Whole Food Diet (Just Fruit, Veggies, And Meat)

[Newbee]

Hi all. So some of you have suggested to me previously to try a diet of just whole foods so just fruits and vegetables and meat (as my symptoms are not going away just doing the gluten free diet). I'm thinking I should try this, but I need some suggestions for what I can eat (I'm afraid I'll starve). Can you give me meal ideas (like what you have for breakfast, lunch, dinner). The other thing I'm concerned with is I know I have digestion problems if I eat too much raw food (I tried the raw food diet and was ok for a few days and then started to feel awful). I think my gut is too messed up to digest all raw fruits and veggies if that's all I'm eating (although I can eat some raw stuff as long as it is not everything). So any recommendations on some cooked fruits and veggies would be helpful too.

Thanks for your help!

[fantasticalice]

Are you eating dairy? We can no longer eat dairy! After going gluten free for over a year I, who had no

problems (my daughter is the one) can no longer eat dairy. Bummer till you read about milk & how bad it

is for you. On the other hand, my rosacea is far better & the adult acne is gone It's been a win-win

for me and since I gave up all the lousy rice bread, I'm dropping these nasty lbs.

Many people on this site are on some wild programs! Good luck!

Alice

[Jestgar]

Rice and potatoes are whole foods.

Stir frys, soups, stews, throw everything in a crockpot and see what comes out 6 hours later, a layer of sliced potatoes in a pan, cover with chicken, put some slice onions on top of the chicken, salt and pepper, baked.

[dilettantesteph]

I have fruit and yogurt for breakfast. For a more substantial meal I have buckwheat and vegetables with tomato sauce. I also have fruit smoothies, nuts, and cheese. It's plenty to eat. I've been dairy free at times too and still had enough to eat. I've also made soups with my dehydrated veggies. My daughter is on her cross country (running) team and goes through lots of calories on this diet. It may take some getting used to, but there are plenty of options.

[Bubba's Mom]

We have a couple of threads here.."What's for breakfast", and "what's for supper" that can give you a lot of clues. You'll see that many of us eat leftovers for breakfast, but you could have an omelette with left over veggies, cream of rice cereal, rice with a little cinnemon and sugar?

When you say you have trouble digesting raw foods it makes me wonder about how you do with meats and starches too? It might be a good idea for you to take digestive enzymes when you eat? I found they help me quite a bit.

[Newbee]

I'm still consuming dairy currently, but that is one of the things I wanted to try getting rid of. I've heard some people have issues with all grains and potatoes so was wanting to try avoiding those too. If I could eat some grains or potatoes I think I'd find enough to eat. But if I'm only eating fruits and veggies meat and nuts, I'm afraid I'll starve! Any suggestions on meal planning from those that have tried eliminating all this stuff and were sucessful with the diet?

[Newbee]

Thanks Bubba's Mom for the suggestions. I've tried digestive enzymes off and on and didn't really think I could tell a difference, but I could always try again. I want to avoid rice too just to see if it makes a difference. If I could eat rice I'd be fine. But without grains I'm afraid I'll starve.

[Jestgar]

cooked rice recooked with milk and sugar and some cinnamon.

pumpkin with some butter/sugar and cinnamon.

baked/microwaved potatoes with scrambled eggs or bacon or salt and pepper

buy a bunch of root veggies you've never tried, cut them in to similar sizes, drizzle with olive oil and bake until soft.

[dilettantesteph]

But without grains I'm afraid I'll starve.

I've been dairy, grain, and potato free. I didn't starve. Maybe I felt like I was sometimes, LOL. You just eat more of the other stuff. I found a honey I could tolerate and I'd have spoonfuls of that for my special treat. It's kind of hard, but it is really worth it in the then when you can find a diet that is safe for you and you feel in good health.

I started eating all sorts of vegetables I didn't used to like, radishes, turnips, rutabegas, parsnips, roots and greens. Root vegetables can fill you up like grains do. It is amazing how good some of these things are when you give them a chance.

[Newbee]

I've been dairy, grain, and potato free. I didn't starve. Maybe I felt like I was sometimes, LOL. You just eat more of the other stuff. I found a honey I could tolerate and I'd have spoonfuls of that for my special treat. It's kind of hard, but it is really worth it in the then when you can find a diet that is safe for you and you feel in good health.

I started eating all sorts of vegetables I didn't used to like, radishes, turnips, rutabegas, parsnips, roots and greens. Root vegetables can fill you up like grains do. It is amazing how good some of these things are when you give them a chance.

