For any type of restricted diet it's generally best to stick to whole foods in order to avoid hidden things you shouldn't eat. I don't see your list as challenging as you think if you stick with whole foods. Choose a meat, vegetable, fruit, grain, dairy - not on the list and you'll have a complete meal. You may want to avoid mixed foods for awhile until you get accustomed to things.

If you think about it, the list of foods you CAN have is a whole lot longer than the list of what you can't, so try to make a CAN HAVE list. Pretty soon you'll start to see foods you can combine and mix together for casseroles, soups, baked goods, etc.

When I think of acid foods, I think of those that are commonly used with baking soda to activate it and some of those are on your list, but others I consider high-acid foods aren't on the list. Honey is one you may also want to avoid with a pH of 3.5 to 5.5, higher than yogurt and sour cream, coming in at 4.3-4.4. The lower the number, the more acidic the food.

Other high-acid foods:
cranberries - 2.7
rhubarb - 2.9-3.2
apples - 2.9-3.3
raspberries - 2.9-3.6
blueberries - 3.2-3.7
carrots, pumpkin - 5.0

-Grainlady

It's not just acid, it's oxalates, arylalkylamine, potassium.
Yeah, I'm lucky in that I love whole foods. But I jazz them up with spices, hard cheeses and acids, lol!
Plus, I usually eat mixed foods--soups, stews, hashes, stir fries, salads, pastas. Being mostly vegetarian I'm not used to the "meat, starch, veggie" menu on my plate.

Lpink,

Looks like we're both working on different dietary stuff.

How about a white pizza? You can buy the dough from your local pizza parlor or WF also excellent pizza doughs - even a whole grain. Roll or stretch out the dough (shape doesn't matter), put it on a baking tray, drizzle with good olive oil, sprinkle with minced garlic to taste, add a bit of fresh basil, top with slices of fresh mozz cheese (no parm!). You can also add roast chicken.

I'll think of some other stuff...

/tricia

I agree with Grainlady, there are lots more things you can have than those you can't. First I'd start by not trying to make hummus without lemon or tahini, you'll just be disappointed. Switch to a white bean dip instead, with seasonings that you can have. As for guacamole, it's good, but I like just plain avocado too.

You can have oatmeal and barley and quinoa and wheat, cornmeal and rice. You can have peanuts and peanut butter and fish, cabbage and brussels sprouts, cauliflower and broccoli, lots and lots of vegetables.

There's always salmon patties and the infamous tuna noodle casserole or tuna melts, and canned fish is relatively inexpensive. Eggs are a good, inexpensive and fast source of protein too, there are always quiche and frittata and omelettes with lots of vegetables. Eggs and potatoes are one of my favorite meals.

I like baked potatoes with "stuff" on them too, like chicken ala king, or broccoli and cheese or that canned salmon in a creamy/cheesy sauce, and if you want to cut the potassium, don't eat the skin, that will help. They aren't on your "avoid" list, but you might want to limit them if potassium is an issue.

A simple roast chicken would give you and BF two or three meals, you could have the roast chicken with stuffing and vegetables, make sandwiches from leftovers or have chicken pot pie or chicken divan/etc, and still have the carcass for soup or chicken and dumplings.

Onions, mustard and yogurt wuold be the three hardest things on that list for me to avoid, I seem to put onions in everything.

I know you can do this, and hopefully you'll feel a ton better really quickly.

Annie

Think about herbs for seasonings rather than onion, garlic and pepper.
Celery adds a lot!

Roasted root veggies tossed with olive oil and rosemary.
Winter squash with brown sugar/butter.

Somewhere, I've posted my Unfried rice recipe.
Basically, cooked rice, scrambled eggs, peas, canadian bacon (or chicken) all mixed with soy sauce, garlic and ginger (yeah, I know....no soy or ginger. Try it with a sweet & sour sauce).

Split pea soup?
Barley, mushroom soup?
Savory bread puddings?

I might think of more........

Deanna

Lpink, you have wonderful, smart, creative friends in your corner. Marvelous suggestions. Yum.

