Restrictive, Elimination Diets, Disordered Eating Habits, and Eating Disorders

 I was removing food after food from my diet. My symptoms didn’t get better, instead they got worse…

I felt like everything I ate triggered symptoms, and my diet got smaller and smaller…

I became afraid to eat…

This developed into a long-term struggle with disordered, orthorexic eating habits.

This is part of my story.

This is a reason why I am passionate about helping others avoid falling victim to the mentality that removing foods, food groups, and categories of foods from the diet is healthy, and it will resolve symptoms and health problems (exceptions are IgE food allergies, and potentially a few other foods depending on what’s happening).

I am especially sensitive to seeing children on restrictive, or elimination diets. They desperately need nutrients from foods because they are growing and developing. When nutrients are missing, imbalances develop and symptoms and health problems follow. So does a worsening of current health problems.

If your child has skin rashes like eczema, gut problems, or food allergies and food sensitivities you’re probably very familiar with and have tried elimination diets.

Food allergies and sensitivities are not the root cause. In fact the two most common root causes I see are a lack of nutrients needed for healthy skin (which is made worse by elimination diets), and gut problems.

This is why we start with nutrition (nutrition is giving the body what it needs to grow, develop, repair, function, and thrive), and restore gut health, and why we don’t address the root cause of symptoms and health problems with restrictive, elimination diets.

Nutrition Over Diet

I want you to know the truth about dieting, and that truth isn’t found in mainstream information. 

We’re led to believe that dieting is the holy grail to better health, and this couldn’t be farther from the truth.

The first, and most important thing to understand is...

Your body runs off nutrients from foods you eat. They are your fuel. If those nutrients are missing, you don’t have the fuel your body needs to do what it’s supposed to do. 

Without those nutrients your body can’t grow, develop, repair, or function, let alone thrive. 

Common reasons I see that nutrients (fuel) are missing are:

1. They are not being included in your diet. Any diet that restricts or eliminates whole, real foods, food groups, or categories of foods puts you at risk.

2. Your gut health is impaired so you’re not able to digest, absorb and use nutrients from the foods you eat. You aren’t what you eat, you are what your body can do with what you eat.

3. Chronic physical, chemical, or mental/emotional stress burns through nutrients and steals them from the other needs of your body.

Number 1, you’ve got to be willing to stop the diet mentality and expand your shrinking diet so your body has the fuel it needs to do what it’s supposed to do...

Grow, develop, repair, function and thrive. And this is nutrition!

WE DON’T WANT DIET!

Diet is restrictive. It eliminates foods and therefore nutrients and nourishment. Overtime insufficient nutrient intake leads to imbalances and symptoms and health problems can develop. 

Even your healthy diet can be guilty of causing this if it removes foods, food groups or categories of foods from your diet.

Without nourishment, you’ve got no chance of meeting your goals or resolving your chronic health problems, and I see a lot of people trying to resolve them by dieting. 

This is why we start with stopping the diet mentality and expanding your shrinking diet so your body has the fuel it needs to do what it’s supposed to do...

Grow, develop, repair, function and thrive.

For questions, or if you’re ready to get started with next steps on your health journey to nourish your body and beat your symptoms and health problems, book your introductory consultation with me!

If you’re a self started who doesn’t need much handholding, my Online Gut Restore Program is for you! It address all 3 of the common reasons I see nutrients missing, which leads to imbalances followed by symptoms and chronic health problems.

When To Try An Elimination Diet

I do want to point out that there is a time and place for elimination diet when used appropriately, and this is best done with professional supervision. 

Using an elimination diet is often what we do to identify food sensitivities.

A carefully crafted, short term elimination diet can be helpful to identify triggering foods. If you’re trying an elimination diet to ID food triggers, that should only be a 21-30 day experiment, while you are addressing your impaired gut health. Once your gut is back in shape, you should be able to eat those foods again. And we do want the diet as broad and inclusive as possible.

I can’t stress this enough, food sensitivities mean you have impaired gut health. You need to restore your gut health, NOT keep those foods out forever. 

Food sensitivities are not a root cause of your symptoms and health problems. They are a symptom of impaired gut health.

Here’s the deal with food sensitivities. 

Impaired gut health leads to inflammation in the gut, which leads to leaky gut. 

The inflammation causes the lining of your gut to become permeable. Food particles and toxins from your gut escape into your bloodstream. They are not supposed to be there. Your body mounts an immune response as it should because the food particles and toxins aren’t supposed to be in your bloodstream, and you develop food sensitivities, digestive symptoms, skin rashes, chronic fatigue, autoimmune disease, joint aches and pains, and a VERY wide range of symptoms and health problems. 

