11 days in, here's how I've cheated.

[robtotten]

Random thoughts on my first 11 days.

I was on Nyquil and Robitussin for the first 4 or 5 days, and I'm still not 100%. There are all kinds of viruses going around here right now and one creeps in just as another makes it's exit.

I've had a few minor slip-ups:

A bite of store bought tomato sauce. I checked to make sure it had all natural ingredients, which it did. I didn't think about the sugar until I took a bite and noticed it seemed sweet. I still swallowed!

Along the same lines, I drank about half of a large can of Arizona green tea. It was early and my brain wasn't operating at full capacity yet. Since then I've been brewing green tea at home and taking it with me when I'm out and about.

I've used Sri Racha several times. I used a brand that has all natural ingredients, but includes a little sugar. I made a conscious decision that a few teaspoons of Sri Racha a week won't kill me. I figure since all sweeteners are considered equally, and foods with fruit juice added as a sweetener are acceptable, I would use Sri Racha as an acceptable cheat instead of fruit juice sweeteners.

I've been eating really well over all. I've been making a lot of stew type dishes such as doro wat (Ethiopian chicken stew), Indian curries (which use ghee but no other dairy products) and lots of soups from scratch. The best so far was lamb pho (Vietnamese soup) with home made broth from delicious lamb bones. Served with fresh organic bean sprouts, basil and cilantro and dried peppers from last summer's garden. I used spaghetti squash in lieu of rice noodles, and they were a surprisingly good substitute.

I eat a lot of leafy greens & other fresh fruits & vegetables and a diet that leans towards whole 30 anyway, so I don't think my body has been quite as shocked as it could have been. But cutting all grains out completely left me feeling a little weird for a few days.

Coconut aminos - a crappy substitute for soy sauce. It tastes more like watered down Worcestershire sauce to me. And $8 a bottle! There are better options to add salty / savory flavors to dishes.

Overall I'm feeling good and think the next 20 days will be okay. I'm also looking forward to a little pizza and beer on February 1st!

I think I will stick to a less strict version of this diet after my 30 days. I want to re-introduce soy and rice individually without any other grains and see how I feel. I eat mostly unprocessed, natural-ish food anyway, so avoiding glutenous grains will be the only major change, and I will probably treat that as a general guideline more than a strict rule.

Hello, everybody!

[Aberrantatavia]

Hi! Welcome to the forum...

Have you read it starts with food? It's a great resource to get you started and explains the basis for eating this way. It also explains the difference between a whole 30 and paleo eating. I can't tell from your post if you are venturing into paleo eating or if you are trying to do a whole 30. If you are doing a whole 30, you should hit reset and start over to get the full benefits of the program.

Good luck!

[SarrizleP]

I don't want this to sound rude but, it doesn't sound like you're really taking this seriously. It's not about a few teaspoons of sri racha not killing you. And unless you were sleep walking you knew you were drinking the Arizona tea, it didn't accidentally open itself up and tip itself into your mouth. I agree that if you want the benefits you should do a restart and go at it 100%. No cheating, no excuses. Your food sounds delicious, so why mess it up for just a few teaspoons of non compliant condiments? It also won't kill you to not have sri racha for 30 days, . Try making your own similar sauce with all compliant ingredients, I bet you will surprise yourself with new culinary finds!