Whole30 Day 1

For about the next month, this blog will be where I share & track my progress through the Whole30 Challenge -- I won't be posting every day (because I have to work, work out, live life, etc.) but when I do post, I'll let you know which day I'm on and how the Whole30 is affecting me.

I guarantee it will be affecting me greatly, because I will be eating only compliant meats, seafood, veggies, fruit, nuts, and seasonings -- no grains, legumes, dairy, or added sugars for 30 days! Which is most of what I typically eat, to be honest. So it's a huge change in shopping habits, meal planning, and habit forming. I've been drooling over delicious recipes with things I never make, like zucchini noodles, spaghetti squash, and various cuts of meat, for the past month, getting myself geared up for all the many veggies and protein meals I'll be preparing in the coming month -- like this one I made last week!

Whole30 Compliant Meatballs with Homemade Marinara Sauce over a bed of Zucchini Noodles

Please feel free to follow me along this journey -- and to post your questions, comments, concerns, etc. I've committed to do this for 30 full days, because of a few incessant/recurring health issues that I'm fed up with in my day-to-day life. Namely, sinusitis, psoriasis, and headaches. So if, at the end of this experiment, I am no longer suffering from even one of those things, I'll be thrilled! And ready to slowly, methodically reintroduce healthy items back into my diet, such as oats, quinoa, plain yogurt, etc ... one at a time, to see if any of them were causing any of these things. My guess -- it's the added sugars and artificial sweeteners! But, we'll see. Could be any number of things, or a mix.

As for Day 1, which is drawing to a close, I've had some delicious foods using up some leftover roast lamb I made earlier this week, as well as a refreshing potato-ginger soup. Let me know if you're interested in recipe-sharing! I can post recipes in the comments, if anyone would like to try out some of these foods. They're really very simple, using the most basic ingredients, because this way of eating is all about appreciating the most natural foods, in their most natural forms.

Mostly, I'm feeling more excited than nervous, because I've read The Whole30, and am about halfway through It Starts With Food; in the last month I've made lists upon lists of meals that look simple and delicious; my wife and I have stocked our kitchen with compliant ingredients to pull out and use in the coming days; and I even exercised for half an hour today, and my energy levels are still feeling great.

So for Day 1, check! I followed my goals, and feel ready for tomorrow. Thanks for your encouragement!