Beginning and maintaining an elimination diet can be very challenging and overwhelming, at first.  Recipes such as this nutrient-dense, roasted sweet potato turkey hash can be the key to your diet success.

What is an elimination diet and how does it work?

Choosing nutrient-dense, anti-inflammatory foods can nourish our gut and improve health.  

Like many other people, I suffered from a handful of autoimmune symptoms. I found relief from my eczema and asthma through persistence and a willingness to try something new. With a nutritionist’s guidance, I eliminated certain foods. This resulted in better skin, fewer allergies, and improved overall health. It was a challenging journey, but the results were worth it.

Observing the relationship between food consumption and symptoms can help identify harmful immune responses when undergoing an elimination diet. After about three weeks, reintroducing foods can determine which are causing issues. Maintaining gut health and identifying problems like bloating and abdominal pain can be done by eating whole foods with anti-inflammatory properties. Your gut receives the benefits of all the macronutrients, fiber, and phytochemicals it needs.

To support the gut’s healing process, steer clear of coffee, chocolate, and alcohol (this is temporary!) Avoid pro-inflammatory, highly processed foods, refined sugars, and artificial sweeteners (I bet you expected that!) Avoid gluten-containing grains, like wheat; avoid corn, dairy, and peanuts. Bypass beef, pork, shellfish, eggs, and soy. The trick is to enjoy anti-inflammatory, nutrient-dense dishes that help to heal your gut and make you feel great.

So, what can I eat?

To meet this challenge, make sure to plan and strategize. For example, if you’re sitting there with pen and paper, ready to make a grocery list, you’ll want to add the following.

•  Start with protein; select from wild-caught sustainable fish like halibut, salmon, tuna, wild game, and poultry. Plant-based proteins can include peas, lentils, and legumes like hummus.  
• Dairy can be substituted with unsweetened coconut kefir, yogurt, and nut milk.  
• Include nut butter and raw unsalted nuts that haven’t been roasted in oil.  
• Olives and olive oil, avocados and avocado oil, coconut-based fats, and grass-fed organic ghee are allowed.
• Eat berries, pomegranate seeds, kiwis, and apples.  
• Feel free to cook with onions and garlic. Get plenty of green vegetables, beets, radishes, carrots, sweet potatoes, and squash. Red, yellow, and orange peppers are allowed.
• Gluten-free grains can be added to the list, including amaranth, buckwheat, millet, kasha, quinoa, rice, oats, and teff, with the outer bran layer intact.
• Cook with a variety of herbs, spices, and vinegar.
• Drink plenty of filtered water and enjoy decaffeinated teas.  

Remember, you’re clearing the body of all unwanted toxins and anything that could trigger a damaging autoimmune response. This protocol will take about 3 weeks to reintroduce foods into your diet. In the meantime, get plenty of good quality sleep and check with your health care provider about your intake of vitamins and the level of exercise that’s right for you. 

Roasted Sweet Potato Turkey Hash

Ingredients and Recipe Steps

Looking for a healthy and delicious meal that’s gluten-free, dairy-free, and grain-free? Packed with fresh vegetables, this recipe is the perfect choice for the first few weeks of an elimination diet. Plus, it yields about 8 servings, making it ideal for the week’s meal prep. And once you’ve reintroduced eggs, you can add your favorite style to turn it into a hearty breakfast or brunch dish. Enjoy!

• 1 large sweet potato, peeled and diced
• 1 large crown broccoli, cut into florets
• 1/2 head cauliflower, cut into florets
• 1 bunch (6 to 7 each) radishes, quartered
• 1 large Honeycrisp, Fuji, Granny Smith apple, cored and diced
• 1/2 bunch asparagus
• 6 Tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 large onion, diced
• 1 large shallot, thinly sliced
• 1 Tablespoon minced garlic
• 1 pound ground turkey
• 1 Tablespoon Apple Cider Vinegar
• 2 Tablespoons each of freshly chopped sage and parsley
• Salt and pepper to taste

1. Prepare and start the vegetables
   • Place an oven rack in the top center of the oven, then preheat it to 425 F.
   • Wash, dry and cut the produce.
   • Transfer the prepared sweet potato, broccoli and cauliflower to a sheet pan lined with parchment paper.  Drizzle with 2 Tablespoons of olive oil and season with salt and pepper, toss to coat.  Arrange vegetables in an even layer.
   • Roast for about 17 minutes.  Leaving the oven on, remove the pan from the oven and lower the temperature to 400F.
2. Finish the vegetables
   • Combine the radish, apple and asparagus in a medium bowl.  Drizzle with 2 Tablespoons of olive oil and stir to coat.
   • Carefully transfer these to the sheet pan of partially roasted vegetables and stir to combine.
   • Return to the oven and roast for an additional 10 minutes until the vegetables are lightly browned and tender when pierced with a fork.  Remove the roasted vegetables from the oven.
3. Cook the turkey
   • In a medium sized sauté pan, heat 2 Tablespoons of olive oil on medium heat.  Add the onions and shallot and cook about 8 minutes until translucent and lightly browned.  Add the garlic.
   • Add the ground turkey to the pan and cook for about 5 minutes until the turkey is cooked through.  Season with salt and pepper.  
   • Add the apple cider vinegar and herbs.  
4. Combine and serve
   • In a large bowl, mix together all of the roasted vegetables with the seasoned turkey.

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Nutrition Facts derived from Cronometer

A quick word about phase two of this diet:    Reintroduce your favorite foods back into your diet one by one.  Take your time and make note of how you feel.1   For example, this Roasted Sweet Potato Turkey Hash is a great recipe to add to an omelet or poached egg.  If you feel great, keep going!  Add a side of heirloom tomatoes, and so on.  The goal is to identify the particular food that provokes unwanted symptoms.  Once you’ve found it, stop eating it (of course!) and wait until your symptoms clear to before reintroducing additional foods back into your diet.  It’s a lot of work, but you can do this!  

 

References

The Institute for Functional Medicine. Elimination Diet Comprehensive Guide. 2016. Available at:  16IFM07_Elimination Diet Comprehensive Guide_final_v7.indd (mainlinehealth.org). Assessed May 19, 2023.