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Catching Up and Feeling Better!

It’s been awhile since I’ve written a personal post. Life has been so busy and I just haven’t taken the time to sit down and do it. We had a wonderful Thanksgiving, it was spent at Disney World and Christmas, well it was probably my favorite Christmas ever. The girls are at such a great age for really enjoying the holidays and I think I was more laid back and calm. Not worried about everything going perfect and I enjoyed it so much more than any other Christmas that I can remember. 

Christmas Eve

I’ve been going through a transition food wise over the last couple of months. Starting at the beginning of November I was put on an elimination diet. I was also put on some high quality supplements to help heal my gut. At first it was incredibly tough. I had to give up gluten, dairy, sugar, corn, red meat, cocoa, coffee, alcohol, eggs, nightshades, anything processed, and the list goes on but I will stop there. Going into the holiday months is not the best time to start an elimination diet but I didn’t want to keep putting it off so I just went with it. I did come off the diet on Thanksgiving day and several times around Christmas, but I am back to it now.  Since eliminating all of those inflammatory foods and taking the supplements that were prescribed to me I am feeling better than I have ever felt before! I love that I’m not putting a bandaid on the situation but am actively working on healing the root issues and finding out the causes of some of my problems. My husband was skeptical when I first went down this road in November. It was not cheap, there was alot of lab work and visits to my practitioner but he sees what a change it has made in me in this short period of time. I feel and see the changes and that is so encouraging that I am going down the right path! 

Disney at Thanksgiving

I would love to share some of the things I have been eating since being on the elimination diet. I LOVE food, not just food but DELICIOUS FOOD! I knew that if I was going to cut out all of those foods then what I could eat was going to have to taste delicious. It takes planning and a little time but it is so doable. So look out for some recipes coming your way soon! This recipe is one that I enjoy weekly! 

Have you ever been on an elimination diet? 

If so what was the hardest part for you?

My Whole30 + Hypothyroidism

Hi guys! I apologize for disappearing the last few weeks, sometimes life happens and a break is necessary, but I’m glad to be back! The weather has been so wonky lately and I know alot of you guys are buried in snow! eek! Fortunately that is not the case here but we have been getting lots of rain….but I can’t complain too much because it looks like all next week we are supposed to have temps in the 70’s and 80’s. Looks like Spring may be coming early for us! 🙂

Whole30

If you follow me on Instagram then you already know that I have started on a Whole30 journey. I know most of you have probably heard of Whole30, but in case you haven’t here is the short of it.

Here are the Whole30 rules.

  • Eat Real Food! Eat meat, seafood, eggs, lots of veggies, some fruit and plenty of good fats from fruits, oils, nuts, and seeds.
  • Do not eat sugar of any kind real or artificial.
  • Do not consume alcohol, in any form, not even in cooking.
  • Do not eat grains.
  • Do not eat legumes.
  • Do not eat dairy.
  • Do not consume MSG, carrageenan, or sulfites.
  • Do not try to recreate baked goods, junk foods, or treats with “approved” ingredients.

I realize that this sounds like a lot “do nots” but I promise you there is a lot that you CAN eat! I consider myself a fairly healthy eater but I still put alot crap in my body and when you do that you will never feel your best. I love, love, love to bake and I usually substitute “healthier” ingredients like whole wheat or spelt flour, and unrefined sugars. I think these things foods are fine once in awhile (assuming you do not have any sensitivities to them) but when they are consumed on a daily basis it can reek havoc on your body.

I was diagnosed with hypothyroidism almost a year ago but even before the diagnosis I could tell that something was very wrong. I felt horrible all the time, I was eating great (or so I thought)…. green smoothies, juicing, tons of veggies, it seemed like no matter what I ate I still felt bad. Exercise has always been a part of my life, but yet it seemed like I was gaining weight for no reason at all. I had a feeling that my hormones may be out of whack. Come to find out the very foods that I was eating to be “healthy” may have exacerbated the issues. I was devastated learning this, apparently all those yummy raw veggies I was eating was a no no, and even if I cooked them I shouldn’t have them very often, but over the last year I have learned more of what to eat with hypo and what to stay away from.

This brings me back to Whole30, I love how it completely eliminates all those inflammatory foods. Back on February 17th I started Whole30. I love a good challenge and I realized from the beginning that this was not going to be a piece of cake, (ha ha) but I knew I could do it. So far I am feeling great, one of the hardest parts was giving up my coffee creamer and drinking my beloved coffee black…but honestly even that has not been so bad. Like anything else in life you adjust and after awhile it’s normal! There have been several nights when I am sitting down to watch a little tv that I really want something sweet and I have had to fight the urge to raid the kitchen, but thankfully that has mostly passed.

I haven’t really decided what I am going to do after the 30 days. I am thinking I may add back one thing at a time and see how my body responds, really pay attention to the changes and how it makes me feel. I will be updating you all along the way and also posting some of my favorite recipes that has made this not only possible but delicious as well!

Have you tried Whole30? What are your thoughts?