3.2.21 Variety is the Spice of Life!

Last week I talked about strategies for being successful in eliminating a food or food group. I feel like this is important for people to feel empowered to do in order to find foods that might be causing low grade inflammation or reactions. Twice as important is learning how to nourish your body while eliminating a food!

To do this, we are basically going to focus on step three of last week which was making sure we are getting balanced macro and micro nutrients in our meals. We could get really technical and measure the exact balance that you’re currently eating and then figure out what foods you can add to keep that balance. If you want to do so, Cronometer is a great tool.

I like to keep it simple and open to variety. For instance, if you want to try eliminating dairy for a time, you will need calcium. To get more calcium you could eat more leafy greens, fish with their bones (sardines and canned salmon), seeds, and legumes.

I love this because instead of eating just yogurt and drinking milk for calcium, maybe now you try to eat more kinds of leafy greens. Such as kale, spinach, collards, and mustard greens. Instead of just tuna salad you can substitute sardines or canned salmon. Instead of just pinto beans with Mexican food, you now want to find recipes with black beans, kidney beans, lentils, navy beans… Boom! So much variety and fun new recipes! (Pinterest is my best friend for finding recipes with new foods.)

It is always a great idea to know the macros (carbs, protein, and fats) in the food you are eliminating, as well as the top micros (calcium, iron, magnesium, zinc, Vitamin Bs, etc). A quick search for good food sources of those values will give you a bounty of ideas for making sure your diet is rich and varied.

These suggestions and opinions are not to be taken as medical advice. Please consult with your healthcare provider before implementing changes in your diet, supplements, or lifestyle.