Day 11: Making paleo cookies for a friend

Today's menu: 

 Grass-fed beef with chives, olive oil, and sea salt; steamed allowed veggies; and grass fed beef bone broth. 

 Grass-fed 80% lean beef burger with salt, local artisan's hydoponic and baked dirt lettuce with cilantro from the mainland. 

Me trying to artistically arrange yet another dish of meat and green vegetables. :) 

Not pictured: organic unsweetened coconut flakes as a snack at the movie theater. 

Local artisan's lettuce, cilantro from the mainland, steamed broccoli with organic extra virgin olive oil and sea salt, organic free range chicken thighs (I ate two, plus the skins from two more - believe it or not, baked chicken skin cooked with olive oil and salt is a real treat these elimination-diet days). 

Recipe for the chicken thighs:

Coat both sides with olive oil

Sprinkle with salt

Bake in oven preheated to 400 degrees for 45 minutes. YUM!

In other news, for this first time this month I made some food that I can't eat. A paleo friend's birthday is coming up and I decided to make him paleo chocolate chip cookies, a true test of my willpower and possible humongous downer. I was hesitant about doing this to myself (to add insult to the injury of not being able to eat something I bake, chocolate has always been one of my favorite foods and I've never gone without it before), and in fact I seriously considered backing out of it multiple times. BUT I decided to go for it, and it really wasn't a big deal. It seems that I'm starting to view items like the ones pictured below as non-foods. Much to my surprise, it truly only bothered me a tinge to not be able to try the end result. 

Anyway, I used a recipe crafted by Simone over at zenbelly (click to see the recipe on her site). I trust her recipes completely and wanted to get the crispy and chewy texture she raved about. 

 After liquefying the first few ingredients in a Blendtec all-powerful mixer....

The little treasures glowing in the oven! 

I didn't have any parchment paper like Simone recommends, but they came off very easily, just leaving a little residue on the pan.. They also held their shape very well. I'm impressed! 

The recipe made 12 cookies. 

I had some of my roommates taste test these puppies. No, I didn't have any! 

I'm excited to get to add fruit back into my diet after this month is over, and my favorite meat product, bacon! But as far as sugary baked goods, I think this month is really helping me get over the slight sugar addiction I still retained through last month. I was already way better as far as food addictions are concerned that I had been before going paleo and then mostly paleo.

 It was amazing to break free of the wheat addiction last year, and now it's great to break free of the sugar addiction. I highly recommend this elimination diet to anyone looking to go cold-turkey on their food addictions. 

In other news, I need to go shopping for smaller clothes! I'm guessing that could be a nice bonus of the diet for a lot of us out there. :) 

Day 10: Successful bone broth, first time cooking pork chops

Locally raised pork chop cooked with lemongrass, bay leaves, and rosemary with steamed veggies and bone broth. 

I made them last night for the first time, seemed to work okay. 

Iced mint tea, one of my favorites. :) 

 I made my second batch of bone broth yesterday. This time I just put in local grass-fed beef soup bones, water, and salt. I cooked it in my slow cooker on low for 13 hours.

I invested in a small strainer and borrowed some wide-mouth jars in preparation for concocting more gut-healing bone broth. These made the straining process go much smoother than last time!

 Ta-da! Two jars of golden broth. These should last me a few days.

The morning after, I have myself some beef-flavored jello! I'm so glad this stuff liquefies when it's warmed, my ex-vegetarian self would shrink even more from eating a jiggly bone substance. 

 Local grass-fed beef, free range lamb, steamed allowed veggies, bone broth. 

Frozen organic coconut oil and organic unsweetened coconut flakes. 

Not pictured: Grass-fed beef burgers and steamed veggies, chamomile tea 

Day 9

Grass fed lamb, steamed broccoli, bone broth, iced mint tea

Organic chicken drumstick, organic chicken burger, brussels sprouts, broccoli, bok choy 

 Grass fed beef burger, steamed veggies 

Grass fed beef with chives, olive oil, and sea salt with steamed veggies and bone broth

Not Pictured: mint tea, coconut oil

Day 8

Leftover lamb (cooked with olive oil, sea salt, tarragon, and cilantro), steamed kale or collards, my homemade bone broth, and probiotic supplement for breakfast.

Grass-fed beef burgers, grass-fed beef fat, steamed kale or collards or spinach (I can't tell, at this point!), my homemade bone broth for lunch. 

 Unsweetened coconut flakes as a snack. 

Shrimp with grass-fed beef fat, chives, and cilantro and steamed greens for dinner. 

Frozen coconut oil for dessert. 

