I have basically had to cut everything out of my diet & am at a loss

I agree that you could benefit from a nutritionist...but Chris Kresser has a recipe generator that you should check out - you input foods you need to avoid and it outputs a ton of options (it says paleo in the link, but that's not all it supports): http://paleorecipes.chriskresser.com/

Take a look at the work of these two amazing women: 1) Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride and/or 2) Sally Fallon Morell and the Weston A Price Foundation. They have a diet targeted to heal food allergies and other health issues. By visiting their websites you can find resources on practitioners, recipes and procedures to correctly prepare foods to avoid and heal a variety of health problems. Hope this help!

one last time, it is dot com!

[email protected]'t know how the last part was cut off.

Hi, LE BEC FIN
His name is Charlie Smigelski and he is in Arlington. You can email him at [email protected] can't remember his phone #, but you can google it. He will definitely respond to email. Can say Ellen told you of him. Good luck! Oh, and he's well-connected.

elleni, I'd love his contact info. I'm near boston.

Do you need to follow a FODMAPs diet? If yes, that is very tricky and you do need a good nutritionist. I have a lot of GI issues and have tried paleo and that has been very helpful for me but even I couldn't do FODMAPs!

I don't know what a low histamine diet is composed of but paleo restricts all grains, dairy, soy, legumes, sugar and processed foods. I am NOT suggesting a paleo diet to you because I don't know your situation but I wanted you to know that I have found some fantastic recipes from two very great cookbooks - Well Fed and Well Fed 2 by Melissa Joulwan and Against All Grains by Danielle Walker. Both authors have blogs so you can check out the recipes for free (and you can even download a free sample of Well Fed). I have cooked from all 3 books and have made some really tasty food! Maybe if you start out with recipes that already exclude some of the "bad stuff" you don't need to be so overwhelmed adapting recipes or feeling sad about what you cannot eat. Food allergies can be so difficult - especially for those of us who love food! Hang in there!

Where do you live? I have a terrific nutritionist who loves to cook in the Boston area. He is not a kid and really knows his stuff.

Thanks everyone! I am going to see a dietician, an expert (apparently) in my conditions. I didn't think she was great as she said she doesn't usually put together meal plans. I'll definitely make sure to push her.

Natasha, if you have a gastroenterologist, they may be a good source for finding a qualified, reliable nutritionist. Your internist or General Practitioner may also be able to help.

You will need to find some grain & veg combinations that create complete proteins. I believe S is right about working with a qualified nutritionist. In the long run, that is a better investment of your time and money than cookbooks because you are trying to work with various medical needs and need some expert advice. Good luck! It's not easy but it can be done - and hopefully you will feel better!

I have been on a similarly limited diet for a while, in the hopes of eventually adding things back in (lo carb, lo fat, lo dairy). It was very difficult at first, but I got used to it, especially when I started feeling better. I, too, love food and love to cook, so it was important for me to find satisfying things to make and eat.
I agree with S that you should work with a good nutritionist, who can help you with the technical issues. In addition, there are a lot of good cookbooks for diabetics that would address many of the restrictions you need to follow. A good friend is a big fan of the Rosedale Diet book. Giada's Feel Good Food book might also be interesting (I have flipped through it, but can't really vouch for it - or Giada herself!). My guess is that there are some terrific blogs for diabetics, GF and people with various allergies.
I'd suggest you find a couple books and blogs that seem appealing to you, and bring them to a nutritionist who is open to helping you adapt the recipes to your needs.
For me, during this very restricted lo carb, no sugar etc period, I have bonded closely with tofu, salmon, shrimp, lean pork, cabbage, eggplant, zucchini, sun-dried tomatoes and berries. No idea if any of these would create problems for you, but they all have been very satisfying either flavor-wise and/or texture-wise. And I do feel that now I appreciate really delicious, well-prepared, unprocessed food SO much more than I ever did. That said, every now and then I need to sneak in some chocolate . . . :)

Natasha, you need to find a professional nutritionist.