#aprilWhole30

I am always looking for ways to be healthier, feel better, and not consume as many ingredients.  I wrote a previous post about how I believe what we are consuming has a major connection with my generation being sick (feel free to go back and read).  So, when my mom starting telling me about this Whole30 challenge; a different way of thinking and looking at food, I first thought she had lost her mind. ;) But, typical of my momma she kept bringing it up, telling me how great her and her husband were feeling, their skin was glowing, and they had lost a good amount of weight in only a month. 

Needless to say, I talked the Hubby into it.  30 days.  Only eating non-processed whole foods. Fruit, veggies, and meat. (spices, oils, vinegar included also).  No dairy, no alcohol, no grains, no sugar, no soy, NO PROCESSED FOODS. If you cannot pronounce an ingredient, you can't eat it.  

It sounds more challenging than it is, I promise.

Along the way I found a few key things that saved me in my first #whole30.  

A good rule when doing any sort of challenge is to have a support team. As I mentioned before, I thankfully convinced the Hubby to join me the first time.  I would not have survived succeeded without him. I have found that I am terrible at holding myself accountable.  But, if I have given someone my word, I will stick with it until the end. Now, this time around, all of you will be my accountability partners.  :) So, thank you for going on this journey with me.  

Another saving grace is being prepared.  Biggest part is preparing what you will eat, Meal Prep.  It can either be your best friend or greatest enemy. Not even kidding, what's the saying.... If you fail to prepare then you are preparing to fail...? It is beyond true. I struggle with this; It is challenging for me.  I have no idea what I'm going to want to eat on Thursday for lunch.  But, this is a part of your "food freedom" Melissia Hartwig talks about A LOT! Food is fuel, it is not a reward.  As long as you have meals designed to fuel your body in the best way possible it doesn't necessarily matter what you "feel like eating".  Every single meal I made during #januarywhole30 was delicious!!  

I like to plan at most a week in advance, again, I do struggle with this.  Especially when I am trying new recipes and I am unsure of the amount of leftovers I will have. All I do is go and grab my go to cookbooks, sit down with a notebook or my planner, and get to looking and writing.  When I write down a recipe for each meal I immediately turn to a grocery list and write it all down.  Do not delay in writing out your grocery list.  You do not want to feel that turmoil. 

Also, make sure to have "in case of emergency" items available.  Nuts, fruit, LaraBars, RxBars. 

My favorite cookbooks are: The Whole30: The 30-Day Guide to Total Health and Food Freedom, by Melissa Hartwig and Dallas Hartwig (This book is EVERYTHING) / The Whole30 Cookbook by Melissa Hartwig / Well Fed & Well Fed by Melissa Joulwan (These aren't all Whole30 approved so watch the ingredients) / NonNonPaleo by Michelle Tam and Henry Fong
(Not all paleo recipes are whole30 recipes)

The hardest part for anyone I've talked to about this is coffee.  We all love sugar and cream in our coffee.  But, as stated above, no dairy and no sugar for 30 days.  My favorite line and probably the most quoted line Melissa has is this "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. You won’t get any coddling, and you won’t get any sympathy for your 'struggles.'" With that being said, I found my favorite way to drink my coffee is blended with a little bit of cinnamon and Califia Farms brand Coconut/Almond milk. There is creamer called Nut Pods, that you can purchase on Amazon. (personally, I like my concoction better)

Those are my few little tips.  Starting on Saturday I will be doing another round, if anyone would like to join me let me know!! :) I would love to help you make your Whole30 journey the best possible! Please please please ask me any questions, if I don't already know the answer, I will do my best to find it!! I would also love ideas, or suggestions for what you would like to learn or know more about! :)  And get ready friends, there will be a lot of pictures and my favorite recipes will be shared also.