Whole30 Day 4--post holiday weekend

When you find yourself eating leftover "compliant" guacamole out of the container with a fork (and using words like "compliant") you know it is another day of survival on the Whole30 program, which I started last Friday (right at the start of a big holiday weekend. Let's just make it as hard as we can).  I'd waited too long to make lunch today, and at 2 pm, I grabbed the nearest, ready-made and edible thing to have as an "appetizer," while my grass-fed burgers cooked.

It's not like there isn't plenty to eat on the plan. There's more than enough food, quantity-wise. It's that the food I'm eating is all "real,"which can be a little trying at times, like the constant dull headache, a kind of dizzy, foggy feeling and a hunt for ready-made "compliant" foods. A couple of crackers and a low-fat string cheese aren't making the "real" cut on this 30-day regime, which is geared to thwart systemic inflammation and reveal any food sensitivities and provide a "reset" for your body.

I've been warned about all of these symptoms and I didn't expect that a lifetime of eating a certain way would change overnight without consequences. But I did change what I eat overnight, and it is mostly a very positive experience. Just one that I'm hyper aware of.

I have to make simple convenience foods from scratch. I couldn't find a store-bought mayonnaise that I could have on the plan--they all  have soybean or canola oil, and/or sugar. So I had to make one. I followed the recipe provided on the Whole30 site and had to get lemon juice. I wanted to buy a big bottle so I wouldn't have to slice and squeeze lemons every time. But no I couldn't, because they had sulfites (bad). So I bought fresh lemons and ended up with the best mayonnaise I've ever eaten. Who knew? The same with hot sauce I needed for a recipe (jazzed-up hard-boiled eggs). It took a scavenger hunt through hot sauce labels in my fridge until we finally went out and bought one without any offending sugar or oils.

Almost the whole Tessamae salad dressing line is "compliant" as are 11 types of Larabars.  I never cared about Larabars at all until I discovered that some are COMPLIANT. Now they are amazing.

You're not supposed to snack, so I have a half-inch bite of one with a meal just so I don't cave and buy a box of chocolate chip cookies. I'm slowly learning how to eat mindfully.

Today, while out buying spinach and lettuce, I discovered that I can breathe deeply through my nose. It was a revelation, almost shocking. Some people on the plan have found that it helped their asthma, because those "trigger" foods were eliminated.  I also find that I go to bed earlier and sleep more soundly, which is a real positive for someone who regularly gets a second wind at let's say, 11:30 pm. I've had adrenal issues, and getting enough sleep is a game-changer. So something is working here.

So, while it's not easy, so far, so good. I've been able to eat at home, but that's not going to last forever. As for Easter and Passover (yes! of course we do both), I skipped the matzoh, ate the boiled eggs and took a pass on the charoset. Our Easter dinner was barramundi fish with a lemon sauce made from, yep, my homemade mayo. But restaurants and events are full of temptations and hidden non-compliant ingredients just calling my name.  If any of you have done this and have any comments, support or ideas to offer, please feel free to chime in. Four down, 26 more days to go!

My homemade mayonnaise is the best I've ever had. Ever. It's also a good base for sauces and salad dressings.

Fresh lemons are key and add amazing flavor. I use them in everything from the mayo, to fish, to sauces and to liven up fresh veggies. They also go sliced into my sparkling water.