Staggolee41 Posted June 27, 2016 Share Posted June 27, 2016 Week One Post-Mortem Hello all! Please bear with me, as this post is going to be long, but I hope it will make you laugh, feel like you are not alone, and help you. I'm writing in tips for people just getting started as well as documenting what I've learned so far so I don't forget. Adventures in Shopping I am fortunate enough to live in one of the major cities in Texas that has a grocery store called Central Market (owned by HEB). I've always preferred it to other grocery stores, as it always seemed more like a chef's grocery store (but with a very down-to-earth feel), but now, I'm much more aware of how awesome this store is. It has options for the health-conscious, diversity within every category, diversity in categories overall, the best produce in town (at can't-be-beat prices), options for the taste-conscious, and does all of these things with an unwavering dedication to delivering the highest quality of goods. *PROMISE* I wasn't paid by Central Market to say these things, but after years of not going there because I moved farther away, then going back today... I can't believe I ever spent a dime at Whole Foods. If you live in Austin, Dallas, Ft Worth, Houston, or San Antonio, I implore you to give this store a shot. Seriously. If you haven't been convinced already, picture this: A 30-year-old woman stands crying sugar-free tears of happiness while she struggles to steady her iPhone in order to get a shot of avocado oil mayo pricing. Then again in the salad dressings. Annnnd again in the prosciutto section of the deli. You too could be just like her! Shopping Finds I promised I'd share my good finds with you, and here we are. I'll list by item, store where I found it, and finally, the good, the bad, and the ugly. For this list, HEB is akin to your local Ralph's, Kroger, Albertson's, or Randall's. ProTip: You can request specialty items at most grocery stores simply by going to Customer Service and asking. Almond flour - HEB, Whole Foods - I needed almond flour for a recipe and was dismayed to see that the price for a small package was $13.99 at Whole Foods. Then... I had to go to HEB (common, local store), and I found it for a full $5 less. Doesn't seem to be a difference in quality, and the ingredients are the same - just almonds. Mayo - Central Market, Whole Foods - If you're like me, and frustrated to tears by the mayo recipe in the book, you'll be willing to shell out some cash for Primal Kitchen avocado oil mayo. $10 at Whole Foods and online; $9 at Central Market (yes, I was excited). Watch out for other brands - they are NOT compliant. Relish - Whole Foods - The 365 brand sells a dill relish that contains no added sugars and only one (Whole30 acceptable) preservative. I think it was $3, but be careful that you don't pick up the sweet relish by mistake. Salad dressing - Central Market - I'd been checking labels at every store, and I only found an assortment of options at CM. *DISCLAIMER* all of the ones I found that didn't have added sugar did have canola oil in the ingredients. I'm okay with this for my plan because I'm not eating at restaurants (where canola oil is prevalent, and the purpose for the ingredient's approval for Whole30). That said, there were many that were compliant, ranging from prices of $3-8. The ones that were most intriguing were both between $3-4. Harriet's Red Wine Vinaigrette and Drew's Greek Olive Dressing & Quick Marinade were the ones I liked. Salmon fillets - Whole Foods - I found a package of six individually-packaged wild-caught Coho salmon fillets of reasonable (though probably a little too big for me) sizes. They rang in at $20 and come in a clear zip-top bag, but be forewarned: they are not as boneless as they say they are. Chicken breasts - HEB - Also in the realm of pre-portioned frozen proteins: chicken! Watch out, because so many of them have things we can't have - breading, preservatives, sugar, marinades... Anyway. HEB's package had ten compliant 4 oz portions for $7.95. Prosciutto - Central Market, available in limited quantities at a variety of stores - Look for a brand called Tanara. The 18-month prosciutto di parma is somewhat reasonably-priced, and the ingredients are simply pork and salt. Chicken broth - Central Market - I was frustrated by efforts to find compliant broth at HEB and Whole Foods - all of them seemed to include some form of sugar. I was ready to declare cane juice my mortal enemy. BUT. Then, I found Imagine Organic Free-Range Chicken Broth. Keep an eye out for it! Another CM win - while the other stores averaged four varieties, CM had probably a dozen. Beef sticks - Buccee's - Buccee's brand jalapeno beef sticks were the only portable, easy-for-the-road brand and flavor of meat that had no added sugar or soy. Small salad dressing containers by Rubbermaid - Everywhere - DO NOT BUY. They leak. I think that's all I have for now, but I haven't had a chance to go to Trader Joe's yet. I'll provide more details when I have them! Revelations/ProTips Keep a clean kitchen. I took the time to deep-clean my kitchen on Sunday before I started, and I'm extremely glad I did. I've also made a point of baking clean-up time into all of my meal-planning, and that has kept "well, no clean dishes/kitchen isn't clean" from being an excuse for not doing the things I needed to do. Especially on the