take what you need

Although my Whole30 challenge only lasted 18 days, I compacted a lot of discovery into that small amount of time and at the end of it I felt a little sad to see it go. One of the biggest questions I asked during the process was “who am I doing this for?” I hoped to always be able to respond honestly that it was for myself, and only for myself, but that wasn’t always the case. As my resolve drifted away last weekend, I was a bit reluctant to release my hold on the clear structure that the Whole30 had afforded my life. So reluctant, in fact, that I decided I needed to check my motives and my sense of self-worth, and perhaps try again when I was ready to do this for myself and only for myself. Not to please others. Not to prove anything. Not to look like a champion or a martyr.

Along the way, however, I learned a great deal.

First, I discovered that discipline — such as the discipline required not to eat all of the Christmas candy in the bowl on the counter on Whole30/Day 1 — is practical across the board. Meaning, the discipline I was exercising in restricting my diet inevitably increased, and I was able to apply it to greater discipline in getting work done, implementing good habits, increasing my productivity and my emotional responsibility. I’m not saying that the Whole30 was the greatest thing that ever happened to my whole life because it was hard. And, as Andrew can probably attest, I was not nice about some things. (For example, opening a bottle of wine for him. When I couldn’t have any. Wine aromas are pungent.) But overall I can say I am leaving my Whole30 experience with greater discipline to apply to other areas of my life.

Second, I had the mini-epiphany that really wanting to see results requires absolute commitment. Again, this applies to nearly everything, not just a diet/exercise plan. In a marriage, if the couple really wants to fix a communication problem, they must totally commit to the relationship. If a family wants to save up for something, they must commit to giving a certain amount of money to a savings account, even if that means going without other luxuries for a time. In the same way, as I was hoping to see a marked difference in my body composition, skin clarity, energy levels and quality of sleep, I was trying to commit fully to the project to reap the most results. In previous efforts — whether they were toward the end result of running endurance or thinking before speaking — I inevitably sabotaged my own resolution by allowing a slip-up here or a cheat there, all the while thinking I could “handle” it while still making a positive change. I would knowingly compromise my own success. But now, in reflecting on those 18 days, I understand the level of commitment required for such an undertaking. I’m hoping to try again with renewed vigor and resolve — in everything I try to achieve, not just a little Whole30 challenge.

During the challenge I could see and feel results happening, and even now that head start is encouraging me, despite my Austin blow-out. My skin and body were on their way to optimal health and wellness, and I just had to (have to!) keep it up. I came to understand that my skin is the largest display of my total health — if we see a problem on our chin or forehead, it’s usually something internal. Our skin is our body’s way of telling us what’s going on before it becomes a greater inflammatory issue inside, which I think is very cool. I realized that sugar or grains aren’t worth any amount of indulgence when it really comes down to it, and even now I’m turning down fro-yo for hot tea after dinner to avoid that phlegmy, bloated feeling that inevitably comes from such a treat.

The Whole30 also helped me to pay more attention to my digestive system — another way the body communicates its health to us. I quickly realized that too much nut butter (raw almond butter, yum) is not kind to my tummy, and even though I was starving and ravenous it’s better for my mental and physical states to slowly savor a meal instead of scarfing it.

Here are some practical things that worked for me on the Whole30 plan:

1) Starting the day with coffee. Non-negotiable.

2) A breakfast combining fats and proteins and some veg-based carbs was always the most satisfying. Something like roasted butternut squash or sweet potato hash over greens with a fried egg, or leftover roast veggies with scrambled eggs and avocado.

3) Grapefruit. Always. Everywhere.

4) A cup of hot tea after lunch is a nice way to mark the end of the meal in the same way that it is a nice signal for the end of the day.

5) Fresh veggies were the best snacks. Roasted veggies were the best for everything else.

6) A salad with protein for lunch was my favorite, most reliable midday meal. I craved hefty, savory, meaty feasts for dinner, but lunch was always a little lighter and I felt lighter because of it.

7) Keeping “emergency protein” around was a great salvation for snacky-munchy afternoons or an ill-prepared-for dinner. I need to start keeping pre-made meatballs, hardboiled eggs, baked-off bacon and sausage, and salmon filets broiled in bulk on hand for such occasions. All you need then is a bowl of soup and lunch is ready.

