Personally: Emotions and Whole30

In my earlier Whole30 stints, the biggest lesson was that cravings are under my responsibility and do not have to control me. It really doesn't help working surrounded by pastries and sandwiches whose fragrance permeates the cafe. Yet despite their perpetual presence, I have felt a lot less temptation and craving during this Whole60.

I think I am learning the place of emotions in my identity and my decisions during this time of abstinence. It is still in the early stages of understanding and consideration, but it's coming together. This winter has been very difficult emotionally, which brings it to the forefront of my attention. But one thing that I am understanding is that while my emotions are my responsibility, they do not control me and they are not my identity.

According to Whole30.com, the average person experiences a few days of crankiness, irritability and impatience within the first half of a Whole30, but I have been feeling all of these for the past 48 days. It is warned that (during these early days) someone might look at you with a cheery smile and a warm 'hello' and for no particular reason you will feel the urge to punch them in the face. I have not noticed this as much as I have recently.

I am quite certain that my nutrition and Whole30 is not the sole contributor to this problem. With some researching, I am certain that I need to see a nutritionist and discover what Autoimmune issue is underlying my continued digestive issues and tiredness. On top of this, I think that some seasonal depression and an unusual amount of personal stress have added to this irritability.

Last year I ended my first Whole30 right after Easter. This means that I have never done Whole30 during the depth of winter or for 60 days; but rather as spring was arriving to Montreal, with a hopefulness for the warmer weather and sunshine. Therefore, I have nothing with which I can compare my current emotional situation.

In the winter it is always a challenge to get enough exercise, sun, and fresh air. Lately I have noticed feeling tired and sleepy throughout the day, wanting to go to bed as the sun sets (at 5pm) as well as irritable and hopeless. This sadness has affected the social engagements, plans, and risks that I am willing to take. I have tried cutting down on my coffee intake and even go whole days without coffee. I have opened up the curtains in all of the windows in the apartment, and spent more time in prayer and writing my thoughts in a journal.

I have recognized stress stemming from a fear of being rejected for being different, and a desire to fit in and be like others. I think that this has surfaced in my Whole30s, but it is present in other areas of life such as being a Christian in Montreal, being over-weight in a society which places value on skinny, and being poor in a culture that worships the wealthy, stable, and independent. I have become defensive and passive-aggressive. I need to not fear rejection (what is the worst that could possibly happen?), be confident in living my life true to who I am, and remember my priorities! This stress as well as the stress of personal decisions, finances and responsibilities have made this situation even more complicated.

A popular recommendation to overcoming irritability and sleepiness while on Whole30 is to increase your carbohydrate intake through starchy vegetables and fruits. And while I think that this is probably helpful, what I really need to add is exercise. In just over a month, the Bixi bikes will start to populate the interior of Montreal. But until then, I need to find another way to get the endorphin pumping and the muscles stretching. Yoga/stretches and walking at a quick pace are my starting points. But I am excited to get outside of the city this weekend and I hope to enjoy the outdoors with some friends.

Through a good talk with my brother I was reminded that I am not my emotions, just as I am not my cravings. I can recognize an emotion or the feeling of anxiety, and pray for understanding. I think that to begin, the best thing is to remember Philippians 4:6-7, "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything in prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your supplications (requests) before God. And the peace of God, which surpasses understanding will preserve your heart in Christ Jesus."

Once I have learned to recognize these emotions, and to seek God's peace in the moment, then I can look for the root and deal with the underlying issues, and choose how these emotions should affect my behavious, thoughts, and personality. Not all emotions are bad, even anger has a place in a healthy life, but I have to not be controlled by my anger.

How are you finding joy in the long winter? How do you manage your emotions in an healthy way? I'd love to hear your insights!

First Steps: Finding Recipes

When I began doing Whole30, I found that my temptation to eat out (and probably compromise my Whole30) was highest if I was bored with the meals I was preparing. I would never have survived the Whole30 if it weren't for good recipes and varied foods. I have been craving a Shish Taouk platter (or that warmed up Double-smoked bacon, cheddar and egg breakfast croissant I just prepared for a customer) for about a week - every time I am caught without food at meal time, I've been eating the same thing for a few days, or I'm emotionally raw, or sick and exhausted.

This round I am using plantoeat.com to help me store my recipes, plan my meals, and create my grocery list. In the past I have built boards on Pinterest for each week's worth of meals. I have also used Excel to calculate my macros because I was feeling like I had too much starch and not enough fiber. Buying books or printing off my recipes have also been a part of my journey - but soft copies always make integrating meals easier. 