first handful of recipes you do for your Whole30, double the time it says it's going to take for prep. I'm not talking about time in the oven, but about prep time. Having to make substitutions can make things take longer. I'm also not accustomed to prepping many of these vegetables, meats, and fresh herbs and spices (going *way* outside my comfort zone), so challenges like cutting open spaghetti squash caught me by surprise and delayed a meal being ready, much to the chagrin of my supportive boyfriend. Pick a vegetable you really like and cook some extra to just have in the fridge, ready to go. Mine is asparagus, so I'll break it up into small pieces, bake it with a little salt and either clarified butter or olive oil, and then add it at random to omelets, salads, or other recipes to help me hit the proper proportion of vegetables in each meal. Make a little extra for every dinner so you have leftovers. Nothing beats looking in the refrigerator the morning before a long day at work and having leftovers ready to go for either lunch or dinner with no work required, aside from pushing a microwave button. Prep your lunches the day before. I know I wouldn't have made it through this week if I hadn't done this. For sure. Reserve a spot in the X-Men ahead of time. Especially if you were a sugar addict before... because you're about to gain a mutant superpower: the ability to detect sugary goods (especially cake) by smell from about half a mile away. Have a quality set of kitchen knives and keep them sharp. I've never been more thankful for the Shun knives my dad bought for me. Make sure you have a sharpening steel (and that you use it). And never, ever, EVER put them in the dishwasher. Add lemon juice to prepped avocado slices to help keep them looking nice overnight. Learned this one working in commercial kitchens. Another ProTip: Roll the lemon against your counter back and forth with moderate pressure from your hand - this will help the juice come out more readily once it's sliced and being juiced. Ask a loved one or good friend to plan some surprises for you. They don't have to be big things - a postcard, a note in your lunch bag, a new coffee mug - but having encouragement and support is huge, and these will serve as little reminders that what you're doing is worth it. Make a display in your kitchen out of your spices and vegetables that are supposed to be stored outside the refrigerator. Doing this has caused me to use more of them in each meal, which has resulted in more flavor. Things I Wish I Knew What to do about illness during Whole30 - no medicines for treating allergies or a sore throat with flu-like symptoms seem to anywhere close to compliant, and tea and broth aren't cutting it Why I smell weird (seem to be secreting different oils now or something, I have no idea... not bad, just weird) What to do about joint pain (I'll be perusing the forums a little later for this one) Alright, everyone... that's it for now. Again, sorry for the length, but I hope this helps you in some way. Thanks for reading, and best of luck with your next Whole30 day! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KateRT192 Posted June 27, 2016 Share Posted June 27, 2016 Hey everyone, and welcome to the new faces! great to get some more perspectives, I've found this group's really kept me motivated! So it's day 9 now, and i'm having a wee think about my pros and cons so far: Pros: Now sleeping a lot better - I've just moved flat and live next to a brewery which makes a really loud noise some nights, that seemed to bother me a lot less last night Getting up is MUCH less of a chore - I hardly ever hit the snooze button now Clothes are a little looser & I'm feeling more confident because of it Dare i say it i seem to have gained a little bit of muscle definition back that i had lost recently after neglecting the weights for more running So many new recipes tried and loved! I can now make homemade mayo, pesto and courgette spaghetti (I believe you guys call it zucchini) (side note - I got a savisto spiraliser and it's great!) Feeling really happy about my food choices and not been tempted to cheat Cons: SICK OF EGGS - tried the chicken hash this morning from the book though and that was quite nice, a wee bit sweet for me though. Still have a bit of a heavy head, not fully out of the foggy phase yet Whilst i'm enjoying the cooking, this really takes up a lot of your time! I have had a bad stomach this last week, i'll not go into too much detail, but it hasn't been pleasant...! My workouts haven't been as strong as usual I know the cons I'm experiencing are all part of my body healing so i'm not too worried, just wanted to share so we can all compare how we're getting on! Thanks, have a great day guys! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KateRT192 Posted June 27, 2016 Share Posted June 27, 2016 Well, I made it through the game without breaking rules. My boyfriend drank beer and ate wings; I drank something like 70oz of water and ate my salmon cakes with the tartar sauce and was too full for my salad. There were people having lots of things I couldn't have - ice cream, beer, margaritas, ballpark nachos - all around me, but I had the willpower to stay compliant. Something about this plan makes it easier to stick with it. Maybe it's the effort you put into it. Sounds like the group is having a lot of wins all around! Great work! Day 7 will be lots of leftovers, visiting stores I don't have time to visit during the work week (I'll make sure to share any good finds), and cooking ALL THE THINGS because I'm pet/house sitting for my sister this week, so not at home with all my goodies. Well done!