What brought me to the Whole30

Before diving into my experience with the Whole30 I figured I should first talk about what brought me to the Whole30 and why I did it.  I honestly felt like I was lead to do this, like it was something I had to do.  

I decided after 15 years to stop taking hormonal birth control.  Not because I am ready to have a baby but simply because I might be one day.  I have wanted to stop taking it for years now but I have been TERRIFIED of getting pregnant without being ready.  So before I stopped taking it I did some research on other methods of birth control.  I think I will do a separate post all about that.

One of the books I read was Taking Charge of Your Fertility. I was so interested and floored by all of this information about my OWN body that I never knew.  I did not learn these things in Sex Ed, I did not learn them from my doctor, and my mom did not teach me these things.  I cannot recommend this book enough. Regardless of wanting to have a baby now or ever this book is FULL of information about the female body that is so useful to every woman.  I just can't say enough good things about it.  Seriously, if you are a woman you must buy this book and read it ASAP!

Amazon.com

After reading the book I joined a couple of Facebook groups of people with similar interests.  Someone mentioned a podcast, Fertility Friday.  Its full of a ton of information. I have a long work commute so I figured a podcast would be great for me.  She talks a lot about the Weston A Price Foundation and nutrient dense foods.  

One of the podcasts' guest was Laura Schoenfeld of the blog Ancestralize Me.  This particular podcast was about Recovering from Post-Birth Control Syndrome.  You can read all about that episode here! I loved listening to her talk and this whole episode resonated with me big time.  This was really my first time putting any thought at all into a Paleo/ Ancestral Diet.  I immediately dove head first into Laura's blog and podcast.  This opened up a whole new world for me.  

After many hours of different podcasts and reading different blogs (all paleo-based) I decided I would give this paleo thing a try.  The very next day I did the best I could with what I had to eat a paleo diet.  

That night I ended up on the website- Whole30.com and decided I would start this immediately.  I didn't put a ton of thought into it. I just felt compelled to do it.  I bought the book It Starts With Food and read it in one day, and I was on my way.  I started the Whole30 on a Friday because I did not want to wait another day.

Amazon.com

I decided it would not be about weightloss.  It would be about nourishing my body with the best foods for me.  Lots of health fats, local and grass-fed meats, TONS of veggies, and fruit. 

I am on this journey to get my hormones in balance after 15 years of suppressing them... 15 years of stopping a natural process from my body...  So I decided I would start with my food... 

What I Eat In a Day

I'm back!  I can't believe its been almost a year since I've blogged!  Where has the time gone?

I decided to start with this post because its one of my favorites to read on others' blogs and watch on YouTube. It gives me some ideas and I just enjoy reading about it.  

I should preface this by stating that I have been doing the Whole30 for the past 23 days. If you're unfamiliar with the Whole30 I encourage you to read about it here.  I'm sure most of you have hard of pale before.  Basically, no grains, sugar, dairy, gluten, refined anything, soy, or anything processed or from a package except a few random things.  Everything all natural!  I've mostly been eating meat, fish, veggies, eggs, and fruit. If you're interested in completing one I recommend the book- It Starts With Food.  I've really enjoyed this way of eating.  But it has really taken a lot of the enjoyment out of my meals. I've just been eating to nourish my body rather than eating for entertainment.  I haven't eaten in a restaurant in several weeks other than the occasional Chipotle lunch in a pinch.  I plan on doing a full post on the Whole30 and my experience once it is over this weekend.

So on to what my typical day looks like in food!

Breakfast: 

-2 fried eggs with fresh eggs from the farmers market cooked in ghee

-A side of green beans- so random- but I try to eat veggies at each meal. Usually for breakfast I just have whatever veggies are left from the night before

-an orange

-a glass of ginger kombucha

I drink a ton of water all day. When I get to work I have either hot tea or coffee with coconut milk or homemade almond milk (tutorial coming).

-Around 10am I have one of my herbal supplement drinks: Solle Vital I will do a post on all of my herbal supplements soon

 Lunch:  forgot to snap a pic until almost done!
-salad with leftover chicken, avocado, strawberries, dill, and a boiled egg
-baked sweet potato with ghee

I had to run to Home Goods at lunch to return something and I found these snacks.  I love stuff like this. I ended up eating this whole bag. Both have only fruit as the ingredients.  No added sugar!

 And 2 pieces of this:

 Around 2:00 I got hungry and had this:

When I got home around 5 I was starving!  I randomly ate a boiled egg and drank some water to hold me over.  Then dinner was not my favorite. I actually ended up throwing half of it way because it just wasn't good.

Dinner:

-Tuna steak marinated in coconut aminos, ginger, cilantro, and green onion

- sautéed cabbage and sweet potatoes

Then after dinner I had a big spoonful of Sun Butter. 

Not the most glorious or exciting meals but this is what a typical day looks like these days!  Each meal I try to include protein, fat, and carb. Nothing fancy.  On the weekends I will cook more elaborate meals that my husband and I can enjoy together. But for now- this works.  

Hope you enjoyed a little sneak into my day:)