6/1/2015 - Riding Our Own Bikes, Together!

[Efab]

@Crimsann I give that waffle recipe 4.5 out of 5 stars! It was SUPER easy to make. I didn't have any honey or coconut flour, but even without those ingredients they came out great. I was able to get 4 small-ish waffles from the recipe. The batter was a little thick, but I definitely think a little more coconut milk (or banana) could help. Report back on your experimentation, please, because I will definitely be making these again in the future.

[vozelle]

Really enjoying reading all your reintroduction stories and experiences, thx for sharing!

I reintroduced grain today... Wow, feeling brave! Just added 1/3 cup soaked/cooked buckwheat (a non-gluten "grain") to each meal. So far, so good. : )

[Crimsann]

@Efab, I sure will!  I'm glad to hear the recipe is a great place to start.  I'm usually pretty good at finding the right recipe for things and knowing when one won't work at all, but with so many still unfamiliar ingredients I'm on really shaky baking ground and I know it!  Glad you liked her site also, it's going to be great to have you guys to share this kind of stuff with and learn from your finds as well.   There is so much information out there, weeding through it is a full-time job.

 

Sharing one other thing:  http://www.amazon.com/Sparkling-Infused-Hydrated-Outdoors-Oversized/dp/B00XLZL6KO/ref=pd_sxp_redirect

 

My good friend brought me one of these infusion water bottles yesterday after I mentioned how drinking more is my focus right now.  She said they got a bunch of them at WalMart and everyone in their family had a different color for their beach vacation.  They could all add in whatever they wanted, tea bags, fruit, herbs, you name it.  I had already been looking for something like this and the 32oz size is great for getting better hydrated.  I can't wait to try different combinations in it, so if you do anything like this and have some favorites please share!  I'm trying blackberries and lemon verbena this morning, pretty subtle but still there.  I had a weird thought this morning when Ruby's olives and oranges combo popped into my mind...not really sure how that would taste as a water additive maybe like a citrus martini!?!  LOL!  But I also spotted on the label that the bottle is okay to use with carbonated water so this would also be a great way to infuse some of our plain SodaStream water. 

[DonnaB]

@ Crimsann and Vozelle - not-so-carnivores - hahahahaha - made me laugh!

 

So - if last week-end was off-roading on narrow gravel roads, the past few days have been mud on the windshield off-roading. I'm definitely NOT proud to admit that. Usually, as a first-born, I tend to be a rule-follower, as well, but somewhere along the way I started making my own rules. :-) Anyway - when your 26-year-old son that lives at home offers to cook you dinner - you don't ask "what's in it?", you ask "when do we eat?". One of his friends was also in town - a young man we've known since he was in middle school, and it would have seemed rude not to enjoy some time with him, and that does include food. Then, yesterday I took my 10-month-old grandson to the zoo - his first time, ever, and even though he probably won't remember it, I have the pictures to prove how good the popsicle was that his Nonna got for him (and shared with him). Then DH took me out for dinner last night to a sushi/chinese buffet for an early birthday celebration. Anyway - we've managed to re-intro soy, white rice, AND dairy within the past few days. This morning I'm just a bit more congested than usual, and I'm guessing it's the dairy, which included frozen custard and hard cheese. We ARE going back to compliant for a couple of days, but then we're going away to visit friends for a couple of days this week-end, so staying compliant might be a challenge. I think I will take some home-made salad dressing along, as I really don't care for all of the additives in store-bought.

 

@Crimsann - that waffle recipe looks interesting. I might have to try it. Let me know what changes you make. I have baked with almond flour, and I like the results pretty well. I've used it in zucchini bread and to make a crust for a pumpkin cheesecake, and it functions well and doesn't impart an ovewhelming flavor. I've also been using it as a binder in salmon patties and turkey patties, and again - it functions well and no overt flavor.

[vozelle]

Wow, you ladies are having some wild Post-30 adventures for sure! 'Smores and Chinese Buffets... jeez, I feel like such a prude in my lil' safety zone.

