Whole30 week 2

This falls under my REAL program, though I'm realizing lower caloric intake no longer fits...

Friday: Chapter 8 I don't drink alcohol or use artificial sweeteners. I agree "sugar = sugar = sugar." I'm unwilling to condemn sugar. Salt and sugar are amazing preservatives. I have blackberry jam in the middle of winter because sugar preserves it. Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches are comfort food but also excellent when the schedule is tight, not to mention cheap. God called Israel the "Land of Milk and Honey." If God okays it, who am I to deride? Then again, Jesus turned water into wine for a wedding celebration. At that time, wine was safer than water. So it would surely have been safer during the caveman time. I'm not endorsing wine. I'll never drink it. I've seen friends turn into idiots when they drink and others are very responsible. One size does not fit all.

Chapter 9: Yep, I try to avoid most of these oils, though processed foods make it difficult. I'm doing more and more cooking from scratch. For years now, I've only used olive oil and butter. Recently I added coconut oil. By the way, these oils weren't on the no-no list in the book. The only oil I consciously use on the list is grapeseed oil in homemade lotion. It doesn't have much of a smell and stays liquid.

Saturday: Didn't read, today. Didn't eat particularly well, but did much better than I have in the past. In fact, did a whole lot better than in the past.

Sunday: Chapter 10: Oh boy, just throw out something incredibly inflammatory. "...science, our education, and our experience have completely altered our perspective..." Dangerous to put so much faith in imperfect science, imperfect education, and imperfect experience... Hmmm... actually, a lot of triggers... "I know best." "I read the experts." "I studied." "I'm smarter than you." "My opinion is the truth." "Men become learned and think themselves wise" comes to mind. It seems they're smarter than God. Ummm... yeah, lots of triggers. Moving on.

Yep, that openminded attitude I wanted is shutting right down.

The authors are writing this as though the food supply is perfect. Grains keep better than fruits and vegetables.

There are so many contradictions and such a picture perfect perspective all I can think is "poor little rich kids." It reminds me of the cooking programs that tout using only fresh, local ingredients. Great if you live where there's fresh produce available year round, not so much if you live in a place with extreme weather where the growing season is short or limited in what will survive. It doesn't help that they're incredibly condescending.

Anyone with IBS has experimented with what can and cannot be tolerated. Bread has always been one of those foods I could eat no matter how messed up my insides were when I ate anything else.

Legumes, I don't eat very often. I keep pork and beans for my food supply, again, they store well, but it also means I need to eat them occasionally. Don't store what you aren't going to eat.

I've avoided soy for years. It makes me gag. I'm not going to fight it. However, it's a pain trying to not find it in everything I eat. It's everywhere. Soy is used as a natural estrogen replacement, you know, the feminine hormone.

The problem with this isolating of foods: In all the dissing of grain and legumes I didn't see any mention of the fact that beans and rice are a complete protein.

Oh, how thoughtful, instead of peanut butter you can uses sunflower butter... please read heavy sarcasm. Peanut butter: $5.72 for 40 oz sunflower butter: $6.99 for 16 oz.

They are not tackling at all the truly psychological ties with food: Traditions, abuses, games...

No, they have no idea what it's like to go hungry, to have food used against you, to be fed food that makes you sick and eating it because it was that or nothing.

Monday: Chapter 11: Dairy. Short and simple answer for me: I've done without dairy. I did without dairy for years before the new-fangled lactose free products. Rediscovered dairy. Will never cut it from my diet again. Why? A couple reasons. I feel better when it's in my diet. Visible reason? My nails. I am able to track how much dairy is in my diet by how hard or soft my nails are. Soft nails are not helpful. They tear easily, down to the nail bed. Nasty. Painful. Not healthy.

Tuesday: Chapter 12: If you've been diagnosed with an autoimmune disease, leaky gut syndrome, diabetes, celiac disease, or other such illness, I think the book would be worth the read. Read with your brain engaged. I really am looking forward to reading the rest of the book.

Part of my difficulty with the book is I've done a lot of experimenting on my own already.

Wednesday: Chapter 13: I love marrow. I'm not a fan of fish. Again, I've done a lot of experimenting on myself over the years and know what suits me well and what doesn't.

Another personal observation: Don't tell me what I CAN'T do. I probably would have done better with this book if I'd started with Chapter 13.

Spoke too soon. Vote with your dollar. Ummm... would love to if I could afford it.

Funnily enough, I hate meat fat. Really. I even prefer lean bacon. I can eat a couple slices of bacon, if it's well cooked, and then I'm done.

I always saw meat as an important source of protein and other nutrients. I've also talked about the insanity surrounding eggs. Growing up, I lost track of how many times eggs have gone through being praised and villainized. Doing my own experimentation, I've discovered I'm able to eat egg yolks without undue side effects but no whites.

Thursday: Chapter 14: Of the 20 veggies, I am able to eat 6 on a regular basis without becoming ill, 7 including tomatoes if I use them sparingly. Fermented veggies are absolutely out, unless you want me casting up my accounts simply because of the smell. No one advises retching as a way of losing weight.

Of the 10 fruits, I cannot eat 2. Pretty good, except I can't eat the other 8 on a regular basis or in large quantities, we're talking less than 1/4 cup every few days of some of those.

We still agree sugar is sugar.

A continuity editor might have been a good idea. Some of the "gems" should have been cut completely. Interesting but didn't move things along, and, in fact, sometimes bogged things down, clouding issues.

I'm more than half way through the book. I've ranted and complained and disagreed, a lot. Am I sorry I'm reading it? Nope. I'm discovering how much I know. I had no idea. I will be reading the rest of the book during week 3.