Keeping some first aid homeopathic remedies at home can make life so much easier.  They’re cheap, easy to store and keep for years if stored properly.  Best of all they’re non-toxic and safe for the whole family.  So where do you start?  

Arnica is definitely the first remedy for everyone to begin with.  Whether in the backyard, in the gym, at the cottage, or at the playground, it can help for all manner of bumps and bruises.  Arnica’s ability to reduce bleeding, bruising, swelling, pain, shock and recovery time after injuries (sprains, strains, surgery, childbirth, head injuries, dental work or bruises) is well-known.

There are a few indications that will confirm that arnica is the remedy to use.  Generally the pain accompanying the injury is a bruised or aching pain, and the person doesn’t want to be touched (‘I’m fine!”).  This is opposite the state of shock of someone who needs Aconite, who will scream for help.  For injuries take Arnica 6c as soon as possible, repeating every 3 to 4 hours until symptoms begin to subside.

Arnica can also be extremely useful for dental procedures, such as extractions.  Keeping with a 6c potency, take a dose the night before your procedure, another while in the waiting room, again right after your procedure, and then every 3 to 4 hours until symptoms (pain/swelling/bleeding) start to improve.  This may help calm nerves a bit too, for those who get a bit jittery heading in to the dentist.

Moral of the story, keep some arnica with you wherever you go and you’ll be ready for bumps and bruises that life throws your way!

Attending an integrative medicine conference in Vegas is akin to doing a meditation retreat in Union Station, or doing facials with clay from China. It’s not that the purpose is defeated - it was a good conference with valuable information - it simply seems, in the case of Vegas, counterintuitive to learn about oxidative stress, environmental toxins and inflammation in a location that doesn’t have a smoking area. Because the whole place is a smoking area! 

I like congruency, walking the walk, sending the right message, practicing what one preaches. It’s an integrity thing. But hey, a week of nosebleeds, headaches and brain fog, to take one for the team, it’s all good! Let’s just do the next one in a rain forest in Costa Rica, or a cottage resort north of Toronto. Heck, how about Orlando. Oh, the next MAPS training in the Fall will be in Orlando? ....perfect, my bronchitis should be settled by then. Thanks to Tim Guilford and his lipoceutical glutathione, the impact of the hotel’s poor air quality was lessened considerably, to be honest. It’s just the 3rd hand smoke lining my nasal passages and attached to my nose hair, which I anticipate smelling for the next few weeks, is something I really prefer to live without.

Vegas attractions?...spectacular in many ways.  The water fountain show at the Bellagio, followed by the Cirque de Soleil performance at Caesar’s, preceded by a wholesome meal at the Mesa Grill, were nice ways to spend an evening. Won’t be losing a single dime, or winning one for that matter, at any gambling table...no appeal to me anymore. And I have had one drink, so not a total prude. But there’s something about going to sleep when everyone else is basically waking up for the night’s activities, and then searching Google Scholar in the casino lounge at 6 AM amidst the ching-ching of slots, loud 70’s music, and clouds of smoke (yes, even at 6 AM) that really tests one’s mental discipline. I passed, with flying colours. Heightened auditory sensitivity in Rhesus monkeys with elevated body lead levels is something I learned on the casino floor in Vegas.  How many people can boast that? So much for what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas...

Hello and Happy Holidays to everyone. My name is Anna Midolo and I am a Registered Nutritional Consultant and Holistic Chef.  I am very pleased to be working with Dr. Gannage at 300 Main Street in Markham, Ontario and it has been a pleasure meeting and working with the wonderful families at the clinic who are dealing with GCSF Dietary requirements.  My GCSF (Gluten Casein Soy Free) Diet journey began approximately 20 years ago in an effort to help my eldest son Adrian with his health issues.  At the time my husband and I noticed that certain foods, namely breads and dairy products, really triggered Adrian's behaviour in a negative way, and that after eating these foods he would also suffer grandmal seizures. Thus, we sought nutritional advice and I decided to go back to Nutrition School and through diet modification, namely a GCSF Diet, we have seen Adrian make great strides in his behaviour, language, social skills and overall well being and health.  In working with many families that are on the GCSF Diet. I know that the Holidays can be a very challenging time.  However, I am here to say that the Holidays can be enjoyed and you can still savour many of your favourite foods be making some simple, creative and healthy changes to many of your festive favourites.  For example, I am including a wonderful recipe for Festive Turkey with a delicious rice based stuffing that is sure to please everyone.  Also a simple tip....... remember that when you are baking Holiday goodies you can use rice flour, gluten free flour, nut flours and coconut flour in place of wheat flour and that you can use Stevia in place of sugar.  If a recipe calls for butter you can use olive oil or ghee in its place and you can use applesauce instead of eggs.  It is also possible to substitute eggs with ground flax seed and water or with mashed ripe banana.    I hope that you enjoy the Festive Turkey Recipe and that your Holidays are Merry and Bright.  I look forward to meeting more of the parents and families in the New Year to continue to work together in creating a healthy, healing and happy kitchen for all.
Best Holiday Wishes
Anna

