Three Tips for an Easy Transition into a Food Challenge

This past week I had a coaching call with a client who needed to start an elimination diet to help determine what her new born may be allergic to. She had already found dairy, corn, and peanuts but there was still in her daily food intake that was affecting the baby in an adverse way.

Tip # 1 : Take Inventory of What You Currently Have in Your Kitchen and Note What Needs to Be Eliminated

I happen to like lists when it comes to completing actions that need to be taken. I’m also a highly visual person and enjoy being able to see what needs to be crossed off and feel the satisfaction from doing so. Making a list also is a quick and easy reference that can be your reminder for weekly shopping or what needs to go from your fridge. For example, if you decide to do the Whole30 diet and are looking at foods that contain added sugar in them, go through your food supply and write down everything that has added sugars in it. Once you identify those foods and consume them, you can mark it off your list and also note NOT to buy that food item again.

Tip # 2: Slowly Integrate More of the Foods from the New Meal Plan While you Are Prepping for the Challenge

Anytime I know I’ll be starting a nutrition challenge, I start to prep a week or two ahead of time to ease myself into the process. When I did the zone plus blocking challenge two years ago, I started by adding double the veggies I normally ate during the day and slowly took away other foods that I was snacking on in between meals. By taking away fruit and nuts a little at a time, I was better mentally prepared to consume almost four times the amount of vegetables that I normally ate. Emotionally I wasn’t shocked by cutting out all of the other snacks all at once. For people starting elimination diets, I always recommend eliminating ONE food item at a time. This will make for a more successful transition in the long run.

Tip # 3: Come Up with Replacement Snacks and Meal Ideas

A little bit of planning will go a long way once you’ve started your nutrition challenge. If you are accustomed to eating three snacks a day, find alternative snacks that will still fit into your normal routine. My client, for example, was eating a protein bar for a morning snack and we came up with the plan to make homemade trail mix with nuts and dried fruit (no added sugar of course!) instead. If pasta is a main character in your weekday meals, replace the noodles with veggie noodles. They are equally as delicious and offer better nutritional value. If you just love mashed potatoes, why not give mashed cauliflower a try? It is much easier to come up with creative replacement items beforehand.

With a little bit of preparation and creativity, starting the next nutrition challenge should be a breeze! Changing behaviors can be difficult, but as long as you have the tools to navigate through these challenges, it can be less stressful and heck even enjoyable!