I have been wanting to write down some of my thoughts on life after Whole30. Right after I finished the second round I went up to Canada for vacation. Usually when I go “home” I gorge myself on Canadian chocolate, tiger-tiger ice cream, and timbits (donut holes). This time, however, it was much different. I actually didn’t eat hardly any junk food and I continued to try and eat my veggies and protein! My parents had just completed their round of Whole30 too, which helped. One thing I did notice was that I was eating more grains (soaked and fermented/natural yeast) and I could feel it. I also ate baked beans twice and was sick from that. My first sugar after Whole30 was up in Canada – 2 squares of a Caramilk chocolate bar. It’s one of my favorites. It didn’t even taste good – – so strange! I ate one square and then was kind of disappointed about the whole thing. But it helped me not to feel bad that everyone else was eating s’mores!

I brought home a few of our favorite treats. Not my usual haul, but some things that we like. I slowly ate them and now they are gone. And I am okay with that.

If you have been following this blog for a while you know that I eat healthy food. My food philosophy is to try and eat as much real food in its natural form as possible. I believe that food is powerful and has the ability to change lives.

The reason I wanted to do Whole30 was to figure out once and for all what foods were bothering me. I already figured out the gluten thing, but there were still some lingering questions. I loved the philosophy behind the program and their admittance that it isn’t something we should do forever. It’s a reset and a chance to re-acquaint ourselves with food and how it effects us.

When I came home from Canada I was fired up about Natural Yeast after teaching a couple of classes up there. So I came home and started baking and experimenting so that I could post more recipes! That meant I was eating a lot of it too – which didn’t feel fabulous. I love natural yeast and how beneficial it is for our bodies, but I still believe that eating too many grains in any form isn’t good for us. All things in moderation, right? Especially considering we consume a lot more grains than we think – wheat is hidden in a lot of things!

Over the past two weeks I have re-focused and gotten back to my routine of eating lots of protein, veggies, and healthy fats. I have felt the difference. I have found what I think is a good balance for me of adding in some natural yeasted foods, natural sugars, and the occasional splurge. I am staying away from dairy and gluten, and I typically don’t eat many processed foods anyway. I do use butter in some recipes, but that would be the only dairy I get. I also eat peanut butter again, but not every day like I used to! When I don’t eat protein and veggies for breakfast I can tell a difference in my morning. I am still not sick of eggs!

I love food. I love the power that I feel in the food that I choose to eat (or not eat). I love how it fuels and comforts me. I love having the confidence in knowing how my body will react to certain things and how that helps me avoid them. I have gotten to know myself pretty well over the past few months and I am so grateful for this knowledge.

I would recommend Whole30 to anyone, and hope others put themselves out there to try it and learn from it.