This phase is to give your gut lining a chance to recover, and you should keep to it for about four weeks. The recipes—marked as “good for Phase 1”—are specially created for gentle repair and nourishment of the gut. They involve foods which are either low in dairy or dairy-free, low in gluten or gluten-free; and also low in the types of vegetables and beans that are particularly high in fiber and are not digested well by some people (they end up becoming fermented further down the bowel, causing gas, pain, and bloating). This phase does not contain significant amounts of fermented foods either.
If you are looking to test or confirm specific food intolerances, we would recommend you remove no more than one or two foods at a time, and ideally that you do not remove whole food groups. Common culprits implicated in gut problems include gluten, dairy, eggs, soy, and coffee. You can, if necessary, repeat the process at a later date with other suspected foods.
• Gluten and refined grains
• Dairy products, particularly milk
• Beans, as the lectin in these can cause bloating (though these can be reintroduced after two weeks for vegetarians to maintain protein intake)
• Very fibrous vegetables containing lots of insoluble fiber, such as kale stalks or string beans
• Alcohol and desserts (sorry)
• Non-fibrous, plant-based foods, enough to fill over half your plate, aiming for at least seven portions of vegetables and fruit a day, mainly made up of vegetables—and make them colorful, too
• Good-quality proteins, to aid repair of the gut lining—aim for at least 45-60g a day
• Bitter greens and citrus salads to boost digestion before a meal
• Nondairy fats, such as olive oil and coconut oil, as well as avocados, nuts, and seeds