Brace Yourself

Aaron’s Diet //

What can Aaron eat?

What We’re Up Against

General Principles //

Moist & Soft

Everything Aaron eats has to be moist and soft to aid in easy passage from his esophagus to his stomach.

Types of Foods

Avoid anything that’s acidic (pH below 5-6), spicy (i.e., nothing “hot”), high in glycemic index, fatty, or difficult to chew or swallow.

Avoid Triggers

Avoid alcohol, caffeine, gums (esp. guar gum),  and anything with apple, garlic, onion, chocolate, peppers, or sweeteners (natural and artificial).

What Can I Get You?

What can you get that Aaron can safely eat?

Fruits & Vegetables

SAFE (if prepared properly)
  • Unsweetened coconut (shredded, flour)
  • Very well-cooked celery or broccoli
  • Cooked Frozen Peas (no additives, well-cooked; tested up to 1/4 cup safely)
  • Avocado, raw
  • Spaghetti squash
Safe in small amounts (if prepared properly)
  • Butternut Squash
Unknown
  • Other squash, well-cooked cauliflower
Unsafe
  • Zucchini (reaction is mild)
  • Anything with a pH below 5
  • High-sugar or high glycemic index foods
  • Any raw vegetables
  • Watermelon, lemon, lime, grape, grapefruit, pomegranate, cranberry, apple, tomato, pumpkin, olives, cucumbers, pickles, cacao, cocoa, mangoes
  • Corn, potato, asparagus, riced vegetables, sweet potatoes/yams, Brussells sprouts
  • Carrots, parsnips, figs, and dates are unsafe, but might be OK in very small amounts (and, for the carrots and parsnips, very well cooked)
  • Bananas are OK as an ingredient in extreme moderation (no more than about 25 g.)
  • Any fruit/vegetable juices

Grains and Breads

SAFE (if prepared properly)
  • Rolled, old fashioned oats
  • Coyotas cassava tortillas
Safe in small amounts
Unknown
  • Steel Cut Oats
  • ZenB Pasta
Unsafe
  • Quick oats
  • Wheat
  • Corn
  • Millet
  • Rice (all types)
  • Barley

Dairy & Eggs

SAFE (if prepared properly)
  • Green Valley Creamery Sour Cream
  • Skim Ultra-filtered Milk (Mootopia brand preferred; Fairlife brand works too)
Safe in small amounts
  • Butter (in extreme moderation & with Lactaid)
  • Tillamook Brand Cream Cheese (with Lactaid)
  • Small amounts of eggs or cheese in baked goods, not on their own
Unknown
  • Anything with gums (guar gum is unsafe; others are presumed unsafe)
Unsafe
  • Anything with Guar Gum
  • Cream
  • Almond, soy, rice, or other milk alternatives
  • Cream cheese (outside of Tillamook brand)
  • Eggs, any preparation (likely OK as an ingredient)
  • Cheese (probably OK in small amounts as an ingredient)

Meat & Seafood

SAFE (if prepared properly)
  • Atlantic Salmon
Safe in small amounts
  • Chilean Sea Bass
  • Canned Tuna (pulverized)
  • Pacific Foods Organic Free Range Chicken Broth (cooking in this is fine; consuming it is not)
Unknown
  • Flaky Fish
Unsafe
  • Sushi/Sashimi
  • Shrimp
  • Chewy or Tough Seafood
  • Calamari
  • Eel

Nuts & Legumes

SAFE (if prepared properly)
  • Defatted peanut powder, unsweetened (Nuts.com peanut flour or PB&Me Unsweetened Original preferred)
  • Defatted almond powder, unsweetened
  • Red & Green Lentils (well-cooked in water, no onions)
  • Once Again Natural Creamy Peanut Butter (unsweetened)
  • Almond Flour/Meal
  • Decaf coffee mixed at most 2:1 with ultra-filtered skim milk
Safe in small amounts
  • None
Unknown
  • Unsweetened smooth (not crunchy) nut butters
Unsafe
  • All Nuts (whole or in pieces)
  • Crunchy nut butters
  • Seeds (small or ground seeds are likely safe as ingredients)

Sweets, Additives, & Flavorants

SAFE
Safe in small amounts
  • Salt
  • Pacific Foods Organic Free Range Chicken Broth (cooking in this is fine; consuming it is not)
  • Spices as Ingredients: Most Baking Spices, Cumin, Phoenicia’s 7 Spices Blend (allspice, cinnamon, cloves, cumin, coriander, caraway, nutmeg), Oregano
Mild Reaction, but OK in Small Amounts
  • Hu No Added Sugar Cookies: Peanut Butter or Snickerdoodle
  • Rx Coconut Nut Butter (1 packet) – mild reaction
  • Mayonnaise (no soybean oil or other forbidden ingredients)
  • Olive and avocado oil
Unknown
  • Foods in the 5-6 pH range
  • Gums (guar gum is unsafe; others are presumed unsafe)
  • Spices as Ingredients: Basil, Dill, Sage
Unsafe
  • Sugar (any form, even natural or fruit sources)
  • Sweeteners of any kind; artificial sweeteners
  • Guar Gum
  • Pepper and spicy things
  • Soy or Soy Sauce
  • Anything with pH below 5, including all vinegars
  • Anything containing apple
  • Onion, garlic
  • Cocoa, cacao
  • Carbonated beverages

More Coming Soon

Recipes //

Tested, safe recipes for Aaron

Aaron’s “Cereal”

 Ingredients
  • 42 grams rolled, old fashioned oats 
  • 12 grams unsweetened peanut powder (Nuts.com peanut flour or PB&Me)
  • 400 grams ultrafiltered skim milk (Mootopia or Fairlife)
Instructions
  1. Preheat over to 400°F.
  2. Cook the oats in a pan or baking tray for 7 minutes
  3. Let the oats cool
  4. Combine the oats and peanut powder well. 
  5. Add milk and serve.

