Lessons learned

Almost any vegetable can be roasted.
Just coat them in a little olive oil, and
give them a little shake of seasoning.

Spread them on baking parchment and pop
them in the oven at 400 degrees. These kale
chips roast in about 5-6 minutes. Delicious!

Thirty days without dairy, sugar, grains, or alcohol—those foods one gives up on a Whole30 diet—was a good experience for me. Turns out, I didn’t lose a significant amount of weight, but my pants certainly fit better after thirty days of avoiding those foods. (I wasn’t dieting to lose weight, but rather to find out what things might be causing ongoing food issues; I didn’t really feel disappointed that the scales remained steady. Many people do testify to losing lots of weight on the diet, though.)

What the Whole30 did teach me was the following:

• I am allergic to blueberries. And I’m not alone. Allergic reaction to blueberries—mine was a very obvious case of hives—is a Thing. Who knew? My theory is that I was eating so many blueberries and other fruits and vegetables high in salicylates that my system was saturated—and I reacted.
• I also discovered that bell peppers cause me to spend a lot of time in the restroom. The same is true with an overload of leafy greens.
• I don’t need sugar. Sugar cravings go away in a few days. In fact, my first taste of sugar after the diet was unpleasant. It felt like that time I overindulged on glazed donuts at an early-morning faculty meeting and to this day can no longer smell or look at them without becoming a little queasy. I’m not giving up sugar forever, but I will definitely be cutting back on it.
• Besides being naturally gluten-free, whole foods taste wonderful! (My best tip: Roast your veggies.  All of them. It’s easy. It’s delicious. Just cut the vegetables to a uniform size, drizzle them with a little olive oil, sprinkle on some salt or other seasoning, and roast them on the top shelf of your oven at about 400 degrees. When they begin to blacken a bit, they're ready to eat! The time varies according to the vegetable.)
• I will never again make processed food a staple of my diet.

The most important lesson I learned, which relates to celiac disease, is that there can be multiple causes for celiac-type symptoms. When you have celiac disease, you tend to believe that every little digestive issue is a result of being “glutenized.” (Consequently, you play the blame game every time you have an upset.) For me, accidental ingestion of gluten isn’t always the cause of my problems—and the Whole30 revealed that to me.

Whether or not you have celiac disease, you might want to give the Whole30 a try. You are guaranteed to learn lessons about your relationship with food--and you might even make some lasting positive changes.

Chop, chop!

Bruno's Ristorante (across the street from my home) offers
Whole30 compliant dishes--beautifully presented! Lucky me!

After nearly three weeks on the Whole30, here are a few observations: In general, the diet isn’t really too difficult. For me, dairy has been the most daunting sacrifice. (I sure do love me some cheese—and sour cream. Yeah, and yogurt. Well, and of course, ice cream.) I don’t miss grains much at all, and I haven’t had the sugar cravings I was expecting.

Furthermore, my gut issues seem to be improving—except for when I go overboard on the salads and spinach, which can cause a quick trip to the restroom. I don’t feel nearly as bloated and uncomfortable as I did before I started—and my jeans aren’t quite as tight as they were. (No more lying down on the bed to pull them on!) I can’t really say whether or not I’ve lost weight, because, according to the rules, I’m not supposed to weigh myself while on the diet.

Another thing I’ve noticed about this diet is that I’m never hungry between meals, which is not normal for me. I’m usually hungry all the time. Additionally, I’ve been pleasantly surprised by how energetic I’ve felt nearly the entire time. I have continued to run/walk (Galloway style) at least every other day while I’ve been on the diet without additional struggle.

Time-consuming, but worth the effort!

Drawbacks to the Whole30 include the amount of time it takes to prepare meals, especially cleaning and chopping all those vegetables. But I’ve found that roasting just about any vegetable is easy and doesn’t require a lot of cleanup. I’ve also found that if I set aside a block of time—say 3-4 hours once or twice during the week—I can do a lot of the preparation in advance. It also cuts down on time to prepare double or triple the amount of vegetables I will eat at one meal, so that I have leftovers to use at future meals.

Another drawback to Whole30 is eating out. Many restaurants are very accommodating, however, and I can always order a salad, minus the croutons and the cheese, and either dress it with vinegar and oil or take along my own homemade salad dressing (which no one yet has seemed to mind).

While most people who try the Whole30 don’t have celiac disease, it’s a good diet to determine if the food you are eating is keeping you from optimal health. It has encouraged me to eat more mindfully and to improve my eating habits. I’ll report on my 30-day results in 10 more days, but in the meantime, you’ll find me in my kitchen chopping away.

Standing on my head

Can I make it for 30 days?

Throughout my journey with celiac disease, I’ve been my own guinea pig, testing the effects of coffee or corn products, for example, to see if they bring on celiac symptoms, which I frequently “enjoy,” even though I believe my diet is completely gluten-free. Currently I’m trying out the Whole30 diet, giving up all grains, dairy, sugar, and alcohol for 30 days—the month of May—to determine whether or not I am sensitive to foods other than wheat, barley and rye. As my dad used to say when I was facing a particularly difficult period of time, “Hell, Linda, you can stand on your head for 30 (or whatever the number) days.”

I’ve thought about trying this diet before, but I couldn’t work up the resolve to stick with it—or even to start, really. But last week, after having some mysterious celiac symptoms, I dusted off my copy of It Starts with Food by Melissa and Dallas Hartwig and reread the entire book. I also ordered The Whole30: The 30-Day Guide to Total Health and Food Freedom (also by Melissa Hartwig). While this plan may seem a bit extreme, I’m certain that “clean eating” is healthier than my current modus operandi, and hopefully I’ll make some helpful discoveries. If I seem a little grouchier than usual during the next 30 days, therefore, you’ll know that I’m missing the cream and sugar in my morning coffee—and I’m probably getting a little tired of standing on my head.