We Started What?!

What is this? April is behind us?! How did that happen??

It is so cliche to say but time truly does fly by. May started with a bang though. We have jumped onto the Whole30 bandwagon. What this means is that for 30 days, we are not eating any refined sugars, grains or dairy. Not even a lick off the knife from making the kids a jam sandwich! Nope, nada, nothing that falls into any of those three categories.

We heard about this plan a few months ago and then I ended up talking to a friend last Saturday night about it. Her and her husband were almost done the Whole 30 with great results, and I am not talking weight loss results (although that may be a result if it's necessary). I am talking about much better sleeping, much better skin, more energy, steady moods etc.

I came home that night and told Nathan about it and he says, "We are starting tomorrow. Something needs to change for me. But I'll only do this if you do this with me."

And so we started and today is Day 6 of no refined sugars, grains or dairy.

I can already hear you wondering - so what DO you eat then??

Eggs, meat, eggs, nuts, fish, eggs, lots of fruit and even more veggies, eggs, and well, eggs. What we like about this "fad" is that it brings us completely back to whole foods....meaning, real food. No process stuff at all! We live in a culture where processed food is all around us....food that is filled with preservatives and chemicals to increase shelf life. Sugar is in everything! Even in bacon!!

The marketing out there is so good that we are convinced that if it has the health check mark on the box, well, we must be eating healthy, right?!

Oh how we are so easily fooled. Since starting this, we are learning to read labels/ingredients on everything and knowing what to look out for......so much so that I caught myself in the shower grabbing the shaving cream, turning it to read the label to see if we can eat it ;o)

So we are spending the next 30 days (or 24...but really, who's counting?! :o) ) cleaning out our bodies of all the junk we have put in it, and at the same time learn to reach for the vegetable or fruit instead of the granola bar. We are learning how controlling food is in our lives by going through true withdrawals - headaches and grumpiness etc.

Thankfully the friend that was just completing this has a sister who made a 30 day menu, 3 meals a day, plus a shopping list for each week. If she hadn't done that, I don't think I could have done it. Actually, it would never have started for us. What she has done is amazing and so, so helpful. I am very grateful.

Now that our fridge is stalked, let me tell you, we are eating like royalty!

Salmon with chopped pecans, rosemary and salt, anyone?

How about some spaghetti squash chicken alfredo with a cashew sauce?

Or a yummy breakfast of sweet potatoes and hamburger with lots of spices?

Yes, it does come at a cost. Eating healthy isn't always cheap, especially when you need to use this. I won't tell you what each jar cost :S

But believe me when I say that what we are eating tastes amazing! I am learning about what spices work together and the food is just so full of flavour. I've always loved to cook and, if I can say, my food is usually quite tasty. So it's been fun to push myself even more, working with spices that I've never worked with before.

Has it been hard? Ummmmm, yes. For sure. Part of this also is we are not allowed to step on a weigh scale the whole month - that also has been hard to follow! This program is about learning your body by listening to it, not by using a scale to determine your health.

So yes, the last 6 days have been quite the adjustment....but it's certainly been eye-opening. Here's to 24 more days and then we can introduce sugars, grains and dairy slowly back into our bodies, staying in tuned as to how it affects us - moods, bloating, weight gain, lethargic, wanting more of it.....that's what sugar does, eh? You eat it and it makes you want more.

But hey, for 30 days? It's worth it - we've been given one chance with the body created by God. It is His temple. So really, it is time we treat it with respect by feeding it properly. Yes, we are firm believers of everything in moderation, but by starting this we have learned that we really weren't doing everything in moderation. So it is time to reset our bodies and learn what true moderation will look like once we are done resetting!

Please don't take this as "preaching" and "you should do this, too!" While we are on the bandwagon, we do not think everyone should be on with us. We will not "force" this on anyone. We will answer questions and talk about it, but we will never make anyone guilty for the food they are eating.  You have to be ready to do something drastic like this. It took us years! But with one of us struggling with yo-yoing weight and the other with yo-yoing moods, we felt it was time to take 30 days to reflect on what we are putting into our bodies and the affect it has on us.