Day 5: 5 Reasons Why the Whole30 is for Me!

I don't want you to think that I am trying to make anyone feel guilty for not eating the way that I am eating.  Reason 1 that this isn't a blog listing all the meals I am eating.  I just want to convey to everyone what the Whole30 has done for me, and my diet, and my life in a real-time documentation.  It is more for me and my reflection than it is for you...but I do like to know that you are reading it, and laughing at my jokes, and maybe even taking a closer look at the foods that are on your plate.

Also, something that I haven't mentioned is that my immediate family is not doing this with me.  I am basically making the same foods for them that we have always eaten, but modifying them for me to enjoy with them, and still stay on-plan.  For example tonight I had home-made chicken soup, but they put noodles in theirs.  I will put the recipe on here...just basically started throwing stuff in the crockpot with a whole chicken, and boy was it amazing.


So in honor of today being DAY 5, I decided to give you my top 5 reasons why the Whole30 has been an awesome decision for me personally.  And if you decide that you want to know more about it, or join in, let me know!

{{Insert drum-roll here}}
Number 1. It is totally doable.  Seriously.  You can have so many different kinds of food.  The restrictions are not too restrictive.  You don't have to buy anything special, except food. No expensive shakes or pills.  Just good food that replaces the junk you buy at the store.  Except for almond or coconut flour if you want to bake something...because if you live where I live I can't easily find almond or coconut flour.  To be honest, I have only looked one place...but still they were out...so here I sit with a list of recipes with no ingredients in my cabinets to make them. Sigh.

2.  I don't have to give up coffee.  I love coffee like a fat kid loves cake. Enough. Said.

3.  Not only did the authors of It Starts with Food give us a list of acceptable food, and a list of unacceptable foods, they also tell us WHY they are acceptable or unacceptable, and give very detailed science to back up their reasoning.  If you have seen that diet online where you eat two hot dogs, ice cream, and an apple you know why I tend to be a serious skeptic of the fad eating plans circulating Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, etc.  

4.  I am learning to love the taste of FOOD.  I am not talking about the artificially-flavored pseudo-foods that we are used to eating. They are chemically engineered to taste "good"..have I mentioned my penchant for Cheese-Its?  Whole, natural foods are delicious.  Especially when you cook them in healthy fats.  Did you know that you can scramble delicious eggs without using milk, cheese, or butter?  No kidding!  Try it.  You'll like it!

5. I haven't died yet from not having grains.  I have done sugar-fasts at different times in my life.  I know I can live without sugar.  But not having ANY grains...or beans...or rice--which, I know, is a grain, but it is a big one so it gets listed--is something that I have never attempted before.  And it really isn't as hard as I thought that it would be.  I did make my kids popcorn today and that was a teeny bit tempting...but my temptation was overwhelmed by my guilt at feeding my children chemically laden, bad-for-you-fat covered, void of nutrition food.

I have been pretty happy with the plan so far.  Eating good food, trying good recipes, and feeling GOOD!

*A side note: please don't think my parents were terrible at feeding us while we were growing up.  We ate what we liked, and what was marketed to us, like all the other American families growing up in the time that we grew up in. So Mom, please stop feeling all guilty because we ate white bread and margarine at every meal...that is what we thought we were supposed to do in the 80's and 90's.*

P.S.  My darling non-Whole30 eating husband just returned from Braums with our children.  He was at least decent enough to not bring home the ice-cream he took them to go get! Boy, I sure do love him.