Today is a day that I hope to remember for a long, long time. Today is the day Jacob and I are committing 100% to transforming our eating habits. We have been talking about it for several months, but today, we actually started the Whole30 challenge!
For those unfamiliar, the Whole30 challenge is a clean eating program that lasts 30 complete days and involves eliminating possible allergens and some generally bad food choices from your diet. The overall idea is that in 30 days, the body/brain can form a habit, so after the 30 days are over, the healthy habits will continue. Also after the 30 days, you can reintroduce whatever foods you want back into your diet (paying attention to reactions as you introduce them) and leave out whatever foods you have learned not to want.
For more info, check out the Whole30 website: http://whole30.com
Ever since I can remember, I have been addicted to pizza, chips, cheese, cheesecake, Belgian waffles, chocolate chip cookies, fake Chinese food, and the list goes on. Anything fatty, salty, and sweet. When I was in high school, I would eat almost nothing during the day at school and then come home and make two Belgian waffles. In middle school, I made two batches of chocolate chip cookies every week. I knew I should have been eating differently, but I just didn't. I didn't realize the long term effects and habits I was creating that I would struggle to break to this day.
I believe these addictions are physiological and also psychological. Something in me craves them, and until this point, I have not had the conviction to firmly reject them. I am beyond ecstatic to have finally reached this point!
The program consists of completely removing added sugar and sweeteners, dairy, grains (including pseudo-grains like quinoa), soy in all forms, artificial preservatives, certain types of fats, and legumes. That leaves meats, eggs, vegetables, fruits, some types of fats (olive oil, ghee, coconut oil), herbs and spices as long as they are compliant.
Breaking addictions is hard. Jacob and I stayed up late "whole30 proofing" the kitchen and preparing a variety of sauces and dressings to use throughout the week. We both took chicken salads for lunch with carrots, apples, and our homemade dressing. I was pumped to have a hearty breakfast before leaving for work. When lunchtime rolled around, I dug into my salad and realized that the dressing we made last night was awful. It was almost inedible. I was pissed! I was hungry and irritated and frustrated. I choked down as much as I could stomach and ate the carrots. It was a terrible first Whole30 lunch, but we tried again for dinner. I admit, I had a pretty bad attitude about how dinner was going to turn out, but it actually wasn't too bad!
I honestly believe I need to retrain my tastebuds to appreciate natural flavors, and that retaining is going to be one hell of a process. I am not giving up for the entire 30 days as prove to myself that I can put my health first.
If any of you have tried the Whole30 challenge or something similar, how did it go for you? I am definitely looking for taste-tested compliant recipes!
Wish me luck!
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