As many as 15 million Americans have food allergies, according to the Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Network. The most common food allergens include milk, wheat, soy, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts and seafood. Blood tests, skin tests and food challenges are used to test for food allergies. An elimination diet is sometimes first recommended to clear your body of potential allergens before trying a food challenge. An elimination diet significantly limits your food choices, and creating meals can be a challenge. But with some imagination, you can create elimination diet smoothies.
Elimination Diet Basics
The elimination diet aims to assess whether food allergies are the cause of your symptoms. The diet lasts two to three weeks and excludes all foods that may be allergenic. The diet includes a variety of foods from all of the food groups, but still is limited. Food choices include rice, quinoa, millet, all fruits except for citrus fruits, all vegetables except for corn, fresh fish, organic poultry, coconut, pine nuts, flax seeds, legumes, brown rice syrup, agave, salt, fresh or dried herbs, rice milk and water. Read food label ingredients to help you limit your intake of allergy-causing foods.
Fruit Smoothie
You can make a number of different fruit smoothie combinations on an allergy elimination diet as long as you avoid using citrus fruits. A good smoothie choice includes bananas and blueberries blended with apple juice and ice. You can also add some flax seed powder or whole flax seed to your smoothie for a little nuttiness and omega-3 fatty acids. You can also make a tropical smoothie with pineapple and mango, blending them with apple juice and ice.
Vegetable Smoothie
Vegetable smoothies are a good way for you to meet your daily vegetable needs. A good combination includes carrots, celery and beets, which are rich in antioxidants and potassium. You can also add a little apple for some natural sweetness. Use water or carrot juice to help thin the blend. Cucumbers also are a good choice for a vegetable smoothie. If you can tolerate tomatoes, combine fresh cucumbers with some fresh tomatoes and tomato juice.
Rice Milk Smoothie
Milk is a common food allergen and should be eliminated from your diet. As a substitute, use rice milk, which you can use to make smoothies. Try blending rice milk with peaches or apricots and ice to make a sweet, milkshake-like smoothie. You can also use the rice milk in place of the orange juice in your banana and blueberry smoothie. If you like your smoothies sweet, use one of the approved sweeteners to the blend, such as brown rice syrup or agave.
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