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KateRT192 Posted June 27, 2016 Share Posted June 27, 2016 Hey, y'all! Joining the party a little late. I started on my first whole30 on the 21st, so on day 5. I work out a lot, so I'm still tracking my calories - but to make sure I'm not undereating! I always log them after the fact, and am not at all concerned with the numbers, as long as I'm hitting my minimums. My metabolism is pretty high, so I'm eating 5-6 meals a day. I eat until I am full, then a few hours later: famished! I literally shoved a handful of raw kale in my mouth yesterday because I was hungry and frustrated. My husband laughed at me... and it was not delicious. Anyone else structuring their eating this way? Also, ladies (sorrynotsorry, dudes), anyone have any tips/tricks on handling shark week whole30 style? I swear I can smell chocolate cake baking a mile away right now... it's pretty much a superpower. I'm setting a meal plan for this week as we speak, you all have some great ideas! Looking forward to this! Hey there! how have you gotten on in your workouts? I found mine struggled last week, what usually would have been challenging but doable was making me a dizzy, sweaty mess!! Kate Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EJSmadhatter Posted June 27, 2016 Author Share Posted June 27, 2016 I looked this up in the additive sections and I didn't see this as yes or no. Does anyone know? They are Sodium Benzoate and Potassium Sorbet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KateRT192 Posted June 27, 2016 Share Posted June 27, 2016 I looked this up in the additive sections and I didn't see this as yes or no. Does anyone know? They are Sodium Benzoate and Potassium Sorbet. Hey, i've just had a look and it looks as if both are okay, but not actively encouraged if you can find stuff without, i've copied the 2 threads below which seemed to have the best answers. hope this helps! http://forum.whole30.com/topic/19966-sodium-benzoate/ http://forum.whole30.com/topic/31522-potassium-sorbate/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Staggolee41 Posted June 27, 2016 Share Posted June 27, 2016 Hey everyone, and welcome to the new faces! great to get some more perspectives, I've found this group's really kept me motivated! So it's day 9 now, and i'm having a wee think about my pros and cons so far: Pros: Now sleeping a lot better - I've just moved flat and live next to a brewery which makes a really loud noise some nights, that seemed to bother me a lot less last night Getting up is MUCH less of a chore - I hardly ever hit the snooze button now Clothes are a little looser & I'm feeling more confident because of it Dare i say it i seem to have gained a little bit of muscle definition back that i had lost recently after neglecting the weights for more running So many new recipes tried and loved! I can now make homemade mayo, pesto and courgette spaghetti (I believe you guys call it zucchini) (side note - I got a savisto spiraliser and it's great!) Feeling really happy about my food choices and not been tempted to cheat Cons: SICK OF EGGS - tried the chicken hash this morning from the book though and that was quite nice, a wee bit sweet for me though. Still have a bit of a heavy head, not fully out of the foggy phase yet Whilst i'm enjoying the cooking, this really takes up a lot of your time! I have had a bad stomach this last week, i'll not go into too much detail, but it hasn't been pleasant...! My workouts haven't been as strong as usual I know the cons I'm experiencing are all part of my body healing so i'm not too worried, just wanted to share so we can all compare how we're getting on! Thanks, have a great day guys! Your pros/cons list is great! Thanks for sharing. Here are a few I've been tossing around in my head: Pros I can run up the stairs at work carrying my work bag, my big purse, and a bag full of food without being totally out of breath I'm really enjoying most of the food and being reintroduced to my kitchen Also enjoying my kitchen being clean and organized all the time Having an easier time organizing my thoughts and thinking analytically Not hitting the snooze button a dozen times every day More time doing things I enjoy and interacting with my significant other (almost no time camped out in front of the TV) I thiiiiiink I might be thinning a little, but my body composition is changing for sure - my ring comes off more easily, my waist is much more defined, and I have to hook half of my bras tighter than before Skin is clearer... sometimes Lessened depression and anxiety (this is really hard to judge, but I think I can say this at this point, hoping it continues) NO MORE TUMS Cons So much time... all of the time... (though I'd rather spend this time cooking and doing dishes than sitting in front of the TV, hence the pro listed above) I MISS CHEESE... and sugar... and beer Haven't found a way to transport dressing without it spilling Spending quite a bit of money to have the right (compliant) foods and all of the tools I need Increased lower joint pain Decreased efficacy in workouts (which is odd when put alongside the stairs pro above) Regularly waking up with a sore throat I'd be really excited to see everyone else's pros/cons lists so far! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ed.lorden Posted June 27, 2016 Share Posted June 27, 2016 NSV??? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Staggolee41 Posted June 27, 2016 Share Posted June 27, 2016 NSV??? NSV = Non-Scale Victory EX: I'm not sure if I've lost weight, but my clothes are looser, and I'm not experiencing heartburn like I was. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