What I missed the most with Whole30 protocol:

1) Green smoothies/juices — mostly because I was too lazy to make them. (They are “allowed.”)

2) Red wine and dark chocolate. No explanation needed here.

3) Bone broth — laziness again.

4) Apple cider vinegar tonic, like this one from Delighted Momma.

Now I’m equipped with a ton of knowledge that I didn’t have before the Whole30 — knowledge about how I function best and how this sort of thing works in real life. I also came to a fresh appreciation of my wonderful, supportive husband through 18 days of sometimes-grumpy food challenges. He was an incredible cheerleader and I’m grateful for him, as I always am.

So…now what?

Instead of a rigid Whole30, I’m going to still try and implement many of the guidelines in my weekly life, while also adding in a few things specific to my case. For example, I’ll be avoiding sugar a la Sarah Wilson — meaning, staying clear of most fruit and all sweets — except for the occasional spoonful of raw unfiltered honey. With antibacterial properties, a little of this does more good than harm. Specifically, I’ll be combining a teaspoon here and there with Bragg’s apple cider vinegar to boost my digestion and immunity, plus help clear up my skin. (I’ll also be implementing a few of Liz’s suggestions for natural skin remedies, including supplementing with brewer’s yeast and sauerkraut, plus a few vitamins and natural skin treatments.)

And when I’m feeling indulgent, a scoop of honey melted with some coconut oil and cocoa powder makes for a delicious alternative to chocolate. Okay, who am I kidding…there’s no substitute for chocolate. This concerns me not.

A note on fruit-sourced sugar: I do eat fruit, only in moderation and seasonally. This means that right now I’m eating all of the Texas grapefruit I can get my hands on. I also reach for the occasional banana after a workout. Although not the most ethically sound fruit — and although very starchy and sugary — my body feels good when I eat a banana after strenuous exercise. I don’t know if it’s the potassium or the carbs, but it just feels right.

In conjunction with some of the the strict Whole30 guidelines, I’ll be avoiding any additives or preservatives in my food, whether in seasonings, condiments, canned goods or meats. Sulfites and parabens aren’t good for anyone, no matter who you are.

I use red wine and a little beer in my cooking sometimes, and so will continue to use those small amounts whenever a dish needs a flavor boost. I’ll save most drinking for the weekends, along with other indulgences. (Like these or this.)

Otherwise, I’ll keep eating what I love to eat and what I love to cook for my little family: roast chicken, mashed cauliflower and roasted asparagus, sweet potato hash with fried eggs, steaming mugs of bone broth, braised kale, roasted zucchini, melt-in-your-mouth pot roast, avocados and grapefruit upon grapefruit. One thing that the Whole30 took away from me was the freedom I felt in eating paleo before…I didn’t so much as experience a loss of freedom per se, but rather a loss of joy. So I’m hoping to reclaim that with a little less obsession on the diet-intensity front.

This Whole30 experience was great, but what I did was all I needed to do for now. I’m going to take what I need and tailor it to my life, a life that is different from everyone else’s but yet full and richly blessed. And as my friend Helen mentioned, it’s important to offer myself some grace — and, if I say so myself, a little bit of dark chocolate here and there.

my favorite paleo snacks

If snacking were a sport, I would be a champ. Before I started eating paleo, I would always make sure I had a snack on hand to cope with sagging energy levels and low blood sugar before it led to anything drastic. I’d usually keep a baggie of almonds in my purse, or a Luna bar, or some dried fruit or crackers in the console of my car. Although I’m nearly free of my blood sugar fluctuations and borderline-hypoglycemia, there are still afternoons when I need something to munch on. Some days I’m just downright HUNGRY.

The Whole30 was a revolutionary snacking experience for me, as I was almost constantly thinking about what I could or could not have. The exercise resulted in a little bit of obsessive behavior, which I will have to pay more attention to next time, but at the end of it all I think my healthy appreciation for food is just tempered with a bit more awareness. But back to snacks — I was very serious about my snacks, and got to the point where I would have the right things prepped and packed in the fridge at the beginning of the week, ready to grab at a moment’s notice. I delved into some new options for snacking that I’d been missing out on before, but really anything that tastes good and offers protein or fiber is a good snack in my book.

Sliced jicama – crunchy, slightly sweet with an earthiness similar to that of beets.

Sliced red and green bell peppers – great flavor and crunch with tons of vitamins (any brightly colored veggie is the same!).

