I began seeing a naturopathic doctor to address a chronic and irritating health issue that regular medicine hasn't gotten to the root of, and the naturopath has suggested, after several other measures, that I go on an "Elimination Diet." This involves eliminating all reactive foods from my diet for two weeks, then challenging my system by reintroducing them one at a time to see if my problem is related to intolerance of one or more of these foods.

She wants me eliminate all dairy, wheat, corn, soy, fruit, sugar, peanuts, oh, and a few other minor things like any food with additives and any food I eat more than 3 times a week. No problem! Ha.

Actually this is a big problem. I told her "I tend to be a comfort eater, so I'm trying to figure out what I CAN eat." Here's the issue: Not eating foods I like upsets me. When I'm upset, I seek out foods I like to soothe myself. How the heck am I going to function when I can't eat any foods I normally rely on? What will I do when my crutch is missing?

The naturopath said I could take a blood test instead. It costs almost $200 and isn't covered by insurance. I seriously considered this. It'll probably cost me way more than $200 in groceries to deal with this whole two-week elimination plus weeks of challenging various foods. I decided to try the elimination diet, however, to stretch myself.

If I am so reliant on familiar foods for comfort, maybe shaking things up with some rigid rules about avoiding these foods will free me up, make me open to healthier coping mechanisms and help me learn to be more flexible and less reliant on food.

Or it could be a complete disaster. I'll let you know.