 

Good news is I had no noticeable ill effects from the grains I ate yesterday. Will wait another day before trying dairy. Makes sense to do those 2-3 compliant days in between reintroductions to isolate any potential symptoms...

 

I'm heading out of town tomorrow for awhile, back July 20th. Most likely no internet access where I'm going (high Sierra mountains), but will check in if I get a chance. Can't wait to hear all your stories and continued adventures!

 

Thanks for being here.  : )

[lostincolo]

Starting my 2nd W30 today. After celebrating my birthday with creme brulee and champagne I am ready to start again.

[RubytheSugarDragonSlayer]

@vozelle - have a great trip to the mountains!! Look forward to hearing from you when you return!

 

@DonnaB - I think our approaches are pretty similar! Eating mostly compliant and "splurging" for things that are worth it. Like I told my husband, "I'm glad you are feeling better eating like this, because this is how we eat now."

 

As far as re-introductions go - I've had wine a few nights and 4th of July - well, let's just say I went off the rails and took a waste basket to bed "just in case", I had no right feeling as good as I did on Sunday for that big bike ride. I credit how well I've been feeling to eating the whole foods and eliminating all the garbage from my diet.

 

Last night DH and I went out to dinner - one of Yelp's top 10 restaurants in the country! Gaucho is #7!! My dish was lamb chops and green salad. I had a few bites of the corn dish and a piece of the grilled bread, then off to Pittsburgh Winery to listen to a band touring from Iceland, so yes, I had wine!! Their Petit Syrah was very good. Feeling good this morning, probably had a bit too much wine, as last night was the first night I had disrupted sleep since 6/1. Lesson learned.

 

To make your mouth water: http://officialblog.yelp.com/2015/01/yelps-top-100-places-to-eat-in-the-us-for-2015.html Look for places near you, you are welcome!

 

The other day I had a couple bites of mint chip ice cream - decided it's not worth it going forward. Actually had a little indigestion from that. Never experienced that before from dairy, very odd!

 

My kryptonite: milk chocolate covered caramels with fleur de sel! Fortunately good ones are hard to find so this temptation doesn't present itself very often!

 

Everyone doing full food category reintroductions - you guys are my heros! That takes discipline and commitment, congratulations!!

[Crimsann]

Waffle Report:  I'm going to have to say I'm giving my first attempt a 4 out of 5. 

 

In the plus column they were light and moist and did not stick to the grill or become dry, hard, or crumbly.  They had a touch of sweetness, more than I would want for a breakfast "sandwich" type thing but enough that I wouldn't need to drown them in syrup and the banana instead of sugar/honey sub worked for me...I could see some sliced banana and walnut or mango or pineapple toppings working pretty well with them as is. 

 

In the minus column though was the texture.  I think this is due to the coconut flakes and looking over the recipe and my results I'm going to have to assume that they are added for coconut flavor more than as a binding agent so I think leaving them out when you aren't looking for coconut taste is probably okay.  I should have expected it, but it isn't quite what I wanted to have those bits of coconut (chewy bits) in each bite.  I also felt that while they browned just fine and held together well, they didn't have that slightly crisp/chewy outer texture that you expect from a waffle and this might not be so fixable while staying within compliant ingredients.  I think I can live with that given that my subs kept them within compliant ingredients if not compliant intent territory.

I followed the recipe as written except I did not use either coconut sugar or honey, and I added one ripe well mashed banana at the same time I put the coconut milk in.  I also didn't measure that since the recipe called for 1/4 a can which is hard to eyeball anyway I just poured until it looked right and I would say I was at nearly the 1/2 can point.   

 

So, still finishing up my plan for what to serve this weekend but I think I can work something up from here on the waffles at least. 

 

I'm laughing at myself this morning, I guess I just did another no-no without even realizing I was about to "reintro" something.  My tea contains vanilla extract.  OMG!  Glad I didn't pick this up in June or I would have been furious, but shows I've already become a tiny bit lax about reading labels.  Could have been worse, pretty sure there isn't a lot of alcohol in a tea bag, but if I had done that when I thought it might require a restart I would have gone bonkers.  It's Tazo's Cocoa Mint Matè and I put two bags and a sprig of fresh mint in my infusion bottle this morning and it's fantastic!  Must have been all this talk of chocolate that led me astray. 

