Brewer5: No Training Wheels

[Brewer5]

I really think following the food lists as a guide within a mostly Whole-30 template framework is the way to go.

 

I just wanted to dig this up and say it again, maybe a little more clearly:

 

I believe that the Whole 30 way of eating is the healthiest way -- and the ONLY way, when it comes right down to it.  You cannot go wrong with eating protein + veggies + fat for 3-4 meals per day.

 

What we often see here on the forums (and I can only imagine on facebook) are a lot of people eating "compliant" food -- sure, "Look at me, I'm following the rules" -- but often missing the point.  You can go through 30 days of eating compliant food, you can start to drift back to your old habits on Day 31, and you can earn a gold star because you've "completed a Whole 30!"  Well, woo freakin hoo.  This was just another diet.

 

Karen, I did not know that you had never done the re-intros.  I think this is a really important part of the journey, because you are able to test these things with a pretty clean slate -- and the reactions are pretty much undeniable.  This is valuable information that can help you make truly educated decisions about your food choices for the rest of your life.  It is part of the life-changing nature of this program.

 

I think the suggestion to do a strict Whole 30 when you get home is a good one -- with the full intention of following the re-intro schedule at the end.  Then you will know whether adding in dairy is truly worth it to you -- or not.

 

So to go back to my quote above -- I still believe this is going to be the best path for you.  Take what you've learned from Jimmy, and what you will learn from Dr. Perlmutter, and apply it to Whole 30.  You can do this without a bunch of fruit, you can do it without potato chips or EVEN any starchy vegetables, if you wish.  kirkor and I have already been there, done that, and we are here to help!  As you know, I even kept a full and complete food log here, so you can go back and see what I ate.  It will be boring and pretty basic, but it's there.  

[Brewer5]

 

Ingredients:  Cabbage, Persian cucumbers, sea salt, garlic.

 

It was in the refrigerated section, and it is good until May 2016.

 

What say you experts:  Good bacteria in there, or no?  

[Brewer5]

 

Now these beauties were on the shelf, not refrigerated.  I got them at Costco and they are freakin awesome.   

 

Ingredients:  Fermented and pasteurized olives, almonds, water, white wine vinegar, sea salt 5%, lemon juice and herbs.

 

What do you think?  Anything good in there?  What's the point of fermenting, if you are then going to pasteurize?   

[Brewer5]

My own words from 9/10/14:

 

"Hey sweitzel, thanks for posting.     I have written here before (a lot) about addiction and the effects that these things have on the brain.  I've done a lot of research on the subject over the years, battling an addiction to nicotine myself.  (Happy to say I've been FREE of that one for well over a year now.)  You are absolutely right in using the alcohol analogy.  People in denial would like to think that things like sugar, dairy, and wheat cannot possibly be compared to drugs -- preposterous!   Right?     ..........Right.   I know better.  You know better.  As evidenced by my recent affair with dairy (and ice cream in particular -- talk about the ultimate dairy/sugar whammy) & the battle you have going on with sugar right now."

 

--------------

 

We were out making the big trip to stock up on groceries all day yesterday.  My husband wanted to stop and get some ice cream after one of the kids asked about it.  There is a special place in the big city that actually has some approved flavors for Feingold.

 

So we stopped.  I told the kids they could get a kids-size only & they were happy with that.

 

I got nothing.  I wanted nothing.  I was perfectly happy to have nothing.  I CHOSE to have nothing.

 

We were surrounded all day by junk.  Everywhere I look -- just:  Junk.  Junk.  Junk.  We stocked up on meat, vegetables, fruit, olives, macadamia nuts.

 

While we were at Costco, my mom texted and told me they had just handed out candy to about 1000 trick-or-treaters at their campground.  I told her we were at the store stocking up on real food and my kids don't need any of that crap.  We are going camping with them next weekend, and I really hope we can just focus on hiking and nourishing meals -minus the Halloween junk.

[Brewer5]

Good stuff right here:

 

I have moments where a certain food sounds so good -- but it passes.  It reminds me of when I was trying to quit smoking.  The book I was using said that the actual urge to smoke really only lasts less than 5 minutes.  Maybe it was even 2 minutes.  I don't remember.  The point is -- these things pop in my head.  And if I had nothing holding me back, I know myself well enough to know that a lot of times, I would just go with it.  That's what was going on when I decided to do this Whole 30.  I felt just, I don't know, out of control with food.  I don't mean like I was eating ~massive quantities of junk~ but more like, it was too easy to act on impulse.  

 

.........I don't miss that.  Did I really just replace my addiction to nicotine with an addiction to dairy/sugar and mind-numbing carbs?  

 

Maybe.  

 

That is ugly.  I don't like it.  But we can't fight these things if we don't even recognize what we are up against, can we?

 

 

I feel like I have finally moved beyond that, without needing the rules or outside accountability of a Whole 30.

