I was toying with discontinuing this blog, but I’ve put so much history into it, I can’t bear to shut it down.
See, I started a new blog. Or a new website, more precisely, to showcase my Zentangle and henna artwork, classes, and journey to become a Certified Zentangle Teacher (CZT). If you want to see what that’s all about, head on over to ZenHenna and let me know what you think. Because I’m so focused on that currently, I thought maintaining two blogs might be more than I could manage with a full time job, a family, and…well…life.
But then I started this Whole30 thing. Bear with me, I’ll explain. The short version of the blog story is that I can’t write about my LIFE on ZenHenna, at least not as much as I could here, and I still need that outlet. So, Raw & Random lives on.
Now, the Whole30 thing. I’ve been feeling pretty awful for a long time now. Carrying extra weight, feeling aches and pains beyond my years, tired all the time but not sleeping well…Need I say more? So I decided to focus on food rather than medicine. I considered about a dozen different elimination diets and cleanses, and then my nephew Ben recommended this book:
What an eye-opener. I’m not going to go into the science–frankly, I can’t keep it all straight to do it justice, but suffice it to say that the way we (I) eat normally is making us (me) sick as hell. Challenging our bodies to cope with chemical compounds meant to confuse our brains into eating “food with no brakes” leads to a slippery slope of immune system decline. If you have any sense that your food choices are beyond your control, or you feel sluggish, achy, or have any number of immunological issues from allergies to asthma, Crohn’s to cancer, try this nutritional reset button and learn for yourself what triggers your body’s systemic inflammation triggers. It’s not a diet, it’s a science experiment on yourself to identify what foods make you feel good and which make you sick. You start by eliminating all possible allergens like legumes, wheat, gluten, dairy, along with added sugars, bad fats, carbs, etc. Essentially that leaves you with healthy meats and seafood, veggies, fruits in moderation, and healthy fats. Truthfully, it’s quite simple.
I’m not going to lie, this is not easy. They tell you this is not hard–you’ve done harder things, like giving birth, fighting cancer, losing a loved one–and it’s true by comparison. But the entry is rough. Here’s a little timeline that shows what the first week is like and so far (I’m on day 3), it’s quite true.
I had a massive headache yesterday (enhanced by the caffeine withdrawal from giving up Diet Pepsi, my love, my nemesis) and a stomachache today. Expecting to want to kill all things tomorrow and Friday, and then be exhausted by the weekend. And THEN…I expect to start feeling a whole lot better. Better than now, better than before, probably better than ever. One day at a time.
Shopping for food was a tad on the expensive side (grass-fed beef, wild-caught seafood, responsibly raised chickens and eggs, organic veggies), but on the flip-side, I’m not spending $3-5 a day on soda and we haven’t gone out to eat at all, which is not normal for us, so I think it will balance out. Plus…you know…FEELING better. Worth it. But if money is tight you can still do this…you do the best you can for the quality of your food with what you can afford. McDonald’s is NOT cheaper than eating whole foods.
I made a whole week’s worth of salads with homemade dressing (olive oil, balsamic vinegar, mustard and seasonings) in mason jars for the week, which so far I am enjoying and I am totally full:
The first night I made a huge veggie and chicken stir-fry with olive oil and seasonings (it was awesome), and the second night I made spaghetti squash with meat sauce (grass-fed ground beef, Trader Joe’s Marinara, Muir Glen fire-roasted tomatoes and Whole30-compliant chicken sausage. SO good. And enough for 2 nights–YAY!
Next week I have to travel for business so that will be a challenge…I’m going to start thinking through what I can have and how I’m going to resist what I can’t have. I am NOT going through this Day 2-3 thing again. Ever. I hope.
Let me know if you want to learn more. I have no financial interest in this, just sharing what I’ve learned! You can also learn more about Whole30 here.