Notice that many of these issues don’t involve gut symptoms at all. 

This is also why it doesn’t matter what you eat or how healthy it is. Those food particles are still getting into your bloodstream, causing reactions. 

Even if you remove your main trigger foods (which are those you eat most often), over time, you’ll become sensitive to more and more foods because you still have impaired gut health, and your diet will become even more limited and nutrient poor, creating more stress, food phobias and worsening of your symptoms and health problems.

If you are on an elimination diet, have tried an elimination diet, are interested in trying one, or if you are interested in further exploring your gut health to address the root cause of why you have food sensitivities in the first place, I'm here to give you the guidance you need, and to make sure your body gets the nourishment it needs.

For questions, or if you’re ready to get started with next steps on your health journey to nourish your body and beat your symptoms and health problems, book your introductory consultation with me!

If you’re a self started who doesn’t need much handholding, my Online Gut Restore Program is for you! It address all 3 of the common reasons I see nutrients missing, which leads to imbalances followed by symptoms and chronic health problems.

Fats, Proteins, Carbs, Vitamins And Minerals, You Need ALL of Them

I want to talk about why you need all macronutrients, and I threw in cholesterol for good measure because it still is controversial. 

I often hear of folks eliminating or reducing one or more of these from their diets. This refers to fats, carbs and proteins

Macronutrients

Fats

• Fats are a source of energy, which your body can also store for later use

• Essential fatty acids are dietary fats that are essential for growth development and cell functions

• Essential means they come from your diet, and your body can’t make them

• Our brains contain large amounts of essential fats

• Fats are important for maintaining healthy skin and other tissues. 

• Fats are needed for absorbing fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E and K so you can use them

Protein

• Protein is needed for building and repairing every structure in your body down to the cellular level

• We don’t store it like we do fats and carbs, so we need to eat it every day to replenish stores and keep tissues from breaking down.

• There are 9 essential amino acids we need to get from foods we eat

Carbs 

• Carbs are a source of energy - our body uses carbs as fuel, and to spare protein

• By the way, there is no such thing as essential carbs. Your body can make glucose from just about anything, whether you eat carbs or not.

Cholesterol (fat) is needed for

• The structure of your cell membranes

• In order for your body to make vitamin D

• It’s essential for the synthesis of hormones including cortisol, estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone

• It forms the myelin sheath that protects your nerve cells and allows them to conduct signals

• It’s needed to make bile acids so you can digest food

• Most of the cholesterol you have is made by your body (~65%). If you eat more your body will make less, of you eat less your body makes more!

I see cholesterol levels too low in so many clients. Yes, too low! If your LDL is less than 80, you’re going to have issues with all of these functions!

Micronutrients

Vitamins and minerals are cofactors for enzymes in your body, and they play a wide range of roles. 

Enzymes are actually proteins (made by those essential amino acids and protein you eat) that make reactions in your body happen. Those reactions do everything from making energy, to building cells, tissues, and organs, to repairing structures, everything your body is able to do! 

In order to work those enzymes require vitamins and minerals which again come from foods you eat!

Most vitamins and minerals are essential which means they come from your diet, your body can make some vitamins but not enough to compensate if they are not on your diet in the first place.

Those 9 essential amino acids which come from protein rich foods like animal products are complete proteins, which means they contain all the amino acids, plant protein sources do not and are not complete proteins.

Certain fatty acids like omega 3s which come from healthy fats like salmon as well as flaxseed for example are also essential. 

Remember, essential means you need to eat them because your body can’t make them.

Important note!!! Your body uses essential nutrients to make others. So if you’re not eating essential nutrients you’re going to be lacking in many others as well.

• https://healthyeating.sfgate.com/three-functions-fat-body-3402.html

• https://ghr.nlm.nih.gov/primer/howgeneswork/protein

• http://www.pathwaymedicine.org/hormone-biochemistry

• http://psych.colorado.edu/~spencer/PSYC4092/Handout6.html

• https://www.merckmanuals.com/home/disorders-of-nutrition/overview-of-nutrition/carbohydrates,-proteins,-and-fats

• https://www.nia.nih.gov/health/vitamins-and-minerals

• https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/listing_of_vitamins

For questions, or if you’re ready to get started with next steps on your health journey to nourish your body and beat your symptoms and health problems, book your introductory consultation with me!