 

@lostincolo, for all my talk of waffles and vanilla extract I'm still as close to compliant as possible ingredient wise and will be looking at going back to a more strict interpretation starting Monday.  I need to get back to a better steady plan for meals, this last week has been a bit rough as far as template meals are concerned.  I'm noticing it in the mornings that getting up has suddenly gotten a lot harder again.  Not sure if that's been the later nights while I'm getting things ready for the weekend or the less than balanced meals or both, but for sure I need a good clean week in all respects to get back on track.  I'll still be sharing some fully compliant recipes as well and very interested in sharing ideas on that if you come across anything good!  I'm loving hearing about how we are all adapting what we learned in June to life "after", but it will also be great to have some company on the straight and narrow for a bit longer.  

[abiswarbrick]

My reintroduction has been a little haphazard, I've stayed reasonably compliant although I did have a carvery on Tuesday with Yorkshire pudding and gravy which I expect contained some type of flour thickener. Last night as a birthday treat I had cheese on my omelette :-) I seem to be incapable of keeping a food and symptoms diary though which is not good as I have had some bloating and digestive issues but not sure on cause. I have stayed compliant today and felt ok until about an hour after lunch (Chicken and Spinach Curry) and now having stomach pains and nausea. I'm hoping it's not an after effect of the cheese last night!

[Efab]

Hi all!

 

Well, yesterday was rough. I'm still following a slow reintroduction and so the past two days were Whole30-compliant. I still struggle with the meal template at times...getting enough healthy fat at every meal especially. Yesterday I had about 1/4 of an avocado at breakfast as my fat (along with eggs, brussel sprouts and potatoes), but by mid-morning I was STARVING. I mean, already eating my lunch starving. Which meant that at lunch, I had to eat my emergency stash of almonds along with the remains of my lunch. And I chugged water like a madwoman, but still ended up with a headache at the end of the day (not helped by crazy work stuff). So when I got home I started pulling dinner together and immediately plunged into a bag of "technically compliant" plantain chips and before I knew it I'd eaten half the bag. It was not pretty.

 

i went to yoga after dinner and was grateful for a reset (mentally and physically). The meditation was like Biff in Back to the Future, knocking on my head saying "Hello McFly"...here is the gist:

 

The way things are is not how things will always be. This is a detour, a slight bump in the road and we have to remember that it will pass. But the detour is part of our journey and we must be present in it. Slow down, see things around us in a new way, and be patient with ourselves. The way things are is not the way things will always be.

 

Namaste.

 

Today, I'm happy to report, is not yesterday.

[WholeSue]

Update: After my modified-s'mores diversion, I've reverted back to the Whole30 template and haven't been off-road. I introduced some tea - which I'm thoroughly enjoying.

 

That said, I finally got my blood work back taken from Day 31...and the results aren't pretty. For those that don't remember, around the 3 week mark, I went from feeling amazing (seriously, I never experienced withdrawals, just felt great from day 1) to feeling like I was being dragged through the mud. Well, my labs show a substantial increase in inflammation, thyroid panels look worse (though not clinically hypothyroid), I have vitamin deficiencies all over the place (vit D, vit B12 and iron were the worst) and apparently I'm spilling ketones in my urine. Oh and my A1C went UP (though still not in the borderline or prediabetic category)- which boggles my mind. I don't get it. I was sooooo careful to make sure I followed this program to a T.

 

I've decided to continue to stick with the program as much as I'm able to with my impending vacation and when I return, I'm trying to track down a functional doc that can really dig into the why's and help me resolve the issues my body is having. I think there's still a possibility some things in my diet could be problematic - I suspect given my autoimmune background I may need to do an elimination diet with nightshades and eggs to figure out if any of those are triggers but I'm not going to be in a good position to handle that until I get back in August.

[MeadowLily]

Update: After my modified-s'mores diversion, I've reverted back to the Whole30 template and haven't been off-road. I introduced some tea - which I'm thoroughly enjoying.

