The Whole30 snack staple: almonds. And salty/sauerkraut-y kombucha shots at the top (which I love).
So right when my leg infection started growing (I swear this is the last time I'm bringing this up), I was feeling like I needed to do something to make myself better. The oral antibiotics weren't working and I wanted something to make me feel like I was in control of my health again (or at least do something that I thought would make me healthier). So when I read about the Whole30 diet from Ceely from Running off the Reeses I thought I'd give it a try. At least it wouldn't hurt and on the plus side it might actually help with some of the inflammation going on in my body. So per her advice I purchased the Whole30 book off of Amazon and dove right in. And I have to say something about the book and this diet clicked for me. This isn't about a fad diet. It's really about eliminating all foods that could possibly lead to inflammation (so that includes anything with sugar, dairy, soy, grains, and alcohol) for 30 days so that you can feel what your body is like without those substances. And then after the 30 days you're supposed to reintroduce these types of food one by one so you can learn if your body feels different when you do eat them. A lot of this diet is like Paleo, except there's some subtle differences that the book talks about. And you're not supposed to weigh yourself during your Whole30 period because it isn't about losing weight. This is about making diet changes that improve your overall health.
And well I didn't make it for the whole 30 days. In fact I only made it for 14, but even in those 14 days I could tell there were subtle changes in my body. For one, I don't crave sweets like I used to (and this is coming from a girl who ate chocolate everyday). You do get to eat fruit on this diet, and with this being the summer there's plenty of fruit to satisfy my sweet tooth. So I guess I should say I no longer crave over-processed sugary "fake" foods. I also had much more even energy levels during the day. I could eat a large lunch and not feel sluggish after. Which makes me wonder what the results would be if I did it for the whole 30 days. And even though I didn't complete the diet, I don't feel defeated. In fact I want to continue to eat mostly whole foods and I don't need dairy and grains in my life right now. I am in love with cauliflower fried "rice" and zucchini noodles (I know they sounds gross and I used to be like "ugh" but really they're good--just don't expect them to be like regular noodles at all). And the cherry on top of this whole experience is that I lost weight (got to my goal weight really) without a super strict diet and exercise regimen. I could see this being something I go back to time and time again (especially after glutinous vacations).