It’s time.
It’s been a great summer. Lots of fun. Lots of friends. Lots of wining. Lots of dining.
But at some point, you need to listen to your body. And mine is saying “Enough Dude!”
As of yesterday, I am once again on the Whole30 Plan. If you are not sure what this is, I did it last year and you can read about my journey here, here and here.
In a nutshell (wait a minute…can I have nuts???), the Whole30 is 30 days of eating nothing but whole foods…meat, fish, eggs, fruit and veggies. The idea is to give your body a chance to detox by not feeding it crap for a month.
It’s not about losing weight. It’s about healing. And don’t we all deserve some healing?
And this year, some of favorite people on planet are joining me. Not only is InspiredRD starting the Whole30 on the same day, but I will be joined in this journey by the one and only Mrs. Dude.
For the next 30 days, Mrs. Dude and I must “connect” with each other at least once a day. And for all of you with your minds in the gutter (bless your hearts), “connecting” can mean all sorts of things. After 20 years of marriage, it’s easy to get complacent. That ain’t happening with us. I won’t bore you throughout the month with constant progress reports but will do the occasional (damn…I spell that word wrong every single time…thank you auto-correct) check-in to let you know how Mrs. Dude and I are fairing.
So now you know what we can eat. But what can’t we eat?? I will explain in “Goodnight Moon” verse. Don’t ask me why.
Goodnight Tito’s. Goodnight beer.
Goodnight Tequila. Do I make myself clear?
There is no drinking for the entire 30 days.
Will be nice to wake up without my head in a daze.
Goodnight peanut butter. Goodnight rice cake.
My go-to snack I can no longer make.
Goodnight all processed foods. You are not allowed.
Too much of you can put my head in a cloud.
Goodnight sushi. What’s that you say??
Rice is a no-no. But sashimi is okay.
What about legumes? Nope, strike ’em off the list.
Nor can I have hummus. I think you get the gist.
After a summer of indulgence, I feel pretty wrecked.
So for 30 straight days, I’ll treat my body with respect.
Feel free to join…I’d love the company.
And when we’re all done, the first round’s on me!!
My goal: stop the inflammation in my body and reduce the wicked joint/musculoskeletal pain so I can continue strengthening at the gym.
And for those of you who discover you may have an intolerance to some of those Whole 30 foods, even though they are very healthy, you may learn (as Celiac Mindwarp and I did when we did this before ) that you have OTHER FOOD/CHEMICAL INTOLERANCES you did not know were causing what you think are “celiac symptoms or gluten CC”.
Dr. Jess and Adalaide and I mentioned this on a recent blog post, but sometimes our guts simply cannot handle too many foods high in histamine. We may lack the two enzymes (produced in where else? the gut!) that help us break down histamine. So while munching on too many tomatoes and strawberries and spinach, thinking “Man, I am being so good to my body; this is really healthy”, you feel like crap, have a headache, gut pain and sores on your face and scalp and your heart is pounding like mad. Have a glass of wine and some cheddar and feel flushed? a BLT and feel yucky? could be histamine!
Read about it here:
http://thatpaleoguy.com/2011/11/14/histamine-intolerance-update/
http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/85/5/1185.full
http://www.allergyuk.org/common-food-intolerances/histamine-intolerance
http://www.histamine-intolerance.info/
http://chriskresser.com/headaches-hives-and-heartburn-could-histamine-be-the-cause
And do not despair …because the good people who brought you Whole30 have prepared a low histamine/whole30 shopping list here:
(thank you Dallas and Melissa Hartwig for sharing it with us) –and a FODMAP guide, too for those of you who need that.
http://whole9life.com/2013/06/expanded-iswf-shopping-lists/
P.S. I kick- started my whole 30 yesterday with the lovely “prep” for endo/biopsy of the GI tract/ and colonoscopy (whoohoo!) so I have already gone a day “without”….Gotta go!…they are calling me in to the room to be sedated…………..:)
Good luck, Whole30 Buddies! xx
Thanks for the info Irish! Glad you are doing this with us!
My RD friend who is an expert in FODMAP research told me the Whole30 low-FODMAP list is not accurate. This one is better – http://www.eat-real-food-paleodietitian.com/support-files/Paleo-FODMAP-food-list.pdf
Here’s to a great month!