Plantoeat.com Planner

 
Using this website helps me to have my food prepared for meal time, add delicious varied foods, and to plan ahead for difficult situations and busyness. Finding the recipes to use can take time but the internet, library and friends can be a great source of ideas. Whatever your source, I would suggest finding at least a dozen recipes that help you to enjoy each meal.

You might not be as picky as me, and can survive off eating the same few meals week after week. I envy you. Don't feel like you need to add variety for variety's sake. Just know yourself and your weaknesses. I have 80+ recipes saved to Plan to Eat, and I continue to refine and develop my list. Add me if you're using the website too!

Plantoeat.com Recipes

Having that database, I am able to plan a few week's worth of meals and foresee my groceries and the time needed for preparing new dishes. I definitely have room to improve and refine my planning, but this is a lot better than before. It is so helpful to have it all together and takes away some of the stress. I posted here about how I would manage to prepare a week's worth of meals in just a few hours. When you make everything together, you don't have to clean and prepare your mise en place multiple times. I included foods of many different colours (for vitamins) and different meats (for change) and different cuisines (for flavours).

Beyond the recipes I included in my one week plan, below I have included a few easy recipes which I continue to include in my meal planning. Easy is not always boring, but it helps to cut down on the time you need to invest in eating healthy, which is so helpful.

Let me know what recipes have helped you on your Whole30 journey, I'd love to try some!

Poultry Mains -

Chicken Tagine with Fig and Ginger by Cook Eat Paleo: http://cookeatpaleo.com/mediterranean-paleo-cooking-fig-and-ginger-chicken-tajine/

One Pot Paleo Chicken Curry Stir Fry by Sweet C's Designs: http://sweetcsdesigns.com/one-pot-paleo-chicken-curry-stir-fry/
 

Sweet C's Chicken Curry Stir Fry

30 Minute Clean Thai Turkey Zucchini Meatballs by ifoodreal: http://ifoodreal.com/30-minute-clean-thai-turkey-zucchini-meatballs/

Salads -

Chopped Thai Salad with Coconut Curry Dressing by The Wicked Noodle: http://www.thewickednoodle.com/chopped-thai-salad/

Pesto Chicken Salad by The Nordstrom Cafe: https://www.instagram.com/p/sq3rQXrDEe/

Thai chopped Salad with Lime Ginger Dressing by From Cup to Cup: http://fromcuptocup.blogspot.ca/2014/01/thai-chopped-salad-with-lime-ginger.html

Thai Turkey Meatballs by iFoodReal: http://ifoodreal.com/30-minute-clean-thai-turkey-zucchini-meatballs/ 

South Jordan Beet Salad by Whole Sisters: http://www.whole-sisters.com/#!South-Jordan-Beet-Salad/c1v9p/551cbdbe0cf21933cd2e24e4

Whole Sisters' South Jordan Salad

Beef Mains-

Sukuma Wiki (Kenyan Braised Collard Greens and Ground Beef) by The Domestic Man: http://thedomesticman.com/2013/07/02/sukuma-wiki-kenyan-braised-collard-greens-and-ground-beef/

Simple Skirt Steak with Romesco Sauce by PaleOMG: http://paleomg.com/simple-skirt-steak-with-romesco-sauce/#

The Perfect Burger by Stupid Easy Paleo: http://stupideasypaleo.com/2014/03/27/perfect-burger/

Perfect Burger by Stupid Easy Paleo

Egg Dishes -

Easy Artichoke, Spinach and Herb Frittata by Linda Wagner: http://lindawagner.net/blog/2014/06/easy-artichoke-spinach-herb-frittata/index.html

Chorizo Scotch Eggs by Popular Paleo: http://thehealthyfoodie.com/paleo-chicken-scotch-egg/

The Good, The Bad and The Ugly - Whole30 and Cravings

We all have cravings, and I think that most of us have some emotional attachment to food to varying degrees. But after my first 30 days without pastries, that was all that I could think of in my last hours! It doesn't help that I am a supervisor at a cafe where I have to close the pastry case every night, or set it up in the morning!

As I child I was rewarded and conditioned with foods. It was an attempt to maintain order with three kids in the house, and I can't judge the choices. But it's something which is being processed as I take into account what I am eating. If I'm tired, stressed, or frustrated I tend to eat something fattening without even being hungry. I eat my emotions. I think that mentally, this is my biggest challenge on Whole30.

This is why controlling which foods are in your house BEFORE you start, is very important in my experience. Don't leave the marshmallows in the cupboard; the chocolate chips and the brownies need to leave the house! I've actually given away non-compliant gluten-free flours and almond milk with additives so that I don't cut corners which aren't worth it!