 

That said, I finally got my blood work back taken from Day 31...and the results aren't pretty. For those that don't remember, around the 3 week mark, I went from feeling amazing (seriously, I never experienced withdrawals, just felt great from day 1) to feeling like I was being dragged through the mud. Well, my labs show a substantial increase in inflammation, thyroid panels look worse (though not clinically hypothyroid), I have vitamin deficiencies all over the place (vit D, vit B12 and iron were the worst) and apparently I'm spilling ketones in my urine. Oh and my A1C went UP (though still not in the borderline or prediabetic category)- which boggles my mind. I don't get it. I was sooooo careful to make sure I followed this program to a T.

 

I've decided to continue to stick with the program as much as I'm able to with my impending vacation and when I return, I'm trying to track down a functional doc that can really dig into the why's and help me resolve the issues my body is having. I think there's still a possibility some things in my diet could be problematic - I suspect given my autoimmune background I may need to do an elimination diet with nightshades and eggs to figure out if any of those are triggers but I'm not going to be in a good position to handle that until I get back in August.

Hi Sue.   

 

Did you eat snacks inbetween meals?   Did you eat dried fruits and nut butters or alot of fruit in general?  These things will knock you off of a strong game -  getting blood sugar under control.  

[ShannonM816]

Update: After my modified-s'mores diversion, I've reverted back to the Whole30 template and haven't been off-road. I introduced some tea - which I'm thoroughly enjoying.

 

That said, I finally got my blood work back taken from Day 31...and the results aren't pretty. For those that don't remember, around the 3 week mark, I went from feeling amazing (seriously, I never experienced withdrawals, just felt great from day 1) to feeling like I was being dragged through the mud. Well, my labs show a substantial increase in inflammation, thyroid panels look worse (though not clinically hypothyroid), I have vitamin deficiencies all over the place (vit D, vit B12 and iron were the worst) and apparently I'm spilling ketones in my urine. Oh and my A1C went UP (though still not in the borderline or prediabetic category)- which boggles my mind. I don't get it. I was sooooo careful to make sure I followed this program to a T.

 

I've decided to continue to stick with the program as much as I'm able to with my impending vacation and when I return, I'm trying to track down a functional doc that can really dig into the why's and help me resolve the issues my body is having. I think there's still a possibility some things in my diet could be problematic - I suspect given my autoimmune background I may need to do an elimination diet with nightshades and eggs to figure out if any of those are triggers but I'm not going to be in a good position to handle that until I get back in August.

 

I'm not a doctor, but a couple of things to try to keep in mind:

 

A1C measures your average blood sugar level for the last 2-3 months -- if you were pretty far from W30 before you started, it will take longer than a month for that to show improvement.

 

Do you have a history of diabetes or any blood sugar issues? If you do, then ask your doctor if they're worried about the ketones in your urine at the level they're at. If you don't have that in your medical history, the ketones in your urine might mean you're in ketosis, which implies you've gotten pretty low carb. Are you having at least one serving of starchy vegetable every day?

 

It can definitely take more than a month to see improvements, especially enough improvements to be measured in those type of tests. Don't be discouraged, stick to Whole30 as well as you can while you're able, and get right back to it when you get home.

[WholeSue]

Hi Sue.   

 

Did you eat snacks inbetween meals?   Did you eat dried fruits and nut butters or alot of fruit in general?  These things will knock you off of a strong game -  getting blood sugar under control.  

Nope - definitely not. I was STRICT about following the rules. I never broke them once. And leading up to the start of the official day 1 I had been slowly eliminating all off-plan items so that I didn't suffer major withdrawals. Heck, I felt GREAT for the first 3 weeks of the Whole30. Day21 felt like I hit a brick way and from that point on I've felt awful. I've hit the troubleshooting forums multiple times, nothing has surfaced that's specifically wrong with what I've done. There's clearly more going on with my body than diet and exercise alone can fix.

[WholeSue]

I'm not a doctor, but a couple of things to try to keep in mind:

 

A1C measures your average blood sugar level for the last 2-3 months -- if you were pretty far from W30 before you started, it will take longer than a month for that to show improvement.