Thanks Dilettantesteph. For me if food isn't particular tasty I just don't want to eat it. And I'm already pretty skinny from celiac so I'm afraid what will happen if I'm not eating particularly tasty food (and fruits are veggies are not particularly tasty to me). Did you just throw a bunch of fruits and veggies together?

[CarolinaKip]

When I was on the whole foods diet, I was grain free as well. I started to use a lot of fresh herbs I had never used before to add flavor to veggies and meats. I felt limited at times, but it helped me.

[Skylark]

If you're trying to do grain-free, have eggs for breakfast and maybe the coconut flour "honey muffins" recipe on this page. Open Original Shared Link

You can also make grain-free pancakes for breakfast or any time you want. Have them with raw honey.

Open Original Shared Link

Then make yourself a big old pot of stomach-friendly soup. I like chicken, onion, celery and garlic for the base. Add parsley and a bay leaf. Then I chop up any veggies that look good. Carrots, green beans, peas, rutabaga, and spinach are some I like in soup but just about anything works. You can also put in bags of frozen veggies if you prefer. When you make the soup, don't skim the chicken fat off the broth. It's the fat that will fill you up and keep you from starving.

Have it with coconut flour bread, which is rich and filling.

Open Original Shared Link

I like hunter's stew too. 1 lb. lean ground beef (grass-fed if you can get it, bison or venison also work) or stew meat, an onion, 2-3 cloves of garlic all sauteed. Add a can of tomatoes, a splash of red wine, a package of frozen spinach, a package of mushrooms, 1/2 tsp of basil, a bay leaf, and enough water to get the consistency to where you want it. You can toss in a can of kidney or black beans if you like. It's rich and I like it with half a baked winter squash.

Make your favorite spaghetti sauce and have it over spaghetti squash or thinly cut zucchini.

Have some avocado with your soup for the fats, or peanut butter on peeled apples. The peel can be hard to digest.

If you want something sweet, core and apple and bake it with cinnamon, raisins, and honey in the middle.

You might find lots of other ideas here.

Open Original Shared Link

[GottaSki]

Breakfast #1 is a fruit/vegie smoothie - I use just a regular blender as a vitamix or juicer isn't in our budget - sample smoothie is an apple/pear/blueberries/spinach but I've thrown in every combo - of fruits/ vegies/leafy greens

Breakfast #2 is eggs with meat and a vegie. I usually start with sliced onion, add eggs and meat (either leftover from dinner or bacon- I precook bacon in the oven so it is ready to throw in) and then add a bit of zucchini or serve over a bit of spinach.

When I started I had smoothies every morning and now tend to do eggs most days....somedays I smoothie when I first wake and then eggs a few hours later - I even take egg scrambles to work to heat for lunch.

Lunch = generally leftovers or a salad = I try to put lots of things in my salads to make them interesting but quick salad is baby spinach with diced meat, diced apple, grated carrot - other common adds are hard boiled egg, zuchinni, yelow squash, cucumber, etc. I only used dressings I've made as there are so many items I can't have after removing nightshades I couldn't find any premade dressings. I make a large batch of my favorite - cilantro dressing - really easy to whip up in the blender.

Dinners are chicken, steak, pork or fish baked or bbq'd - only seasoning is kosher or sea salt and fresh ground pepper - funny thing happened - my whole family noticed that food. In general, but especially meat started tasting much better as we removed sauces and seasonings from our meals. Sides are vegies roasted in the oven or stir fried - sometimes salads, but as I usually have a lot of those at lunch and always tote one along if we are out to dinner we have cut down on them with dinner. Boiled cabbage and sweet potatoes prepared in a variety of ways. When I just can't go without a grain I have a small portion of brown rice (I feel heavier when I eat rice, but have only had a bad reaction to processed rice products like tortillas, rice cakes or chips.

Hope this helps - try to look for new vegies - especially colorful ones - I had to replace the bright red I always loved in bell peppers and tomato. Having new bright colors has helped me a lot.

Good luck!

[Newbee]

Thanks! Good suggestions. I'd welcome more too if anyone has any.

[dilettantesteph]

Vegetables roasted in olive oil are really good. It is amazing how much your taste buds change after you are on this diet for awhile. You begin to really appreciate the flavors of the combined veggies. This was even the case for my teenage kids and you know how teenagers generally seem to eat a ton of junk food. They actually like roasted veggies. You can also buy fresh spices in the produce section and add those.

I got thin from celiac too and I've lost most of my fat. There was a time when I was losing weight that I was worried about when it would stop. My weight has stabilized and I've even gained a bit recently. I'm slim but not skinny. It is a little hard when you look around at the size of the average American not to think that you are underweight. Look around at athletes or people from nations with healthier eating habits and you may see that you are more average than you thought.