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Tasty Recipes and Nutrition Wisdom for Healthy Living 
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What is the Elimination Diet?
Elimination Diet Recipes
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Feruary 2009 
Dear ,
 
salmon salad sandwichWe have received so many emails and phone calls from folks doing the 28-Day Detoxification and Elimination Diet in our cookbook that we thought it would be fitting to delve a little deeper into this subject. Tom and I recently created a page on our website that is dedicated to providing additional information for those of you on the diet. There you can find documents to print off and post on your refrigerator to make each phase of the diet go smoother. Read on to learn the "whys " and hows" of this diet.
 
We will be teaching a class on the Elimination Diet on April 2nd at the Bellingham Community Food Co-op. Click here for more details.
 
And now the fun stuff...we are offering 4 free signed Whole Life Nutrition Cookbooks to be given away to 4 lucky winners! Here is how you can win: Please email us at info@wholelifenutrition.net with your success story from going on the 28-Day Elimination Diet. Keep it to about two paragraphs and indicate how you would like your name displayed. We will be posting these to our website unless you prefer it not to. Please put "success story" and your full name in the email subject heading. You have until the end of March 2009 to submit your story. Four winners will be drawn at random on April 1st. If you already have our book and you win we can send it to the person of your choice!
 
And lastly, if you have not already seen our new recipe blog then we encourage you to check it out. I post about two new recipes a week with color photos. You can receive the recipes in your inbox by signing up here.
 
 
Warmly, Ali and Tom :)
What is the Elimination Diet and How does it Work?
green smoothie 
The elimination diet is a process of isolating foods that could be potentially causing the immune system to over react. We are all biochemically unique. Why is it then that we assume we can all tolerate the same foods? What might be food for one, may be poison for another. But how do you find out what foods may be irritating you, and what foods may be nourishing you? Over many years, practitioners around the globe have found that taking potentially irritating foods such as gluten, dairy, soy, eggs, yeast, and corn, out of the diet for a period of weeks and then adding them back in can cause changes in a persons body that will clue them in to what is working and what is not.
 
For example, numerous people in our practice have had migraines, chronic fatigue, joint pain, bowel discomfort, stomach problems and other ailments that were never helped with their traditional medical treatments. In many cases, these problems persisted in his clients or got worse over time. When these people eliminated potentially problematic foods for 3 or more weeks using the elimination diet in our book, amazing things started to happen. Decades of rheumatoid arthritis, chronic fatigue, headaches, stubborn belly fat, unexplained diarrhea, nausea, and constipation all miraculously got better.
 
What is the elimination diet? It is a program of eating designed to calm and balance the body. Once the body is calm, and the disease symptoms diminish, it becomes noticeable to a person when a "trouble" food is eaten and the symptoms come back. 
 
Elimination Diet Recipes
kitchereeMung Bean Kitcheree
 
Kitcheree is an Indian stew-like meal made from mung beans and brown rice. Spices and vegetables make up the remaining ingredients which can vary widely. This recipe I created last summer with the bountiful produce of that season. If you are on the elimination diet then this recipe is ideal. Just keep the tomatoes out during phases 1 & 2. Once tomatoes are added back into the diet then have at this recipe in its entirety! If you eat dairy products then you can top your bowl of hot stew with plain organic yogurt.
 
     2 tablespoons virgin coconut oil or olive oil
      2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh ginger
      1 tablespoon black mustard seeds
      1 tablespoon cumin seeds
      pinch or two of crushed red chili flakes
      2 cups brown jasmine or basmati rice, rinsed
      2 cups dry mung beans, rinsed
      3 to 4 large carrots, diced large
      1 ½ teaspoons turmeric
      ½ teaspoon ground coriander
      8 cups water
      4 cups finely chopped kale or spinach
      1 to 2 cups fresh or frozen peas
      3 tomatoes, chopped
      ½ cup chopped cilantro
      2 to 3 teaspoons sea salt or Herbamare
      dollop of coconut milk, for garnish

Heat oil in an 8-quart pot (or pressure cooker). Add ginger, mustard seeds, cumin seeds, and chili flakes, gently sauté over medium heat until the seeds begin to pop.
 
Then add the mung beans, rice, carrots, turmeric, and coriander. Stir together a bit so the spices evenly coat the rice and beans. Then add the water. Lock the lid into place (if using a pressure cooker) and bring to high pressure, cook for about 10 minutes, then use the quick release method to bring the pressure down.
 
If the stew needs some more time, bring to high pressure again and cook for 1 to 2 more minutes. If you don't have a pressure cooker simply bring the stew to a boil, cover, and simmer on low for about 45 minutes.

Once the rice and beans are cooked, add in the chopped kale, tomatoes, peas, cilantro, and salt. Stir until just mixed. Turn off heat, cover, and let stand for about 5 minutes. The tender vegetables will just barely cook in the hot stew. Add more salt to taste if necessary. Serve hot and enjoy! © 2008 Alissa Segersten, www.wholelifenutrition.net 
 
Garlicky Green Sauce
 
This recipe is also on our blog and is delicious over any whole grain, steamed vegetable, or over the Kitcheree recipe above.  

     ¼ to ½ cup pumpkin seed butter
      ½ cup coconut milk
      large handful of fresh cilantro
      4 to 5 cloves garlic
      ½-inch chunk of peeled fresh ginger
      1 tablespoon raw agave nectar or honey
      ½ teaspoon Herbamare
      water (I think I use about ½ cup to 1 cup)


Place all ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth and creamy. Add water to desired consistency. Add more salt to taste. Drizzle it over cooked grains, steamed veggies, or chopped romaine lettuce.
 
For more Elimination Diet recipes you can explore our recipe blog. I will be adding more recipes every week so keep checking back!
 
Sincerely,
 

Ali Segersten and Tom Malterre, MS, CN
Whole Life Nutrition