When we first setup phases ½ and 1 of my LEAP diet (see this post), I was told to email Kara (dietitian) near the end of my ½ phase so she would know my progress. Unfortunately, with everything that has been going on with my health, the email was really long and not very happy. Because of everything going on, and my mental health struggles during this time, Kara decided that instead of doing the even stricter phase 1, we would liberalize my diet. Now, I can have all of my green foods and chemicals. I have to stick to tested ingredients only (with one exception), and I did go through the list and make sure I removed foods that were naturally high in the yellow and red chemicals.

The one exception to “tested ingredients only” is that Kara has allowed me to have Trader Joe’s Rice Milk. The ingredients list is exceptionally short and boring; it’s mostly just rice, salt, water, and some added vitamins. I already knew I loved their rice milk, and I was struggling without having a milk. (My homemade rice milk was disgusting.)

Some general rules for my “liberalized” diet:

• I cannot have any frozen or dried fruits or vegetables. Really, I can’t have processed fruits or vegetables because they usually contain sodium metabisulfite, which is my only red chemical.
• To avoid sulfites in general, I need to avoid: sulfur dioxide, potassium bisulfite and metabisulfite, sodium bisulfite and sulfite and metabisulfite.
• To avoid polysorbate 80, I need to avoid: sorbitan monooleate, polysorbate 60, sorbitol, and sorbitan derivatives
• FD&C Red #3 is another additive I need to avoid, and it also goes by the name erythrosine.
• All of my dairy products have to be grass-fed. Cheddar cheese must be aged less than 6 months to avoid high tyramine.
• If I decide to have oranges, they must be pulp free. That pretty much means I need 100% pulp free orange juice only, or I can use orange essential oil!
• I will still be limiting soy products, as there is research that shows soy may not actually be good for you after all. (It can mess with hormones, and my hormones don’t need any more messing with!)
• I should try to limit parsley and dill because parsley is high in nitrate and dill is “medium” in nitrate.
• I can have sea salt, cane sugar, and baking soda.

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What Can I Eat?

Proteins

• Chicken
• Codfish
• Crab (not a big fan)
• Pork (not a big fan)
• Beef
• Eggs
• Pinto Beans
• Sole (unsure if I’ve ever had it)
• Catfish (unsure if I’ve ever had it)
• Tilapia (unsure if I’ve ever had it)
• Clam (only like in N.E. clam chowder)
• Garbanzo Beans
• Turkey
• Tuna
• Scallop (never had)
• Salmon
• Lamb (yuck!)

Starches

• Sweet Potato
• Kamut (unsure if ever had)
• Quinoa
• Rice
• White Potato
• Amaranth (grain) (unsure if ever had)
• Buckwheat
• Oat
• Tapioca
• Spelt

Vegetables

• Broccoli
• String Beans (yuck!)
• Cucumber
• Peas (only eat in things, never alone)
• Zucchini (not a huge fan but it’s in my chicken broth)
• Onion
• Yellow Squash (yuck)
• Mushrooms
• Green Pepper
• Cauliflower

Fruits

• Pineapple
• Honeydew Melon
• Watermelon
• Peach
• Plum
• Cherry
• Blueberry
• Cranberry
• Orange (no pulp)
• Strawberries
• Apple
• Apricot
• Pear
• Mango (no idea how to prepare)
• Papaya (no idea how to prepare)

Dairy/Miscellaneous

• Cocoa
• Cheddar Cheese (aged less than 6 months)
• Goat’s Milk (not a big fan)
• Yogurt
• Cottage Cheese (yuck! hate the texture)
• American Cheese
• Whey

Nuts/Seeds/Oils

• Sesame
• Olive
• Sunflower Seed
• Soybean

Flavor Enhancers

• Vanilla
• Cinnamon
• Oregano
• Lemon
• Cane Sugar
• Cayenne Pepper (don’t ever cook with this)
• Carob
• Basil
• Honey (need to limit due to pollen issues)
• Mustard Seed (not a huge fan)
• Leek
• Black Pepper
• Cumin
• Garlic
• Mint
• Maple
• Coconut (need to not go too overboard because it’s very close to yellow)

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Since my diet has been opened up a bit more, I won’t be doing the weekly roundups anymore. Instead, I’ll just post recipes (including those you have requested) that have worked out well for me. These won’t be on a regular schedule, because it depends on when things work out and when I can get pictures of them so I can write the posts.

Feel free to take a look back through my other LEAP diet posts and request any recipes you would like to see! I have a request for the tortillas (which I will probably get posted this week) and one for the sweet potato risotto (which will probably be posted sometime near the end of this week or early next week). Here are all my past LEAP diet posts:

• LEAP Results & My Program (no meal schedules in this one)
• LEAP Phase ½, Week 1
• LEAP Phase ½, Week 2
• LEAP Phase ½, Weeks 3 & 4

If you have any good recipes using these things, please let me know below!