So psyched to have both of you along for the ride. Cheers (I’m holding up a glass of water.)
This goes to a dead link and was just what I was looking for.
Funny thing you mention discovering other food intolerances on the Whole30 diet. I gave it a shot myself in August after reading about GlutenDude’s first go through, and discovered a pretty nasty egg intolerance along the way.
At first I didn’t understand what was happening to me. I went out and stocked up on eggs, fresh meat, and delicious fruits and vegetables from my local health food store. I forced myself to eat several small meals a day and stuck to the diet like a champ. And then the abdominal pain started. I’d rarely felt pain like that since I went off gluten, and normally if I was glutened it’d be pain accompanied by days of diarrhea. This was just pain, but it was almost worse. I ended up missing nearly my whole first week of school.
And then I realized that it was the eggs. If I ate any of the other delicious foods I’d picked up I felt fine. It was only when I added the eggs that I felt like crap. (My boyfriend insists that eating eggs too often makes everyone feel like that. I’m not buying it. I personally thing he has food intolerances he hasn’t come to terms with yet.) I haven’t touched them since, and not only do I feel better then I did then, I feel better then I have since going gluten free in general.
Unfortunately the whole ordeal got me off track on the diet. I used my normal method of dealing with my unruly gut…which was not eating for a few days. Eating exacerbates my symptoms when I’m not feeling well, and the only way I’ve found to live my life in the mean time was hold off on eating much for a few days. Not the healthiest thing for me, I know, but it allows me to go to school and work and get by. I’m planning to give it another shot when I’ve gotten back into the swing of things, and now I know something to definitely avoid.
Anna, if it makes you feel better to have company, I discovered eggs do not like me either.
oddly, I can have them baked IN things, but if I try to eat them fried or boiled or even scrambled with water….UGH! nausea, pain and the inevitable big D the next day.
It’s too bad, because they are a great source of protein and very handy to transport hard-boiled, but until we can be friends someday, I have to avoid them.
I read an interesting article in Living Without Mag that scientists discovered that the method of cooking eggs (as in baking them IN things ) changes how children with severe egg allergies react with fewer symptoms or none at all.
Must have to do with the high temperature rendering some chemical harmless.
Maybe someday, we can both get them back. 🙂
And all the best to you, Irish. We’ll be here when you wake up.
I’ve been outta touch, literally, for the last few weeks but it’s good to be back. I have much reading to catch up on.
Wouldn’t it be great if you all feel better after the Whole 30!!!
My best coming atcha.
I feel like I’m still too new to the gf diet (only been on it for two months) to try something like this, but will definitely try it in the future when I need a “reset”. Good luck and good health to you Gluten Dude and Irish Heart!
Thanks.
I just got the Practical Paleo book in the mail which includes a full 30 day meal plan and recipes for an autoimmune protocall whole 30 (recommended for those with celiac disease). Very excited to get started! The recipes look really delicious and I’ve heard they taste as good as they look. Good luck to everyone else taking the 30 day leap too!
So glad we’re all in this together! I’m following this list for the low-FODMAP – http://www.eat-real-food-paleodietitian.com/support-files/Paleo-FODMAP-food-list.pdf
Love your commitment to “connect” too. We are trying something similar by setting boundaries on smartphones, computer, etc.
Here’s hoping our 30-Day reset will have us feeling energized, healthy, and clear-headed enough to do these dang math problems.
I am doing the whole 30 along with everyone here. I was nervous about giving up my boost shakes because they were doctor recomended to slow the weight loss ( I am not underweight just losing quicker than desired) and I just realized all of my vitamins have sugar in them. Whats a girl to do? Cant wait to hear what doc has to say about this (I will be checking in with him soon to be sure this is all okay). Any sugestions as to vitamins that do not upset the stomach that also don’t have sugar in them.
Glad to have you aboard. You should be getting plenty of vitamins the natural way with all of the veggies, meat and fruit you’ll be eating.
I started my very first Whole30 yesterday! I’m completely excited/nervous/excited. 🙂
I usually eat pretty clean/whole/paleo-ish, but the last couple of months have been… not so clean, even if it’s gluten-free. And, the 10 lbs & general not-right-ness have shown that I need to clean things up.