Aaron’s “Burritos”

Ingredients
  • 1 Cup Green Lentils
  • Cumin

  • Six-Inch Coyotas Cassava Tortillas

  • Green Valley Creamery Sour Cream
  • Avocado
  • Salt to taste
Instructions
  1. Boil a pot of water.
  2. Rinse the green lentils and add to the boiling water.
  3. Cook for 24 minutes.
  4. Drain the lentils and set aside.
  5. Wet both sides of a six-inch tortillas and warm on a plate in the microwave on high for 20 seconds.
  6. Spread lentils on the tortilla. 
  7. Spread sour cream on top. 
  8. Add salt and cumin.
  9. Microwave on high for 20 seconds.
  10. Add avocado and fold the burito. 
  11. Serve.

Aaron’s Food Bars

DRY Ingredients
  • 2 cup ground rolled old fashioned (not quick cook) oats
  • 1/2 cup almond flour
  • 1/4 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
  • 1 heaping Tbs. cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp. salt
  • 2 Tbs. peanut flour (buy at nuts.com or Amazon)
WET Ingredients
  • 3/4 banana
  • 1 tsp. double-strength vanilla extract (or 2 tsp. regular strenght)
  • 1 Egg
  • 1/4 cup Green Valley Creamery Sour Cream
  • 1/4 cup ultrafiltered unsweetened skim milk (Mootopia or Fairlife brands)
  • Natural Way unsweetened peanut butter (Buy on Amazon; some other brands can be substituted)
Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
  2. Ground 1 cup of the oats into a flour in a food processor.
  3. Add to the remaining dry ingredients in one bowl.  
  4. Beat the egg in a separate bowl.
  5. Add the other wet ingredients to the second bowl, except for the peanut butter.
  6. Add in the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients bowl and stir to combine well.
  7. Divide the mixture into 15 portions and bake for 5 minutes.
  8. Remove from the oven and add on a thin layer of peanut butter on top of each bar.
  9. Bake for another 6 minutes. 
  10. Remove, cool, and serve.

Aaron’s Lentils

 Ingredients
  • 1/8 Cup Green Lentils
  • 1/4 Cup Red Lentils
  • Phoenecia 7 Spices Blend (allspice, cinnamon, cloves, cumin, coriander, caraway, nutmeg)
  • Salt (to taste)
  • Optional: 1/4 Cup Frozen Peas (no sugar/additives)
Instructions
  1. Bring a small pot with 4 cups filtered water to a boil.
  2. Rinse the green lentils and add them to the boiling water. 
  3. After 12 minutes, rinse the red lentils and add them to the boiling water. (Optional: add 1/4 cup frozen peas)
  4. Cook for an additional 12 minutes.
  5. Stir in generous amounts of the 7 Spice blend and salt to taste.
  6. Do not drain. Transfer to a bowl with the remaining liquid and serve.

Aaron’s “Cookies”

Ingredients

  • ¾ c. oats

  • ¼ c. shredded coconut, unsweetened

  • ½ c. super fine almond flour

  • ¼ tsp. salt

  • Several generous shakes of ground cinnamon (optionally, add a bit of ground cloves & nutmeg)

  • 2 Tbs. unsweetened powdered peanut butter (Nuts.com or PB&Me)

  • 1 medium (about 120 g.) banana, ripe

  • ¼ tsp. double-strength vanilla extract

  • 1/3 c. ultrafiltered skim milk (or 50/50 blend of milk and decaf coffee)

Instructions
  1. Preheat over to 350°F.
  2. Roughly pulse the oats in a food processor for a few seconds.
  3. Add in almond flour, salt, cinnamon, and powdered peanut powder and pulse to combine.
  4. In a medium bowl, mash the banana well and combine with vanilla exttract, milk, and shredded coconut.
  5. Add oats mixture and mix well to combine.
  6. Divide into 12 or more cookies and transfer cookies to a baking tray with parchment paper (unbleached preferred). The cookies will not rise, so the shapes you make will be their final shape.
  7. Bake for 15 minutes.
  8. Remove and cool.

Aaron’s
Atlantic Salmon

Ingredients
  • Atlantic Salmon Fillet (boneless)
  • Olive Oil Spray (or Olive Oil)
  • Salt
  • Dried Chervil
  • Fresh Dill
Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 425°
  2. Place the fillet on a baking dish and spray lightly with olive oil.
  3. Salt well.
  4. Sprinkle dried chervil.
  5. Add fresh dill on top, avoiding stems.
  6. Cook for about 15 minutes. It should be just cooked inside. Under/overcooking makes it harder to digest.

Aaron’s Quinoa

 Ingredients
Instructions
  1. In a small pot, combine 1.5 cartons of chicken broth, one bag of quinoa, one can of green beans (strain out liquid), and vegetables cut into bite-size pieces: yellow, squash broccoli, and celery. 
  2. Bring to a boil.
  3. Use a slotted spoon to serve quinoa and vegetables.  Salt and serve.  Optionally, add fresh avocado cut into pieces on top.