Long time, no post!
Last week was a busy one. We all participated in Vacation Bible School, we swam, and generally ran around town. This week should be calmer which I’m looking forward to very much.
Ok, on to my Whole 30 recap for Week 3 and an explanation as to why it is my “final” recap.
To be honest, things were not going well in two very big areas. Increased pain and bad stomach issues.
My arthritis pain on Whole 30 started to get worse on Day 2. Initially, I wrote it off to things such as “low carb flu” and other adjustments. Then, I thought it was because of nuts or coconut oil or increased meat/eggs (all can be bad for arthritis). Then I fell down a Google rabbit hole about oxalates in vegetables and other such things. I increased fruit, I lowered fruit. I increased starch, I lowered starch. I took digestive enzymes, probiotics, fish oil, heck, I even ate fish (not a big fan). Tweak, tweak, tweak. It was exhausting! Was in more pain every day.
Nothing helped, the pain just got worse and worse and worse. I still have no idea why. So, I’m done. I really wanted to complete the full 30 days but something about it isn’t working for me and I’m out of things to tweak. I’m all for being patient but I won’t ignore the exponentially increasing pain for another day.
So, here’s what I’m doing. As of yesterday, I’ve added back in some organic yogurt to see if I can settle my stomach issues. I’ve also added back grass-fed butter (generally considered good for joints) and yes, I had wine yesterday at a Father’s Day dinner party.
I’ve also decided to try an old folk remedy of mixing a little grape juice with Certo (that pectin stuff you use to make jams/jelllies). Google it, it helps LOTS of people with arthritis. I started it yesterday so we’ll see. Grape juice and apple pectin aren’t the most un-paleo food choices but it’s definitely not “Whole 30.”
Today, I already feel about 30% better. I don’t know if anything I’ve added back in helped or if simply relaxing all those Whole 30 rules un-puckered me a bit. All I know is that I was able to get out of bed today without wincing and hobbling for several steps before I could stand up straight. I haven’t been able to do that for three weeks.
I’m still staying off of sugar and grains (for now). I’m sticking with quality meats, fruits, vegetables, etc. too. I’m not throwing the baby out with the bathwater so to speak, just trying to work things out without obsessing.
Would I recommend the Whole 30 to others? Sure. Just because it unbalanced something for me personally doesn’t mean it doesn’t help lots of people. I did enjoy increased skin tone and it helped me mellow out a bit too. I think those can be achieved by “eating clean” in several different ways though. Getting off processed junk is the #1 benefit in my opinion. Appreciating plain vegetables, considering an apple a dessert, and being satisfied on far less food were all great benefits as well.
What about YOU? Have I scared you off of Whole 30 or do you still want to do one?
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