First off, its working. Second of all, I failed.

During phase 1 of the LEAP protocol you are supposed to eat only 20 or so low reactive things, including spices. My list included things like baked sweet potato, lentil soup, pork chops, and meatballs. Many of my recipes call for stock, and any stock from the store would have been made from carrots, which are on my red ‘do not eat ever’ list. I had a lentil meatball soup one night and I had to make the stock then make the lentils then make the meatballs. It didn’t happen all in one day I can tell you that much, but it was a tasty outcome. The dark side I have been spending the majority of my time for the past week just trying to eat allowed food.  The modern American lifestyle just isn’t made for eating to this level of intricacy. We are the ‘grab and go’ culture when it comes to food, and I was no exception.

The first few days were getting to know foods that I hadn’t eaten in awhile, and that has a learning curve. I steamed cauliflower, and roasted broccoli and made pork chops and soups. I fortunately had the time to spend in the kitchen because if I hadn’t it just wouldn’t have worked.  Clean eating is messy! It sure takes most of your day at first with the shopping, cooking, eating and cleaning up the mess from the cooking! You have to meal plan and be organized and eat your leftovers when you don’t feel like it and its frankly not all that fun. As a long term plan it just wasn’t tenable. There I said it. Which brings us to the cheats.

 I admit it, I ate a handful of chocolate chips (at least they were ‘clean’ I told myself). I’m sure that wrecked the whole dealio, but you know what, after about 4 days of very little sugar (1-2 servings of fruit)  I was so tired and moody and wanted to kill someone! I stormed the kitchen a grabbed a handful of my soy free dairy free chocolate chips and boy did it improve my mood! Oddly my stomach didn’t churn like it didn’t with the grapes I’d had the day before, so I took that as a promising sign for good things to come. I got back on the bandwagon, until I literally got onto a band wagon.

We went to a live show, and I had to have some booze! I was proud of myself because I didn’t indulge in all the free hot dogs and cupcakes and cakes and snacks that were everywhere at this party, but I really wanted some tequilla. I had a double neat, and yes I did pay for that. Ouch.

But overall things are working out ok. One goal was to poo once per day, and we are almost there. This elimination diet has helped me get more in tune with my body and the MRT blood test identifying foods I can tolerate is huge.  Now I know which foods I should focus on eating. I tried eating them, many with success, others not so much. It surprised me to find that some foods listed as low reactive, like the walnuts are a no go for now, and maybe strawberries too. Since I have Crohn’s its not quite as cut and dried as it could be for others changing their diet with an MRT blood test and dietician’s help.

I’m on phase 1 day 7/10 and I have my meeting with my dietician tomorrow.  I’m really glad that eating only a few simple foods is helping me learn in depth about my sensitivities. That part seems to be working out. I’m eating fiber I was afraid to eat, and the results are somewhat promising. I am however anxious to add back a food a day (which is what the LEAP protocol manual told me) so I might just go ahead and start that process a few days early (since so many of my ‘safe’ foods werent’) and because I want my diary back! I think adding some parmesan and butter to all these veggies would feel like a very decadent treat compared to what I’ve been eating! I guess that’s part of it too – to hit the rest button on yummy and redefine how sinful food has to be to still be delicious!

Hopefully I can convince Christine its the right time to start phase 2, and I can get some parmesan soon! Oh man, I’m already drooling at the recipes I can make.