 

Do you have a history of diabetes or any blood sugar issues? If you do, then ask your doctor if they're worried about the ketones in your urine at the level they're at. If you don't have that in your medical history, the ketones in your urine might mean you're in ketosis, which implies you've gotten pretty low carb. Are you having at least one serving of starchy vegetable every day?

 

It can definitely take more than a month to see improvements, especially enough improvements to be measured in those type of tests. Don't be discouraged, stick to Whole30 as well as you can while you're able, and get right back to it when you get home.

 

Yes, you're 100% right about A1C. I didn't set out to do the Whole30 cold turkey - I actually spent quite a bit of time eliminating things from my diet over many weeks (I believe officially 6 weeks) before starting on June 1st. I had been sugar free and mostly dairy free for a while. The last challenge for me was completely eliminating grains, not just gluten but again, I did it over several weeks so I didn't suffer a crash when I started on Day 1.

 

I don't have a history of diabetes. I do, however, have a history of gestational diabetes with my 2nd child only. My third child was completely normal - blood sugar was completely normal and glucose checks have been perfectly normal since. My A1C doesn't even register in the pre diabetes range but at the top end of the normal range, which is frustrating to say the least.

 

For carbs, I do make a point to have sweet potatoes or some other starchy carb daily. I usually have it with breakfast or dinner. I've been careful to make sure I'm consuming enough vegetables during the day too.

 

Re: taking more than a month - I'm certain that's the case. But I think what this shows me now is that diet & exercise alone aren't going to solve whatever is going on with my body. I'm also wondering if other foods are creating problems for my body as well and may need to experiment with elimination of nightshades and/or eggs. I have zero desire to go off-plan, especially while it's totally unclear what's causing all of these issues. I don't want to complicate matters by adding foods back in that might mask other problems. I'd rather work from a clean slate.

 

I'm determined to come back at some point and be a success story but I think my success is going to be through a combination of approaches to better health.

[Efab]

@wholesue Our bodies are so finicky and complicated! I feel frustrated just reading your lab stats - You did good work these last 30 days (and leading up to) and to not see improved #s is deflating. But I think your next steps are solid (well done for keeping the momentum going!). Please update as you tinker with nightshade or egg eliminations!

[RubytheSugarDragonSlayer]

@WholeSue - you are doing a great job taking control of your health! Some health issues are tricky and identifying them is often an elimination game. We learned that when my son was a teenager and going through a bunch of issues. What began at age 12 or so as a suspected lactose intolerance or allergy was eventually diagnosed when he was 16-1/2 as Crohn's disease. The confirmation of that was after a severe abscess in his abdomen that put him in the hospital for 10 days. It is now 10 years later, he has modified his diet and gets an injection every couple of weeks (or so) and is healthy, active and has the world by the tail! He is "aggressively recreational" - hiking, whitewater rafting, skiing, biking, motorcycling... He couldn't even get off the couch before.

 

Be persistent! Be strong! Be an advocate for your health - it is more important to you than anyone one else. And know we are all here to support you and help you through it and figure it out.

[WholeSue]

Thanks guys. I've told a few people about my Whole30 journey and the results of my labs and the response has been "well maybe the Whole30 isn't good for you." I don't think that's altogether correct.

 

What I think it means is that the Whole30 exposed that despite eating incredibly healthy - i.e., TONS of fresh vegetables, good sources of proteins and healthy fats - my body is not properly metabolizing these good things and therefore I'm struggling for reasons that cannot be resolved by diet and exercise alone. My takeaway is (and this was my attitude going into the Whole30) I'm looking for optimal HEALTH. Yes, I absolutely want to lose weight, but that is only one aspect of getting to better health. Weight gain was a symptom and only addressing one of the many symptoms doesn't solve the underlying problem. That seems to be the piece that a lot of people I've spoken to about this don't get at first, but after I take the time to explain my goals, they can see why I have the perspective I do.

