Tag: nutrition

Week 2, Whole30 + Gut Protocol

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Find the week 1 recap of my current round of food sensitivity elimination here.

I came out of week 1 feeling pretty amazing; regular 💩, bloat-free, ready for more positive feelings surrounding my health and how I’m feeling physically! I was a little unprepared in the day to day because I didn’t prep any food ahead of time – which is really a game changer for completing this entire program with little stress! So let’s talk about week 2…

I strayed from my path 😶

I ate ice cream with my family. Throughout the week I ate sour gummies, chocolate, and too much gluten free bread – which technically isn’t against the rules, but for the amount of bread I ate I have to tattle on myself. It’s definitely not recommended on Gut Protocol, and even if Whole 30th basically says you can eat as much as you want I’m sure they would frown up on consuming a loaf of bread in just a couple of days. But I’m moving on…

I’m not beating myself up for getting off track. Not even a little. This is a big switch to make, from eating lots of low-nutrition foods to eating lots of nutritious foods – the mind and body will crave the sugar and caffeine for a little while, especially if you regularly consume a lot, but the switch will happen and you will begin to feel amazing in a relatively short amount of time! And I’m talking to myself here 😅 I have to remind myself that if I just stick with it for a little longer I will feel great for a long long time! And feeling good feels good. I want to always choose feeling good over falling back into old habits again and again.

So here’s my plan for this week.

Today is Memorial Day, meaning a day off of school for my kid. I know she’ll sleep in so it’s a typical morning for me: pack my husbands lunch (because he doesn’t have the day off), mix some preworkout, walk on the treadmill (currently), stretch + Pilates, then breakfast. Luckily, I have leftover food from preparing husbands lunch this morning so I will just have to warm it up and add some greens and a dressing of some kind. It came together quickly this morning: (frozen) riced cauliflower, tofu, bell peppers, onion, tomato. It smelled great, even at 5:30 am 😆 I don’t usually have an appetite first thing in the morning (I like to start my day with this) and I don’t always make extra so I’m happy to have food ready for after my workout today!

From there, I want to prep some food. Like for real this time. I have ideas for meals (just like week 1), but this time I will make some rice and quinoa, chop the veggies I have in the fridge (zucchini, bell peppers), I already washed the grapes and put them into a bowl for easy access, and I will press a couple blocks of tofu so they are ready to go for meals quickly. I used to LOVE cooking and couldn’t wait to make meals every day – until I hit burnout. Now, I get motivated to cook by serving myself a beverage (usually just La Croix, I’ve been sober since 2018), I put in an earbud that’s connected to my laptop, and I watch (or mostly just listen to) Sex and the City. This is the one show I know by heart and can be entertained by the content without really having to watch the screen. Do you have a show like that? Background noise that also brings a little joy to your heart at the same time? (Currently working through season 6, the last one, but I will inevitably start all over again from the beginning once I reach the final episode. There is something about the first season that gives me great nostalgia for a pre-internet era).

So it all comes down to the planning and preparation again. I had my fun last week with sweet treats (maybe I can blame hormones?), but this week I’m back on track. I saw the beginning of some results already in week 1, and I want those back!! Things are okay at the moment, but I really saw a difference in the way my skin looks and feels (remember: psoriasis) in week 1, and now regressing in week 2 with the extra sugar intake. Am I allowed to say diet can affect autoimmune disease yet? I see a difference, but let’s see what happens in the next few weeks as I WILL DEFINITELY stay on track (I hope 🤞).

PS the Plant-Based Reese’s Cups? Fan-freaking-tastic 😋😋😋😋😋 I ate them all so I won’t have any to tempt me this week 😆😆😅😅 an obvious tip for during your food sensitivity elimination? Don’t keep tempting junk food in the house 🙅‍♀️ or at least keep it out of sight, if you have family who still wants to eat it 😆

Whole 30/Gut Protocol Week 1+

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If you haven’t yet, read my previous post first, then come back to this one!

There is one thing that is extremely important to remember when starting a food sensitivity elimination program, like Whole30 or Gut Protocol, that can make or break the success you have: preparation.

I’ll admit I came into this round confidently, cocky even, because it’s not my first experience with these types of programs. I felt prepared. I even went over all the information, for both programs, just in case there was anything I didn’t remember; there wasn’t. I know every last bit, down to how much food Gut Protocol recommends I eat for my weight, how much sugar I’m allowed daily, and the optional foods to give up. I remembered everything! Except…

The actual food prep part of planning ahead. I had some ideas for meals I was going to eat, but I did no real planning ahead for tricky times. I figured since I spend most of my time at home I wouldn’t run into very many obstacles as far as meals go; I usually cook all my meals anyways. But, as you may have guessed from my tone, during this first week I had several days where I had things come up that I wasn’t prepared for, nourishment-wise, so I ended up feeling hungry during the day!