Chamomile tea. :) 

Day 7: I cook lamb for the first time

 Day 7 

Leftover beef and steamed vegetables for breakfast, with some iced mint tea. 

 Frozen coconut oil roll with lunch! 

 Shrimp with grass-fed beef fat, chives, and cilantro and steamed  veggies for lunch. 

 Preparing to cook this grass-fed lamb I found at a local grocery store. Turns out it's from Australia! 

 First time using tarragon, too. Couldn't taste it much in the dish. 

 I got this glorious head of lettuce from a cool guy at the farmer's market who uses baked soil, hydroponic chemicals, a sealed greenhouse, and occasional detergent as bug control to make a truly great and rat lung worm-safe head of lettuce. Thanks! 

 Had a cup of the bone broth I made with dinner. I was worried I would find it unappetizing, but it was fine - it tasted like chicken soup! I will be adding it to my daily repertoire. 

I had some coconut milk for dessert, too. Yum! 

The List: Allowed Foods for this One Month Elimination Diet

Gut-Repairing Elimination Diet for People with Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis; Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth (SIBO) or suspected SIBO; and Fermentable, Oligo-, Di-, Mono-saccharides, and Polyols (FODMAPs) intolerance or suspected FODMAPs intolerance who have not had their thyroid removed (because this list takes into account goitrogenic foods) 

Vegetables

ü  preferably organic

ü  preferably fresh, though frozen is allowed

ü   some may need to limit themselves to cooked veggies, which are easier to digest

·         The following kinds of cruciferous veggies are allowed. Always cook them thoroughly (I’ve seen 30 minutes recommended) to significantly reduce the amount of goitrogens in them.

Ø  Cress, cooked thoroughly

Ø  Bok Choy, cooked thoroughly

Ø  Horseradish, cooked thoroughly

Ø  Land cress, cooked thoroughly

Ø  Ethiopian mustard, cooked thoroughly

Ø  Kale, cooked thoroughly

Ø  Collard greens, cooked thoroughly

Ø  Komatsuna, cooked thoroughly

Ø  Mizuna, cooked thoroughly

Ø  Broccoli rabe, cooked thoroughly

Ø  Turnip greens, cooked thoroughly

Ø  Siberian kale, cooked thoroughly

Ø  Tatsoi, cooked thoroughly

Ø  Arugula, cooked thoroughly

Ø  Field pepperweed, cooked thoroughly

Ø  Maca, cooked thoroughly

Ø  Garden cress, cooked thoroughly

Ø  Watercress, cooked thoroughly

Ø  Radish, cooked thoroughly

Ø  Daikon, cooked thoroughly

Ø  Wasabi, cooked thoroughly

Ø  Swiss chard, cooked thoroughly

*Note: Kohlrabi is deliberately left off of this list because it is not recommended for people with SIBO; Chinese cabbage, Napa cabbage, wrapped heart mustard cabbage, and cabbage in general is left off because of their high FODMAP content, and rutabaga is left off because it is a starchy vegetable that I am avoiding for this month. All broccoli varieties and Brussels sprouts are left off of this list and are listed further down, due to their moderate FODMAP content. Turnip roots are left off of this list due to their starchy nature and SCD and GAPS’s recommendations concerning starches. 

·         Spinach – always cook thoroughly to reduce goitrogens

·         Bamboo shoots - always cook thoroughly to reduce goitrogens

       Lettuce

       Beet greens

Limit consumption of (watch serving size, check your personal tolerance, due to containing some FODMAPs):

·         Broccoli – cook thoroughly to reduce goitrogens

·         Brussels sprouts – cook thoroughly to reduce goitrogens

·         Cauliflower, cooked thoroughly (this is a cruciferous vegetable)

·         Celery

·         Fennel bulb

·         Unsweetened dried coconut

·         Coconut milk/cream/butter

Grass-fed Meat or fish bone stock/broth - It is recommended to take a cup of warm meat or fish stock with every meal as a drink as well as soups and stews made with the meat or fish stock. I am not aiming for every meal, but a lot of meals at least. 

Grass-fed Organ meats, except for liver –

·         At least two servings per week.

Shellfish

Oils

·         Coconut oil – regularly * The Paleo Mom says “Note that coconut oil does not contain the phytic acid or inulin fiber (both gut irritants) that other coconut products contain (a little coconut is typically tolerated, but I urge caution).” 

