Whole30

A friend of mine just completed a 30 day challenge of changing her diet and seeing major positive changes in her life, physicaly and mentaly.  This struck me right away, so I looked into it.  Pretty much the low-down is to eat only protein (fish, meat, eggs), vegitables, and some fruit.  Nothing with preservatives or added sugar. Right away I knew this would not be easy, espeicaly because I LOVE whole milk, cheese, and bread.  And Skittles. WHAT have I gotten myself into??

A few of my reasons for doing this challenge:
1. Better nutrition for Emmett.
2. To try helping with Emmett's eczema and his love of spitting up.
3. To get myself more active in the kitchen (I have a hard time cooking, especially just for myself when Bill's working, which results in no food for Bill's lunches and me not making good food choices. Once I get myself cooking I do really enjoy it.).
4. I have extremely painful tendinitis in my thumbs, causing sharp pain in my wrists.  Many people who have done this program have had ailments heal. I feel skeptical about it going away, but I'll give it a shot!

Here is the official website for the Whole30.

http://whole9life.com/2012/01/whole-30-v2012/

I am so thankful that Bill is excited about doing this with me, it would be so hard doing this alone.

DAY 1

Breakfast-

scrambled eggs with sauteed mushrooms and spinach

Lunch-

taco seasoned ground beef, guacamole, salsa (so good!)

Dinner-

Thai chicken, cabbage, onions, red curry and coconut milk.

Snacks-

apple with sunflower butter, fresh raspberries/blackberries in coconut cream, cucumbers dipped in guacamole

DAY 2

Breakfast-

scrambled eggs with sauteed mushrooms and spinach

Lunch-

tuna fish mixed with avocado, tomato, lemon juice, salt

Dinner-

chicken apple sausages over sauteed cabbage, sauteed zucchini, onions, carrots (one of my favorite meals)

DAY 3 (today)

Breakfast-

sweet potato baked, split in half then topped with tomato sauce, italian sausage, sauteed mushrooms and onions, olives and sprinkled red pepper flakes. OH. MY. WORD. Delicious. 

Lunch-

coconut milk smoothie with fresh raspberries, a nectarine, and frozen peaches. I'll make something up here soon with more protien.

So far it's been pretty easy to follow.  I cleaned out the fridge in preparation for this change and I was shocked at how much food has preservatives and added sugar.  The biggest temptation was going to my little cousins 5th birthday party where there was ice cream and tons of sweet toppings.  It would have been so easy for me to cheat since it was only day 2, but I DIDN'T. I was so incredibly proud of myself. Bill told me later that he also beat temptation with a box of donuts at his work. WOO HOO! I did have a splitting headache last night, I know that these kinds of changes can bring on withdrawals and bad mood swings in the beginning.

I thought writing about all of this would help me stay focused and maybe encourage anyone else to make positive changes in their lives.

Happy eating!!! :)