This time last year and hadn't even considered giving up any of these foods. A couple of month's down the line, I had started a "Paleo" diet, having read a little about how Hidradenitis Suppurativa could be an autoimmune disease and therefore influenced by diet. At that early stage, I knew then that I'd never be able to cut out eggs if I was hoping to get enough protein in my diet without bankrupting us. I definitely could never have envisaged living without tomatoes, spices and chilli - my staple foods for cooking up tagines, curries and most of my evening meals. Six month's down the line, and many hours of research on the internet, my diet is almost virginal (slight exaggeration, but that's how it feels sometimes!). I am a fully fledged autoimmune protocol diet fan!

What I should be drinking right now.....

As with any times of restrictions in life, I found that it helps to have some kind of boundary or end date in sight. Without this, my motivation to abstain wouldn't have lasted past my initial pain-motivated, stubborn determination. I set my timeframe as 60 days of a complete elimination diet, before starting to reintroduce foods one at a time. Somedays, I would comfort myself with the fact that I may only need to do 30 days and other times, I would face the (sometimes depressing) reality that this diet may become my way of life. Forever. However, for the sake of sanity and positivity, it is good to keep in mind that there are definitely worse realities in life than this!

....what I'm actually drinking right now
(NOT recommended for AI elimination diet!)

Just snacking on a piece of fresh coconut with a lovely cup of freshly brewed cup of Fairtrade organic Ethiopian coffee (which should read 'a lovely cup of organic mint, nettle and gunpowder green tea', but no-one's perfect!)  and thinking that I'd share a little of what I have read and researched in terms of things to avoid whilst on the autoimmune diet. Despite it being a little negative to start with what I can't eat, it is a known fact that bad news is far more exciting/interesting than good news...so we'll start with what we can't eat....

Foods to avoid

• Eggs
• Dairy, including all dairy (yes, even fermented dairy, goat's milk and any thing else that comes from an animal's udders)
• Cereal grains (rice, oats, wheat etc)
• Seeds of any variety.
• Seed and vegetable oils (all except coconut oil and olive oil, which I have in abundance - see Foods to Eat')
• Spices derived from seeds (cumin, coriander, mustard - anything which I used to eat that made my food taste good)
• All nuts, including nut butters.
• Legumes, including all types of beans, chick peas (garbanzas), lentils, soy, peanuts etc.
• Any soy derivatives (soy milk, yoghurts, tofu, soy sauce)
• Refined sugar in any form.
• Honey in any form.
• Processed foods - bread, pasta, any gluten-free 'health' alternatives, cured meat, ham, bacon.
• Alcohol (boooo)
• Grain-fed red meat (after my bad experience of an intense flare up after homemade burgers, this is off the menu!)
• Nightshades. This includes tomatoes, all types of peppers, including bell peppers, pimento, chilli pepper (excluding black peppercorns), egg plant, tobacco (not many people still eat this, but you probably shouldn't smoke it either!) and common old potatoes.
• Coffee - especially if you are a caffeine addict! (I am not a coffee drinker per se, but I have started to have a cup here and there, in the name of rebellion and inner freedom. Also, I haven't noticed a reaction from it..yet)
• Fruit juices (too much concentrated sugar, not enough fibre).
• Any food that contains an ingredient that you cannot pronounce, like stock cubes and sweeteners and anything containing sweeteners, like sugar-free gum.
• Many vinegars  - I even avoid organic balsamic vinegar; I think the 'concentrated grape must' contains too much sugar.

So it's not a long list, but the combinations of processed foods out there are endless. Dark chocolate, carrot cake, "paleo" muffins, cereal bars, smoothies, V8, gluten-free crackers - so many things that look innocent (ooh, Innocent Smoothies - yum yum...No. Stop it. Illegal), but are now off limits. Melissa Joulwan, author of Well Fed, a beautiful paleo recipe book, tried the autoimmune diet for 30 days and as she puts it, there is zero "food fun" during that period.

Anyway, enough of what can't be had and onwards and upwards to what can and should be delightfully savoured in the name of self-healing....

Foods to Eat

• Fresh vegetables - anything in season, although when your diet is so limited, I've found it's better not to fully restrict yourself to keep some variety and sanity in your life.
• Beautiful squash and versatile sweet potatoes (I know these are vegetables, but they become your "pasta/rice replacements", so I think they deserve a line on their own
• Fresh fruit - I have read so much about limiting fruits, eating one piece per meal, eating them before dinner not after - oh so many pieces of advice, but I just tend to eat as much as I want. It may have a negative affect, but it's got to be better than eating a handful of Haribo Tangfastic jelly sweets.
• Fish - preferably wild and line caught. 
• Grass fed beef and pastured meat of any variety and game.
• Poultry, again organic and not battery farmed would be best.
• Coconuts, coconut oil and coconut milk (preferably with no guar gum and BPA free- although hard to find unless you have dedicated organic shops).
• Olive oil and olives (organic as non-organic contain various preservatives).
• Herbal teas (I'm bang into Jasmine green tea- amazing!)
• Naturally dried fruit (although I'd avoid this as a staple ingredient as it's too high in sugar).

Ok, so the 'Foods to Eat' list looks shorter, but when you consider all the amazing varieties of fruit and veg in the world, it is an endless list of variety and choice. I know that to back this all up I should include all the yummy recipes that we try every week, here at home. One day I will, but until then, I'll leave it to the experts, like Michelle Tam from nomnompaleo.com and Sarah Fragoso from Everyday Paleo.

Until then, I am back on my autoimmune 'wagon', and hoping to start reintroducing foods in the coming months. For all those who are embarking on this journey, it is baby steps all the way and a constant reminder to "be kind to yourself. Bon courage!

I'd love to hear people's experiences of how they have survived the elimination diet and things that have or haven't worked.....

I am not a physician, licensed dietician, nor nutritional specialist. The dietary information provided is not intended to diagnose, treat, or cure any illness or to provide medical advice. it is advised that you make your health care decisions based on your own research and the advice of a qualified health care professional. Good luck!