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.