Originally, I was planning to stick with the Gut Protocol version so I know I’m getting just the right amount of nutrients for my body and I can get back to feeling my very best – but I forgot how difficult that can feel when you’re switching from a standard diet – not paying attention to nutrients or anything – to a buttoned up version that your body thrives on. So I found the middle ground, that is – Whole30. Whole30 specifically says in its instructions to not worry about calories in the beginning, just focus on getting in the “right” types of foods for now. This makes it a lot more manageable in my opinion! Instead of counting containers for every meal, I just make sure I’m eating the foods that are “allowed” during this 30 day program, and I’m feeling great already!

Gut Protocol says, “change starts on day one” – and it’s dang true! Yes there is a difference in energy right away, but the thing I always notice first: 💩💩
I know, TMI…but THIS IS IMPORTANT. Imagine – every morning, like clockwork, you know you’re going to go. And you know it’s going to be easy and complete. Think about what that’s like. I know know. You get it. Let’s move on.

I have my food journal entries for each day of the first week, but you’ll see my motivation for journaling fell off towards the end of the week. The first day of something new is always the most motivated, right? It’s the rest of the time you have to focus harder to really stay committed! I’ve always said, motivation is like a bad friend: they are there when it’s convenient for them, but not always when you need them most. That’s when we have to remember we are strong and it will be WORTH IT and we will feel so proud to have accomplished something so tricky. We can do hard things! For the greater good.

Days 1-6 of elimination

Have I mentioned recently that I eat plant based? I’ve been meat-free since 2018 and it was one of the biggest switches for my health to date. It’s not enough to just give up meat though, it’s very important to make sure you replace those nutrients with other foods. That’s why “junk food vegans” or some vegans, in general, feel like garbage – because they are neglecting essential nutrients! When I figured out how to balance nutrients, even on a plant-based diet, that’s when the real changes started to happen. The catapult that pushed me towards eating better and becoming plant-based? My first round of Whole30 in January 2018. When I tell you this kind of program is life changing in all aspects – from energy, to your skin, to digestion – everything can change in a few short weeks.

So how do I feel right now?

I’m about 10 days in and I’m feeling very motivated now to keep going! I’ll admit around day 5 (and the start of my cycle) I was having a lot of big emotions, so I slipped up on my sugar intake. The normal allowance is 10 grams of sugar per day; I ate some microwave popped kettle corn, which didn’t say it had added sugar but there has to be some kind of sweetener added? The ingredient list was unclear, it didn’t mention sugar but it did say in the allergen list there was milk in it – but I didn’t see that on the ingredient list either?? Sometimes things are unclear – do your best.

Both programs say to try to follow the guidelines as closely as you can, but with any major lifestyle changes things are bound to come up. This is why preparing ahead of time is important, so when you run into situations – like social events or when your fam wants to order pizza – you already have a plan! STICK to the plan. You’ll be happy you did. Yes you’re going to want to give in to the pizza or cake or whatever, but during your 30 day elimination – STAY THE COURSE! You’ll have your best results – meaning you’ll FEEL your best if you make it through all four weeks, without getting off track.

Considering a food sensitivity elimination program? Be sure to PLAN AHEAD! I’m not suggesting you plan every single meal, but there is a ton of info out there now for meals and food ideas, making your journey (potentially) much smoother. Keep some breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snack ideas handy, and if you can, prep some things ahead of time to make your life easier during your 30 days. A few quick prep ideas:

  • Cook grains ahead of time; rice, quinoa, millet, etc. can be cooked then stored in the fridge for a few days. Add to meals, salads, etc to make meals quickly.
  • Chop fresh veggies ahead of time. Store in the fridge and grab as needed for snacks or meals; ready to eat raw with hummus or a compliant dip, or they’ll be ready to cook when you’re prepping dinner.
  • Keep your water bottle full and nearby at all times! Arguably the most important essential nutrient. Keeping up on your hydration can help keep you feeling full in between meals.
  • Wash and cut fruit so it’s ready to grab at any time! Fresh fruit is the savior of food sensitivity elimination. When your body and brain are craving sugar (and it will, especially in the first week) fruit is there to satisfy! I love having grapes on hand, in particular, because once they are washed and put into a big bowl in the fridge all I have to do is open the fridge door and there is a sweet snack waiting for me!
  • This one is a bonus but super helpful: Make a plan each evening for the next day of meals/snacks. Prep what you can ahead of time so it’s easy to prepare when you need it. Having a plan is half the battle…but it doesn’t have to feel like battle – just make tiny plans along the way!

