Nitty Gritty Whole 30

I promised you some “whys.” So if you’re interested, here you go:

I regularly have headaches. I struggle with consistent energy levels. I often wake up in the middle of the night. And I’m not 20 anymore. I had been talking with God for some time about what I eat regularly, and it was time. Time to take a step of obedience and intentionally see how feeding myself well would affect these things.

 

In addition, our family rarely says no to ourselves on sweet treats. I haven’t read the book with all the details (yet) but my friend was telling me about how sugar is more addictive than cocaine. I did a little internet searching.

{I modified our usual Chicken Tortilla Soup recipe. Which just meant I took mine out of the pot before I added black beans and corn. If you want the recipe you have to comment. See what I did there?}

 

Since the introduction of High Fructose Corn Syrup in the 1970s, we have doubled the amount of sugar consumed per person per year in America. Because it’s in everything. And, even though we started reducing our fat intake in the 1980s, obesity and Type 2 Diabetes is still on the rise.

 

The problem is, when you take out the fat in a processed food item, it tastes like junk. So the food companies had to add sugar to make it palatable. Thus, our sugar intake has doubled, and we are even more sick.

 

The book points out the reason you can eat an entire bag of Oreos, or some other highly-processed food, and still not feel full is because there is not enough nutrition to induce satiation. Even though we’ve consumed plenty of calories, our brains know we haven’t received enough nutrients. So we continue to want more.

 

I understand this: My children have been known to say, “Mom, please don’t eat [whatever treat] when I’m gone.”

 

So, yeah.

 

Okay, now for a bit of the How:

 

With a pretty fierce headache (sugar is addictive you know), and a heart full of God-reliant prayers, I headed to the store on Day Two to load up on fresh fruit & veggies and lean protein.

 

First thing I did was chop onions, carrots & celery, throw them in a pot with water and a whole bag of frozen chicken breasts, and let it simmer most of the afternoon. I used the broth for…broth. And I shredded the chicken and veggies in my Kitchen Aid mixer to keep in the fridge for potato and salad toppings.

 

When I had my hands on fresh broth, I set to work on this soup recipe. (If you’ve never cooked with coconut milk, don’t be scared. It can usually be found in the Asian food section of the grocery store.) We kept the leftovers in the fridge for the next week for quick lunches.

 

 

I also browned several pounds of lean beef. I stuck some in the freezer and some in fridge for quick meals. I chopped veggies and boiled eggs.

 

Then I roasted the veggies we had on hand: Acorn squash, butternut squash, carrots, onions. Dee-lightful.

 

What else?

 

I have individually wrapped potatoes in foil and thrown them in the crockpot for most of the day. Baked potatoes ready in the fridge to heat up whenever I need them. (Apparently, the original Whole 30 plan didn’t allow for potatoes. But now it does. I was not aware of such controversy and have been happily using this non-grain carb in my prepping.)

 

I plan to hit The Spice Merchant this week to pick up sage and fennel, two spices that give sausage its flavor, and make this chicken sausage recipe.

 

I’m glad almond butter is allowed. Fresh Market, Natural Grocers, and Whole Foods all have contraptions that let you grind it yourself. You have to read labels carefully if you’re getting the stuff in a jar.

Still want to try this coconut oil roasted nut recipe.

 

Green onions/scallions have been invaluable for adding flavor to salads, omelettes, and tuna wraps. So have red onions.

 

Some winner recipes include Roasted cauliflower and Crispy Oven Fries. (Oven fries and homemade guac made for acceptable New Years Eve party additions.)

 

Ghee is interesting and helps for a butter fix. Ever heard of it?

A few observations:

I have dreamed about food several times. The “typical experience” timeline talks about this, which made me feel less crazy.

Other than those dreams, sleep has been…wonderful.

I don’t know if I would have taken the time to try new recipes or veggies if I hadn’t been doing this challenge. It’s been good for experimenting.

Pinterest is not as fun to look at when you are not eating baked treats.

Been exploring this blog, a quality site whose author is a friend to many of my friends in real life. The recipes are mostly plant-based and gluten-free. I will keep returning here when the challenge is over.

 

I’m still processing with God about what all of this looks like going forward. I doubt giving up sugar forever is going to happen, but I don’t want to be controlled by it.

 

How about you? Any thoughts? Ever tried to give up or limit sugar? Believe it’s addictive? Have any good recipes or tips to share?

 

I’d love to hear!

 

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