Rotation Diets
Note:
The variation of a rotation diet found on this page happens to also be gluten-free and casein-free. However, a person does not have to eliminate gluten and casein to be on a rotation diet.
Some of the resources listed on this page (see the box to the right) provide examples of rotation diets that include gluten and casein.
Explanation: On a rotation diet, "foods are eaten only once every four (or more) days [so that all] food allergies remain unmasked, [while also] preventing new ones from developing . . . The diversified rotation diet doesn't just require many different foods. It requires many different families of foods." In other words, foods that are closely related are eaten on the same day in order to prevent "cross reactions." (Chiu, p. 35)
The particular rotation diet that you see below was personalized specifically for my son, Joe, several years ago. He was on it for about 2 years. He had several dietary restrictions at that time, including the GFCF diet and Stage II of the Feingold Diet (go to www.feingold.org ). In addition, there were certain other foods that we suspected he had a problem with, such as pineapple, corn, and bananas—which is why it says, "eat limited amounts of these." If I were to put Joe back on a rotation diet today, I would make some changes because he can tolerate different things now. I would also cut back on his consumption of all sugars (even natural sugars and fruits). Unfortunately, I didn't discover stevia until much later.
Other people would need to make other changes. For instance, adding peanuts and other legumes to the diet could be deadly for some people who are allergic to them. The other thing that needs to be considered is: "What does the person on the diet like to eat?" As you can see, Joe was quite willing to try exotic, new foods, but I made sure to include old favorites, such as (gluten-free) chicken nuggets and tacos.
Note: If you’re doing soy-free, maybe you could move coconuts to day 1 from day 4 and use coconut milk and coconut oil in place of soy.
Another alternative protein source that I’ve recently discovered is hemp protein powder (Nutiva brand). It’s drug-free, is high in fiber, and contains all 8 essential amino acids.
Day 1 - Blue
A. Beverages: soy milk; papaya/mango/kiwi juices
B. Meats/Main Dishes: pork chops - baked, braised, grilled; stir-fry pork with snow peas, etc.; pork roast
C. Breakfast: fruit salad; pumpkin seed griddle cakes w/ honey; squash
D. Vegetables: legumes: peas, beans, etc.; gourds: squash, zucchini
E. Fruits: papaya; melons: cantaloupe, watermelon, honey dew; kiwi
F. Nuts/Seeds/Starches: peanuts; soy; sesame seeds; arrowroot
G. Oils: sesame oil; soy oil; peanut oil
H. Sweeteners: honey
I. Snacks: peanuts; soy nuts; kiwi: fresh or dried; watermelon; dried mango;
J. Seasonings: sesame seeds; myrtle family: allspice, cloves; soy sauce
K. Eat limited amounts of these: pineapple
Day 2 - Yellow/Green
A. Beverages: lemonade (homemade - with beet sugar); grapefruit juice; cashew “milk”
B. Meats/Main Dishes: baked fish (salt water) or sea food - with lemon juice, onions, salt and pepper; freshwater fish - baked or pan fried;
C. Breakfast: fruits, nuts of the day, “fruit tapioca”, quinoa
D. Vegetables: spinach; beets; asparagus (with or without “cooked onion dressing”); mustard family: broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, etc.; lily family: onion, garlic, leek, chive, shallots
E. Fruits: all citrus (grapefruit, lemon, kumquat, etc.); rose family: raspberries, strawberries, etc.
F. Nuts/Seeds/Starches: nuts: cashews, pistachio, hazelnut, pine nuts; tapioca; quinoa
G. Oils: safflower; canola (Note: We don’t do canola oil any more.)
H. Sweeteners: beet sugar; berries
I. Snacks: fresh berries; nuts; fruit tapioca; sorbet
J. Seasonings: salt and pepper
K. Eat limited amounts of these: oranges
Day 3 -
A. Beverages: almond milk; rice milk; cherry, peach, apricot or prune juice; grape juice
B. Meats/Main Dishes: chicken or other poultry (baked, boiled, grilled); chicken soup; chicken rolled in chopped almonds and baked or fried; chicken with rice; fried chicken nuggets (rice flour, egg, rice bread crumbs); chicken pot pie (made with rice flour crust)
C. Breakfast: eggs - omelet, scrambled, boiled, or fried; cooked rice and fruit; Nutty Rice cereal; homemade baked goods
D. Vegetables: parsley family: carrots, celery, parsnips;
E. Fruits: plum family: nectarine, prune, plum, apricot, peach, cherry; grapes
F. Nuts/Seeds/Starches: sunflower seeds; almonds; rice
G. Oils: sunflower oil; almond oil
H. Sweeteners: rice syrup; Devan Sweet; maple syrup; maple sugar; grape juice
I. Snacks: fresh or dried fruit, raisins; almonds; homemade baked goods (made with rice flour): cookies, muffins, cake, etc.; cherry pie or peach cobbler
J. Seasonings: parsley family: anise, coriander, dill, parsley, fennel, cumin; almond extract; ginger
Day 4 - Red
A. Beverages: apple juice; pear juice; walnut milk
B. Meats/Main Dishes: hamburger and french fries with ketchup; taco with tomato and lettuce; beef roast or steak, baked potato or beef stew; corn pasta and sauce (not too often); potato pancake “pizza”
C. Breakfast: hash browns or potato pancakes with apple sauce
D. Vegetables: potato family: potatoes, tomatoes, peppers; composite family: lettuce; artichoke
E. Fruits: apple; pear; dates
F. Nuts/Seeds/Starches: brazil nut; potato; walnut family
G. Oils: olive oil; walnut oil
H. Sweeteners: sugar cane, molasses; apple juice or apple butter; dates, date sugar
I. Snacks: coconut-date confection; apples: fresh, dried, applesauce; pears; potato chips
J. Seasonings: mint family: basil, mint, sage, thyme; potato family: red/green pepper, chili, paprika; apple cider vinegar; composite family: chamomile, tarragon, safflower
K. Eat limited amounts of these: corn: popcorn, corn chips, cornbread; bananas