[kirkor]

kirkor and I have already been there, done that, and we are here to help!  As you know, I even kept a full and complete food log here, so you can go back and see what I ate.  It will be boring and pretty basic, but it's there.

 

I think the next one I do I'll post a daily food log, and I think I'll even do food costs too since I've been meaning to for a while (like how Munkers did it).

[jmcbn]

 

Now these beauties were on the shelf, not refrigerated.  I got them at Costco and they are freakin awesome.   

 

Ingredients:  Fermented and pasteurized olives, almonds, water, white wine vinegar, sea salt 5%, lemon juice and herbs.

 

What do you think?  Anything good in there?  What's the point of fermenting, if you are then going to pasteurize?   

These look GOOD!! Although I'm referring more to the actual olives & their source rather than how they've been processed.... I believe pasteurizing kills of any of the bacteria from fermentation? I'll bet they still taste good though!

[Brewer5]

A couple of thoughts for today:

I stayed up late last night and read through every word of the Heifer International gift brochure last night. I don't know why, I just felt led to it.

And reading it made me really think about how small and petty some of our concerns can be. These people are just happy to have a goat, a llama, a few chickens. These gifts turn their lives around. Allow their kids to go to school that they could not otherwise afford.

Every year I want to do something with my kids that will put the focus on GIVING instead of getting. I always want to do the Operation Christmas Child shoebox thing (and we have done it in the past) -- but every year I look into it now and have missed the deadline!

I am going to read through this brochure with them. Do you know that this entire project is focused on giving people animals -- and trees. Like cashew trees. So these people can grow their own real food. No labels to read. No damn preservatives to avoid. No wondering where it came from or how it was treated.

These people are not sad if they can no longer eat from their favorite restaurant. They're not mourning the loss of packaged treats from the store. They are literally HUNGRY. I would guess not one of us even knows what that truly feels like.

So this year, we are going to donate some money to their cause. I think it's awesome, what they do. I would like to be able to help in a much bigger way, but this is what I can do for now.

[jmcbn]

I'm trying to teach my kids about Giving rather than Receiving too....

 

We haven't done Christmas cards for six years now but we donate the money we would have spent on the cards & the postage stamps to a local charity - generally the one the kids school has chosen for that year because it's something they are familiar wth & they know how much good the money will do.

Last year we also donated to a local food bank - we just added a few items to our Grocery list each week, then in the days before Christmas gathered everything up in a box and took it along for the Volunteers there to deliver. It really is amazing the number of families in this and neighbouring towns who, due to the economic downturn, really struggle to put a meal on the table. Nobody should be in that position in this day & age.

I like the idea of a gift that keeps giving though - I'm going to see what sort of programmes there are locally.
 

[Brewer5]

Part of the program is that they are required to "pass on the gift" -- so when more animals are born, they go to someone else in the community -- and on, and on, and on. I really like that part of it, too.

[Brewer5]

I knew I had more thoughts earlier, but just now remembered:

1) I officially started oil pulling today with 5 minutes of coconut oil. I googled simple instructions and the main thing is, don't swallow. Lol. Which I already knew. I am going to work my way up to 20 minutes per day & I will report any noticeable results. Five minutes felt a bit like eternity but I think I can do this. The key is to be busy doing other stuff, too, I think.

2) I placed my first order with Thrive Market last night -- and while their prices are great, I am not sure if I will order enough stuff in a year to justify a $60 annual membership. Thankfully, you get 30 days free to decide. But it took me awhile to come up with enough stuff to even make an initial order.

[kirkor]

My buddy does Thrive with his family. He's kind of a prepper though, so they get a ton of stuff. Maybe split a membership with another family, kinda like how some people do with Costco?

[jmcbn]

I officially started oil pulling today with 5 minutes of coconut oil. I googled simple instructions and the main thing is, don't swallow. Lol. Which I already knew. I am going to work my way up to 20 minutes per day & I will report any noticeable results. Five minutes felt a bit like eternity but I think I can do this. The key is to be busy doing other stuff, too, I think.

It should also be done on an empty stomach, first thing in the morning....

[Brewer5]

It should also be done on an empty stomach, first thing in the morning....

 

But what if you don't?  Will it just not be as effective?

[Brewer5]

My buddy does Thrive with his family. He's kind of a prepper though, so they get a ton of stuff. Maybe split a membership with another family, kinda like how some people do with Costco?

 

Yeah, I guess what I was really saying is I'm not sure what people actually order from there on a regular basis.  Their price on everything I bought was ~a little~ better....  But $60/year better?  Not sure.

 

It's a cool idea.....  Maybe I am just missing out on some cool things to buy on there, or maybe I just don't use that many packaged goods.  

[jmcbn]

But what if you don't?  Will it just not be as effective?

