day 0: whole30's eve

'Twas the night before Whole30 and all through the house...

Right now I am in this strange purgatory where I haven't technically begun my Whole30, but I am chomping at the bit to do so (tomorrow!). I am in mad meal preparation mode (bone broth in the works now) yet I am still trying to finish off the last bits of non-compliant foods in my apartment so they aren't wasted. Today for dinner I had cornbread, greek yoghurt and granola, and a vanilla protein shake. Weirdest meal ever, right? (I'm already craving ALL the vegetables sautéed in ALL the ghee.)

I'm so excited to get started I probably won't sleep tonight (I never grew out of Christmas Eve Syndrome), which probably won't get my hormone balance off to a good start, but hey--I'd much rather lose sleep because I'm excited about being healthy than because my neighbors are up drinking, smoking, and playing videos game every night until 3:00am.

But that's neither here nor there.

So a few people close to me have expressed some concern that taking on the "challenge" of such a "strict" diet may be too much given my already stressful, hectic life as a veterinary student.

Here's the thing:

For me, making decisions is anxiety-inducing (okay--a lot of things are anxiety-inducing for me, but that's a different blog altogether). So, when I take away the need to make decisions about food (which are constant, everyday decisions) and instead commit to following a simple set of rules, my overall anxiety level decreases A LOT. Like, a lot a lot.

This may not be the case for most people. I completely understand that tackling the Whole30 may seem daunting for those who are not accustomed to cooking three meals a day, or those who rely on take-out and processed/packaged foods for the bulk of their nutrition. Making real meals out of real food takes effort, but it is SO rewarding.

I want to take a moment for perhaps an obvious but necessary DISCLAIMER. I think it's important to reiterate that this is only my experience--my Whole30. If you were to go off and do your own, I would expect nothing less than for you to have a completely different experience. Everybody is different. Every body is different. I am not composing this blog as a platform to preach about what you should do to be healthy. I am simply communicating my observations, interpretations, and ruminations on nothing more than my own journey.

That being said, I will be sharing what I'm learning about food, about health, and about myself (be warned, it could be TMI). And I hope to serve in some manner as an inspiration, or, at the very least, as a catalyst for questions, discussion, and discovery.

Tomorrow, it begins. Whole30 is coming.

prologue

I sat down to write this post thinking that it was going to be some long-winded explanation chronicling the complicated layers of circumstances that have led me to this point.

But after staring at the blinking curser for longer than I'd care to admit, I decided that perhaps I would feel more verbose another day (something to look forward to, no doubt).

Today, I want to keep it simple.

So here it is--this is the beginning of my Whole30 journey. Before you ask what "Whole30" is, I will just say that for the month of April, I will be eliminating grains (yes--including quinoa), added sugar (and alcohol!), dairy, and legumes from my diet. If you desire a more detailed explanation, I invite you to explore the Whole30 community over at whole30.com--or better yet, read It Starts With Food by Dallas and Melissa Hartwig (you can borrow my copy).

I am at my core a scientist so for me, this is a fascinating experiment and I, the subject. Through the course of this "study", I aim to improve my psychological relationship with food (i.e. curb emotional eating), reduce systemic inflammation (which could be fueling a slew of other related medical issues), patch gut permeability (and thus prevent any gastrointestinal distress I may get from eating certain foods), and reset hormonal dysfunction as it relates to the consumption (read: OVER-consumption) of the afore-mentioned food groups.

It is important to note that these choices are not between "healthy" and "unhealthy" foods (I had a friend say to me today that he couldn't imagine quinoa ever being unhealthy). A big part of this journey for me is about finding balance, and labeling certain foods as unhealthy or "bad" is not a good way to promote balance. With that said, I do believe there is a spectrum of MORE healthy to LESS healthy, and I am open to the possibility that some foods commonly touted as healthy may be less so than I originally thought.

So, in true scientific fashion, my hypothesis:

During the Whole30 program, I will sleep better, have more consistent energy throughout the day, and put an end to my "need" to snack*. After the 30 days, the proper reintroduction of those previously eliminated foods will give me a clear sense of the effect they have on my body and I will be able to assess whether to include them in my more healthy lifestyle going forward. *Please notice I did not include losing weight as a predicted outcome. This is not and will never be about weight loss. Period.

The methods for the experiment are straightforward: don't consume noncompliant foods for 30 days. To supplement the methods, I am initiating this blog as a way to document my observations (and--let's be honest--to vent about the struggles I will undoubtedly encounter along the way).

So read on and follow along with my journey, or don't. It makes no difference to me. It's like the tree falling in the forest--if a girl blogs through her Whole30 and no one is there to read it, did it really happen?

Yes.

It's all happening.