If you’re a self started who doesn’t need much handholding, my Online Gut Restore Program is for you! It address all 3 of the common reasons I see nutrients missing, which leads to imbalances followed by symptoms and chronic health problems.

Eat Whole, Real Foods

Let’s talk about what eating whole real foods means!

Water

• We start with drinking water, at least 6 to 8 glasses per day for adults.

• Kids need the number of 8oz cups equal to their age.

  • This does not apply to infants and breastfed babies, who get all they need from breast milk preferably, or formula.

  • Rule of thumb, you can introduce water when baby starts solid foods, around 6 months old. 

• Liquid from other beverages and foods counts towards fluid intake, however there really isn’t a substitute for plain old water.

Non starchy vegetables

• Load up on non starchy vegetables, they should fill ½ your plate at meals.

  • Think leafy greens, broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, and other cruciferous vegetables. 

• Non starchy vegetables are great sources of fiber, which is good for digestion and detoxification. 

• Go for a rainbow assortment.

  • Different colors contain different phytonutrients (which are natural chemicals in plants that are also antioxidant and anti-inflammatory). 

  • Phytonutrients also can enter the nucleus of your cells and positively impact your DNA (food is information). 

  • Yellow and orange have carotenoids, good for eyes and vision. Purple/blue have anthocyanins, good for brain. Green has isothiocyanates, protective against cancer.

Fermented foods (probiotics)

• Include fermented foods in your diet.

  • They are natural sources of probiotics which are good for your overall health, because they support a healthy gut. 

  • Know that health begins in the gut. It’s where 80% of your immune system is so problems in your gut can negatively impact your entire body.

    • This is why gut problems are one of the foundational cracks we address in your health.

• Examples of probiotic foods include sauerkraut, kimchi, and other fermented vegetables, as well as yogurt and kefir.

Healthy fats

• We can add in nuts and seeds, olive and avocado oils, avocado, olives, grass fed butter and ghee, coconut oil, and foods like whole eggs, and fatty fish like wild caught salmon (essential omega 3s) are examples of foods rich in healthy fats.

Quality protein

• Getting in enough quality protein is necessary for overall health, and healing.

• Include Grass fed, pastured, free range, and wild caught organic animal products.

  • Animal proteins contain all essential and conditionally essential amino acids, they are complete proteins. 

• Plant based protein sources include tofu, tempe, lentils, chickpeas, nuts and seeds, quinoa, chia seeds, and beans. 

  • With plant proteins you need to combine them with other foods (beans and rice are an example) in order to make them a complete protein, so that you get the essential and conditionally essential amino acids your body needs and can’t make.

Starchy vegetables (complex carbohydrates)

• Starchy vegetables are a good source of complex carbohydrates and they also are good fiber sources which helps with digestion and detoxification. 

• Examples include sweet potatoes, yams, squashes, and other root vegetables like carrots. 

• Complex carbs are the ones we want to eat, rather than simple ones like white breads, white rice, white flours, and pastas. 

• Other complex carb examples are quinoa, brown rice, steel gut gluten free oats, buckwheat, and other gluten free grains.

  • Gluten is inflammatory for the gut in everyone, symptoms or not. It also has no nutritional value and there are plenty of naturally gluten free options to choose from.

  • Avoid gluten free products which are just processed foods.

• Fiber by the way is prebiotic which means it feeds your good gut bacteria.

  • Probiotics on the other hand introduce good gut bacteria into your gut. Both are important for your overall health because they support a healthy gut.

Fruit

• Eat low sugar fruits like berries, and granny smith apples (also fiber sources).

• As is the case with vegetables, go for a rainbow assortment!

  • Different colors are due to different healthy natural plant chemicals.

Herbs and spices

• Herbs and spices are anti-inflammatory and antioxidant, so use freely and liberally!

Dark chocolate

• Yes, dark chocolate is on the list!

• 70% cocoa and higher is rich in magnesium and antioxidants. 1 oz is a serving. 

For questions, or if you’re ready to get started with next steps on your health journey to nourish your body and beat your symptoms and health problems, book your introductory consultation with me!

If you’re a self started who doesn’t need much handholding, my Online Gut Restore Program is for you! It address all 3 of the common reasons I see nutrients missing, which leads to imbalances followed by symptoms and chronic health problems.

How To Make Healthier Choices

There are strategies you can implement for making healthier choices!

