OK Elizabeth, Here are the typical things in Jon's diet. He is very strict as he is very sensitive to the tiniest bit of starch and dairy.
all the meats: chicken, fish, lamb, beef, pork
raw salad stuff: capsicum, celery, cucumber, all the different lettuces, spring onions, spinach, red and white cabbage, raw carrots (small amounts as they can be starchy), tomatoes (with caution as they are sometimes starchy too)
(avoid: avocadoes)
cooked veges: broccoli, capsicum, red and white cabbage, spinach, silverbeet, onion (not caramelised though), asparagus, leeks, mushrooms (small amounts)
The above veges are all safe when cooked. Many other veges are starchy when cooked as this is when the starch is released. Best way to confirm this is to cook up a particular vegetable and then test it for starch with a few drops of iodine. Some other people here can tolerate more veges like zucchini/courgette, squash, brussel sprouts, eggplant/aubergine, cauliflower and even pumpkin but you will have to find out for yourself if these are OK for you.
Nuts: almonds, macadamias
dried fruit: raisins, dates, sultanas, prunes, apricots, pineapple, apple etc.
fresh fruit (provided they test OK with the iodine): apples, pears, peaches, nectarines, feijoas, mandarins, oranges, green grapes, pineapple, honeydew melon, rockmelon, lemons, strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, kiwifruit, plums
(avoid: bananas, mangoes, passionfruit)
all the green herbs but no spices (spices are starchy and that includes pepper although some people here are less sensitive and tolerate spices fine)
Eggs
Starch-free Mayonaise, Starch-free Aioli, honey,
Tea, filter coffee (instant can be starchy), pretty much all the fruit juices except the pulpy ones.
Bacon, Smoked chicken, ham (just check no maltodextrin etc).
Also, be careful of starchy additives in things like sauces or other processed foods eg. thickeners, emulsifiers, vegetable gums (Guar Gum and Xanthan Gum). Don’t eat anything with these things in it.
Here is a link to a list of starchy additives:
http://www.starch.dk/isi/applic/E-numbers.htm I also make Jon muffins using almond flour and fruit and/or dairy free chocolate chips which he really loves. If you want to try them I can give you the recipe. Some people have problems with almonds/almond flour though. Jon does too if he has too much.
If you buy the book by Carol Sinclair "The IBS Low Starch Diet" this is very helpful in spelling out what's OK and what's not.
Good Luck
Chelsea