50andup Posted June 27, 2016 Share Posted June 27, 2016 I started June 20th, it's been one week. Love the way I'm feeling. There were some challenges during the first week. I was blessed to be able and stay super busy which helped a great deal. The best part right now is my increase energy level. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
50andup Posted June 27, 2016 Share Posted June 27, 2016 Pros: Ears are not ringing all the time! No ankle pain, knee pain, hip pain, shoulder pain. Hunger is so much less, I only think about eating now when it's time to eat! My brain fog is so gone, clairity is amazing. Love all the new cooking methods. I'm learning so many ways to improve the taste of food. Cons: My family loves my food and they are eating it, especially my husband he is chowing down so there's hardly any left overs, then he goes back and eats the left overs at the next meal. He wouldn't even consider doing the program with me, but he is loving the food, plus all of his bread, chips, etc.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Staggolee41 Posted June 27, 2016 Share Posted June 27, 2016 Pros: Ears are not ringing all the time! No ankle pain, knee pain, hip pain, shoulder pain. Hunger is so much less, I only think about eating now when it's time to eat! My brain fog is so gone, clairity is amazing. Love all the new cooking methods. I'm learning so many ways to improve the taste of food. Cons: My family loves my food and they are eating it, especially my husband he is chowing down so there's hardly any left overs, then he goes back and eats the left overs at the next meal. He wouldn't even consider doing the program with me, but he is loving the food, plus all of his bread, chips, etc.... Those are some really great pros! I hope you are proud of your work so far! Even your con... sounds like a pro - glad your family likes the food so much. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ed.lorden Posted June 27, 2016 Share Posted June 27, 2016 Another question. As a diabetic, I could experience hypoglycemia, low blood sugar. I've been experiencing some of the symptoms (sweating, lightheaded). The treatment for that is to eat or take simple carbs, like sugar, honey, etc. I'm treating this as an urgent situation, at least. If I do end up getting the 15mg of carbs, am I then in a reset situation, or is this like the cough drops where it is a medical necessity? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators ShannonM816 Posted June 27, 2016 Moderators Share Posted June 27, 2016 Another question. As a diabetic, I could experience hypoglycemia, low blood sugar. I've been experiencing some of the symptoms (sweating, lightheaded). The treatment for that is to eat or take simple carbs, like sugar, honey, etc. I'm treating this as an urgent situation, at least. If I do end up getting the 15mg of carbs, am I then in a reset situation, or is this like the cough drops where it is a medical necessity? If it's just sugar or honey, not a candy or soda with other ingredients that would also be off plan, I wouldn't worry about it. If you take medication to treat your diabetes you may need to keep in touch with your doctor in case your dosages need to be changed, many people find that they do have to make some changes over the course of their Whole30. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PezCadet Posted June 27, 2016 Share Posted June 27, 2016 Hi All, Morning of Day 8 for me. So proud to have made it through the first week! I only had the brain fog one day and the sore throat disappeared over the weekend. My husband is still struggling with energy levels and we're both eagerly waiting for our digestive systems to readjust. Prep yesterday was a lot easier than last week after we tweaked our planning to fit our schedules in a few ways. We don't mind eating the same thing over and over, so this helps: Breakfast casserole all week - that fiesta casserole was great this morning! I'm pairing it with a yummy peach today. Lunches all week are protein salads. We're really enjoying these so I hope I don't get sick of them. We bought ingredients for about 3 dinners this week, each recipe should make us 2 dinners, so we'll just be cooking every other night. Loaded up on fruit and veggies at Costco to supplement the meals. I also found some fruit/seed bars from Trader Joe's that are compliant and can keep in my desk at work. Our Whole Foods has a "Nom Nom Paleo approved" section of the hot food bar. This is now my emergency backup dinner plan. A few kitchen gadgets that are helping me a lot: If you have a Kitchen Aid stand mixer, you can use it to shred poached chicken breasts in about 90 seconds - the chicken just needs to be still warm Immersion blenders make mayo in a snap. I ended up following a youtube