Festive Turkey with Wild Rice and Herb Stuffing:                                                                                            

Ingredients: 

• Please read entire recipe before shopping or beginning.
• 12-15 lb fresh organic, or free-range turkey (do not use self-basting turkey)
• Stuffing:
• 1/2 cup wild rice
• 1 cup long grain brown rice
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 3/4 cup diced celery, about 1/4-inch pieces
• 2 cups sliced crimini mushrooms (optional)
• 1 medium green apple, diced about 1/4 inch pieces
• 4 medium cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
• 6 dried apricots, coarsely chopped (sulfate free)
• 1/2 cup raisins (optional)
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
• 2 TBS chopped fresh sage (or 2 tsp dried sage)
• 3 TBS chopped fresh thyme (or 1 TBS dried thyme)
• 1/2 TBS fennel seeds
• 1/2 cup + 1 TBS chicken broth (home made or organic brand )
• salt and black pepper to taste
• Optional: cook liver for 10 minutes with gravy ingredients, remove from heat, chop and add to stuffing mixture.
• Gravy:
  
• 6 cups chicken broth
• 2 large carrots, chopped in large pieces
• 2 medium onions, cut into large pieces
• 2 celery sticks, cut into large pieces  
• 1/3 cup Gluten Free flour mixed with water
• 1 TBS chopped fresh rosemary (or 1 tsp dried rosemary)
• 2 TBS chopped fresh thyme (or 2 tsp dried thyme)
• salt and black pepper
• *optional 1/4 cup dried porcini mushrooms
• Serves: minimum of 8

Directions: Stuffing:

1. Bring 3-1/2 cups of lightly salted water to a boil. While water is coming to a boil, rinse the wild rice under running water in a strainer. When water is boiling add both wild and brown rice, cover, turn heat to low and cook for about 45 minutes, until tender. Do not overcook. You will most likely have excess water when rice is cooked properly. Put cooked rice in a strainer and drain out excess water. Set aside in a large enough bowl to mix everything together.
2. Heat 1 TBS chicken broth in a large stainless steel skillet.   Saute onion in broth over medium heat for 5 minutes. Add mushrooms and celery and continue to sauté for another 2-3 minutes.
3. Mix all the stuffing ingredients together in bowl and season with salt and pepper.Always stuff the turkey just before roasting, never ahead of time,  to avoid the growth of harmful bacteria. Have the stuffing hot and pack it loosely in the body cavity. 
   
   
   

Turkey: 

1. Rinse turkey well inside and out. Pat dry. (If you had to buy a frozen turkey, make sure it is completely thawed.)
2. Preheat your oven to 350°F (177°C) and put the oven rack on the bottom shelf. Right before roasting the turkey, stuff it loosely with the stuffing.
3. Cut about 18 inches of heavy kitchen twine. Truss the turkey by binding the legs together. 
4. Place turkey breast side up on a flat or V-shaped rack in roasting pan. Make sure you use a rack inside the roasting pan. Otherwise the skin may stick to the pan and tear. Add a cup of chicken broth to the bottom of the pan. Roast breast side up, basting about every 30 minutes with the pan juices for about 2-1/2 hours for a 12-15 lb turkey. 

