Whole30

So hey, I'm doing the Whole30! Jumping on this crazy bandwagon! And I figured I'm 5 days in so time for a post! Let me tell you, this is HARD!

But quickly let me explain why Whole30.

Back when I was nursing Owen I was basically eating a paleo diet. But I didn't even know it. I didn't know what paleo was, someone pointed it out to me when we were talking about the nursing/allergies/what-Megan-could-eat situation. And it was a paleo diet. Minus the tree nuts. And oh how I needed them. All those good fats! No....my energy was low and I didn't feel healthy.

So I stopped nursing Owen in July and began the rice milk formula regimen. Which meant I could return to a normal diet! Hurray! Weelll, that didn't go so well. Since my body had been off of ALL THOSE FOODS!! FOR 9 MONTHS!! it did not take well to me reintroducing them all at once. It was like my body was screaming at me. I had stomach cramping and abdominal pain, muscle aches and join pain, digestive problems. So I knew I needed to go more slowly. I backed away and tried to go slower, and limit my dairy intake especially. And this was all while still being gluten free. I didn't add that back in because I knew it gave me issues.

Anyway, I felt so poorly I thought I had lymes disease. (There was also a suspicious red bite or bump, nm, we were suspicious) So, I went to the doctor and he gave me the antibiotics because you don't mess with lymes disease. You want to catch it early and nip it in the bud. BUT they didn't actually do a blood test because we were in this in between place of Luke transitioning into his new job and his former employer didn't offer Cobra. Meaning, no insurance for us till the new one kicked in. We bought an emergency policy online which was only for catastrophic things. But this didn't count. So we were guessing and using caution. I took the antibiotics not really knowing whether or not I had lymes. What harm can antibiotics really do I told myself (yeah right, and I know better, messing up my imbalanced gut flora probably even more) and I was scared I might have the disease.

Since that whole episode, I still haven't felt great. And I knew that doing the Whole30 would give me the kick in the pants I needed. I need to have a program to stick to for 30 days to end my bad habits. No more spoonful after spoonful of peanut butter as I'm making the kids lunches or popping handfuls of chocolate chips as I'm making dinner. And the diary. I just can't stay away. Cheese, ranch dressing and ice cream are my downfall. Oh and milk chocolate and hot chocolate, and snickers.

I tell myself, "just a little bit won't hurt." But I read something in the Whole30 program guidelines that was regarding the importance of no cheating for 30 days. And how the smallest amount of something (that is a bad trigger for your body) can have a negative effect. How many small amounts that I dabble in are creating a cumulative negative effect in my body?? And are the reason I feel so poorly!

For the record, I also am trying to get allergy tested with in the next month or so. My boys have so many food allergies, I suspect I am sensitive/allergic to a handful of things, and I feel like whether or not it's good logic, "if they are, I probably am"....bottomline, I do need to get tested.

With only being 5 days into it, here are my random rambling thoughts:

- I am thankful I don't mind eggs and that there are so many ways to cook them!

-Getting creative with meat and vegetables is a good thing! And Costco and I are quickly becoming new best friends.

-I am tired at night, but I am NOT tired in the afternoon! It's amazing.

-I have occasional headaches, but I know I'm detoxing from sugar as well as everything else.

-Coconut products are my new love. I used to hate coconut.

-I need to be careful about my tree nut consumption because of the boys. I snacked on some cashews the other morning and then roughly a half hour later, I was helping Casey out of the car and kissed him on the cheek. He immediately broke out in hives on the spot I kissed. Oh and we had just walked into daily mass. Thank the Lord I had the meds in my diaper bag. I carry them with me everywhere. Cashew dust on my lips....unbelievable....these allergies are intense!!

-The actual diet is not that hard. I'm eating food I like and I'm eating enough and feeling full. But I am still craving Doritos and chocolate. (The problem with the doritos is that Luke brought home three bags that were left over from the Super Bowl party he made an appearance at late in the 4th quarter. He and Hailey keep munching on them in front of me and I just want some!)

-I drank my coffee this morning basically black, with just a small splash of organic coconut milk, and I LIKED it! I'm still trying to convince myself that this actually happened. I'm the girl who basically likes a splash of coffee with her cream and sugar.