I wish I could say that it's easy to start Whole30. Well actually starting IS EASY because it is a momentary CHOICE. You can choose right now to stop eating all of the sugary, nutritionally poor, processed foods that surround us every day. Some of my friends are pretty set-up and would only have to make some small changes to do a Whole30. But as for me, I love cheese, pastries, pizza and other unhealthy and non-compliant foods. I have a crazy emotional attachment to sweets, and the Holiday Season has just ended so there's great sales plus all of the gifts which I was given. So there's a purging step that I have had to go through.

But completing a Whole30 is not easy. It takes perseverance, vision, and creativity. I've had to learn to batch cook, meal prep, and buy strategically so that I don't spend my whole day cooking or my whole paycheck on alternative foods. I've also had to learn how to make a breakfast which I can pack and consume within in 15 minutes while starting work at 6am. And I've had to learn how to work on overcoming my cravings.

My lunch at work during Whole30

Here are some bullet-point thoughts on dealing with and exposing cravings. As I write them, I realize that awareness is a great first step, and I need to continue to mature in my ways of dealing with cravings.

1. As with other forms of temptation, I find prayer and worship to be preeminent. What is important in life? Will this thing going to actually change anything? If I never experience this one thing, will I die or lack joy? I've realized that temptations are empty lies, with no real long-lasting relief to be experienced. But they still pull at me.
2. My emotions can sometimes be ignored, but rather than avoiding the real issue I should dig deeper and deal with what's really bothering me. I am still learning to step back and process my feelings, and to make the hard changes to fix things within my control. But If I can come to the simple realizations like I'm just tired and I need to take a nap, it's a lot more healthy. Or maybe I'm just angry, I need to forgive that person - then I can grab a glass of water and buckle down for the ride. This list also helps to normalize the stages within a Whole30 - Whole30 Timeline.
3. The restrictions given by Whole30, mean that I cannot just eat whatever I feel like or what has been offered, and it takes away some of my favourites. Yes, it feels personal. So I try to find other foods to enjoy - a new recipe which is Whole30 compliant, a new cuisine with compliant dishes (mmm mmm... Persian food!), a new fruit or vegetable that I have never tried (props to LufaFarms.com), or rediscovering old favourites (like pistachios). I also have compiled a list of activities which make me happy and that I want to accomplish this winter - like painting, hiking, and writing letters to friends! Not to mention sharing my thoughts through this blog.



Food from my Lufa Farm basket this fall

4. No one else has my body, with my health issues and needs. I cannot depend on others to eat healthy for me, and I cannot eat everything anyone else is eating. But this is true of other things - and it helps to keep it all in perspective. I cannot climb Mount Everest like some athletes (heck Mont Royal is a challenge even on a good day!), I cannot sleep less than 8 hours and function - like some of my coworkers, and I cannot live with a cat without having an asthma attack, as much as I'd love to have a furry friend! This is my life and I need to take care of my body. 
5. Which leads me to my final thought.. I have to keep my motivation front and center: You only have one life to live, and one body - and you're worth it! The Bible teaches me that my body is the temple of the living God, made holy by his residence there, but also to be honoured as a gift from God and under my stewardship. I can worship God by making healthful choices! There may be aspects to my body which I cannot control, but Whole30 is a tool of which I DO HAVE CONTROL. So let's do this!

Somethings I can do immediately when I have a craving:

• Think about something else, sing a song or turn my attention away from food
• Grab a glass of water, sometimes I'm just dehydrated
• Pull out some nuts instead of focusing on what I can't have
• Focus on a project or email I need to write, to keep my mind busy.
• Make my meal if it's an appropriate time (they say if chicken breast and broccoli sounds fulfilling you're probably just actually hungry!)

So far, at the end of my Whole30s I've had some particular craving which I just had to have first. It was a different food each time, but the craving was all-consuming. It's funny to think that as I began my Whole60 last week, I didn't even worry about eating one last this or that food I was craving. It kind of just began and I didn't make a big deal of it. But as I approach the finish line, in my experience, there is going to be a list of things that I JUST NEED TO HAVE. Actually, I want to pray that God would continue to break down the lies that certain foods will make my life better, or that I need something.

What are some of your ways of dealing with cravings in a healthy way?

How I got started: It's All About Food

The first time I heard about the Paleo Diet from a coworker, I was completely skeptical; eating like cave men made absolutely no sense to me! Just because foods were added into our diet through the centuries (like so many other things that have changed since their time) didn't mean that they were negative or less healthy. I dismissed it in an instant, and never thought twice.