instruction rather than the steps in the W30 book, but with the W30 ingredients. Easiest way to clean an immersion blender is to "blend" soapy water. Whenever possible I'm reworking recipes to use my electric pressure cooker (Pulled Pork Carnitas! Beef Brisket! Baked Sweet Potatoes!). Basically any crock pot recipe can be pressure cooked. It's faster, more tender, keeps more nutrients, and doesn't heat up my kitchen. We don't have A/C or an outdoor grill so all this cooking gets our place really hot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Staggolee41 Posted June 27, 2016 Share Posted June 27, 2016 Hi All, Morning of Day 8 for me. So proud to have made it through the first week! I only had the brain fog one day and the sore throat disappeared over the weekend. My husband is still struggling with energy levels and we're both eagerly waiting for our digestive systems to readjust. Prep yesterday was a lot easier than last week after we tweaked our planning to fit our schedules in a few ways. We don't mind eating the same thing over and over, so this helps: Breakfast casserole all week - that fiesta casserole was great this morning! I'm pairing it with a yummy peach today. Lunches all week are protein salads. We're really enjoying these so I hope I don't get sick of them. We bought ingredients for about 3 dinners this week, each recipe should make us 2 dinners, so we'll just be cooking every other night. Loaded up on fruit and veggies at Costco to supplement the meals. I also found some fruit/seed bars from Trader Joe's that are compliant and can keep in my desk at work. Our Whole Foods has a "Nom Nom Paleo approved" section of the hot food bar. This is now my emergency backup dinner plan. A few kitchen gadgets that are helping me a lot: If you have a Kitchen Aid stand mixer, you can use it to shred poached chicken breasts in about 90 seconds - the chicken just needs to be still warm Immersion blenders make mayo in a snap. I ended up following a youtube instruction rather than the steps in the W30 book, but with the W30 ingredients. Easiest way to clean an immersion blender is to "blend" soapy water. Whenever possible I'm reworking recipes to use my electric pressure cooker (Pulled Pork Carnitas! Beef Brisket! Baked Sweet Potatoes!). Basically any crock pot recipe can be pressure cooked. It's faster, more tender, keeps more nutrients, and doesn't heat up my kitchen. We don't have A/C or an outdoor grill so all this cooking gets our place really hot. Nice work, and great tips! I too had a sore throat this weekend, but it is gone now. Super jealous of the Nom Nom Paleo section! For the digestive issues, I have experienced those as well. I found a cup of green tea on Friday really helped stabilize my stomach and start moving things along. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Staggolee41 Posted June 27, 2016 Share Posted June 27, 2016 Another question. As a diabetic, I could experience hypoglycemia, low blood sugar. I've been experiencing some of the symptoms (sweating, lightheaded). The treatment for that is to eat or take simple carbs, like sugar, honey, etc. I'm treating this as an urgent situation, at least. If I do end up getting the 15mg of carbs, am I then in a reset situation, or is this like the cough drops where it is a medical necessity? It looks like there are a lot of threads that at least mention diabetes, so you might give it a search on the forums. Here's one that seemed helpful: http://forum.whole30.com/topic/37367-day-15-why-do-i-feel-like-crap/?hl=diabetes Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MidModJenn Posted June 27, 2016 Share Posted June 27, 2016 Happy Monday, everyone! Had such a great NSV last night -- I went to a concert with a bunch of friends (Sting and Peter Gabriel, OMG so good) and didn't have any booze or junk food! They ordered 3 buckets of crab fries, and a bunch of Mike's Hard Lemonades... I ate an early dinner beforehand so I wasn't hungry, and bought a huge bottle of water to drink throughout the show. Honestly, I've been feeling so good lately, I didn't even miss the stuff they were eating. Yay! I'm loving reading everyone's pros and cons! A few from me: Pros: - NO MORE DIGESTIVE ISSUES! This is HUGE for me -- I'm used to having to run to the restroom after almost very meal (sorry for the TMI), now there's no problem at all. I'm floored at what a huge change this is. - My rings are fitting better - My mood seems to be a bit lighter - No idea if I've lost pounds, but my jeans are fitting better Cons: - My sleep patterns are still off... Trying the magnesium powder stuff to see if it helps - I miss cheese a little bit, and red wine - I have some business lunches/dinners coming up soon where I need to be careful of my image around the people I'm dining with... don't want to be seen as a pain in the a** by asking for all sorts of changes to what's on the menu. I'm going to have to really plan ahead and strategize so I can stay compliant but not make these business contacts look at me funny. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Staggolee41 Posted June 27, 2016 Share Posted June 27, 2016 Honestly, I've been feeling so good lately, I didn't even miss the stuff they were eating. Yay! Pros: - NO MORE DIGESTIVE ISSUES! This is HUGE for me -- I'm used to having to run to the restroom after almost very meal (sorry for the TMI), now there's no problem at all. I'm floored at what a huge change this is. - My rings are fitting better - My mood seems to be a bit lighter - No idea if I've lost pounds, but my jeans are fitting better Cons: - My sleep patterns are still off... Trying the magnesium powder stuff to see if it helps - I miss cheese a little bit, and red wine - I have some business lunches/dinners coming up soon where I need to be careful of my image around the people I'm dining with... don't want to be seen as a pain in the a** by asking for all sorts of changes to what's on the menu. I'm going to have to really plan ahead and strategize so I can stay compliant but not make these business contacts look at me funny. Wow! You go, girl! That's a BIG win for the concert, and those are some really great pros, especially with the digestive issues. Sounds like your metabolism is stabilizing! As for the upcoming business meals, just do like you did last week and call ahead. If you're worried about your business contacts judging you, and you have to make some special requests, just be extra cordial to the server and explain you're on an elimination plan. Having been someone taking the order, as well as someone sitting at the table, the people who make a lot of special requests and act holier than thou are considered high maintenance. The people who are polite and thankful and give a brief explanation of why (without sounding sorry for themselves) come across as conscientious and trying to make the best of a situation. If it helps, when you call, ask how you should say it to make it as simple as possible for the server. Again, great job! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EJSmadhatter Posted June 27, 2016 Author Share Posted June 27, 2016 Hey, i've just had a look and it looks as if both are okay, but not actively encouraged if you can find stuff without, i've copied the 2 threads below which seemed to have the best answers. hope this helps! http://forum.whole30.com/topic/19966-sodium-benzoate/ http://forum.whole30.com/topic/31522-potassium-sorbate/ Thank you so much!! my first look didn't show anything Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EJSmadhatter Posted June 27, 2016 Author Share Posted June 27, 2016 Week One Post-Mortem Hello all! Please bear with me, as this post is going to be long, but I hope it will make you laugh, feel like you are not alone, and help you. I'm writing in tips for people just getting started as well as documenting what I've learned so far so I don't forget. Adventures in Shopping I am fortunate enough to live in one of the major cities in Texas that has a grocery store called Central Market (owned by HEB). I've always preferred it to other grocery stores, as it always seemed more like a chef's grocery store (but with a very down-to-earth feel), but now, I'm much more aware of how awesome this store is. It has options for the health-conscious, diversity within every category, diversity in categories overall, the best produce in town (at can't-be-beat prices), options for the taste-conscious, and does all of these things with an unwavering dedication to delivering the highest quality of goods. *PROMISE* I wasn't paid by Central Market to say these things, but after years of not going there because I moved farther away, then going back today... I can't believe I ever spent a dime at Whole Foods. If you live in Austin, Dallas, Ft Worth, Houston, or San Antonio, I implore you to give this store a shot. Seriously. If you haven't been convinced already, picture this: A 30-year-old woman stands crying sugar-free tears of happiness while she struggles to steady her iPhone in order to get a shot of avocado oil mayo pricing. Then again in the salad dressings. Annnnd again in the prosciutto section of the deli. You too could be just like her! Shopping Finds I promised I'd share my good finds with you, and here we are. I'll list by item, store where I found it, and finally, the good, the bad, and the ugly. For this list, HEB is akin to your local Ralph's, Kroger, Albertson's, or Randall's. ProTip: You can request specialty items at most grocery stores simply by going to Customer Service and asking. Almond flour - HEB, Whole Foods - I needed almond flour for a recipe and was dismayed to see that the price for a small package was $13.99 at Whole Foods. Then... I had to go to HEB (common, local store), and I found it for a full $5 less. Doesn't seem to be a difference in quality, and the ingredients are the same - just almonds. Mayo - Central Market, Whole Foods - If you're like me, and frustrated to tears by the mayo recipe in the book, you'll be willing to shell out some cash for Primal Kitchen avocado oil mayo. $10 at Whole Foods and online; $9 at Central Market (yes, I was excited). Watch out for other brands - they are NOT compliant. Relish - Whole Foods - The 365 brand sells a dill relish that contains no added sugars and only one (Whole30 acceptable) preservative. I think it was $3, but be careful that you don't pick up the sweet relish by mistake. Salad dressing - Central Market - I'd been checking labels at every store, and I only found an assortment of options at CM. *DISCLAIMER* all of the ones I found that didn't have added sugar did have canola oil in the ingredients. I'm okay with this for my plan because I'm not eating at restaurants (where canola oil is prevalent, and the purpose