-My tastebuds are seriously getting heightened. Apples taste so insanely sweet.

All in all, I know this is going to be good. Really good. It's hard to not reach for the same stuff I used to in terms of quick sugar fixes (kids whine, I eat some chocolate). I can already tell how this is going to make me dig deep and deal with my emotions, and reactions in a more adult and healthy way. Food is good, it's a gift from God but turning to it for comfort or reward can be so dangerous.

Here's to plugging away at this, my mantra: say no to doritos! :)

Stranger Kindness

Back at the beginning of the month, we returned from Buffalo, Luke left for the national focus conference SEEK2015 and the kids came down with terrible colds. Runny nose, headache, sore throat, sneezing, coughing...and they fell like dominoes. First Owen, then Casey, then Hailey. With the help of my Homeopathic book for Infants and Toddlers and consulting one of my best friends and her mother-in-law, we decided on a remedy (Belladonna) and I headed off to Wegmans to get it.

I was trying to be quick, and the kids were doing ok, when we got to the checkout line. Hailey and Casey were poking at some displays nearby of toys, and I keep telling them not to touch anything. Then Hailey sees the isle with gift bags and tissue paper. She points and says, (very loudly), "Mommy, we forgot to get baby Jesus a present! We need a present for BABY JESUS!"

I notice the lady in the checkout line next to me obviously heard her, she had been glancing at the kids and did I notice the trace of a smile cross her face?? I couldn't tell....but I calmly answer Hailey and tell her, "that's very sweet of you Hailey, but Jesus' birthday is over...even though we are still celebrating Christmas." She moved on but I thought to myself, that wasn't a very clear answer for a 4 year old, but it was the best I could do right now, in the grocery store.

I turned back and noticed how sad and sick Owen looked sitting in the front of the grocery cart. And he wasn't fussing, but just looked like he wanted to be held. (He had a tiny fever). So I take him out to hold him and he just puts his head on my shoulder and I rub his back.

Then of course it's time for me to start unloading my groceries. I start trying to call the kids over to help, they ignore me, and I was about to put Owen back in the cart and the lady who was in the lane next to me is all of a sudden at my side saying, "you hold him, poor baby looks sick...let me help you." And she starts unloading my things. Hailey and Casey of course then decide helping is fun and they come back over.

Now the lady's cart was still sort of in the check out lane she had been standing in and people are coming up, wanting to go through that check out line and so someone next to us tried to move it, and someone says, "no that's her cart. She's helping that young mom." And someone else says, "oh well here, let me unload her cart."

So she's doing mine and someone else is doing her's. It was so beautiful and awesome. I got choked up for about 10 seconds. Come on, sleep deprivation plus stranger kindness, yep, I'll get teary eyed for sure.

(and just in case anyone was curious, the Belladonna worked beautifully and everyone was on the mend in no time!)

Do you juice or love smoothies?

Then here is something for you! My own creation, that actually came out great! So I know juicing might be a fad that has already passed, in fact my sister talked me out of doing a juice cleanse, and my brother-in-law told me that juicers are in goodwill stores by the dozens. Still, Luke and I decided to use some Christmas gift cards and get a Ninja. We were kind of wanting and needing something like this anyway, and we love it. It is amazing. It has the ability to juice, make smoothies, make mixed drinks, chop and dice food, and even mix up things like cookie dough and pizza dough. It came with it's own little recipe book too which has been fun. 

So I haven't done a total cleanse, I'm just trying to have healthy smoothies or juices a little more often in the course of a week. I get in so many more servings of fruits and vegetables this way, it's so great. And with all of Owen's allergies, I need to get creative!

This drink was a handful of spinach, a kiwi, a pear and some apple juice, and a little bit of water. Luke was making this one and he threw the whole kiwi in, I like to peel it.

Another one I love to make is: half an avocado, about a third of a cucumber (I scrape the seeds out), some spinach and a kiwi. Again with a splash of apple juice and water to bring it all together.

So there you have it! If you give it a try, I hope you like it! :)