hypoallergenic rice-based, unsweetened detoxifier/protein supplement* mixed with almond milk or rice milk (Stevia sweetened is OK)

*It's a great idea to use a gentle detox/protein supplement while you are using the Discovery Diet, if it is hypoallegenic and unsweetened, or sweetened only with stevia. Two of the best ones on the market are made from rice protein, and deliver about 25 grams of protein per serving. They are Clear-Vite Sf, made by Apex Energetics, and OptiCleanse Plus, made by Xymogen. Many healthcare practioners carry these excellent brands, or, if you have trouble locating them, you can order them through my office.

Potential Suspects/Possibilities - Use Caution

Eliminate these if after the second week you are somewhat better but not really better, and if you eat them regularly:

Onion, garlic
Blueberries
Cabbage
Nuts: almonds, brazil nuts, hazlenuts, walnuts

Adding Foods In

After three vigilant weeks with no cheating (!), you are now ready to begin adding foods back into your diet. It's best to keep a log of what you are adding, and when; it's easy to lose track. Also note if any symptoms begin to reappear, on what day in relation to when you ate something different, etc.

Choose one food (or food group, as in the case of dairy) to add in. Eat this food at least three times in one day. If you notice symptoms during the day, discontinue use of that food and do not attempt to re-introduce it at this time, especially if the symptoms are severe. Be sure to make notes in your food log about what you ate, when you noticed a symptom, or if you had no symptoms. Even small, seemingly obscure reactions are noteworthy in the event they intensify or appear intermittently later.

If you do not notice any symptoms or changes, then return to your basic Discovery Diet for the next three days. If you do not notice any symptoms or changes in those three days following re-introduction of a new food, you may add that food back into your regular Discovery Diet.

Please note that a "symptom" may be something you have experienced before, or it may be a novel expression of a reaction. For example, you may experience gut distress (bloating, gas, discomfort) when re-introducing wheat or gluten, and you never noticed that before. I would categorize that as a legitimate sensitization/allergenic reaction and avoid that food.

A note about the foods that are linked to symptoms: you may well be able to re-introduce these foods later, after you have firmly established a non-inflammatory state for yourself, and worked with gut repair issues (generally three months to one year). Please do NOT re-introduce anything that may have caused a severe systemic response, such as respiratory distress or neurological deficits, without the supervision of a medical doctor.

Please note that this information is not to be construed as medical advice and is not intended to take the place of care or treatment given you by your medical practitioner. You are always encouraged to make contact with a doctor in your area who can assist you when needed.