Nothing Earthy About Me
I grew up on a steady diet of sugar.
Chocolate cake with loads of icing was one of the major food groups I regularly consumed. I’ve always struggled with poor eating habits and my weight … heavy sigh.
Back in the day, no one would ever have considered me a health food nut. More recently, the term “health food nut” can be translated as “earthy.” I have been neither most of my life.
Yet, I married a man who wanted “something green” on his plate at every meal.
Uh, oh. And he didn’t mean canned green beans.
John grew up in the South, where fresh fruits and vegetables were part of his daily routine. Me, on the other hand? My vegetables came out of a can. And I only knew of two … green beans and corn. Well, not completely true. In the summer we ate sweet corn and tomatoes. But I only ate the corn because the word “sweet” was attached to it.
Having children helped. I wanted them to eat more healthfully than I did at their age.
AND we live in the South … easy access to fresh fruits and veggies.
Fast forward several years and many diets later … and now that you know my eating history.
As you might know, I have now been diagnosed with a neurological disease. And my occupational therapist suggested I try “Whole30.”
As the theory goes, eating poorly causes inflammation in your body. I replied to my OT, “I’ll do anything if you think it might help!” I ran it by my pain doctor. He said, “I think it’s worth a try.” I told my infusion doctor, who said, “Absolutely!”
So I decided to give it a go.
My interpretation or Cliff Notes versio, of Whole30 lies in these bullet points:
No dairy. Use Ghee for butter.
No smoothies. No problem. I’m NEVER going to drink something green no matter how much you tell me how good it tastes. That means NO to Kale in a drink.
No grains. I’m used to gluten-free because of my Celiac girls. But even gluten-free isn’t approved.
No preservatives. Sadly, EVERYTHING has preservatives.
Absolutely NO sugar. That means no ketchup. “Oh, no!”
Lean meat. Bummer. Not a big fan of meat.
Only certain vegetables. Yea! Canned green beans are “approved.” But not corn. But I love corn. Fruit. Okay, good. I live in the South. I can get any fruit I want on the approved list.
OLIVES! I can have two handfuls a day. I’m in heaven!
Animal fat only.
Olive oil and coconut oil.
Tomorrow is Day 30 for me.
My favorite line from the Whole30 book reads, “It is not hard. Don’t you dare tell us this is hard. Quitting heroin is hard. Beating cancer is hard. Drinking your coffee black. Is. Not. Hard.”
“Okay,” said I. “I can do this for 30 days.”
It’s been the easiest 30 days on an eating plan I have ever experienced. I feel better than I have in a long, long time. I have more energy (also known as “tiger blood” by some). So, I’m a fan.
I’ve tried new recipes. Yum. I may never buy store-bought mayo ever again after making my own at home. Double yum.
For me, Whole30 is Paleo on steroids.
I am still not earthy, but I am well on my way to being healthy.
By the way, I am starting another 30 days tomorrow. I’m hooked!
A healthier version of me makes me happy
All three of these books include great recipes. If you know me … I like to own the books!
-Ally
P.S. The Veggie Chili recipe is one I created to fit the Whole30 eating plan.
Photo by Ally Holland/England