Navigating Our Teenage Son’s Elimination Diet

How in the world do you navigate an elimination diet for a 14 yr old that’s gluten-free, dairy-free, soy-free, peanut-free and rice-free? Oh, and garlic free? (yeah, that’s easy, but come on, I love garlic!) Plus, the things he won’t eat: eggs, most veggies except for tomatoes, carrots, and maybe green beans when forced. Also, no broccoli or lettuce. He was thrilled when he had a reason not to eat the nasty green stuff mom tries to make him eat. 🤷

Throw anything gluten-free at me, and no problem. I’ve been at that for 5 years. But add in all the other “free,” and I was lost. Mostly, I was concerned about lunches for school. 

But first – you may be wondering why he had to go on an elimination diet. Here’s the short story:

Our son developed constant severe nausea and extreme fatigue in mid-October of last year. The symptoms got worse over time, to the point where he had to stop playing sports. Our attempts to get answers from our pediatrician fell flat. So, we turned to functional medicine to get to the root cause of his symptoms. They did extensive blood work and other testing. All of which revealed multiple issues, including numerous low reaction food sensitivities. So, a 28 day elimination diet was prescribed.

After the initial “what the what” reaction and cobbling together meals for a few days, I sat down and came up with a plan.

3 breakfasts rotated through the week: protein smoothie with spinach, protein overnight oats (certified GF), and sausage from our local farm with fruit.

Lunches: leftovers from dinner

Dinners: lots of chicken-based meals with some red meat and pork thrown in. Balsamic pork tenderloin w/ green beans, spaghetti with chickpea pasta and my own concoction for sauce, steak & potatoes, chicken fajitas with Siete foods shells, Instant Pot shredded beef stew with chickpea orzo, and chicken and green bean stir fry w/ almond butter sauce.

Here’s some of the lessons I’ve learned so far:

• Adaptability is key.
• Chickpea pasta is pretty good.
• I can make a decent pasta sauce (because the store bought ones almost all have soybean oil) from a can of tomato sauce, Italian seasoning, and onion powder.
• Teenagers will eat spinach if you blend it in their smoothie.
• Coconut aminos are a great substitute for soy sauce.
• Almond butter powder works just as well as peanut butter powder.

All this to say, if you are facing a similar situation with your teenager or kiddo, you can do it. Let the initial “what the what” moment happen, take a deep breath, and come up with a plan. Almost any ingredient has an allergy-friendly substitute, and if not, you can probably leave it out just fine.

I’ll share some of my go-to recipes here soon. But for now, here’s one I pieced together from a few different recipes and made the appropriate swaps. I used coconut aminos and left out the garlic for this one. 

Instant Pot Teriyaki Pork Tenderloin with Roasted Green Beans

First, I love roasting vegetables. Roasting brings out the natural sweetness of the veggies, and they are easy to prep and clean up. 

Second, the Instant Pot is awesome when you need a quick dinner. If you start the pork when you put the green beans in the oven, they should be done just about the same time. Win, win!

Ingredients:

• 2 lbs pork tenderloin
• 1/2 cup coconut aminos or low-sodium soy sauce
• 1/4 cup pineapple juice or 1/4 cup fresh pineapple
• 1 tablespoon Truvia brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
• 2 teaspoon minced ginger
• 2 cloves garlic
• 3 tsp olive oil
• 6 cups fresh green beans
• 1/2 tsp salt

Instructions:

1. Make marinade: combine aminos, pineapple or juice, Truvia brown sugar, ginger, garlic, and vinegar together. If using pineapple, I suggest using a mini food processor.
2. Place the pork tenderloin in a plastic bag or container and cover with marinade for at least an hour or overnight in the fridge.
3. Preheat the oven to 425F.
4. Line baking tray with foil. Place green beans on tray and toss with salt and olive oil. Roast for ~25 minutes.
5. While beans are roasting, place tenderloin in Instant Pot with 1/2 cup water. Pressure cook on high pressure for 5 minutes.  After the cook time is up, let the pressure naturally release for 5 minutes. Quick release any remaining pressure.
6. Open the pressure cooker and check the pork’s temperature with a probe thermometer — the ideal temperature is at least 145ºF. If needed, lock the lid back in place and continue to cook in the residual heat for 2 minutes more.
7. Meanwhile, bring the marinade to a boil and then turn to low simmer to create the sauce.
8. Let pork rest for 2 minutes. Slice and serve 7 oz of pork with 1 1/2 cups of green beans.

This recipe is just one example of how delicious and satisfying allergen-friendly meals can be. Whether you’re navigating dietary restrictions or simply looking to broaden your culinary horizons, I hope this recipe inspires you.

Happy cooking!