SOME THOUGHTS ON WHOLE 30

1. I feel a little awkward documenting this because my inclination is to rebel against things that smell like a diet, but I’m fascinated by reading up on other people’s eating habits and I’m a huge believer in nutrition-led health, so this may be worth a numbered list. 

2. We are on Day 29, so tomorrow is our last day. 

3. People have been asking me how I feel, and physically, I don't feel any different than I did before.  I think it is worth noting here again that eating a protein and a vegetable is primarily how I eat my main meals anyways, which is why the effect may have been minimal.  It is also worth noting that I didn't do this because I wanted to cure ailments and I didn't do this because I was eating badly.  I do know people have have done this to help with headaches and IBS, and found the program to greatly improve their well-being. 

4. I think the primary effect has been on the mental. As I explained here, I started this as a reset and detox, and that’s still primarily my outlook on this.  It was an interesting experiment to see if I could do it (I can), to see if Ken could do it (he can!), and to show my body that it can thrive on whole foods like meats, vegetables and good fats. The thing that I was most nervous of cutting out was dairy and alcohol, but it didn't prove to be that much of a problem. 

5. There is also a change physiologically, as well. Apparently, what our bodies should be doing now after this program is burning fat, like it is meant to do, instead of sugar. Since sugar is in everything these days, we consume way too much  of it as a society, and that trains our body to burn sugar instead of fat, which is not how our bodies are supposed to run. 

6. It got verrry time-consuming to cook everything from scratch. But I think I gained a lot of experience and knowledge while cooking Whole 30 meals; it makes you think about cooking with fresh eyes. One of our favorite recipes from this program is the plantain lasagna, which is pictured above, and is surprisingly delicious.

7. I actually got tired of eating meat after a while. We were eating a meat, vegetable and fat at every meal, and at around Day 20 or so, I had to take a break from eating meat for a couple of days.

8. I have gained such an even greater appreciation for ALL foods. And I can't wait to go back to eating well-balanced nutritious meals that include the occasional glass of wine, slice of hearty brown bread and cheese.

9. What has been the MOST surprising throughout all this is the change that Ken went through. During the first week, he was struggling with the restrictions and said that food stopped tasting good to him. But by the last week, he said food started tasting good again - and not just the regular food that we were eating - food that he used to not like before, all of a sudden started tasting better, like yellow and orange bell peppers and roasted butternut squash.

10. Ken sees the benefit of this program that he decided he wants to stick with being intentionally about eating well. He is transitioning from Whole30 to eating Paleo and he is so serious about this that he has decided to take over the kitchen...at least for this week. You guys, when my husband is serious about something, he's serious about it.  He spent last night and all day today, cutting, prepping and pre-cooking our meals for this week. He's taking it on and he's doing it in the methodical, detailed, and organized way that he does; I'm glad I have front-row tickets to this.

And lastly, Sloane wasn't doing Whole30, but here she is, keeping papa company while he chops, eating like a champ, wearing a Daddy's princess bib that is way too small for her.