Yeah. There's a bit of debate as to when is best but the majority of recommendations I've read have said to do it first thing in the morning, on an empty stomach. I have a friend who's a dental nurse and she said morning would probably be best because of the bacteria that develops in the mouth overnight which gives that nice 'morning breath'   

Remember to spit in the trash too as the oil & saliva separate, then the oil solidifies and clogs up the pipes if you spit in the sink!

 

[Brewer5]

Oh yeah....  we learned all about the pipes with the bacon grease debacle......  LOL

 

It goes in the trash, for sure!  

[Brewer5]

 

Ingredients:  Cabbage, Persian cucumbers, sea salt, garlic.

 

It was in the refrigerated section, and it is good until May 2016.

 

What say you experts:  Good bacteria in there, or no?  

 

Well, I still have no idea.  But I've been eating a spoonful of this with pretty much every meal, and it doesn't cause any rumbling or apparent issues, so...  I guess I will continue.

[Stephany]

I asked my husband about the Trader Joe's kraut.. he looked at the pic/ingredients and that it's from the fridge section.. he said yes, it is fermented. It's just a wild ferment, meaning it doesn't use a starter culture... but the fermentation happens due to the bacteria that already exists on the cabbage leaves.

[Erica Gucc]

Oh that looks yummy!! Any other cool stuff at trader joes you recommend. I might go there tomorrow and pick up some coconut milk. I seriously need fat ideas for my bf!

[Erica Gucc]

I knew I had more thoughts earlier, but just now remembered:

1) I officially started oil pulling today with 5 minutes of coconut oil. I googled simple instructions and the main thing is, don't swallow. Lol. Which I already knew. I am going to work my way up to 20 minutes per day & I will report any noticeable results. Five minutes felt a bit like eternity but I think I can do this. The key is to be busy doing other stuff, too, I think.

2) I placed my first order with Thrive Market last night -- and while their prices are great, I am not sure if I will order enough stuff in a year to justify a $60 annual membership. Thankfully, you get 30 days free to decide. But it took me awhile to come up with enough stuff to even make an initial order.

Oh can you share your list?? I wanna go buy some from there now !

[Brewer5]

Oh that looks yummy!! Any other cool stuff at trader joes you recommend. I might go there tomorrow and pick up some coconut milk. I seriously need fat ideas for my bf!

 

We get all sorts of stuff at TJ's....  I mean, besides the obvious stuff -- there IS a compliant marinara in a can.  We used to eat that a lot mixed with homemade sausage & veggies.

 

I use their light olive oil to make mayo.  We love their frozen chicken breasts because they are minimally processed & don't add a solution.  We also used to buy their bags of sweet potatoes because they are smaller & easier to cut, better serving size.

 

If you do a search of Whole 30 Trader Joe's, all sorts of cool stuff probably comes up.  Our family makes pretty basic food most of the time, so if I listed everything out, it would be very boring.  

[Brewer5]

Oh can you share your list?? I wanna go buy some from there now !

 

Well, I bought some 72% chocolate bars for the kids that are obviously not Whole 30 compliant.    Tanka bites, also.

 

Whole 30 stuff was:

 

NOW brand raw brazil nuts

Coconut Secret aminos

Herbamare seasoning

Coconut Secret vinegar

 

Umm, that's it.  Lol.  I also bought some unscented shaving products I wanted to try out.

 

Some other things I wanted to buy on there but were out of stock:

 

NOW brand roasted/salted macadamias

Great Lakes collagen hydrolysate powder

 

I looked at Epic bars after seeing that mentioned here, but I just can't do it.   Too expensive for snack food.

[LancerLott]

Are there any health food markets near you that sell fermented foods?  Kimchi and sauerkraut are excellent.  Make sure they are raw and lacto-fermented. If the jar isn't in the refrigerator section at the store, then it's total crap and you should stay far away from it (because that means it's either cooked or has preservatives).  

I'm sure there are, Karen- I'll look the next time I go grocery shopping. Thanks for the tips!

[LancerLott]

I feel G.O.O.D. when I stay off the grains, sugars, and dairy.  However, having never done a full re-intro, I don't know if it is any or all of those three things that made me feel so bad.  My gut tells me that it is most the sugars.  I wonder if the dairy did cause the stuffiness, etc that people have talked about.  Since I have had ice cream two times this week, it would be easy to say that the little bit of stuffiness I have (ears, back of throat in morning) is from that.  However, it could also be the total change of pace (read:  physically exhausting myself almost every day), getting chilled on my walk the other day, the change of weather, or so many other things.

I will say that for me, re-intros were and are important, but also they don't tell the whole story. Even though I *can* do rice and dairy (same as before), I do know that these foods I should utilize as treats (instead of coconut ice "cream", chips & salsa, etc. that I had as treats in the past) or as a condiment (cheese), and have them rarely. Because yes, it is far too easy to find it OKAY to eat other things that will put weight back onto my body and make me feel Not-Good.