I've been feeling bad for a while now. Stomach problems, constant fatigue, skin issues, weight gain - just general feelbaddery. I'm convinced a huge part of this is my diet, so I've decided to make some big changes.
I was thinking of just cutting gluten (one of my main suspects) or lactose, but I think I've decided to be more drastic. A few friends recommended the Whole30 Program. At first glance, it seemed way too extreme - no grains, dairy, soy, sugar, legumes, or alcohol for 30 days. When I asked for help and advice on Facebook, though, I was not only barraged with information, but also many testimonials of friends who have been significantly impacted by the program. Toss this in with myriad testimonials on the internet, including Jessica at GoodCheapEats (who also logged her progress and posted recipes), and I determined it was worth taking a look.
When you think about it, focusing on protein, vegetables, and fruit makes a lot of sense. I'm not sure I agree with the premise that all grains are bad for you, but I'll play along for the next month. In reality, I may need a few days to ramp up for this, since I've already got some groceries in the house that it would be wasteful to throw out. So, this may end up being a 35 day project.
Oh, and I should mention, I dusted off this blog primarily for my own benefit. I don't care what you choose to eat, and I certainly don't want people nitpicking me. Encouragement is always welcome, though. I just wanted to a place to log my efforts and observations. Just trying to be mindful of my eating.
So, my friend Jordan hooked me up with some great resources, including a cookbook, and I'm excited to get this going. I went grocery shopping today and had a pretty delicious cart:
So much fresh food! It's funny, I realized that until now I've been centering my meals around the carb, not the protein. Whether it was rice, pasta, or some sort of bread, I started my meals there. If I can make it through this with at least the change of focusing on veggies and protein, I think that will be a good start.
So, for dinner, I made pork chops (rubbed with Ozark seasoning and topped with guacamole), sauteed asparagus, mushrooms, and onions, and a salad (baby greens, tomatoes, blueberries, walnuts, and EVOO/balsamic):
It was honestly pretty awesome, and I have a good amount of leftovers for the rest of the week. I also baked some chicken thighs for later this week.
Tomorrow I'll attempt my carb-free breakfast, which won't be easy for a cereal addict. I'll also need to replace my standard sandwich with something Whole 30 friendly.