     5.  Check the breast for doneness by inserting an instant reading thermometer at the thickest part of the breast toward the neck. This will give you an idea how much longer the turkey     will need to cook. It should read about 125°F (52°C) at this point. When the thermometer reads between 1657deg;F and 170°F (74-77°C) in the thickest part of the thigh the turkey is perfectly done. Check the stuffing by inserting the thermometer into the center of the cavity. The stuffing should read 165°F (74°C) to be done. If it has not reached this temperature, you will have to remove it from the turkey and finish cooking it in a baking pan on its own. It's important the stuffing reaches this temperature to be safe to eat. Check the thighs for doneness. Remove your turkey to a platter, but don't carve it for at least 20 minutes. 
Gravy: 

1. Simmer all the ingredients( except gluten free flour), thyme, rosemary, salt, and pepper for about 1 hour on medium heat.
2. Strain and discard solids. Heat 1/4 cup broth in a stainless steel skillet. Whisk in flour a little at a time to incorporate. Using a wire whisk, add the rest of the broth a little at a time on low heat. Keep whisking to avoid lumps until all the liquid is incorporated.
3. Add rosemary and cook for another 20 minutes on low heat, stirring occasionally. Season with chopped thyme, salt, and pepper.
4. AND ENJOY!!!!

The holiday preparations, parties and treats are upon us. Afterwards, there are many weeks of cold days. If you're not careful you may find at the end of 4 months that you've gained 15 pounds or more. Heck, some may gain that by New Year's Day. Here are some tips to help avoid the extra pounds.


DISCIPLINE AROUND FOOD  Learn to say no, particularly when out at social gatherings, to foods that you know are blacklisted. Your friends may respect and try to emulate you. Each year some may even join you - soon you'll have a circle of friends that has developed healthy dietary habits together.  Don't slide into consecutive days of poor food choices. If one day or night your diet (and alcohol consumption) takes a bad turn, be especially good for the next three. Make it a priority to focus on many servings of salad each day after the overindulgence, before the next party arrives, and drink lots of water too. Plan some activities that don't focus on food.

FIND COMFORT IN FRIENDS AND FAMILY, NOT FOOD. If it's a lonely time for you, due to loss or other reasons, make a point to make contact with special people (or bury the hatchet with someone you've been at odds with). Go beyond small talk and make an honest attempt at connection. Otherwise, loneliness leads to overeating, usually of the starchy, refined carb, sugary foods that can add the pounds and drain your energy.

REDUCE THE STRESS LOAD Stress can lead to more eating, and also causes hormone imbalances that result in weight gain. Ask for help - do pot luck dinner rather than the whole thing if you're hosting. Ask the kids for their participation.If shopping is a bother, try your hand on-line rather than stressing to find a parking space and rushing through the crowded malls. Delivery to your door of gifts you've intended for others can make a big difference toward allowing more quality time with friends and family.It certainly helps to plan ahead and not risk adrenal overload as you're hurried to meet the December 25th deadline.

ACTIVATE, DON'T HIBERNATE  Remember, it's a long winter. Don't hibernate with unhealthy snacks - activate with healthy exercise. We should all bundle up and get out there, choose a parking spot further away from the entrance, take the stairs, chase the kids in the snow, steer clear of hours in cyberspace or video-gaming. Tis the season to spend time with friends, volunteer yourself to those in need, exchange gifts, and connect spiritually. So go ahead and give like Santa - just try to avoid looking like him. Take some of the focus off food. And have fun! After all, it's meant to be a wonderful time of year!!

Exchange2011 in Portland has come to a close, where ACAM and AAEM combined to stage the General Session of education for Integrative Medicine Practitioners like myself. With the medical conference concluded, these are the impressions I was left with, as I sit in the hotel lounge at the Marriott:

1. Nutrition has likely been argued over, say, since at least the Neolithic Revolution 8000BC. It’ll be debated for the next 10,000 years and beyond. Dr. McDougall and Dr. Morstein provided the evidence - he of the starch-based, high carb approach to nutrition, she of the low carb, lose-the-oatmeal-for-breakfast approach. Each was talking about the best “diet” to manage Type 2 Diabetes.  The audience of PRACTITIONERS was left fired up, some dazed and confused - imagine how the public feels. 
2. Fluoridation of the public water supply has to be one of the largest public health failures, not successes, of our time.  Just ask Dr. Paul Connett, PhD of the Fluoride Action Network, who gave a rousing presentation detailing the hazards.
3. Sweating out toxins is effective, as I’ve advocated, according to evidence provided by Stephen Genuis, MD of Alberta. His research shows excellent excretion of lead and cadmium especially. By exercise, sauna or hot yoga, do SWEAT the small stuff - to detoxify.
4. Dr. Paul Cannell, of the Vitamin D Council, provided strong epidemiological evidence that Vitamin D deficiency leads to a multitude of health problems. The clinical data, detailing the best way to intervene - delivery route, oral dose (if any), optimal blood levels, tissue levels - was lacking, and thus many questions remain for me about the efficacy and safety of high dose oral D supplementation. In 2005, my newsletter about Vitamin D pertained to sun exposure. I still maintain the fallback position is “what did nature intend?”, and that the issue is sunlight deficiency for many populations. Shouldn’t it be corrected that way?
5. Drs. Wright and Sherman provided the take-home recommendation about supplementation of the week for me: naicinamide for diabetes.  Berberine for diabetes was a close second, and from the Chelation workshop Dr. Mark Houston provided ample evidence making the case for ribose, EFA’s, carnitine, and COQ10 for heart patients.
6. Dr. Jeff Bland, PhD of IFM once again provides the inspiration and motivation, with a compelling philosophical, scientific, reductionist and holistic two hour presentation to kick things off early Friday morning. Dr. Bland had a profound influence on my career and education in the mid-1990’s, and continues to captivate while being on the leading edge of research and thinking.

So I’ll leave Portland tomorrow, with kudos to the organizers from ACAM and AAEM for a wonderful conference. A special thanks also to the folks at The Courtyard Marriott at Lloyd Center for their hospitality and gracious hosting. 


And the final word is this: eat a balanced, chemical-free diet; get adequate exercise, with sun going in and sweat coming out if you can; and manage stress for better health. Let’s not get bogged down too much in the details. Keep it simple, keep it fun. 

Another GUEST BLOG, this time by Christine Jambrosic. Christine graduated from McMaster University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Kinesiology (BKin), with a particular interest in sports nutrition.  She went on to complete her PDHom through the School of Homeopathy as well as the Master Clinician Course through Luminos Homeopathy and has now been practicing homeopathy for 11 years. She sees patients in consultation at Markham Integrative Medicine and can be reached for an appointment at (905)294-2335. (The views and opinions expressed in a guest blog are those of the author, and are not necessarily reflective of Dr. Gannage's own opinions.)

Hello Everyone,

I’d like to take this opportunity to say how pleased I am to have joined the wonderful team here at Markham Integrative Medicine.  I’m really excited to be joining such an amazing group in a setting that really encourages true integrative medicine!   

First off, may I say that the human body is amazingly resilient and  capable of miraculous healing ability, despite the daily abuse that many of us put it through.  Look at our grandmothers who raised large families at home and nursed them through illnesses without hospitals, doctors or clinics...they would certainly say that the body is great at healing itself if given the right care and circumstances.  This is the lovely thing that lends itself to why homeopathy works.  

So what is homeopathy?  It is a well-established form of medicine that dates back to the 18th century and a German physician named Samuel Hahnemann.  It’s based on a principle called ‘The Law of Similars,’ or ‘Like Cures Like.’  For example, we know that poison ivy causes a certain type of reaction, a vesicular rash, in a healthy person.  If you take the homeopathic version of poison ivy, the remedy Rhus Tox (which has been diluted and succussed), it will cure this same kind of vesicular rash that an ill person may have.  So Rhus Tox can be a great choice for instance in some cases of chicken pox or eczematous skin conditions where the rash matches the rash that poison ivy creates.

Homeostasis is the fancy scientific word that describes this inner mechanism that we all have that helps our bodies come into balance if it’s given the right stimulus.  It’s like a pendulum on a clock that gets stuck in a certain position.  A homeopathic remedy is like the nudge you give it to get it swinging again, and eventually it will come to rest in the middle, in balance.  And when our systems are in balance, our bodies can show how fantastic they are at healing themselves.  This is the great thing about homeopathic remedies; they act to remove blocks and imbalances so that our bodies can begin to heal they way they are naturally inclined to.  No bandaids.  No quick fixes.