I definitely feel your pain! I would really hate to have to give up mustard, mayo, vinegar, cilantro, ginger, hard cheeses and onions. Like Annie, I put onions in everything that isn't dessert. Thank goodness you can have meats, poultry, veggies and pasta. It looks like you are going to have to use loads of garlic to give some of it any taste. Can you use sage, thyme, or chili powder maybe?

You can do all types of roasted vegetables with garlic and hopefully there are a few herbs you can have. At least you can have salt. That would be the worst thing for me to do without.

I shouldn't be such a whiner when I think of all you have to do Tricia! You're definately in my thoughts and prayers, I know this has been a rough time, I wish you didn't have to go thru this!

I can't have chili powder, even mild, right now. Later, as I add things, probably if it doesn't cause a problem. I can eat red bell peppers, (you know, the most expensive ones!), so I may try my hand at roasting some, since the canned ones I usually buy have preservatives which are off limits now.

Tonight for dinner I had some soup that was a POOF that was a riff on risi e bisi and Italian wedding--ham, peas, spinach, carrots and celery and caramelized onions (yes, I know but I made it before all this started) with Israeli style cous cous pilaf thrown in for the starch. Mostly OK ingredients. I was still hungry so I had an almond butter and honey sandwich on whitebread toast. I have to get rid of this great sourdough sprouted wheat bread BF brought me, because no sourdough either!

I'm finding out all kinds of interesting things. Like a mail order source for tamari without gluten, it's made from rice and adzuki beans. I think I am going to order some of that since I actually might eat it on its own merits. I also discovered that I can use "amchoor" to add tartness, which is a bitter mango powder and I actually had some leftover from when I was on an Indian food kick.
BF is kidding me incessantly, "Now you have to eat like me." It's actually the Standard American Diet--meat, mild dairy, starches, plain vegetables, fat, and sugar! The only thing missing is caffinated beverages and soda pop!

Yes Beverly, it could be worse because I too think salt would be very hard for me to do without. I have decreased my salt over the years, but I find it difficult to go real low with it. Of course maybe that's coming down the road, lol!

Oh lord, someone would just have to shoot me if the doc told me to adhere to this diet! LOL!

I don't drink soda or eat very fatty foods but I couldn't live without cheese.

I wish you the best on this journey Lpink! I'm sure that if you adhere to this diet that you will do well. I'm interested in how this works for you. Keep us posted!

Oh yeah, nothing better than true roasted red bell pepers. I just put them right on the gas grate and let them burn...so good!

I was making pasta last night for Ashley's wedding and freezing it and thought you could have that too. Homemade pasta wrapped around ricotta and spinach with mozzarella. Parsley, italian seasoning, salt and pepper, I'll sauce them with a red sauce but a white sauce wuld be just as good.

Oh, and butternut squash ravioli with sage and browned butter, yum.

I'm the opposite of RR, I drink too much Diet Coke and like my coffee but could live the rest of my life without cheese and not miss it a bit!

Cabbage rolls cooked in broth instead of tomato sauce, runza, Michigan UP pasties, BLUEBERRY CRISP!

Sorry about the sourdough, though. Elery loves the stuff, me not so much. It's OK, but for me not really worth the time it takes me to make it. So put your sprouted bread in the freezer, well wrapped. As you add things back in, maybe you can have it. If not, you're no further behind than tossing it.

Annie

I DO feel your pain. I've been forced to eradicate certain foods from my diet - and they're all on your list. My list isn't as extensive as yours, but it IS similar. I can have certain brands of yogurt, but Activia is no longer one of them. Grrr, because I liked Activia.

Donna

Poultry and fish have lots of flavour, don't need anything on the avoid list to be tasty.

Most cream-based, non-tomato pasta sauces seem okay, I don't see dairy on the avoid list.

Bet you could substitute soft cheeses for hard in many recipes - everything is better with Brie anyway.

Most Asian dishes could be adapted, if you can have just a bit of soy sauce - e.g. a fried rice stirfry seems unaffected. If no soy sauce, then you can use salted sesame oil, not equivalent but interesting.

If leeks and shallots are okay, you can manage just fine without onions. Ginger and garlic are key.

No coffee or tea is real tough - maybe a carton of Marlboro's then?

