Cooking exhausts me. I spent the better part of two hours yesterday peeling, chopping, marinading, and cooking my grocery store haul, and I still didn't complete everything I wanted to do. My fridge is stocked with baked chicken thighs and boneless ribs, cucumber salad, roasted carrots, sweet potato chips, a variety of veggies for stir fry, and some mashed cauliflower and parsnips. Of course I sampled everything while cooking; my taste buds are delighted for the coming week's meals.
I treated myself to a movie in the afternoon (Les Miserables, again). I took full advantage of the fact that the Whole30 has not started yet and ate a whole small popcorn. And then I had a Oreo blast from Sonic. It tasted oh so good, but sugar hates me, and I felt like crap afterwards. One day I'll learn. If the food you eat makes you feel terrible, don't eat it.
Which brings me to the "why" of the Whole30. There are a lot of popular eating philosophies out there. Vegan, Vegetarian, Gluten free, Paleo... it's trendy to brand yourself as one of these. People claim it like a badge of honor. The Whole30 most closely identifies with the Paleo way of eating. The Paleo diet in it's simplest form is eating like our prehistoric ancestors ate. They could only consume what they hunted, fished, or gathered. The Paleo diet and the Whole30 both eliminate grains, beans and legumes, dairy, and sugar. The difference is that after your Whole30 you will introduce these food groups back into your diet one at a time.
Grains, beans, dairy, and sugar can be highly inflammatory for some people. Inflammation in the body leads to a host of health maladies, such as asthma, diabetes, obesity, depression, heart disease, arthritis, Alzheimer’s disease, osteoporosis, and other aging diseases. With the Whole30, we reset our bodies by eliminating these inflammation causing foods for 30 days. Afterwards we reintroduce one food group at a time and notice how we feel and how our bodies react to the food. If you feel fine, energized and tummy happy, then go ahead and enjoy that particular food group in your regular diet. If you notice gastrointestinal problems, headaches, or just a general bad physical feeling after eating the food, then you can take that as a sign that your body doesn't like that food (maybe you're allergic to it) and eat it less frequently.
The key thing to remember is that ultimately the Whole30 is about becoming more aware and mindful of your body, its wants and needs, and healing your relationship with your body and food. There are no points or calories to count, neither during nor after your Whole 30. And afterwards there are no foods that are off limits and no excuses to be made to justify eating something. Eat what makes your body feel energized and alive. Avoid what doesn't. When you want a treat, eat it because it is freaking delicious.
Speaking of, it's New Year's Eve! Go party it up, dear readers! Or chill on the couch in your jammies and watch the ball drop. Enjoy some delicious food, maybe a glass of wine, and ring in the excitement and promise of the New Year.
Be safe and get ready! Whole30 starts tomorrow!
Christan
No comments:
Post a Comment