Hi! My name is Emily and I started following a FAILSAFE Diet at the beginning of June 2021 and WOW, what a difference it makes. I have been suffering from random ailments my entire life and for the first time ever, I feel GOOD.

Throughout my life I’ve had digestive trouble, chronic migraine headaches, weight fluctuations, bloating, difficulty concentrating, ringing in my ears, severe mood swings and irritability, and, most recently joint pain, brain fog, exhaustion, and unexplained hives (urticaria).

I’ve tried a litany of elimination diets, starting with dairy, soy, wheat and gluten, and moving onto avoiding nightshades, cinnamon, and msg, and then more desperately to Paleo, Whole30, low FODMAP, low histamine, and low oxylate diets. It wasn’t until I stumbled upon the RPAH Elimination Diet (also known as the FAILSAFE Diet) that things began to make sense. FINALLY, I had an answer as to why random foods like coconut, avocado, apples, cherries, lemons, cashews, olive oil, and broccoli made me feel like crap. They were all high in food chemicals like salicylates, amines, and glutamate.

I have officially made it through the amine and salicylate challenges to date. And my made it, I’ve stopped around day 2-3 for both because my symptoms were so severe. My symptoms range from intense side pain, indigestion, hives, pain and stiffness in my hands, severe mood swings, negative self-talk, irritability, fatigue, weight gain, and puffiness in my face and eyes. I’ve also noticed a difference in the symptoms that present for salicylates versus amines. (I’ll be sharing more about that soon!)

My 7 year old daughter (AKA The Big Kid) is also on this journey with me, having discovered that she is also sensitive to food chemicals like salicylates and amines. Her symptoms are a little different than mine and show up more as behavioral issues like tantrums and epic meltdowns, extreme irritability and mood swings, as well as the more physical symptoms like stomach pains, itchiness, and a feeling of “rocks in her belly.” So you can expect to see more posts about kids and a FAILSAFE Diet as well.

My goal with My Failsafe Life (besides being a nod to one of my favorite shows from high school!), is to document our journey and share what I’m eating and learning about following the FAILSAFE/RPAH Elimination Diet with you. I love cooking and will also do my best to link to websites, articles, and resources that I have found to be helpful along the way.

If you have any questions or need guidance, please reach out. I have already had so many wonderful people helping me in my journey, that I’d love to pay it forward.

Here’s to trusting our guts and doing what we can to feel good — physically and mentally!

X+O,
Emily