Radishes – again, gotta love the crunch in these babies, plus the pungent spice adds a nice kick.

Hardboiled eggs – easy, portable, and satisfying with plenty of protein.

Bubbie’s Lacto-fermented pickles – a variation on the theme of “crunch,” this time with a fantastic effervescent sourness that pairs nicely with a hardboiled egg and mustard.

Leftover protein – leftover chicken from last night’s dinner or a little cup of stew acts as a tiny meal, but quenches any cravings for something savory.

Macadamia nuts – these I can go a little crazy on, but they have an ideal omega 3:6 ratio compared to most nuts, and have a naturally sweet flavor and creamy texture that I find satiates a craving for something sweet.

Roasted sweet potato coins – drizzled with a little coconut oil and cinnamon, or dipped in coconut butter, there are my go-to treat when I need something filling but a little decadent. Another squash that I love to roast for snackage is kabocha, a sweet little gourd with soft skin and plenty of fiber and beta-carotene, just like sweet potatoes. I like to slice it thin, roast it in a low oven, and eat it drizzled with toasted pumpkin seed oil.

Beef jerky – in mealtime emergencies or when traveling, little packages of good quality beef jerky are the perfect choice for snacking because: they’re made of pure protein and they take a lot of time to chew through, meaning you won’t eat too much regret it. (Your jaw gets tired before that point.)

Hot herbal tea – sometimes I’m not really hungry when I want a snack, I’m actually thirsty or, let’s be honest, bored. A hot cup of tea refocuses my attention and helps me to re-energize.

Plantain chips – sliced thin, fried in coconut oil, sprinkled with salt and paprika and then spritzed with lime, these usually don’t last long enough in our house to be eaten as a snack…

Toasted coconut flakes – slightly caramel in color and with a sweet, roasted aroma, toasted coconut is a great stand-in for granola and can be gulped by the handful.

Half an avocado – drizzled with a little coconut aminos or sprinkled with a touch of sea salt and lemon, half an avocado needs no dish — just eat the flesh from the hull with a spoon!

* * * * *

What are your favorite snacks? Healthy or indulgent? Portable or more of the sit-down kind of fare? Let me know, I’m always curious!

Whole30 recap :: week 3

After a long weekend I’m back to talk about my Whole30 experience. Most of this week was a little off for me. I didn’t feel well, I was really tired, I had fierce chocolate cravings, and then some. Here’s how things have shifted and merged and, well, you can read for yourself.

Day 15: Black coffee with breakfast, and a slice of kale-mushroom quiche with 1 strip of bacon and sauerkraut. Later I snacked on 2 slices of leftover chicken breast and a grapefruit. Lunch after yoga was another golden beet salad, made with all sorts of veggies and leftover chicken breast. I topped it off with a blueberry banana smoothie, made with coconut milk, maca, matcha, ice, cinnamon and tumeric and a sprinkling of coconut and chia seeds. After a walk that afternoon I snacked on bell pepper strips and made dinner, all taken from Well Fed: North African spice-rubbed salmon with Turkish chopped salad over lettuce. To quell my fierce chocolate craving after dinner I made an unsuccessful and unpalatable coconut chia pudding with cocoa…it wasn’t delicious, nor did it sit well with my stomach. I self-remedied with mint tea and went to bed.

Day 16: Breakfast was black coffee, a half of grapefruit, and scrambled eggs with baby kale, roasted zucchini, parsnips, mushrooms and garlic. (Basically what I had in the fridge.) After an hour walk/run I snacked on jicama strips, then made lunch with leftover Turkish chopped salad and chicken breasts over lettuce, plus a bit of Andrew’s leftover beef stew. I enjoyed a hot cup of Tazo Zen green tea at Starbucks with my friend Abby, after which we both headed to the gym for a circuit workout. My workout was sub-par, as was my energy level, and I was zonked when I got home. The solution to that? Breakfast for dinner! I made eggs scrambled with a bit of creamy coconut milk and nutmeg, some bacon and local sausage, sauteed zucchini, mushrooms, baby kale and parsnips, and half a grapefruit. We ended the night with mint tea and an early bedtime.