Whole30 sounded perfect, so here I am!
I lost 12 pounds last year on it. I didn’t do it for weight-loss, but it’s an added bonus.
Dude! You may think it difficult to go on Whole 30 for a month. Count yourself fortunate since you are starting this much earlier in your life than I. I didn’t learn I had celiac until I was in my early 60s. You can imagine what a lifetime of issues built up during those 60 years. So after more than 6 full months on Whole 30 and then another 3 full months on the whole 30 autoimmune protocol, my arthritis and skin issues are finally clearing up. And really I feel like it was worth all the time, energy, discipline and self deprivation invested, because I’m going to enjoy the rest of my time so much more!
Glad you’re healing Bill.
I started a Whole30 on the first of the month but a couple of important birthdays upset my progress. So I will be starting fresh today. I find it hard to reduce my nut consumption and cut out goats cheese and butter, but since I have none of the above it should be much easier.
I am now inspired to go on Whole 30 for a month! Thanks Gluten Dude!
I am starting on Monday! Have to find time to shopping at Whole Foods to stock up on some grass fed beef and organic veggies. I tried it once before and failed but this time I’m already dairy free and it will be easier. Can’t wait to feel great! Wish my Mister would join me but that ain’t gonna happen. Stay strong everyone!
I started my 3rd whole30 on Monday.
Great to be in good company 🙂
This time my aim is to change food habits. I lost 45lbs since January but have 30 or so still to go. So this time I am trying without nuts, dried fruit and bananas, and less sweet potato. I managed to recreate my old diet, but with healthy foods.
Sorting all the additional food allergies last time was fantastic, I have my life back.
Good luck everyone
I have told you this before, dear girl…..but I will say it again:
You are truly inspirational. 🙂 and I just love you to bits.
So thrilled for you and your turn around in health. whoohoo! xx
Awesome Mindwarp. I’m on my fourth day. 10% there. Not that I’m counting or anything.
Hi everyone… sorry to be out for a bit but I’ve been struggling with some of my cancer treatments. I think you’re all awesome. Wish I could join you… but finances hold me back. That’s an expensive way to eat… too expensive for people on restricted incomes. Hopefully after this graduate school purgatory is over…
I’m in too! Sue
I started the Whole 30 a week and a half ago. One question I have for Gluten Dude, Irish, InspiredRD and others with celiac: Are you doing the regular Whole 30 or are you also doing the recommendations for those with autoimmune disorders (ie. no nightshades, no eggs, etc). I saw that it was recommended for those with celiac but I haven’t brought myself to limit myself any further than what I’m already doing.
It sounds like some people struggle with eggs and tomatoes, so maybe it is worth avoiding them and I should just get over myself. 🙂
I did not go that far personally. 3 eggs every morning. And I mean every morning 😉
Hey wonderful people!
I have a three year old son who has some dietary issues, and we are starting the low FODMAP diet tomorrow to see if that helps, then possibly reintroducing other fppds after a while. My question for you all is: if you eat the same foods every day, day in and day out, do you find your digestive health generally declining? Since my little one started school three weeks ago, he has the same snack, the same breakfast and lunch every day. We have never had problems before with these foods, but we vary the diet more before he started school. Now that he is on a regular schedule, it has been steadily getting worse and worse. Stomach pains, gurgling, and diarheah (I always misspel that)
Any pointers?
Ugh.
Very nice poem! Haha! I’ve enjoyed your blog amidst my recent diagnosis of Celiac and all the research curiosity has prompted me to do while waiting about a month to hear I have Celiac and should start eating gluten free. Yes, it only took about a month to figure out, so I was a lucky one with all positive results (no “false negatives” and another five months of testing). And, thank God, because all of this bloating and feeling like I had to go to the bathroom all the time was getting annoying! I think my boyfriend had heard enough complaining and said, “That’s not normal” enough to make me see a GI. I hope a few more weeks of gluten free will help….but, I’m only about one in. Thank you for the encouragement! Soooo, back to the poem. Why can you not eat beans? I mean, unless gluten free heals these stomach issues, I shouldn’t eat beans either, but I was wondering what makes them unworthy of the Whole30 Plan?Thanks for all the laughs and encouragement!!!