I'm Still Here!

Well, here it is, Day 10 into my eating plan/cleanse.  So many thoughts are running through my head, as I ponder all that has happened in these last few days, in my mind.  This eating plan is not just changing my body, it is changing my MIND.  I feel like I am waking up from a long slumber.  That is not to say that I am not still feeling foggy brained, because I am.  But, I am waking up to the possibility that I can feel better, and this is amazing!  I am finding that my insides (the IBS issue, trying not to be graphic) are calming down.  I ate too many brussel sprouts one evening, and had a bit of a stomach ache, but other than that, my stomach has felt much improved.  My mornings are a little more normal, if you know what I mean.  I share this not to be gross, but because I truly want to encourage anyone with stomach issues, to experiment with their diet.  I was so caught in the midst, that I was starting to feel like my stomach would be sick no matter what I did.  I had tried eating bland.  I had tried eating low fat.  I had tried eating vegetarian.  I had not tried hard enough, that is for sure.
So, my thoughts on the journey so far:  this is a lot of work, and it is EXPENSIVE!  It is so much more expensive to eat healthy, and that  feels so wrong!  I am looking forward to frequenting the farm markets...that will help a lot!  Once your eyes are opened to the whole GMO subject, you just cannot close them to it again. Once your eyes are opened to how certain foods work in the body, you cannot close them again.  Once your eyes are opened to the benefits of eating whole, healthy foods, you cannot close them again.   This is definitely a process, peeling the layers away is painstaking--but so worth it!  It took the whole ten days or so to get all the staples into the house, so I feel like I can see a recipe, and be able to grab ingredients from my own stockpile and cook it.  But the produce ...I have to purchase every few days or so.  This way of eating, aka, healthy but somewhat restricted eating, requires a PLAN.  The most planning actually goes into planning Craig's lunch.  He does manual labor off and on all day at the Nestle plant, so he needs to have enough fuel for the body, to keep him going.  We have this just about down to a science.  Also, the man who did not like eggs, now likes eggs!  That helps a lot!  So, we pulse him a smoothie the night before, in the handy dandy Ninja cup.  It has a travel lid, so this works great.  It has Kale, part of a banana, some blueberries, some coconut milk, and flax seed in it.  He takes two boiled eggs along also, for his breakfast.  He leaves the house at 4, so he drinks the smoothie on the way, and eats the eggs a little later.  For lunch, he prefers a salad, with grilled chicken.  I did make a stew one day, and he was able to take that leftover for lunch for a few days, but he prefers the salad.  Plus, some olives.   Always olives.  Homemade dressing.  A snack bag for afternoon with shredded unsweetened coconut, sunflower seeds, raisins, a fig.  The Whole30 calls for no snacking, but we have circumstances that require it.  Having that healthy baggie snack has prevented low blood sugar attacks for me (msotly the diet itself has been straightening out my blood sugar!)!  The coconut, which has good fat and fiber etc., really staves off hunger!  Just a little bit goes a long way!
Then dinner.  For dinner, I have been trying lots of new recipes.  I am telling you, the tastebuds are NOT suffering!  I am not having any cravings at all.  I kept thinking that I still would (and trust me, I know I still might) but so far I really am not craving anything.  I think the reason for that is that I don't have a sweet tooth, for the most part.  I prefer savory--as in, cheese and crackers, dip, and way too many condiments.  The bright side of all of this is that I am now making my own condiments!  I have only just begun this part, and it is REALLY exciting!  Two things I miss the most:  cream in my coffee and blue cheese salad dressing on my salad.

My motivation?  Well, it a beautiful blue-eyed boy!  I know, I know "Do it for yourself".  Well, I am, but the msot exciting part of my current life is being a Gramma!  I am a young Gramma, but I feel so old.  There are parts of my illness that only God's healing hand can manage, but I want to do my part.  With fibromylagia, moving hurts.  It hurts a LOT.  But, I want to be able to run after my little bundle of energy.  I want to play with him, and have some stamina.  I want to be able to hike with my husband.  With his knee injury, that might mean just walking the reservoir for now.  But, I want to do all that I can, to be the best version of myself that I can--and that truly does start with the food I put into my body, moving my body every day, and getting good rest.  This is what I am seeking to do.  And this is why:

This little boy, who is eight months old TODAY, holds my Gramma heart in his chubby little hands!  And by the way, that is a super food all over his face!  Avocado, one of his most favorites!  His parents have already started his little eating plan in a very healthy way.  There are so many things I didn't know when mine were little.  But, I know now, and that's the point!

Now, off I go to pack my lunch for work!  To be continued....