Cavegirl

My hairdresser and I were talking last week about books. She told me that she had just read It Starts With Food, and she felt like it had changed her life. The book is basically a guide to changing your diet to a "paleolithic" one--vegetables,fruit, meat, nuts. No grains, dairy, refined sugars or even artificial sweeteners. Apparently, cavemen ate bacon, because that is an approved food.

The plan is called Whole30. You eat according to the food plan for 30 days, then you can add foods in after that. This is supposed to give the body the opportunity to heal if there are any underlying allergies or inflammation. As food groups are added back in, you can see if there is something that just doesn't work for you. Lately, I have felt a little crummy, bloated, and randomly itchy. It seemed like a worthwhile experiment to refine my diet for 30 days. If I discover that I feel better, then great. If not, it's really no big deal and still gives me information.

I'm not doing it primarily to lose weight (though I'm sure that I will), because 1) I don't want to be disappointed if I don't lose all the weight I'd like to and 2) it is easier to be consistent if I treat this as a medical experiment, rather than a "diet".

Rowdy is on a hiking trip, so it seems like a good week to start and get through the most uncomfortable phase of the 30 days. I've eaten well today--sweet potatoes, salad, chicken, peas, fruit and hamburger that contains ground bacon. Yup! That was delicious.

It will be interesting to see how 30 days without Diet Coke goes! The Whole30 blog has a timeline of what to expect during the 30 days here.

UPDATE: I am on day 2. I feel just a little headachy and tired, but that's pretty much how I've been feeling and one of the reasons why I wanted to try this experiment. I've been happy with what I've been eating so far, which is in part thanks to good planning. This morning, I had a sweet potato and some leftover chicken. It was very satisfying and delicious. Lunch was a big salad from the cafeteria salad bar. Almonds and a nectarine were my snack. Tonight will be buffalo taco lettuce wraps. You're not supposed to weigh yourself during the 30 days, but I did this morning. I have lost 2 lbs of water weight. This is not a surprise, as I have been drinking lots of water and peeing every hour.