Day 18 of 40 - Wheat Belly

Have you read it? I'd recommend it. I just finished it this afternoon, and I must say it's pretty startling to read about the way our modern-day wheat was created, about the fact that human (or even animal) safety was never tested or investigated before mass-producing and mass-marketing this new grain. And to read about what it does to our blood sugar is truly shocking. Those two things alone would be enough to make me reconsider my wheat consumption, but what really sold me was just a trial of wheat-elimination, and the discovery of how much better I feel without it in my system!

Living with chronic pain is just no fun, as anyone who has experienced it will tell you. Even on a "good day", my hip still bothered me. My mother had her left hip replaced in her mid-50s, and I was sure I was on track to have mine done at least 15 years earlier than that. Not only was it constantly in pain, but the inflammation in that joint made it pop and click with every step I took. Sitting down for extended periods (especially in the car) made it really uncomfortable - I'd have to shift my weight and make it crack just to get some relief.

Imagine my surprise when I cut wheat out of my diet for the sake of my nursing baby, only to discover that removing wheat also cured my hip pain! Of course that wasn't the only benefit, but being able to move freely and comfortably was more than I could have dreamed of. I know, now, the way wheat causes inflammation in my body (it's not the same for everyone), and so I know that a food has to be really worth it before I'd consider indulging. I'm okay if I eat a small amount of wheat (like the crust on a small piece of cheesecake), but if I eat a full sandwich I end up limping for several days. It's just wild.

And it was discovering that whole wheat/pain connection that led me to the question that started all of this:
"If I've been eating wheat my whole life without realizing what it's doing to my body, what else am I consuming that's affecting me negatively?" So when Nicole told me about Whole30, I knew it was something I wanted to try.

Breakfast: 3 slices of bacon, 2 fried eggs and a cup of licorice root tea. About a cup of watermelon.
Lunch: A muffin and two hot Italian sausages with BBQ sauce.
*Those two meals were not a great start to my day. I was tired, cranky, and pressed for time, so vegetable prep got ignored. I have to get more organized tomorrow!
Supper: Salad with mixed greens, cherry tomatoes, cucumber and carrots with Italian vinaigrette. Four small chicken thighs with BBQ sauce. (I definitely didn't need the fourth one, and probably didn't need the third one - but they were really yummy and I didn't stop to ask myself if I was satisfied or not.) A large-ish slice of apple spice zucchini breakfast cake (name still under construction...). (Recipe to come tomorrow when I have the energy to type it up!)