for the ingredient's approval for Whole30). That said, there were many that were compliant, ranging from prices of $3-8. The ones that were most intriguing were both between $3-4. Harriet's Red Wine Vinaigrette and Drew's Greek Olive Dressing & Quick Marinade were the ones I liked. Salmon fillets - Whole Foods - I found a package of six individually-packaged wild-caught Coho salmon fillets of reasonable (though probably a little too big for me) sizes. They rang in at $20 and come in a clear zip-top bag, but be forewarned: they are not as boneless as they say they are. Chicken breasts - HEB - Also in the realm of pre-portioned frozen proteins: chicken! Watch out, because so many of them have things we can't have - breading, preservatives, sugar, marinades... Anyway. HEB's package had ten compliant 4 oz portions for $7.95. Prosciutto - Central Market, available in limited quantities at a variety of stores - Look for a brand called Tanara. The 18-month prosciutto di parma is somewhat reasonably-priced, and the ingredients are simply pork and salt. Chicken broth - Central Market - I was frustrated by efforts to find compliant broth at HEB and Whole Foods - all of them seemed to include some form of sugar. I was ready to declare cane juice my mortal enemy. BUT. Then, I found Imagine Organic Free-Range Chicken Broth. Keep an eye out for it! Another CM win - while the other stores averaged four varieties, CM had probably a dozen. Beef sticks - Buccee's - Buccee's brand jalapeno beef sticks were the only portable, easy-for-the-road brand and flavor of meat that had no added sugar or soy. Small salad dressing containers by Rubbermaid - Everywhere - DO NOT BUY. They leak. I think that's all I have for now, but I haven't had a chance to go to Trader Joe's yet. I'll provide more details when I have them! Revelations/ProTips Keep a clean kitchen. I took the time to deep-clean my kitchen on Sunday before I started, and I'm extremely glad I did. I've also made a point of baking clean-up time into all of my meal-planning, and that has kept "well, no clean dishes/kitchen isn't clean" from being an excuse for not doing the things I needed to do. Especially on the first handful of recipes you do for your Whole30, double the time it says it's going to take for prep. I'm not talking about time in the oven, but about prep time. Having to make substitutions can make things take longer. I'm also not accustomed to prepping many of these vegetables, meats, and fresh herbs and spices (going *way* outside my comfort zone), so challenges like cutting open spaghetti squash caught me by surprise and delayed a meal being ready, much to the chagrin of my supportive boyfriend. Pick a vegetable you really like and cook some extra to just have in the fridge, ready to go. Mine is asparagus, so I'll break it up into small pieces, bake it with a little salt and either clarified butter or olive oil, and then add it at random to omelets, salads, or other recipes to help me hit the proper proportion of vegetables in each meal. Make a little extra for every dinner so you have leftovers. Nothing beats looking in the refrigerator the morning before a long day at work and having leftovers ready to go for either lunch or dinner with no work required, aside from pushing a microwave button. Prep your lunches the day before. I know I wouldn't have made it through this week if I hadn't done this. For sure. Reserve a spot in the X-Men ahead of time. Especially if you were a sugar addict before... because you're about to gain a mutant superpower: the ability to detect sugary goods (especially cake) by smell from about half a mile away. Have a quality set of kitchen knives and keep them sharp. I've never been more thankful for the Shun knives my dad bought for me. Make sure you have a sharpening steel (and that you use it). And never, ever, EVER put them in the dishwasher. Add lemon juice to prepped avocado slices to help keep them looking nice overnight. Learned this one working in commercial kitchens. Another ProTip: Roll the lemon against your counter back and forth with moderate pressure from your hand - this will help the juice come out more readily once it's sliced and being juiced. Ask a loved one or good friend to plan some surprises for you. They don't have to be big things - a postcard, a note in your lunch bag, a new coffee mug - but having encouragement and support is huge, and these will serve as little reminders that what you're doing is worth it. Make a display in your kitchen out of your spices and vegetables that are supposed to be stored outside the refrigerator. Doing this has caused me to use more of them in each meal, which has resulted in more flavor. Things I Wish I Knew What to do about illness during Whole30 - no medicines for treating allergies or a sore throat with flu-like symptoms seem to anywhere close to compliant, and tea and broth aren't cutting it Why I smell weird (seem to be secreting different oils now or something, I have no idea... not bad, just weird) What to do about joint pain (I'll be perusing the forums a little later for this one) Alright, everyone... that's it for now. Again, sorry for the length, but I hope this helps you in some way. Thanks for reading, and best of luck with your next Whole30 day! Wow thank you so much what a funny and very helpful post. And I will check out those things too. I have a Ralph near