day 17 IV day 17 V

Day 17: Black coffee, omelette with 4 yolks and 1 whole egg, stuffed with a little jalepeno sausage, lettuce, parsley. I used the remaining 4 egg whites to make paleo macaroons from Everyday Paleo, made simply with shredded coconut, whipped egg whites and a little coconut milk. I ate two of those after breakfast. Lunch was a couple of homemade nori rolls when Andrew came home for his break – made with nori sheets, a bit of toasted sesame oil, smoked wild-caught salmon, cucumber, radish, avocado, kimchi, and a little dish of coconut aminos for dipping. Later I had a banana “parfait” made with a small sliced banana, coconut milk, a crumbled macaroon, cinnamon and a drizzle of almond butter. After an hour walk I snacked on some roasted sweet potatoes and half a kombucha, then browned a couple pounds of grass-fed ground beef with tons of veggies, stuffed it all into a kabocha squash to roast, and served with a side salad and sauerkraut.

Day 18: As per the recommendation of Liz at Cave Girl Eats, I started my day off with Brewer’s Yeast in a little water. Breakfast was a fried egg with roasted sweet potatoes and some PG Tips tea, followed up by an Americano and a short yoga session. Lunch was another golden beet salad with leftover chicken and veggies, and later I snacked on the rest of my kombucha, a macaroon, some roasted sweet potato coins with almond butter and an Americano. Then we were off for the weekend — to Austin! The drive was lovely but the rest of our evening was thoroughly frustrating — we had to wait for two hours to get our rental, we were so exhausted and hungry and angry and then disappointed by our terrible room…we didn’t eat dinner until nearly 10 p.m. Thankfully, where we were staying was right around the corner from The Clay Pot in downtown Austin, and we scarfed a beautiful meal of authentic Indian food. I had the Lamb Roganjosh and it was incredible. Only I hardly remember it because I ate it so fast slash I was falling asleep into my dish.

I was on the fence whether or not to continue my Whole30 challenge while in Austin with my husband. One part of me wanted to see if I could rise to the occasion and fight through the difficulties of traveling with diet restrictions. But the other part of me wanted to enjoy a carefree, relaxing vacation with my husband. That part of me was craving culture and ethnic foods, was craving a new taste sensation and the flavors of a new city. And that part of me eventually won, when I willingly and joyfully broke my Whole30 with this glorious creation:

This, my friends, is The Frankencookie at Frank’s just off S. Congress in Austin. It is a homemade chocolate chip bacon cookie, topped with locally made coffee ice cream and candied bacon crumbles. Andrew and I ate this with two spoons and enjoyed every crumb. Some other non-Whole30 delights from Austin included a six-course tasting meal at Uchi (mostly paleo, actually…), an authentic Czech kolache at the farmer’s market, 2 chilled glasses of sake, a Paloma at Star Bar on Sixth Street, an empanada and famous latte at Pacha, and chips and salsa for brunch.

On the other hand, I ate some incredible paleo food while in Austin: a yummy green juice, locally brewed strawberry kombucha, local spicy sauerkraut, the “Fit Cross” burger at Wholly Cow, incredible sashimi at Uchi, and the best brunch ever at 24 Diner — sweet potato hash with roasted jalepenos, local breakfast sausage, poached eggs and juicy Texas grapefruit.

It was an effortless weekend, a grand old time that got better as the days progressed. We ended out stay with a long run along the river on Monday morning, followed up with our favorite brunch and a pot of excellent coffee.

Am I sad that I didn’t complete the Whole30? A little bit. Part of me wanted to push through just to say that I could do it, just to say that I completed something big that I had started. What I certainly don’t regret, however, is that I didn’t pass up opportunities to make memories with my husband or really experience all of the flavor that Austin had to offer. I’m also grateful that, for me, the Whole30 challenge is officially over. Through my 18 days of participation I learned a lot about food and my body, cravings and nourishment, and what works best for me — additionally, I started to get a little neurotic about my food and because of that in particular I’m glad for the break. After I debrief a little more I’ll write a bit more about what I’ve learned and how I’m hoping to implement principles from Whole30 into my daily, weekly routines.

Meanwhile, to all of you out there still on the Whole30 path — I salute you. To anyone still curious about it — keep learning. To anyone still trying to clean up your diet and your life — keep trying, because it gets better and the results are good. This is all for now, but I’ll be back soon with a comprehensive list of how the Whole30 has changed my perspective and my health for the better. Cheers!

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take what you need

my favorite paleo snacks

Whole30 recap :: week 3

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