Shopping tips: https://jennifercarynbrand.com/diet-tools/shopping-basics

Timesaving tips: https://jennifercarynbrand.com/diet-tools/diet-timesavers 

Healthy snack ideas: https://jennifercarynbrand.com/diet-tools/healthy-snacks 

Remember, old habits are hard to break, it takes time to create new ones, and to cement those new ones, that might take some time too. DON’T GIVE UP!

It’s been said that it takes 21 days (3 weeks) to create a new habit. Some research indicates it’s actually longer, up to 60 days. And that varies, because we are all wired differently so for some, the timeframe may be shorter, and others, longer (in some cases and in some folks, it can be closer to a year).

If you miss a day or so here and there, you haven’t blown it! Don’t let that derail you. There is no such thing as perfection, and we aren’t looking for that anyway. We just want to find consistency, where we are practicing healthier habits most of the time. For some that’s 90%, for others it’s 85%, and maybe even 75%, or 65%. It all matters! The goal is to improve from where YOU were yesterday.

• https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-happiness-project/200910/stop-expecting-change-your-habit-in-21-days

• http://repositorio.ispa.pt/bitstream/10400.12/3364/1/IJSP_998-1009.pdf

For questions, or if you’re ready to get started with next steps on your health journey to nourish your body and beat your symptoms and health problems, book your introductory consultation with me!

If you’re a self started who doesn’t need much handholding, my Online Gut Restore Program is for you! It address all 3 of the common reasons I see nutrients missing, which leads to imbalances followed by symptoms and chronic health problems.

Why Diets DON'T Work

Let’s talk about the reasons why I am an anti-diet advocate in more detail, and why diets don’t work.

Most of us have been on a diet at some point.

Most of us feel like we’ve failed at dieting.

It’s been said that 95% of people fail at dieting. 

When we restrict nutrients that our bodies need, we get cravings. Your body’s main energy source, and the fastest energy liberating source is carbohydrates and sugars. When your body needs fuel you will crave these foods.  This is a sign that your body isn’t getting what it needs. And what it needs isn’t simple carbs and sugar!

It’s important to mention this again [I mention this a lot], restricting foods, food groups, and categories of foods from your diet takes away important fuel sources. 

Over time this leads to nutrient insufficiency and deficiency. And this can cause a variety of symptoms and health problems due to imbalances that develop in your body. 

If you’re not in a state of deficiency, you can still have symptoms and health problems with insufficiency of nutrients and this doesn’t show up in your lab tests so you won’t feel well yet your Dr. can’t find anything wrong.

You’re healthy diet that restricts foods, good groups and categories of foods may be why you’re not meeting your health goals, and what’s causing the symptoms and health problems you’re experiencing.

We are led to believe that certain foods, food groups, and categories of food are the enemy and we become fearful of eating them which leads to disordered eating habits and eating disorders. This applies to any diet that removes foods, food groups and categories of foods.

There are a variety of adverse effects from dieting and the list here is just a small sample. 

For example your cravings arise due to low blood sugar levels, and this can create mood swings, issues with concentration and memory, and even anxiety. And of course your body needs nutrients to make energy. 

Dieting actually can make you gain weight and for more than one reason. Because you are nutrient and fuel deprived you will crave foods (calorie dense carbs) and end up overeating. Also when your body isn’t nourished your metabolism slows down and your body will start hoarding rather than burning. Your body also will not be able to maintain muscle mass so your body composition will be more unfavorable (less lean body mass/muscle mass and more fat mass).

Again, your body runs off of nutrients found in foods you eat. Those nutrients are the building blocks for everything down to the cellular level including neurotransmitters and hormones which regulate your mood, stress, and sleep.

Do you find yourself thinking about food all the time? That means your body needs fuel, it needs nourishment!

What to eat has gotten very confusing. There are entire industries (diet and fitness industries are examples) that make millions off of this confusion. If we’re confused, we need their help, and that help can come with a hefty price and broken promises. 

So when you can’t stay on your diet because you start having issues like these, it certainly is not your fault! 

Your body was not meant for this type of abuse! 

So rather than saying 95% of people fail at their diet attempts, the truth is diets fail us 95% of the time because they promote an unattainable and false ideal!

For questions, or if you’re ready to get started with next steps on your health journey to nourish your body and beat your symptoms and health problems, book your introductory consultation with me!

If you’re a self started who doesn’t need much handholding, my Online Gut Restore Program is for you! It address all 3 of the common reasons I see nutrients missing, which leads to imbalances followed by symptoms and chronic health problems.