I'm ready, but have one weird question first...

[mfruchey]

Hi, y'all. About two years ago, the hubby and I read The Primal Blueprint and decided to give it a go. We had a lot of success--we both lost weight instantly, and my health problems (Ulcerative Colitis and endometriosis) were all but gone--but ultimately fell off the wagon.

I am beyond ready to try paleo again. I am an extremely picky eater, and finding non-carb, non-dairy foods that don't turn my stomach is quite difficult, but I have been so sick lately and just cannot stand it anymore.

The hubby and I will be out of town this weekend, so I am looking at a Monday start, but I have sort of a weird concern--my cake decorating. I am currently a hobbyist cake decorator looking to go "pro" just as soon as my state's Cottage Food Law is passed (which looks to be very soon). I have several cake "orders" (for family and friends) on the books, and greatly enjoy what I do though I never eat cake myself.

My problems lies in the strictness of the Whole30. I have quite a great deal of baking ahead, and, while I do not EAT the cake, ganache, and buttercream that I work with, I do have to taste it to make sure it meets my standards. I would like to be able to jump into the Whole30 no questions asked, and I do not have any problem in saying goodbye to the foods that are making me sick, but cake decorating is something that I am passionate about.

Is there any way for me to give Whole30 a real try without ditching decorating entirely? I have cake commitments on in to the foreseeable future but am ready to leave my poor eating habits behind!

[Tom Denham]

We run into this problem with professional chefs for whom tasting their food is essential. The amount of off-plan ingredients you would consume tasting your product for quality control purposes would stop you from completing a Whole30, but you can still improve your health by following the program as much you you can otherwise.

[gatork]

Can you have someone else taste? I loved loved loved baking (didn't do it professionally, but was baking something every week or so to bring in to work/give to friends/send to friends/etc.) You really can't do a "Whole30" if you're still going to taste cake/ganache/buttercream, even if it's a tiny amount.

(Whenever I'm being strict, I refuse to bake anything during that time because I know, even if I'm baking something I don't even want to eat, I'll want to taste the batter/icing/etc. to make sure it tastes ok. I mean, I don't want to serve/send something that might not be amazing.)

[mfruchey]

Thanks for the suggestions, guys.

Regarding finding another taster, unfortunately, my husband is the only one who MIGHT be able to handle the job (his palate is not nearly as sensitive as mine and I worry about things being "good" to him that wouldn't be up to my standards), but he is eager to hop back onto the paleo bandwagon as well.

I must admit that I have some mixed feelings about doing all this baking when I strongly believe that sugar is harmful, but I really don't think I can just ditch baking at this point. And let's be honest--looking for less sinful alternative ingredients is just going to produce a substandard product.

But at the same time, I have invested so much time, effort, and, yes, money into my decorating, and I really do passionately love it.

I suppose I'll just have to adhere as closely to the program as possible without *actually* doing Whole9. I honestly won't have ANY problem not eating cake (I actually kind of detest it because I'm around it too much, lol), but I won't be able to avoid small tastes for QC.

Thanks again!

[Fenderbender]

I'm a professional chef and really haven't had a problem..... Baking should be a breeze as your recipes shouldn't change except for variations in humidity.... What kind of adjustment would you need to make to ganache? Your gonna have to nail your recipes and then trust yourself.

The once in a while I absolutely have to taste ..... I place the item on the back of a plastic spoon and have two cups of water at the ready.... One warm, the other room temp.... Place the item on your Tongue.... Immediately rinse your mouth several times with warm water and spit. ( I go into the bathroom for this) then rinse with cold water, brush teeth..... Kinda weird I know but if your careful you don't swallow anything! I've been going about 8-9 months now and haven't once swallowed a thing ( I would think the crap in your toothpaste/ mouthwash would be a greater problem if swallowed)