Whole 30 Update

I’m almost 2/3 of the way through my month of super strict Paleo aka the Whole 30. I was as close to 100% compliant as humanly possible for the first two weeks. Over the past week, a few things have crept back in. It started with making my favorite Orange Chicken to which I added a tablespoon of honey (in a batch of sauce for two pounds of chicken). Negligible, right? Still, I get why even that isn’t allowed. You have that and it makes it that much easier to just allow something else. That something else was this Granola recipe, which no lie, is like crack in our house. Both Cute Man and I went after it like gangbusters. This will have to be a rare treat because it makes me want to house ALL OF THE THINGS. Dinner last night? A bowl of pureed cauliflower and carrot soup (post-dentist, I wanted something soft) and then two (albeit small) bowls of the granola “cereal” with almond milk. Until the granola was gone. Not only was it more sugar than I would have wanted, it gave me a bit of digestive distress, shall we say… Lesson learned!

The best part of this challenge has been the lack of dairy. It is weird to think I don’t miss it. This makes me truly realize that it has the same type of addictive effect on me that wheat and sugar do. If I don’t have it, I’m fine. If I do, I want more. As a result, I’m going to keep it out of my rotation for the foreseeable future. I’m more than happy to stick with ghee instead of butter, at least at home – eating a bit of it out will probably be fine. It is delicious and much easier to cook with (higher smoke point). As long as I stay away from coffee, there really isn’t much reason for cream, either, I’ve found. Even though I kicked my caffeine addiction some six months ago, I was still indulging in not-so-infrequent Starbucks treats in the form of decaf Americanos with heavy cream. These were not doing me or my wallet any favors. I have moved on to my Tazo Passion Tea obsession, which is much healthier :) Wow, it took me this long to even think about cheese. Once my go-to low carb snack that I could not possibly live without… And here I am living without it. It may or may not make a return. I never thought most hard aged cheeses bothered me, but maybe I’ll do a test after this elimination to see… In any case, I’m in no hurry. It might just become a from time to time type thing.

I am looking forward to the return of some of my baked almond flour and coconut flour treats. Due to their high fiber content and lack of addictive grains, I don’t see them as a huge issue for me. They bring a layer of enjoyment and fun to this lifestyle that I particularly like sharing with others. It might not be a hardcore stance on the subject, but I’m not in this to win the most Paleo-ist contest. I’m in it for health, happiness, and a sustainable way of life. As this super strict experiment starts to wind down, I will be keeping some of the changes (no to dairy) and letting some go (yes to Paleo-ized baked treats).