This way of shifting how I eat has continually shown me how amazing food can make me feel, inside and out. Are there other environmental factors that affect the way we feel from day to day? Of course. But food, nourishment, is the one thing we are in complete control of every day. Within one week I see positive changes in the way my skin looks and feels, and as someone with an autoimmune issues that I deal with regularly – this is life changing.

Want to learn more? Click the tab at the top of the page that says 4 Weeks to Heal w/ Food for a complete outline of the contents of the program I follow.

I’d love to hear about your journey in autoimmune issues and/or food sensitivity elimination!

Can Diet Help Autoimmune Disease? Let me find out…

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This is a road I’ve been down before. More than once, actually. It’s been well-documented here on this blog in the past, but I’ve never done it like this, the way I’m about to, before. A quick background:

  • I randomly started a round of Whole30 in 2018 and it changed the way I looked at food forever. I did it to literally “see if I could do it” -and I did! But even though I learned a lot about how food works in MY body specifically, I went straight back into my old eating habits (Standard American Diet, with some “health” food mixed in). At this point in time, I didn’t have psoriasis flareups – or at least not until after this program.
  • In 2022, I was part of an online wellness community (read: MLM (that I loved)) that had a new food sensitivity elimination program, at the time, called Gut Protocol. Same idea as Whole30 with more parameters around the right amount of nutrients for your individual body. I didn’t expect changes to my skin, but one day, a few weeks into the elimination program, the most significant patch I had was almost entirely faded – like ALMOST ALL THE WAY GONE. But what did I do? I finished the program and thought, “I’m healed!!!!!” and went right back to eating the old way, when clearly my body needed more time.

I didn’t learn my lesson either of those times. I saw the clear changes, yet still believed healing was a destination, not a journey.

So here we are, present day. I am restarting the Gut Protocol because I know in my heart the way we eat and everything we consume makes an impact on our overall health. I’ve seen it before, and I have high hopes that I will see a change again! So here’s what this means:

  • Eliminate top allergens from my diet
  • Drink at least half my body weight in ounces of water
  • Keep caffeine intake low (less than 200mg/day)
  • No more than 10g/day

Maybe you’re asking, so what will you eat? I actually have a hard time eating as much as I’m supposed to on this plan. The focus, as always, is essential nutrients.

  • Protein: I don’t eat meat, so my proteins will come from tofu, tempeh, protein powder (this one), and beans.
  • Carbs: Rice, oats, potatoes, quinoa, millet (a food I never had before doing GP, but is now a favorite!!)
  • Fat: Avocado, nuts, hummus, olive oil, nut butters
  • Vitamins & Minerals: Any and all fruits and vegetables

Mixing and matching these different groups easily creates well balanced meals that leave me feeling full AND energized! It honestly amazes me how great we can potentially feel when nourished properly, and how DIFFICULT people have made the process seem. You don’t need the latest fad diet to do the trick. And even if you don’t want to do a full elimination program, taking a moment to think “do I have all the essentials covered?” can take you a long long way in your health journey.

So how is this time different? I’m in it for the long haul. In the past, I went the full 30 days of the program, and went straight back into reintroducing the top allergens and into the old way of eating. This time, I’m going as long as I can. I can admit – I do get to a point where I feel like F* THIS and go back to eating some processed junk food. After I overindulge on this stuff, I instantly feel miserable and feel like IT’S NOT WORTH IT. It happens every single time. If I could learn how to have small treats, that are still satisfying, without OVER-indulging to the point where my body HATES ME – that’s the real goal here.

Today, Monday May 5th, is my Day 1. I woke up this morning and sipped water, my favorite pre-workout (allowed on this plan), and a ginger turmeric shot. I haven’t eaten breakfast yet, but as soon as I finish writing this I’ll be headed into the kitchen to figure out what to make. I don’t ever have a big appetite in the morning, but in order to eat all the food I need (which includes six cups of vegetables) I have to start early. I’ll admit, nothing sounds appetizing at the moment, but my tummy is growling loudly after having my ginger shot! I could eat leftovers or I can make oats. I don’t want either. Actually what sounds great is some toast – easy and delicious, one of my favorite things to eat – but gluten is one thing I’m supposed to avoid during this time. I do plan to make gluten free bread at some point, but I’m usually lazy. ***Edit: I decided on a vanilla protein shake made with oat milk. I’ll snack on some pistachios while I drive to the grocery store. So that gives me a protein, a carb, and a fat for breakfast!

Next week I will share my food journal for the week, which documents everything I’m eating, plus how I’m feeling one week into eating this way. Overall I feel pretty good right now, but I want to see if I can feel even better just by changing what I’m consuming (I know I will).

Do you know someone who could benefit from improving their autoimmune symptoms? Share this post with them!