Then a good friend of mine mentioned that she was starting another diet. Now diets had only a sliver more credibility in my mind since I had seen countless friends starve and neglect themselves for a few days in the name of 'health' only to binge on all of the worst food around as soon as their wills broke! There are so many fads and theories which contradict each other and accomplish little more than depression and will-breaking.

But this friend was smart, athletic and she was very confident that this was not just a fad or anything like other diets. Since I am undeniably unhealthy, and had a desire to treat my body like the temple that it actually is, I decided to find the book behind the diet - with all of the science-y stuff my Biology-head loves!

And then I opened, 'It Starts With Food'. Everything I knew about hormones and building-blocks was changed. It turns out that an unhealthy body doesn't respond to food the same way a healthy body would, and that our processed, sugary foods are creating chaos inside. Leptin Resistance is the one thing that surprised me the most -perhaps I should have pursued my Biology Degree a little further!

'Normally, when you've accumulated adequate body fat, your fat cells send a message (via leptin) to your brain that says, 'Hey, we've got enough energy stored, so you should eat less and move more.' But when receptors in the brain and other tissues become less sensitive to leptin, those messages don't get through. Your brain doesn't hear leptin say that you've got enough body fat stored" (pg. 46, 'It Starts with Food').

The program claims that 'By the time the program is over, you'll know in no uncertain terms which foods are improving the quality of your life and which are detracting from your health' (pg. 13, 'It Starts with Food'). Through the book, they, 'show you how to break free of unhealthy cravings, restore your body's natural hunger mechanism, eat to satiety while still loosing weight, and eliminate the symptoms of any number of lifestyle-related diseases and conditions - forever" (pg. 14, 'It Starts with Food').

So once I realized that just eating healthier, or more moderately wasn't going to work because my body and emotions were working against me, I decided to give this Whole30 a go! I am strong willed and stubborn, so it totally worked to my advantage that the first 30 days are black and white on what you can eat.

The book is so good, I could quote every word, but I found a 60 second summary about Nutrition and Whole30 on The Whole9 website: Nutrition in 60 seconds

WHOLE30 = Animal Protein + Lots of Vegetables + High-Quality Fat + Seasonings

The NEW Recipe Book with all of the Whole30 details!

It was actually 25 days before Easter last year that I began my first Whole30. I was so reluctant to not just wait the 25 days and enjoy Easter festivities whole-hog. But as I was reading through the book, I couldn't put my health off any longer. I managed to enjoy the feast, avoiding non-compliant foods and just appreciate the transformation that I was seeing in my body!

It's not easy, and everyone knows that. Here's the Timeline for what the average person experiences while on Whole30.



In my experience I never hit the energy boost most people see about half-way through. I did feel things changing, but much slower. I think that I have a lot of tings going on inside that need to heal and that my body wasn't there quite yet. Reluctantly, I am convinced that I need to do a Whole60 and see how things improve with a continued dedication to my health and wellness.

So after my first Whole30 I observed these non-scale victories:

- I was able to enjoy a meal with friends while passing over corn chips, pita bread, Bailey's, and cheesecake and it got easier the more often we got together!
- I discovered other foods which I loved, and healthier snacks for when spending time with friends - fallen in love with vegetables and learned to love kale
- actually did something for 30 days with no cheats
- I exposed cravings for just empty promises which were not worth pursuing
- plus I had lost 10 pounds!

My love for coffee was developed as dairy and alternatives were cut out

I shared this thought at the end of my Whole30:
"I find that I eat when I'm not hungry (like while playing [board] games, or watching a movie), I think that fulfilling my cravings will make my life better, and that i deserve a treat. All are proven false when you step away from the situation and think about it logically. And just reminding myself of the truth and finding my solutions in prayer and healthy relationships is so much better! Loosening the power of temptation and idolatry is NECESSARY and I am not sacrificing ANYTHING - really. But it's not easy!"

Actually, I felt things changing, but I knew that there was more health that would come if I were just to pursue it a bit longer. However, emotionally it was taxing and while observing excess weight leave and feeling more energy starting, I was getting a bit depressed and couldn't think about anything other than the new La Boulange pastries in our cafe! So, I decided to take a short break from my quest, and started up a Whole45 on April 22nd. These two consecutive Whole30 stints really changed my appetites, energy, weight, and determination. I couldn't wait to eliminate all of the problematic foods from my diet again in the fall and see how food affects my mood, allergies, and energy!

So beginning January 15th, I will embark on my 4th Whole30, for 60 days!