When you look at health and disease this way, you can see that homeopathy treats the individual then, and not the disease.  This is why it can get to the root of the problem, and not just give a quick but temporary fix.  Seeing this, we could easily find 5 people suffering from an eczematous rash, but only one of them may match up with and need Rhus Tox  as the remedy that will help them.  How do we figure that out?  By looking at the observable signs and symptoms that someone is showing.  These are the signposts letting you know what’s going on inside.  By gathering all of these signs and symptoms from someone, mental, emotional and physical, we can put them together into a snapshot and then look to see which remedy matches up to this snapshot the best. This is a big part of what takes place during an initial appointment with me. This is the practice of matching up the person with the one of thousands of remedies available for treatment.

I’ll be posting future updates to give you a better understanding of homeopathy and how it can play a role in your personal treatment plan. If you’d like more details on how homeopathy works, you can pick up a leaflet from the clinic, or email me with any questions you may have. Or if you’re ready to experience homeopathy for yourself please book an appointment with me by contacting Markham Integrative Medicine.

Wishing you happiness and health,

Christine Jambrosic, PDHom

1. DRINK WATER. There is not a more important, or inexpensive, endeavor physically than replenishing our bodies of clean water. All of our systems require water to function optimally - our cells bathe in it, wastes and nutrients flow because of it, our detoxification systems rely on it, digestion is impaired without it. At times chronic headaches and low back pain are related to water deficiency. We are 80 % water in our physical makeup. Two litres per day for most people is required; or take your weight in pounds, divide by 2 and drink that amount in ounces (e.g. a 150 lb woman would drink 75 ounces daily).  I suggest avoidance of chlorinated drinking water. Re-mineralized reverse osmosis is a good choice. 

2. A SALAD A DAY. At my clinic I routinely conduct a diet review with all new patients. I consistently find, especially in patients that are chronically fatigued, chronically pained and/or chronically constipated that, not only is their water intake diminished, consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables is much reduced. North American diets are horribly inundated with refined, packaged, nutrient poor foods, white flour and refined sugar. Eliminate these, and replace them with fiber, nutrient dense leafy greens and other vegetables. For those that have a challenge with gas and bloating from fruits and vegetables, a reasonable approach is to start with steamed vegetables. A useful intervention is digestive support, as with enzymes, during meals, and avoidance of food sensitivities. 

3. CHOOSE ORGANIC. Organic food has made its way into the marketplace for healthy reasons. Foods high on the food chain concentrate chemicals and hormones in their tissues, and yet we require many such foods for optimal nutrition balance. The dominance of hormones in our food supply accumulates progressively in our own tissues, leading to problems with reproductive tissue structure and function, and ultimately to the worst kind of pathology: cancer. Antibiotic use in livestock takes place at a huge cost to human health, affecting bowel flora balance and contributing to reduced effectiveness of antibiotics when required to fight life-threatening infections (i.e. antibiotic resistance). Organic food has been shown to possess 40% more nutrients than non-organic counterparts, since chemicals negatively impact soil richness. In Canada, our largest exposure to pesticides comes from our standard diet. One's greatest defense against environmental toxicity in general is nutrients. Our diets, therefore, must be sources of nutrients, not chemicals. 

4. PAY ATTENTION TO SYMPTOMS. Ignore, or worse suppress, symptoms at your own peril. Headaches, bloating, gas, fatigue, muscle pain, frequent colds, skin rashes and so on are all signs of an underlying disturbance calling out for correction, not mere suppression. Track symptoms, listen to your body, and learn to describe them in detail to a health provider who will listen. The greatest amount of information about one's health comes not from lab tests or scans, but from symptoms interpreted meaningfully. 

5. BE KIND TO YOUR LIVER. Sub-optimal liver function lies at the core of many medical symptoms. It is an organ with multiple roles, from detoxification, to digestion, to hormone metabolism, to regulator of circulation. Being kind to the liver means avoiding undue exposure to chemicals, both in the diet and around the household. It means paying attention to healthy intestinal function, thereby reducing bowel toxicity and autointoxication. It means using probiotics routinely, and other supplements, particularly antioxidants and herbs, that are therapeutically supportive to liver functions. It means understanding Eastern medicine concepts detailing the liver as an emotional organ, and its connection to anger. 