 

The crazy thing about all of this is I've gotten deep into researching thyroid problems and a ton of related conditions. One article/book leads me to another and now I'm researching Naturopath programs and considering a wildly different career (my husband is probably going to kill me if I take on more student loans so this is just "exploratory" right now!). 

[Crimsann]

Survived the gaming marathon and the waffles turned out pretty good!  That's my weekend in a nutshell.  I definitely liked them better without the shredded coconut and I left out the banana this time as well in favor of a tablespoon of unrefined coconut sugar and I didn't skip the vanilla extract.  So I guess that's a bit of a reintro for me there, but I had no idea there even was a coconut sugar and I decided this was the perfect time to try it.  I've no idea what it did to the overall texture but they were a bit more dried out without the banana and I mean that in a good way...more waffle texture.  

 

Unfortunately this weekend left me zero time for grocery shopping and meal planning so I'm at sea for a bit.  I have some leftovers to get me through today, but am trying to squeeze in time to brainstorm easiest possible way to get to Saturday.  

 

I also made some watermelon limeade with no sugar, hoping the watermelon would naturally counter balance the lime.  Not so much.  It's really tart, so I've been mixing it half and half with some La Croix and while it's still eye wateringly tart it's now more so in a fun way.  

 

I ended up taking this morning off to get cleaned up after the late nights and to get some laundry done before diving into another week, even snuck a nap in there which will help with some of the sleep deprivation.  

 

All worth it though, so much fun!

 

@WholeSue, been following along with your story...was so bummed your results didn't come in more positive.  I think what helps me when I sometimes think this isn't really giving me the results I hoped for in all areas is just asking myself and others when they dig deep with questions as well....what is the food I'm not eating now that you think is going to help?!  It's easy for "outsiders" to get caught up in the mindset that "depriving" yourself of so much can't be good for you, but the reality doesn't pan that out when you look at what we can eat.  At least I haven't come up with much that I feel like I should add back.  Plenty of things I would like to add back, but that's rather different.    I'm also one who needs to start looking at other factors and though this weekend was an extreme example...sleep is my first battle.  I think W30 is just a really good springboard for tackling other problem areas with an added boost of confidence and a foundation of a healthier diet to start building on.  When they say it's going to change your life, it just may be in ways we never expected! 

[DonnaB]

Waffle Report:  I'm going to have to say I'm giving my first attempt a 4 out of 5. 

 

In the plus column they were light and moist and did not stick to the grill or become dry, hard, or crumbly.  They had a touch of sweetness, more than I would want for a breakfast "sandwich" type thing but enough that I wouldn't need to drown them in syrup and the banana instead of sugar/honey sub worked for me...I could see some sliced banana and walnut or mango or pineapple toppings working pretty well with them as is. 

 

In the minus column though was the texture.  I think this is due to the coconut flakes and looking over the recipe and my results I'm going to have to assume that they are added for coconut flavor more than as a binding agent so I think leaving them out when you aren't looking for coconut taste is probably okay.  I should have expected it, but it isn't quite what I wanted to have those bits of coconut (chewy bits) in each bite.  I also felt that while they browned just fine and held together well, they didn't have that slightly crisp/chewy outer texture that you expect from a waffle and this might not be so fixable while staying within compliant ingredients.  I think I can live with that given that my subs kept them within compliant ingredients if not compliant intent territory.

I followed the recipe as written except I did not use either coconut sugar or honey, and I added one ripe well mashed banana at the same time I put the coconut milk in.  I also didn't measure that since the recipe called for 1/4 a can which is hard to eyeball anyway I just poured until it looked right and I would say I was at nearly the 1/2 can point.   

 

We are back from a most enjoyable - though non-compliant - weekend with friends. It was a lot of fun, but woke up today with more congestion, and the sensation of swollenness in my hands, so am thinking dairy and sugar and not my friends. We did, however, road-test the coconut waffles, and we all liked them pretty well. I followed the recipe as written, and they turned out texture-wise as you would expect, except they did stick a bit to the iron, but just around the edges. A couple of things to note, however. First - I used the Native Forest brand of coconut milk, and I noticed when I opened the can that the entire top half of the can was coconut cream - so actually ended up using the entire can when it should have only been 1/2 a can for a double batch of waffles. I also added another 2-3 tablespoons of water because the batter was too thick to spread easily on the waffle iron. As a coconut lover, I thought they were wonderful - and didn't notice the texture of the coconut flakes, but DH thought they were too coconutty flavored. I'm not sure you would actually need the coconut flakes to make this recipe work. 

