Elimination Diet: Weeks 3 and 4

The In-law Challenge

Weeks three and four of our elimination diet were marked by the arrival of my in-laws.  Prior to starting the diet I was so concerned about our ability to eat together harmoniously that I almost delayed the start of the diet until they left.  I was dreading having to listen to snide remarks.  I was afraid that I would have to prepare all of the food, rather than rely on mother-in-law to do some of the cooking, lest she undermine the diet by including forbidden ingredients.  And I was concerned that they would not be supportive of the diet, let alone eat it.  I underestimated my in-laws.

Perhaps it was not entirely fair to pin all these concerns on my in-laws.  After all, being helpful seems to be in their genes.  Many people have been curious about the diet, and very few people have made deprecatory remarks about the diet, but most people I explain the diet to can't shake the thought How could fruits and vegetables possibly cause a malady? and they only start to express an earnest interest in the diet when I reveal that my son's skin has definitively improved since starting the elimination diet.  Of course, I didn't have the luxury of this information when I spoke to my father just before D-day, who was very subtle but obviously doubtful.

In contrast, I was pleasantly surprised by my in-law's support; my mother-in-law baked cookies and scones, was an excellent sous-chef, and even took up the challenge of making two meals.  I did not hear one negative or unsupportive remark from either in-law during their two week visit.  They happily consumed our failsafe food, and even marveled at how many ways you could prepare a leek.  They graciously ate their forbidden foods (they arrived with a fruit cake, lemon butter, and pineapple poppers, and couldn't resist purchasing grapefruits for breakfast) out of site of the rest of the family.  In the two weeks they were here, there was not one diet mistake that could be attributed to their presence, and I am still eating my mother-in-law's cookies.  When they left, I was sad to see them go.