My whole 30 - The verdict

For the past three days I've deliberated on how to write this post. Since I had counted on singing the praises of The Whole 30, I thought it'd be a doddle, but I'm afraid it's not quite that simple. At least it won't be boring, right?! Firstly, I'm glad I did it, I want to be clear about that point, but I feel it was the wrong time for me to do it. I feel that I was unable to do it the way it ought to be done, and I am not convinced that paleo is right for me, especially not right now. I think that more than anything else, The Whole 30 served to remind me that not only is there no 'one size fits all' diet, but our dietary requirements do change and fluctuate depending on our lifestyles.

My lifestyle at the moment is one of a breastfeeding, cosleeping, homeschooling 24/7 parent. Those of you who have done it will agree this lifestle gives quite a high nutritional requirement, possibly not dissimilar to that of an elite athlete! I wish I was joking.  One reason that I found the whole 30 challenging was that it unexpectedly reduced my supply of breast milk. I'm not 100 % sure why this happened. According to the Australian Breastfeeding Association, a breastfeeding woman can virtually eat any diet she wants, provided she's not starving, and still produce enough milk to feed her baby (I have misgivings about this theory but they pertain more to the quality of  said milk).  I have a couple of theories, one is that while the body is detoxifying heavily, the mammary glands might 'hold back' to protect the baby from toxins, and the other is that detoxification increases the body's water requirement, and I wasn't meeting that requirement. In other words I may simply have been dehydrated. I'm inclined to think it was the latter. Either way it was the wrong time for me to undertake a huge cleanse, but I'm glad I did it anyway. Little one didn't lose out too much, and supply is now right back where it should be. (Had she been under 18 months old I would have stopped the cleanse when I noticed the supply drop and introduced some quinoa and soaked brown rice back into my diet. I don't recommend cleansing while breastfeeding a young baby. If you're very unwell and need to change your diet, do it by degrees.)

I found I was eating more meat than felt good for my body, just to get full. This wasn't the fault of the diet, it was the result of my failure to plan and shop, and also a function of needing to fill up to produce milk. Whole 30 does not prescribe amounts of foods. I only ate so much meat for Sofia's sake, and it made me feel a little heavy and sluggish. Had I not been breastfeeding I'd have been content to feel hungry some of the time, and would happily have eaten plenty of veggies in its place. If I'd planned better I would have made myself more bone broths and drunk coconut juice, both of which I find help with milk production.  

Another reason that I found it challenging was that it was a bit of a shock to me. As a paleo 'virgin' I had to scramble to figure out what to eat all the time. When I took the kids out and about I had to plan ahead to ensure I didn't get caught without enough snacks for myself. This took quite a bit more 'getting used to' than I'd anticipated, and I was often left hungry for too long. I gradually learned little tricks, like that trips to the fruit and veggie shop were the easiest and cheapest way to begin a day out, curries without rice are a good food court option, and at home, broth is a great snack. To anyone thinking of trying the whole 30, I'd recommend doing an intro to paleo eating first, by  cutting out one thing at a time, first dairy, then legumes, then rice perhaps, then quinoa... This would be a far 'friendlier' way to approach the idea. It is, after all, a very different way of eating than most of us are accustomed to.

Now I'll turn to all the awesome things that happened. The first thing I noticed was blood sugar balance! It was such a freeing feeling not to crave all the time. The next was a reduction in inflammation, that is my face, arms and collarbones became more defined, so I appeared to have lost weight within the first week. Along with the apparent signs of reduced inflammation, I had less pain in my feet and the back pain cleared altogether. My feet eventually stopped hurting too, by week 3. I'm hard on my feet, they took longer!  The next thing I realised was that I don't think I actually need to / should be completely grain free. The benefits I experienced were no greater than when I cut refined carbs loose. I also felt a little ungrounded, and the ayruvedics do say that grains keep us grounded, centred in our bodies. While there is no one right way to eat for everyone, if you want to figure out how you should eat, look to the diet of your own ancestors. For example my Mum's side of the family hark from the Irish and Scottish. They do much better when they exclude most fruits, and exclude grains altogether. I however, seem to have taken more from the Italian heritage on my fathers side, and while this does not mean I can have a pasta party, it does seem to make my body more accepting of sprouted legumes and soaked whole grains. For me this is a welcome thing, because I like variety. Finally, in the last week of the cleanse I noticed my skin was smoother and my ankles had come back. Hazzar. Who would sneeze at that?

