So here we are at Day 2 of my Whole30. The ‘what’ is 30 days without sugar, alcohol, dairy, beans, or grains; instead eating veggies, meat, seafood, eggs, fruit and healthy fat. The ‘why’ is to figure out if anything on that first list is causing some of the aches and pains that have been on the increase lately. I don’t mind taking my fair share of those things, I just don’t want an extra helping if it’s optional.
So, quite surprising for the speed with which it was delivered, the answer here on Day 2 appears to be a definite maybe. The things on the naughty list are/were causing me issues. The original list of aches included neck, upper back, lower back, upper arms, wrists and knees. After only one day we are down to one knee, lower back and neck still having issues, and even these are feeling better. Everything else seems fine. Could all be in my head I suppose—finding success since I expect to, but that is actually all the same to me.
In the spirit of full disclosure, I did have some idea that the wrists and ankles would probably fall off the issues list fairly quickly. Normally, I try to eat a healthy diet. That can mean a lot of different things to different people. For me it means I try to get as much of my protein from plants as I can, but I still eat meat; avoid grains when I can but I still eat oatmeal and have an occasional bagel; eat lots of salads but also eat cake when it is offered and sometimes when it is not. You get the idea. I put some effort into what I eat, but I’m not a food saint nor a food drill seargent.
But over the holidays, well that was a different story.
Over the holidays I just had fun. Eggnog? Cookies? Ice cream? Pie? Absolutely. Fettuccini, risotto, ham and mashed potatoes and butter on everything, wheeeeee!!!!! It was festival eating, no question, and I enjoyed myself, but my body was starting to complain, wrists and ankles particularly. I have had issues with them before, but it had grown chronic. I’m glad to see they are back to normal, and amazed how little it took on my part to see some change. Still, one day is one data point. We’ll see where things go from here.
What I ate today:
Breakfast: Eggs, almond milk, coffee
Lunch: Homemade vegetable soup, and salad with lettuce, raspberries, carrots, cucumber, tuna
Snack: Almond milk, banana
Dinner: Seafood stew on cauliflower “rice”, orange, handful of nuts
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Good luck.
Have you considered a full spectrum allergy test as an alternative to chopping and changing diet/trial and error?
Thanks. It’s a good idea. I might pursue allergy testing, however, I doubt I would come up as allergic in the true sense. Probably just sensitive and I don’t think that would even register. I am assuming my symptoms fly under the AMA radar but I could be wrong. It’s a good thought.
The full spectrum tests are very thorough. Could save years of trial and error for marginal cost. Good luck.
Hey, we can have almonds? That is awesome news! This is such a great post. I love reading about the journey, especially since I’m on it too, but I would have enjoyed reading this no matter what. I love your phrasing, like “festival eating.”
Thanks @jayna! You are my most faithful reader. It’s like having you mom be your biggest fan. It’s a little pathetic (on my part) but I’ll take it!!! I’ll double check it but I think nuts are very much ilon the docket. Better be. I have at least a handful daily, sometimes 2. If Im not supposed to be eating them, a fine post in the making!
Yes! We can have nuts on the Whole30! The only “nut” that we cannot have isn’t a nut. We are to stay away from peanuts because they are legumes.
I bet I could have looked that up! Yes I’ve been enjoying almonds the last few days. They are little nuggets of wonder. Crunchy, flavorful, unassuming yet bold. Almond, my almond, how could I ever part with thee?