If you understand my struggles and feel comfortable sharing, I’d love for you to comment below or send me a message so we can connect!

Food Journaling for Autoimmune Health

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I didn’t know I had an autoimmune disorder until I was in my late twenties, when I started playing around with different diets and ways of eating. Before this I ate your standard 20-year-old diet: Lots of fast food and soda, an occasional salad, and lots of alcohol. Do you also sometimes wonder how your body could handle all that week after week?

Once I started paying attention to nutrients my body really started to change from the inside, in a good way AND a*different* way. I did a food sensitivity elimination program, Whole30 and this one, that taught me how certain foods, the most common food allergens, worked in my own body. Every body is different, so it’s great way to learn how real food can work for YOU, as an individual. It was an eye opening program, and I learned some very valuable lessons during those 30 days. One simple habit was food journaling; something you can do in minutes a day that can be a very helpful to your progress in controlling your autoimmune symptoms or your weight loss or tummy troubles.

Here’s how it works (if it’s not obvious). Grab a notebook or your phones notepad and write down every single thing that you consume. Food, drink, water, edibles, etc., anything that goes into your mouth and to your tummy – write it all down. I know sometimes it’s hard to be honest with ourselves when we have to actually put it out there and on to paper when we’re busy judging our choices, but it’s important!! Seeing every last thing will help us make better connections.

In addition to the list of things you ate, write down any symptoms you feel before/during/after you eat things. Immediate feelings like tummy aches, gas, sleepiness – write them down. PLUS, in the coming days if you notice random symptoms, write those down too! Redness in your skin, itchiness, headaches, anything! There’s nothing off limits. It can also to be helpful to write when you have bowel movements and the start of your cycle (if you have one) so you can truly learn your body!

I made some journal pages to get you started. Every BODY is different, it will change your life to learn how yours works day to day using the fuel you provide it! Fill in each day as you consume food and drinks, then at the end of the week look back to see what connections you can make! Symptoms may be subtle or hard to connect in the beginning, so keep going and it will be more obvious! Only about 20% of the world’s population has food sensitivities, and 15% of the population deals with autoimmune issues. If you are part of the 15% it’s worth a shot to see if food changes help your symptoms.

How to Start

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I think it is incredibly important to take care of ourselves every day, but especially now in the current world we live in (due to Covid). Most of us are living completely different lives as we figure out how to stay safe and keep our families healthy. What we eat, how we move, and how we rest are all important to our overall health, and all of these working together will help us feel our absolute best.

Exercise and nutrition will take us a long long way, but I don’t think either one has to be difficult. There is way too much information on the internet and sometimes it’s hard to break through all the noise to find what is actually true. There is no single right way to do anything, so it comes down to finding what works for you and your family and your schedule. What works for you might not work for your friend, or for your neighbor, or for your sister- but if it works for you, that’s what matters. Maybe you’ve tried that one diet your co-worker told you about, but then you quit after just three days because you were hungry and it felt too hard. That just means it wasn’t the right way for you.

Staying healthy comes down to this: 1. finding ways to be active and 2. eating good food from the Earth. These will help you feel happy and more in control of your life, which can have a huge effect if you have, what feels like, a hundred responsibilities. If you feel overwhelmed, and like you are putting more effort into the lives of those around you than you are giving to yourself, you might want to think about re-prioritizing. Giving a little extra time FOR YOU during the day will create the space you need to feel recharged and ready to take on the needs of your family- without feeling stressed or tired.

Exercise and movement is not all about losing weight, but being able to move freely, without pain or restrictions. You should be able to pick up your small children with ease. Mopping the floor shouldn’t be that hard and you should be able to grab a bowl from the top shelf or squat down to tie your shoe without pulling a muscle. All of these daily tasks can be performed more smoothly when your muscles get a chance to grow stronger with just a little bit of resistance (strength) training.

You won’t look like a body builder when you lift weights, unless you’re actively trying to do that (it takes A LOT of time in a gym!), but it will make you stronger, more flexible, and more confident in your every day life. When you take care of your body, it naturally finds the weight and shape it is comfortable at. We don’t have to be a size two to be happy, and we don’t have to starve ourselves to get to the “right” number on the scale. That number doesn’t actually exist. What matters is how you feel in in your body and mind. No number on the scale is going to make you feel happy if you still don’t feel well.

It isn’t difficult to add just enough movement and a few vegetables into your day to notice a difference in the way your feel. Try adding one more serving of vegetables to a meal. Stretch for a couple minutes in the morning when you wake up. Start small, notice how you feel, add more time and effort as you go. When we go too hard too fast we set ourselves up for failure unless we’re completely prepared for every obstacle. Possible, but much more difficult than starting from zero and taking one step at a time.

What small step will you take towards healthy today?