6. PRACTISE ACTIVE LIVING. Exercise has innumerable health benefits, for mood and sleep, for immune system strength, for cardiovascular function, for sweating and detoxification. A sedentary lifestyle is a choice for chronic medical conditions, and the options for inactive living are far too accessible. Computers, television and video games, combined with unhealthy snack foods and drinks, have assisted the development of our current pediatric obesity epidemic. Over 50 % of adult Ontarians are overweight and obesity is now recognized by experts as the second-leading preventable cause of death after cigarette smoking. For most of us, overweight or not, active living can also mean taking the stairs, raking the leaves, parking further away, or not driving at all. It is time to get back to active living, to get off the couch or desk chair, and to breathe some fresh air outdoors. 

GUEST BLOG by Rose Marie Randall, a Certified Nutritional Practitioner and author of The Nine Biggest Problem Foods and How to Live Without Them  - the cookbook which features recipes which features recipes that are all free of gluten (including wheat), dairy products, sugar (and artificial sweeteners), corn, yeast, eggs, soy, peanuts, and processed fats and oils. Her latest book, Affordable Nutrition, features recipes and remedies for people with food sensitivities who are short on Money and Time. Visit her at rorboooks.ca. 
(The views and opinions expressed in a guest blog are those of the author, and are not necessarily reflective of Dr. Gannage's own opinions.)


Only a few short decades ago, our culture’s consciousness of food intolerances was basically limited to life-threatening anaphylactic reactions such as the rare, but dreaded, peanut allergy. Not only are these types of allergies becoming more common, but more subtle food sensitivities that can disrupt life and erode its quality, rather than actually end it, have become unbelievably widespread. Now it’s almost normal for people to notice improved feelings of wellness when avoiding food that our forefathers ate all their lives without incident.

While we improve the health of our bodies and our planet by supporting local organic agriculture, reduce the number of chemical pollutants in our lives, and reduce our bodies’ toxic load through regular detoxification, we can take immediate action to minimize the impact of food intolerances. As a sufferer of food sensitivities whose condition eventually led me to become a Certified Nutritional Practitioner, I first had to come up with ways to deal with my own food-related challenges. I now share what I’ve learned with those whose needs reflect my own. What follows are seven key strategies I’ve distilled from my own experience.