Oh, sorry for sending you a superfluous email - I hadn't see this thread at the time.

It really is the condiments that are getting to me! I alreday eat a diet low in fat and salt, so I rely on acid flavors like lemon, vinegar, tomato and fruits to make it palatable. No ginger, no sesame, and the only thing "oniony" that I can have is chives. There's not one condiment I can think of to put on stir fry that I can have! Garlic and salt, cashews and almonds, that's it. All those great "umami" tastes in Asian and Mediterranean food are out for now. Except for mushrooms I guess.
No brie! Any cheese that has the slightest bit of "aged" taste is out! Only feta, american (whatever THAT is?!), cottage cheese, ricotta, cream cheese and mozzarella. Muenster wasn't listed at all, either yay or nay but I think that will be OK.
I'm turning to N. European foods for some inspiration. It's really the food of my "people" (Poland, Russia, Scotland, England, Netherlands), but I don't love it like I love Mediterranean and Asian. No rye though!
Just call me Ms. Bland.

Lpink, I cook much like you, lots of vegetarian dominant rice, grain and pasta dishes with small bits of meat more as flavoring. I went through my garden, pantry and fridge to see what foods, spices, herbs, etc. I use as flavorings that might be ok. Maybe it will spark some ideas. Ann

mushrooms, especially dried porcini
roasted red peppers
pine nuts
anchovies
fennel
garlic
pancetta, proscuitto or other bit of favorite pork product
celery, celery seed
dates or figs
olives
truffle oil
chives
saffron
parsley
sage
rosemary
thyme
oregano
lavender
tarragon
chervil
herbs de Provence (some combination of the above herbs)
mint
bay leaves
marjoram
juniper berries
paprika
dill
peppercorns
lemongrass
kafir lime leaves
star anise
cardamom
passionfruit
coconut milk
cashew or almond butter
amchoor
galangal (might be too much like ginger)
wasabi
fish sauce
dried mango
rosewater
vanilla
almond extract
poppy seed
if no to mustard, is it because of the vinegar? can you use mustard seed?

And instead of tea or coffee, perhaps chamomile flower or mint leaves.

Being as you don't eat red meat or pork, how about hamburgers? They're ham, right? And you eat ham because, I suppose, it's not pork?

Just kidding of course. You're a dichotomy and I love that about you. In all seriousness, I hope you figure out what's ailing you and get back to eating normal soon. Good luck!

BF bought the ham and I want to use it up before it spoils. I rarely eat ham but I don't like to waste food either. That's the dichotomy. I've only used it as a flavor supplement for bean soup, etc. Occasionally we will eat pork as a treat, but only a couple times a year. I made beef burgers for my students a couple months ago for a picnic too, so I do cook it occasionally. And during homegrown tomato season I will eat bacon on a BLT. I suppose I do have some other anomalies, but in GENERAL, I don't eat meat, in GENERAL if I do eat meat it is poultry or fish. Oddly, it's on the rare occasions that I DO end up being faced with meat to use up, that I end up posting here, because it is quite foreign territory for me.
I first came to CF about six years ago when faced with my first Christmas dinner in my new house for my family and it was my first time ever at 44 making a turkey!

A couple of chicken ideas:
Season rice with Mrs Dash (I would suggest Montreal Steak seasoning, but it is probaly off limits).
Heat a flour tortilla in the microwave until it is pliable and then place the rice on it (about 1/3 cup or so). Top with chopped chicken and add chopped, cooked spinach. Roll up like a burrito. (When I make these, I use chopped steak, and cheddar, or many other ways that unfortunately won't work for you.)
Another option. Pound a chicken breast thin, spread with a thin layer of ricotta (maybe mix in an egg and some parsley in the ricotta before putting it on the chicken). On top of the ricotta, add a layer of spinach sauteed with minced garlic. Roll up, secure with string and back for about 30 min at 350. Baste once or twice with chicken broth. I slice these before serving because they form beautiful spirals. (I usually make this for parties, but I use boursin instead of ricotta.)
Oh, and with the burritos,you can make a whole bunch and flash freeze them and then just keep them in bags in the freezer. They can be microwaved for just a few minutes for a quick meal.