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I'm coming up on the home stretch of the elimination diet, and have learned some pretty critical information about how my body handles different foods. The quick breakdown, without getting into the not-so-glamorous details of my various responses, is as follows:

I have shown no adverse reaction to corn (the one I was most nervous about), citrus, or any other fruits and veggies. Hurray!

I have mild reactions to aged dairy, unfermented soy, wine, and liquor. I seem to be fine if I have these items in moderation, which is good news -- I'd be pretty bummed if I could never again sit down with wine and cheese.

The bummer list is pretty short so far, thankfully. Regular dairy and I do not get along. This is one of those things I've sort of known for the past few years, but tried to ignore. After this experiment, though, I think I'll be staying away for the most part. Very small amounts seem to be ok, but anything else is not so pleasant. Good thing I really like rice and almond milks. I also can't really tolerate fermented soy (aka tofu), but I'm quite all right with that. It did add a little protein boost to my smoothie, but other than, I was never really a fan.

Then, of course, there are still the items to be tested. Soon I'll know how my body gets along with (or not) yeast, peanuts, eggs, seeds, and tree nuts. Fingers crossed.

Oops!

Remember how I said I was going to start meditating every day for 21 days, with yesterday as my first day? I just plum forgot to do it. Oops! I think that's a pretty big indication that I should make it part of my routine, so I'll try to remember to do it before bed tonight.

In better news, I tried the tofu smoothie this morning, and, I have to say -- not bad! I started with a few cubes of soft silken tofu, a banana, and rice milk, and blended until it was super smooth (tofu chunks in a smoothie really don't appeal to me). Added some frozen mango, blueberries, and strawberries and blended some more. Delicious! I usually add peanut butter to my smoothies for a protein pop, but since that's currently verboten on the elimination diet, I've been substituting rice protein powder, which adds a slightly grainy texture to the smoothie. Tofu might actually be a great solution; if I hadn't known it was in there, I never would have suspected.

And, bonus: so far, no reaction to soy. I'm having a stir-fry tonight with edamame and tofu, and have to add more soy tomorrow before I can be sure, but I'll be happy if I can keep soy in my diet, especially as I'm trying to reduce my animal product consumption. (I find I feel better with fewer animal products in my diet. This from the girl who thinks "...wrapped in bacon" is the most beautiful phrase in the English language.) Some studies have shown, though, that soy negatively affects the thyroid. Because I have Hashimoto's Hypothyroiditis (an autoimmune disease linked to an underactive thyroid), I have to be mindful of my soy intake. But every once in a while it's a nice change.