Those were the physical changes, but they weren't the greatest payoff. The greatest payoff was how I felt! To wake feeling energetic day after day, when you face two toddlers and a list of chores enough to make 'War and Peace' seem like light reading is no small thing, but I did, by about week three. But above all, there was the clarity of mind. I mentioned feeling ungrounded, and I did, but I somehow simultaneously felt clear and peaceful, and life with the little ones flowed with virtually no upsets or conflicts. I suddenly had no need to get angry with anyone, I was on top of the situations, and things just seemed not to be so bad after all. This is a feeling I HIGHLY recommend! And it's also motivation enough to maintain my health from here on.

The whole 30 has changed my approach to my diet in several ways. I'm welcoming legumes back into my life, never to be cast out again! I feel that, for me, as long as they're properly soaked and sprouted, there's nothing wrong with a handful of lentils in a plate of soup. However I do believe in and prescribe this diet, and those who benefit from it include people with autoimmune diseases, sufferers of severe digestive complaints, those unsuccessfully trying to conceive, and those with pain and inflammation problems to name a few. Aside from losing the dairy, I'm going to commit to staying clear of refined grain products. I love my rye sourdough but I'm afraid it doesn't love me back. In fact eating it now gives me indigestion, I tried. I'll also be careful to soak my rice and quinoa before I cook it, and perhaps tend more to quinoa than rice, since I seem averse to rice too, thanks to the cleanse. We were definitely eating too much rice. I tend to rely on it as a quick meal option when I've failed to plan. And that's the other thing I'll commit to, menu planning. Knowing what I'm making and using my slow cooker will make all the above much easier. Next I need to figure out how to keep all this from costing too much, and as soon as I do I'll be posting about it to be sure!

A much healthier, happier Mamma. Thanks to all of you who expressed your support, it means a whole lot! During the difficult times, it was the accountability of you guys reading my words that gave me the requisite kick in the proverbial to forge on. Much love xxx

My whole 30 post series

Owing to some very unhealthy (albeit delicious) personal food habits in the wake of Easter, I decided it was time I cleansed. The last cleanse I did was in college, way too long ago. That was a four day juice fast, retreat style. Many happy memories of Ballingup bush surrounds, friends and vegetables! Much as I'd love to relive that time, it's just not practical for a breastfeeding mother of two to fast for any length of time, much less head to a quiet bush retreat for the duration. It has to be a different sort of cleanse for me!

I chose the whole 30 cleanse for a couple of reasons. Foremost, it can be done at home, and requires no special effort or expense. Big bonus. It's based on whole foods, JERF, just eat real food, for a month. This promises to reset my digestion and eliminate cravings. Great, much needed! But I also chose it for a more, shall we say, 'investigative' reason.

With all the hoopla around the paleo diet of late, many people, including high profile personalities, have put their two cents into the debate 'for what it's worth'. I happened to flick past that unfortunate tv show 'the circle' recently to hear a bleach blonde drag queen-like woman in her 40s declare that in her opinion cutting out entire food groups wasn't healthy. I wasn't aware she held any qualifications to that end...

But why not put it to the test? There are thousands of testimonials online by people whose lives have been changed for the better to various degrees by paleo and similar diets. While it doesnt suriprise me that eliminating processed food does anyone a world of good, I'd like to see what it can do for me. I'm a perfect candidate at present as my health is wanting. My senses of smell and taste are diminished, a sign of zinc deficiency. I have chronic plantar fasciitis (sore feet) and lower back pain, signs of low magnesium. I'm increasingly tired, which could be my baby's night waking, or anaemia, or both...my baby's night waking is itself possibly due to my milk being high in sugar and low in essential nutrients, I strongly suspect this to be the case as she had been sleeping through prior to my diet completely falling off the proverbial wagon. At present, my diet is like many western diets, inclusive of all types of food, real or otherwise. So I'm going to cut a few out and report the changes! 

The whole 30 diet essentially eliminates sugar, grains, dairy and legumes. While grains have been on my hit list for ages, legumes and dairy are a different story. I still think legumes should be ok provided they are bought dried and soaked til sprouted, but for the sake of science I'll forego the pleasures until the end of the cleanse, then reintroduce them. Its been a long time since I've consumed pasteurised milk, and I do feel that raw milk is a wonderful thing, but in the spirit of cleansing and investigating, I'll forego that too. Sugar is something I regularly eliminate...long story!

In addition to the whole 30 protocols, I'm going to drink warm lemon water before meals, and take a gut cleansing herbal formula, as well as my usual handful of probiotics every evening. 

I'm certain that my health will be amazing by the end of the month. I'm sure my zinc, magnesium and iron levels will return to normal, I'll lose some weight, have heaps of energy, feel light and happy and calm. I'm looking forward to it, and I hope to inspire others to try it too. 

And finally, for the sake of accountability, Im posting a selfie, before and after style!

I can't tell you how much I'm looking forward to an improvement in that dial! (to say nothing of everything south thereof).