 

At present, I'm thinking I will go back to eating compliant until we leave for our cruise, with the possible exception of re-introducing legumes, but probably not for a week or so, just to get rid of the symptoms that seem to be re-emerging. DH has bought a box of Grape Nuts, so I'm not sure there's much hope he will make long-term changes. Oh, well!

[Crimsann]

Vitamin question....anyone got a favorite daily they would recommend?  And keep in mind I'm really hoping for a gummy bear one.  LOL!  Okay, not really, I can be more grown up than that if I "have" to but please at least give me fair warning if your suggestion is roughly the size of a football. 

 

I've noticed a very slight atrophy to my finger tips, not bad enough to be visible, but just enough to feel it and in reading up on causes the first three diet oriented ones were; dehydration, gluten-sensitivity, and vitamin deficiency. 

 

I can pretty much rule out the first two since while I may not yet be reaching my perfect water goal I'm for sure drinking far more than usual, and gluten is at an all-time low as well.  So that leaves the possibility of vitamin deficiency, specifically D and B, and between the extreme lack of sun this summer (compared to normal for our area) and a diet that actually might be slightly lower in vegetables (I was more vegetarian before so eating more meat and fat means somewhat smaller vegetable portions over all) this seems somewhat likely.  It is hard to believe I would actually be deficient already, but not sure how much you would need to be down by to start seeing some symptoms.  It's also possible that since being on W30 has made my skin naturally softer, I'm using less hand cream, and this is making the issue more noticeable to me. 

 

Easy enough to start working in even more varied vegetables and trying to chase the sun when it does show up, but it seems like it's rarely ever a bad idea to do a daily vitamin and I don't right now.  That might help some while I continue to tackle hydration as well. 

[WholeSue]

Well I inadvertently was exposed to milk. I've been avoiding any dairy reintro because I had a feeling my body wouldn't respond well. Eating out and not being extra cautious about ingredients allowed milk to sneak its way in. Within a few hours I had congestion/post nasal drip, very aggressive digestive symptoms (if you know what I mean) and vomiting. I kind of expected the first two but the vomiting caught me off guard. My stomach has been pretty uncomfortable ever since. I was going to try cheese first when it came to reintroducing dairy because I thought that might be less difficult for my body to manage (I've known for some time I've had a dairy sensitivity because every time I have milk, my stomach gets a little upset) but now I'm nervous about trying that. Maybe in a couple of weeks I'll try again but for now, just want to have everything settle back down. Crazy how quickly I was affected!

[Crimsann]

Added another technically compliant ingredient/but non-compliant intention item to my hardly counts reintro tally.  LOL! 

 

I saw this recipe linked while looking for add-in's for burgers to liven them up some, the site I was on said they used this for a "bun" and I was seriously curious when I saw it claimed to be Naan bread with three ingredients: almond flour, tapioca flour/starch, coconut milk.

 

http://myheartbeets.com/paleo-naan-indian-bread/

 

In the spirit of exploration I went ahead and tried this one, and I really like it though I would rename it Nah-an because it's not much like the Naan I remember.  A couple of things, I added the optional salt since I was planning to use this more as "bread" than as a crepe.  I also made them small and probably pretty thin.  I got about 7 out of the recipe, and cooked them on an electric griddle like I was making pancakes only I left them on until I got some deep color on both sides.  I just kept flipping them until I was pretty sure they were well dried out in the center.  A lot of the reviews mentioned they were gooey inside, and I think this is one that just requires a really long cooking time.  Putting them on before I started some other food prep and just letting them go kept me from impatiently watching them for 20+ minutes.  I also took a sniff or two and then decided to add a sprinkle of salt and some rosemary on top which was amazing!

