Whole 30

So this Whole 30 thing. I did it. This is my last day. I’m feeling awesome. I did it in hopes to improve my asthma and eczema and I have to say that I’ve noticed a difference with my eczema, but my asthma is just a tad bit better (although it’s not that bad to begin with so I don’t have anything to complain about).

Since I don’t want to be all wordy about this whole 30, I just want to point out a few things I’ve learned from it in case my future self falls off the clean eating, non-processed food wagon someday.

+I actually don’t hate cooking as much as I thought I did (as long as the recipes are semi-simple).
+My favorite thing ever to eat is sweet potato fries (I even had them for breakfast twice).
+Which leads me to, it makes you eat weird things for breakfast because you crave them as soon as you get up (today was a huge red pepper with homemade dill dip—definitely weird, but as soon as I opened my fridge at 8:30 in the morning that red pepper was calling to me. Ludicrous.)
+I’m totally fine with breaking a few “rules” even though the whole point of the Whole 30 is to not break any. I guess I have my own version. My bends to the rules were: I drank hard cider about 3 times, I ate pizza 3 times, I ate popcorn like a bagillion times because this is all about a lifestyle for me and there isn’t a world that exists where I don’t eat popcorn whenever I want. I get the loose kernels and pop them in a brown paper bag (rolled up) in the microwave. The things you remember from watching Dr. Oz 5 years ago…
+added sugar is. in. everything. (I already knew this, but it was totally reinforced)
+I like black coffee (and coffe with just a little unsweetened almond milk too)
+I like homemade: mayo, ketchup, dips.
+carrageenan is the devil (I switched from carrageenan-laden almond milk to brands without and I noticed a difference in how I feel in the mornings). This is one thing I just can’t make at home (too lazy, my blender is on its way out). The 365 brand (at Whole Foods) and the Nature’s Promise Stop & Shop brands of unsweetened almond milk are both carrageenan free (just in case you wanted to know).

This was one thing in the past that I knew I should avoid, but just didn’t have the energy to avoid. That sounds ridiculous. But there are so many health-conscious things to be aware of and sometimes I have to just pull a Manya (Seinfield, The Pony Remark) and stand up and say “I’ve had enough!”

Sometimes you just need to wait a little to make certain changes and that’s OK. Wait until you’re ready. You don’t have to overhaul everything all at once. I’ve had a 7 year journey so far of trying to be more natural and healthful with the way I live my life (foods I eat, cleaning products I use, etc) and it just doesn’t happen overnight. I'm still not all the way there. My next thing to tackle is homemade probiotics (water kefir grains here I come!!)

+Lastly, I can’t live without Ezekiel bread.
I’m doing the Whole 30 again, but my next “rule” to break is eating Ezekiel bread! Like I said—lifestyle.

Also, on the plus side I lost 4.8 lbs (and inches--so we're talking not just water weight like you would with some kind of crash diet) and I didn't even feel like I missed out on anything. Now I'm actually 3 (or is it 4) days into my second round and I don't feel deprived at all. That's why I don't even know what day I'm on, I could care less because I just want to keep on going!

However, we'll be going to the Big E (google it) in the near future and I'm totally eating fried pickles and clam cakes from the RI house. Sorry, Whole 30, we'll be taking a couple hour break.