1. Become familiar with your own symptoms. The most obvious, easiest-to-identify are the reactions which can show up within a few minutes to a few hours of eating the offensive food. Digestive symptoms (bloating, diarrhea, nausea, constipation), respiratory involvement (runny nose or stuffy sinuses, wheezing or asthmatic symptoms), or skin reactions (including short-term hives or chronic rashes, dermatitis, eczema and psoriasis,). But also look for more subtle symptoms that may not usually be attributed to food sensitivities: feeling inexplicably sad, irritated, or even elated or giddy; increased anxiety, feeling hyper or unable to focus or think clearly; headaches; subtle changes in handwriting, dexterity, and speech; joint pain; water retention; even accelerated heart rate, or an uncomfortable awareness of your heart beating may all be clues that you’re dealing with a sensitivity. Strong cravings for a particular food may also indicate an allergy to that food. And be aware that symptoms can present themselves up to three days after the offending food has been ingested. If it’s something you eat all the time, you may not even know that what you normally feel is actually a temporary symptom, until you’ve cut that food out of your diet.
2. Identify your sensitivities. The allergist’s skin-prick tests  deal with the type of immunity that governs reactions to inhaled and contact allergies and may not be very helpful at identifying most food intolerances. There are a couple of ways you can go about determining which foods you are reacting to. A good starting point before you make any changes to your diet is a food journal. Carry a small notepad around with you and write down everything you eat for a few weeks, as well as how you feel, and see if you can notice any cause-and-effect patterns between symptoms and foods eaten. You can then proceed to what I’d call a subtractive elimination method: you subtract one food at a time from your diet (start with a common offender, such as wheat or dairy, or anything your food journal has revealed to be a problem), and notice any changes after a week or two without that food. If you are still bothered by symptoms, subtract another food and repeat. Another way (which may be faster but will require a lot more discipline, as your food choices will be severely limited) is what I call an ‘add-back elimination method’: take out ALL common food allergens for a week or two (gluten grains, dairy products, corn, eggs, peanuts, yeast, soy products, shellfish, citrus fruit, tomatoes, strawberries, and chocolate), or you might prefer to eat a very limited, hypoallergenic diet of lamb, brown rice, and green vegetables for a week, or even fast for a few days (those who are underweight, pregnant, nursing, children, or who have serious health problems should fast only with qualified health guidance, if at all). After this initial elimination period, slowly add foods back one at a time and gauge any reaction. An experienced nutritionist can help with this process.
3. Identify the foods and meals you like and why you like them. Sit down and pinpoint specific aspects of the foods you or your family members like, such as flavour and texture. Then try to find less-allergenic ways to match them. For example, making porridge with quinoa flakes instead of oats will deliver a similar satisfying taste and feel; almond, rice, hemp, or coconut milk can provide creamy drinks for those who miss dairy or soy milk; and toasted sunflower seeds can provide that crunchy texture for the chip-nibblers in your life.   
4. Identify your greatest obstacles: those things that might sabotage your ability to stay away from your trigger foods and stick to a less allergenic eating plan. The most common I hear when coaching those with food sensitivities involves issues around time and convenience. If this is your bane, pick recipes and meals that are quick and simple. Temptation is another common saboteur. I always say that in the battle between willpower and biochemistry, biochemistry will usually win. If you’re addicted to the foods you’re trying to avoid (which is rather common), you had better be prepared for some moments of weakness. Planning ahead is really both the best time-saver and temptation-buster: have only healthy foods on hand, wash fruits and veggies as soon as you get home so they’re ready to go, and have some quick emergency snacks around at all times. If taste is an issue, don’t stop searching until you find healthy foods you love. They are out there! Also keep in mind that your tastes and cravings will change once you’re no longer comparing the subtle flavours of wholesome foods to the super-stimulating blasts of sugar and salt that dominate processed foods. If cost is your stumbling block, go for from-scratch foods rather than prepared ones. Milk alternatives, spreads, dressings, gluten-free bread, pasta, cereal, crackers – although so many of the products in health food stores are fine from a sensitivity perspective, they do tend to be pricey. But you don’t have to be wealthy to be healthy! Your best bet for cost and health are whole grains, legumes, and local, seasonal fruits and vegetables. Economize without sacrificing nutrition by buying certain produce frozen vs. fresh (such as peas and berries). Planning ahead, shopping with a list (and not shopping hungry) are other budget-saving practices. And extend your fish and meat budget by incorporating these foods into several recipes, rather making them the focal point (e.g. steak or chicken wings).
5. Arm yourself with good recipes. Find a cookbook that takes your sensitivities into account so you don’t have to tinker with substitutions at dinner time, which could tempt you to reach for a more convenient option. From that source, identify recipes that align with your current tastes, try them out, and pick several sure-fire dishes that consistently work for you and your family. Customize them a little if necessary, copy them, and put them all in a “Favourite recipes” binder for quick reference. You’ll never be stuck for meal ideas again!
6. Eat a variety of foods and rotate them. Food sensitivities can result from simply eating the same food too often , so wait 3 to 4 days before eating a particular food again to give the body a chance to rid chance to rid itself of the residues of that particular food before eating it again. This can take up to 3 days, which is why the rotation diet is a cycle in which one eats a food (or its close relatives) no more frequently than every 4 days.
7. Examine your food-related misconceptions. Were you raised to believe that anything other than cereal, toast or pancakes for breakfast is just wrong? Or that the lunch you take to school or work has to include a sandwich? Or that dinner must be followed by a sweet desert? Release yourself from these beliefs – they are only habits that don’t serve you. There’s nothing wrong with having steamed veggies, chicken and rice for breakfast, or eating your take-away lunch with a fork! The only rules are the ones your body lays out for you. Be easy on yourself and have fun. Rather than feeling deprived, thank your food sensitivities as opportunities to try new things that you might otherwise not have. You never know – in addition to feeling better, you might find you love your new discoveries more than the foods you left behind.