me but I wish I had a central market Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EJSmadhatter Posted June 27, 2016 Author Share Posted June 27, 2016 Hey everyone, and welcome to the new faces! great to get some more perspectives, I've found this group's really kept me motivated! So it's day 9 now, and i'm having a wee think about my pros and cons so far: Pros: Now sleeping a lot better - I've just moved flat and live next to a brewery which makes a really loud noise some nights, that seemed to bother me a lot less last night Getting up is MUCH less of a chore - I hardly ever hit the snooze button now Clothes are a little looser & I'm feeling more confident because of it Dare i say it i seem to have gained a little bit of muscle definition back that i had lost recently after neglecting the weights for more running So many new recipes tried and loved! I can now make homemade mayo, pesto and courgette spaghetti (I believe you guys call it zucchini) (side note - I got a savisto spiraliser and it's great!) Feeling really happy about my food choices and not been tempted to cheat Cons: SICK OF EGGS - tried the chicken hash this morning from the book though and that was quite nice, a wee bit sweet for me though. Still have a bit of a heavy head, not fully out of the foggy phase yet Whilst i'm enjoying the cooking, this really takes up a lot of your time! I have had a bad stomach this last week, i'll not go into too much detail, but it hasn't been pleasant...! My workouts haven't been as strong as usual I know the cons I'm experiencing are all part of my body healing so i'm not too worried, just wanted to share so we can all compare how we're getting on! Thanks, have a great day guys! I had to get off eggs a while back so I learn to eat anything at breakfast. I know it is weird at first but you get used to it. I do breakfast sausages, burgers, etc. I have really found that I like fish in the morning. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EJSmadhatter Posted June 27, 2016 Author Share Posted June 27, 2016 Hi All, Morning of Day 8 for me. So proud to have made it through the first week! I only had the brain fog one day and the sore throat disappeared over the weekend. My husband is still struggling with energy levels and we're both eagerly waiting for our digestive systems to readjust. Prep yesterday was a lot easier than last week after we tweaked our planning to fit our schedules in a few ways. We don't mind eating the same thing over and over, so this helps: Breakfast casserole all week - that fiesta casserole was great this morning! I'm pairing it with a yummy peach today. Lunches all week are protein salads. We're really enjoying these so I hope I don't get sick of them. We bought ingredients for about 3 dinners this week, each recipe should make us 2 dinners, so we'll just be cooking every other night. Loaded up on fruit and veggies at Costco to supplement the meals. I also found some fruit/seed bars from Trader Joe's that are compliant and can keep in my desk at work. Our Whole Foods has a "Nom Nom Paleo approved" section of the hot food bar. This is now my emergency backup dinner plan. A few kitchen gadgets that are helping me a lot: If you have a Kitchen Aid stand mixer, you can use it to shred poached chicken breasts in about 90 seconds - the chicken just needs to be still warm Immersion blenders make mayo in a snap. I ended up following a youtube instruction rather than the steps in the W30 book, but with the W30 ingredients. Easiest way to clean an immersion blender is to "blend" soapy water. Whenever possible I'm reworking recipes to use my electric pressure cooker (Pulled Pork Carnitas! Beef Brisket! Baked Sweet Potatoes!). Basically any crock pot recipe can be pressure cooked. It's faster, more tender, keeps more nutrients, and doesn't heat up my kitchen. We don't have A/C or an outdoor grill so all this cooking gets our place really hot. I too am jealous of the Nom Nom paleo section. Love the pressure cooker. I have been wanting to get another one since mine died. I do have a Nuwave which is awesome and keeps the kitchen a lower temperature while cooking. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Staggolee41 Posted June 27, 2016 Share Posted June 27, 2016 Anyone have recommendations on a food processor? I don't have one, and the blender just isn't cutting it for some things. I'd prefer to keep it on the lower side of the spending spectrum, but I'm willing to shell out the cash for something that is higher quality and likely to last me a while. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PezCadet Posted June 27, 2016 Share Posted June 27, 2016 Anyone have recommendations on a food processor? I don't have one, and the blender just isn't cutting it for some things. I'd prefer to keep it on the lower side of the spending spectrum, but I'm willing to shell out the cash for something that is higher quality and likely to last me a while. I bought this one based on price/reviews: https://www.amazon.com/BLACK-DECKER-FP1600B-8-Cup-Processor/dp/B0038KPRG6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1467063148&sr=8-1&keywords=black+and+decker+food+processor It's perfectly fine and has lasted over a year, but I do really want to upgrade to a Cuisinart eventually. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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