Mrs. LAW: Simple Serendipity: More on the Whole30

Well, it has been a long weekend for us here in Montana. Just when we all thought that Mrs. Winter was going to pass mildly this year, we were proven incorrect with about six inches of snowfall and howling winds. The snow was absolutely welcome, but the winds were not. And for those of you wondering: no, that is not a lot of snow, but sadly it is the most we have had this winter L.

You see, both my hubby and I grew up on Maui, which is about as tropical as you can get! We moved to Missoula to attend college and of course for the four seasons; winter being our favorite. And let me tell you that the snow sure does make the town. It becomes a quaint and cozy sight when it’s all bundled up under a recent snow.

But enough of that! We kicked off our Whole30 challenge/program on Saturday and are having a great time thus far. I may have mentioned, but my hubby and I had definitely cut out a lot of unnecessary items from our diet months before we started such as: pop/soda/coke (depending on where you’re from), most pasta, most processed foods, and a few other things. Now, however we are strictly eating meats, veggies, fruits, and good oils/fats (some nuts, avocado oil, coconut oil, avocados themselves, ghee, extra virgin olive oil, etc.). That means all dairy is out along with wheats/grains, legumes, and all processed foods (duh!).

Some of the products that I was "collecting" and threw out! We don't use miracle whip, so I'm not sure where that came from... Most of this stuff was at least a year past expiration too!

So why are we doing this? Well, I encourage you to read the book It Starts With Food, but we are trying to get in better tune with our bodies. I personally am trying to re-balance my hormones that have been thrown off by food and weight gain while the hubby is trying to create better sleep patterns. My mom is trying to kick her frequently occurring migraines to the curb and my friend is trying to help her skin conditions get better along with her bacteria in her gut to take back their territory. All I can say is read the book! It’s not going to hurt you and if you want to make some major changes not only in your health, but the way you perceive food, then 30 days of your entire life is absolutely worth it (and that’s before I have even finished my challenge)!

Let me address another common response to this life change: “I’m still young, I’ll do it when I’ve lived a little.” Well guess what? Adults are getting heart disease, diabetes, cancer and have so many other problems way earlier than ever before. Why wait and have to break bad habits that are even harder ten years down the line? Take back control of your body and its wants/needs. I don’t want to be a slave to my cravings! I would love to re-balance everything so that my body tells me when I’m hungry and then that is the only time I eat. And then when I do eat, it’s filling and nourishing so that I’m not hungry again in an hour.

What have I learned so far on my 30 day journey?

1. I have to eat more at the normal meal times of the day in order to stay satisfied for longer. (i.e. three eggs instead of two with at least a cup of veggies and some healthy fat like avocados)

2. I love to cook, and spices/flavors are so much simpler now when I know exactly what I’m adding to a dish and how everything will work together.

3. Prep time and shopping is more time consuming as you have to read labels and make sure the “bad” things aren't in any of your good things. (i.e. peanut oil in plain not roasted cashews, or soy in my herbal tea, or sugar added to pretty much anything) This truly opens your eyes to how many unnecessary ingredients you are consuming when you want simplicity.

4. I have cravings like most people (go figure)! Just last night I wanted chocolate, but as the book suggested I waited 20 minutes and that craving vanished. We had also gotten used to a little dessert after dinner most nights (even if it was a little sea salt caramel). That has been tough to overcome - a built in response to grab something sweet after dinner even though I’m not hungry and it won’t actually make me happy in the end.

5. There’s so much more, but I’d rather not bore you!

So with all of that laid out for you, I can only hope that you take a leap of faith and join the thousands who have chosen to take control of their lives. And if you don’t, (as my mom said) there’s nothing I can do about it!

A fridge packed with veggies and protein, a simple yet beautiful thing!

Oh, and I have been doing other things of course! I finally fixed the wobbly end table that I acquired a couple months ago (oh my, is it February already??), hung some pictures on the walls that were empty, sewed a heart shaped patch (out of recycled t-shirts) on a hole-y sweater, sewed some tabs on two cloth shower curtains to make them real curtains, and cleaned the house!