Don’t take this as me falling on the bandwagon of clean eating. To be fair and honest, I don’t eat a lot of processed foods and try my best to make my own meals.
It started about 4 years ago when I was complaining a lot about stomach aches, bloating, and discomfort. So for Lent, I gave up red meat (I was still eating seafood) as a trial. After 40 days of abstaining, my gut seemed happy. Fast forward to the next Lent, my gut was back on the unhappy train and so I gave up carbs. Again, my stomach felt good. However, fast forward to the next Lent I was back to square one, so I gave up carbs AND meat… Next Lent, I gave up sugar… Yada, yada, yada.
Can you see where this is heading? For four years I went back and forth, using Lent as my way of cleaning out my system. In retrospect, I was creating my own Whole 30 experiment. After each experiment, I did my best to eat less carbs, sugars, and red meats – making sure that I was eating enough fruits and veggies, and cooking at home vs. grabbing take-out. Worked okay, but my gut still hurts from time to time. And lately, my stomach pains have been more prominent and more frequent to the point I can’t take it anymore.
Enter Whole 30.
Just like a ‘hard reset’ on an iPhone, I’m doing a hard reset on my gut. Hopefully at the end of my 30 days and during the reintroduction phase, I’ll find out what exactly is making my tummy so unhappy. Along for this crazy ride will be my partner in crime, D. We’ll be two foodies going on a Whole 30. (Which is great, because I don’t have to cook different types of meals at each sitting. Hah.)
Here are the rules.
- No grains.
- No added sugar or sugar substitutes.
- No alcohol.
- No legumes.
- No dairy.
That’s it. Simple as that. I’ve already taken the time to place all noncompliant foods away from my reach (which isn’t too hard, I just have to put them on the top shelf… Perks of being a short girl.) and cleaned out my fridge. D has read the rules AND swears to comply. And now, you know about it as well. Soooo there will be no peer-pressuring to eat delicious chocolate cake with a porter, right???
Right. -__-
Consider this my PSA, guys and gals. If I decline a beverage, a meal, or an indulgence, it’s not you. It’s me – I’m doing a ‘Whole 30’ and I’m praying that I make it.
‘Til the next time.
– E