Basically, myself and my siblings were placed on a diet that consisted of rice cakes (the puffed-rice-compressed-discs-of-bland type) and margarine for a few days to "detox." Then we were introduced to foods to see if we had an "allergic reaction."
Two things stand out in my memories.
I specifically recall the sensation of waking in the middle of the night to vomit my "dinner" all over myself: an entire plate of overcooked, boiled, green (string) beans. This meant, to my deluded mother, that I was allergic to string beans.
I'm not. Unfortunately, though, I couldn't stand the taste of string beans for about 30 years after that.
Going to birthday parties as an eight year old and bringing your own rice cakes (the puffed-rice-compressed-discs-of-bland type) and margarine and not being able to partake of the cakes and candy and soda and other sugary deliciousness was both soul cruising and humiliating.