·         Olive oil, extra virgin

·         Lard from free-range animals, for Omega 3 to Omega 6 ratio, among other things

Vitamin D – spend lots of time outside without sunscreen, take a supplement (be sure to check the label for contaminants like grains, legumes, dairy, or gluten), or eat enough food sources of Vitamin D like fish

Grass-fed, pastured or wild red meat, poultry and fish

·         Oily cold-water fish: salmon, mackerel, sardines, herring, kipper, anchovies, trout, fresh tuna, and carp have lots of Omega 3 fats, but contain iodine, so limit consumption.

Including grass-fed beef, grass-fed or organic poultry if you can't get grass-fed, etc. 

Safe Spices (Leaves, Flowers, Roots, Barks)

·         Lemon balm

·         Lemongrass

·         Basil leaves (sweet)

·         Bay leaves

·         Chamomile

·         Chervil

·         Chives

·         Cilantro

·         Cinnamon/cassia

·         Cloves

·         Dill weed

·         Ginger

·         Horseradish

·         Lavender

·         Mace

·         Marjoram leaves

·         Oregano leaves

·         Parsley

·         Peppermint

·         Rosemary

·         Saffron

·         Sage

·         Salt

·         Savory leaves

·         Spearmint

·         Tarragon

·         Thyme

·         Turmeric

Probiotics

Take a (dairy free) probiotic supplement to help replenish good bacteria in your intestinal tract (check the label for ingredients that aren’t allowed, like inulin, potato starch, or soy starch. I found that the Target brand for "colon support" doesn't appear to have any of those.) 

So there you have it! I made this list myself, using information from thepaleomom.com and gapsdiet.com and http://www.eat-real-food-paleodietitian.com/support-files/Paleo-FODMAP-food-list.pdf.

 I am not a medical professional and am not offering this as medical advice. This is a list I made for myself because I wanted to eliminate all potentially problematic foods for a month so I could test potentially healthy foods for me one by one after the month is over and truly design a diet that is fit for me, as a person with Hashimoto's Thyroiditis but also taking into account that everyone's body is different. 

I will be reading the books Gut and Psychology Syndrome, Breaking the Vicious Cycle, and Practical Paleo so I can understand the reasons why so many foods have to be cut out for some people. 

I have a list of "not allowed foods," too, which references which dietary framework recommends avoiding it for at least a couple of weeks, but basically I will only be eating foods off of this list. 

Day 6: Making bone broth, eating more vegetables and meat

Today I decided to take the leap and try to make bone broth. The last time I tried, many months ago, I didn't have a crock pot and the mixture ended up charred and stuck to the bottom of my pot, due to a faulty recipe. This time, armed with a crock pot and animal parts that many would see as not fit for human consumption, I had some success. 

I started with two grass-fed beef soup bones. 

 Then I added some steroid-free chicken backs, necks, gizzards, and hearts. I hope the fact that I couldn't find any organic grass-fed free range chicken parts doesn't mean that I actually brewed a hazardous broth.....From now on, I'm just going to freeze the bones whenever I eat chicken to use for bone broth later.

 I put this blend of animal parts (I am a former vegetarian and vegan, so dealing with meat is still surprising to me at times!) in the crock pot, poured in the vegetable broth I made a few days ago, two bay leaves, and enough water to cover it all.

My crock pot doesn't have fancy settings so I just put the lid on and set it to low. I ended up letting it cook for 21 hours, not sure about the ideal timing....

I had some frustrating fun trying to pour the cooled broth through my splatter shield thingy into my jars, need to invest in wire mesh rounded strainer.

Then I sifted through the solids, hunting for the beef I knew had been around those soup bones....

Look! No more marrow in there! 

I'll be making bone broth again and again. I'll keep you updated on further adventures!

Day 6 Foods 

• leftover grass-fed beef
• leftover steamed greens
• 100% ginger herbal tea

• leftover organic unrefined coconut oil and organic unsweetened coconut flakes treats (cool way to get my two tablespoons/day of coconut oil, no?)

• some of the bone broth and the grass-fed beef I found in it :) 

•  leftover grass-fed beef and leftover steamed spinach 

Day 5: Probiotics and frozen coconut, oh my!

Day 5

• Local wild-caught ahi sauteed in olive oil, rosemary, and chives
• steamed red swiss chard
• probiotics supplement 

•  local grass-fed burger with dried chives and sea salt, sauteed in olive oil and seasoned with fresh (U.S. mainland) cilantro on top
• steamed organic kale

•  stew-cut local grass-fed beef sauteed in olive oil, organic ginger powder, and dried chives
• steamed organic spinach and grass-fed beef fat 

• grass-fed burger, sea salt, olive oil, fresh chives, steamed kale 

• frozen organic unrefined coconut oil and unsweetened organic coconut flakes - a sort of coconut cookie :)