When my doctor told me I should go on an elimination diet to fix the nasty reflux issues I’d been experiencing for months, I nodded in agreement.  I mean, it sounded great.  Ridding my body of nasty toxins and all of the things that were causing inflammation and excess bile?  Count me in!

As we got into the details and she listed out all of the things I wouldn’t be able to eat for a couple of months, my head stopped nodding and started spinning as I quickly tried to come up with a short list of what I’d be able to eat.  Which, in a moment of sheer panic, I had deduced was pretty much only rice, beans, and lettuce.

Once I actually dug into the details (which you can find here in my guide to getting started on the elimination diet), I realized there were plenty of options for well-rounded, healthy and filling meals on the elimination diet.  And so I began to put together a list of elimination diet recipes and meal ideas.

This list became my go-to each week, and it was incredibly helpful as we put together our grocery lists.  The below breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snack ideas should be enough to get you through the first several weeks of the elimination diet, and will hopefully inspire you to come up with your own meals.  You’ll still be able to use these recipes once you start adding challenge foods back in after the first three weeks.  Hopefully the below list — which I will be adding to and expanding over time — will give you the confidence you need to start the elimination diet.

Note: You’ll find a number of links below for the elimination diet recipes I’ve already published, and there will be plenty more to come in the future!  Keep an eye out.

Elimination Diet-Friendly Breakfast Ideas

• Berry banana smoothie with almond milk
• Apple banana smoothie with almond butter
• Gluten-free rolled oats with fruit (sliced bananas, blueberries, apples) and shredded coconut

Lunch Ideas for the Elimination Diet

• Spinach, sliced apples, walnuts, & dried cranberries w/ an apple vinaigrette
• Baby lettuces, baked chicken breast, strawberries, cucumber, pomegranate seeds, dried cranberries, & pecans w/ cherry balsamic vinegar, EVOO
• Arugula, peach/nectarine, & almonds w/ peach balsamic vinegar, EVOO
• Spinach, carrots, cucumber, walnuts, & dried cranberries w/ balsamic vinegar, EVOO
• Baby kale, roasted butternut squash, walnuts, & dried cranberries w/ balsamic vinegar, EVOO
• Tuna salad with white beans, served on romaine (similar to this tuscan tuna white bean salad recipe, but with no lemon juice or tomatoes)

Dinner Inspiration for the Elimination Diet

• Black bean vegetable soup with avocado & cumin
• Quinoa sweet potato salad with walnuts and dried cranberries
• Kidney beans and brown rice with avocado and green onions
• Baked chicken breasts with roasted carrots & parsnips (or a mix of other roasted vegetables)
• Easy chicken soup with vegetables and rice
• Baked salmon seasoned with olive oil, salt, and pepper + sautéed spinach seasoned with olive oil, garlic, salt, and pepper + baked sweet potatoes
• Seared ahi tuna steaks season with olive oil, salt, and pepper + sautéed green beans seasoned with olive oil, garlic, salt, and pepper
• Baked halibut seasoned with salt, pepper, fresh herbs, and crushed macadamia nuts + sautéed zucchini slices and asparagus spears with olive oil, salt & pepper

Elimination Diet Snack Ideas

• Raw fruits and vegetables (apples, carrots, celery, fresh berries, etc.)
• Rice cakes with almond butter
• KIND Gluten-Free GMO-Free Granola (I like the Vanilla Blueberry Clusters with Flax Seeds)
• Mashed avocado with garlic and sea salt
• Rice crackers with hummus (but make sure there’s no citrus or citric acid in it)
• Baked kale chips with olive oil, salt, and pepper
• Beanitos (bean chips; my favorite flavor is black bean, but the white bean and pinto ones are pretty good, too)
• Coconut Bliss Ice Cream in Vanilla or Luna Berry flavors + cherry balsamic vinegar drizzle + crushed pecans