 

The result was really tasty, the texture almost an exact cross between a soft flatbread and a buttery cracker.  No idea where that came from since there was no butter in the recipe or on the griddle...I'm guessing it's something to do with the almond flour maybe, I've heard it adds a slightly buttery taste.  The recipe mentions using ghee on them, but I liked it just fine as they were warm and I still haven't found a ghee I like the taste of.  I brought some for with my lunch today so will be curious to see how the texture/taste changes when they are cool.

 

Not really sure how I'm going to use these.  Which may be a good reason not to make them regularly or I could find myself snacking on them!  Maybe as crackers to pile some chicken salad on for a change of pace, or this weekend I might try it as an egg sandwich wrapper of sorts.  For the amount of time required to make them, they won't be going into daily rotation or anything that's for sure.

[RubytheSugarDragonSlayer]

@WholeSue - I hear you on the dairy thing - WOW, it really hit you hard! I was paying attention to what I was eating/how it made me feel just before our official start date and learned that milk fills me with "snot". Hubby thought I was imagining things. He was so WRONG!

 

@Crimsann - your Nah-an sounds really tasty, going to have to try those!

 

@DonnaB - when do you leave for the cruise? Where are you going? Cruising is so much funnnnnnnnnn!!!!!!

 

Where is everybody?? It's been quiet around here!!!

 

Vacation last week - We ended up at an all inclusive (adults only) resort in Cancun. It was awesome and the price was really good. So, my meals were 90% on plan, it's the extras that'll get you. Yup - I tasted the desserts, didn't finish most of them, happy with a bite or 2 - and they were nice enough to provide many of them in bite sized pieces. Where I let myself go was with the open bar. I had a champagne vacation! Yes, I drank champagne everyday, sometimes twice a day. And other imbibements were enjoyed as well.

 

Impact - about 5 days in all my aches and pains, that had vanished through clean eating, came back to bother me. I mostly blame the alcohol, even though I did have bits of bread and sweets each day.

 

Result - I did my grocery round-up yesterday and spent 2+ hours fixing stuff to set me up for a successful week.

Here is what I have so far:

• sweet potatoes
• acorn squash
• roasted chicken
• sausage patties - made them a few times before, haven't been happy with the texture, had the butcher double grind the raw pork - much better now!
• hard boiled eggs
• clarified 1# butter
• and I made a non-compliant fig galatee because they had figs at my grocery store and it just looked too good not to try the recipe!

Tonight's dinner: scallops with the blueberry ginger sauce. YUM!! and green beans. The leftover blueberry sauce will turn into salad dressing.

 

Here is to another week of better living through better food!!

 

CHEERS!

[DonnaB]

Good for you, Ruby! I went to the Farmers Market yesterday and loaded up on veggies, so hopefully that will help with meal planning this week. We leave fly out to Seattle on August 1st, and depart on our Alaskan Cruise on August 2nd. Can hardly believe it's only 13 days away. The past week has been kicking in to high gear to get ready for the trip, so the eating hasn't been the best. Of course, our daughter invited us over for dinner last night, so we weren't compliant, but the additions for dinner itself weren't too bad - some brown rice, and not sure what was in the seasoning she used for the meat in the kimchi soup (she does her own variation - probably sounds weird that two of our kids cooked the same unusual meal for us, but it's something they grew up with due to DH having spent time in Korea). The one bad thing we had over the weekend was Melona pops. I used to really like these for a treat sometimes, but after a month of compliant eating, they just don't taste as good as I remembered, so I looked at the package, and of course - dairy in 3 different forms, and a bunch of food coloring. Blech!  But I still kinda' like them :-( so when daughter asked if we wanted a strawberry Melona - or course I didn't refuse. But - here's the interesting thing - I had the first melon pop on Saturday, and Sunday morning I was all congested. Then I had the strawberry one Sunday night - but today not much congestion. This is just the kick-in-the-pants I needed to start charting my foods and reactions. My daughter has been doing quite a bit of elimination in her diet, as well, and has discovered an emotional connection to certain foods - so that leads me to believe I need to be in tune to that, as well. So much to learn. Sigh! But we will get there, right?!