Almost Home

Today is Day 20 of my Whole 30.  Ten Days Remain. Just about three weeks in, and I am pretty proud that I have stayed true to the "rules:" no grains, no sugars or sweeteners, no dairy, no legumes, no canola or seed oils, trying to eat grass-fed meats and organic produce when I can.

For me, the real fun part will come when I start reintroducing food after Day 30, but I have a HUGE success to report already!  I have discovered that I am sensitive to foods in the nightshade family, which includes tomatoes, potatoes, peppers and eggplants. I am still "testing" to figure out if I can have small doses of certain nightshades (small amounts of chopped up jalapenos?  A-OK), but I know for sure that large doses of tomatoes and some spices from peppers are causing wooziness, fog-brain, fatigue and headache.

Hallelujah!

Okay, so I am super bummed to have to avoid salsa, chili, and tacos.  SUPER BUMMED, do not get me wrong. Before Whole 30, I ate salsa every single day.  And on Whole 30, its hard to stay away from tomatoes, actually.  But it is so amazing, and so empowering, to know that I have the power to avoid my "tired days," just by avoiding tomatoes.  I have been living with these symptoms for at least 10 years, people.  This is an amazing discovery.

Why did it take the Whole 30 for me to discover this? Well, when you are eating tacos with tortilla chips, corn salsa, and a Corona, it is a lot less obvious what might be causing your symptoms.  So, even though I have mapped my foods and migraines before, it was impossible to make the connection.  With limited ingredients in my diet, it became a lot easier to see connections.

Also, I have brought this up to my doctor previously.  I told her I feel woozy after I eat tacos or salad, and she talked to me about my body processing carbs differently from the average person.  So, I cut out the MSG and called it a day.  I accepted the fact that eating salad makes me tired.  I don't blame my doctor; after all I think this is probably a pretty rare reaction. But I do offer you this encouragement, such as it is: if something feels off, it probably is.  There may be answers out there, that even your doctors don't have.  It's your body, you know it best!  Dig deep for the answers, it is worth it!

By the way, I have had some fun trying new recipes (it helps combat the agony of missing old foods.  Cheese plate, I miss you so.)  Tune in tomorrow for a Paleo Sausage Ball recipe that actually tastes good.