So, I'm Doing The Whole30...

...and yes, I've already received lots of "are you mad?!" texts from my friends and family. But no, I'm not mad, just very fed up with being chronically ill and looking for any way that I can to improve my health and symptoms. If you didn't already know, I suffer from multiple chronic illnesses but the 'big daddy' is called ME (myalgic encephalomyelitis) - read my guide for beginners here and see the symptoms of the disease here - and it has been giving me real grief for the past six years, majorly so in the last one and a half.

I already strive to keep my diet as clean as possible for the sake of my illness and I've been eating 85% paleo - short for the paleolithic diet, see what that's all about here - with the remaining 15% consisting of still mainly healthy foods, with the odd treat here and there.

Day One

Even though I don't let much sugar pass my lips these days, ME is related to brain and spinal cord inflammation and if you hadn't already heard, sugar is extremely inflammatory. I wanted to cut it out completely, but then I heard about the Whole30 Challenge and thought, 'why not?' Why not cut out everything that could be having a negative impact on my health? It could be life changing and drastically improve the way I feel. On the other hand I could feel no better or no worse but even then, it's a win win situation; I'll have filled my body with nothing but nutritionally dense and wholesome foods for an entire month. 

Q. What is the Whole30?
A. A nutrition plan that eliminates "psychologically unhealthy, hormone-unbalancing, gut-disrupting, inflammatory food groups for a full thirty days".

Day Two

Q. What will I be eating?
A. "Meat, seafood, eggs, tons of vegetables, some fruit, and plenty of good fats from fruits, oils, nuts and seeds. Eat foods with very few ingredients, all pronounceable ingredients, or better yet, no ingredients listed at all because they're totally natural and unprocessed".

Q. What won't I be eating?
A. Sugar (real or artificial), dairy, grains, legumes, carrageenan, MSG or sulfites. It goes without saying that I can't drink alcohol. Whole30, which is only slightly different from the paleolithic diet, also states that participants mustn't recreate 'approved' foods - for example, 'paleo pancakes' are strictly not allowed, even if the only two ingredients are eggs and bananas. The Whole30 Program states that "a pancake is still a pancake" and although I'll miss the 'healthy treats' that I make, such as gluten and dairy-free brownies, I wholeheartedly agree. This shouldn't be about 'bending the rules' or seeing how healthy you can make an unhealthy food, it should be about sticking to your guns and to the spirit and intention of the program. It's only for thirty days, after all - you'll live.

Day Three

I've cut out gluten, dairy, sugar etc before in the past but if I'm remembering correctly, I only did so for about a fortnight and haven't before been so strict about my eating habits - in fact, I've never been on a diet in all of my twenty years and as a result, I'm sure I'll find the Whole30 a little challenging. Not as challenging as living with chronic illness, however!

So far, I've been doing well - apart from one 'I CAN'T EAT THAT' outburst after being surrounded by my family all crunching Kettle Chips (my true food love and weakness) and one member having the audacity to offer me a handful - and am enjoying immersing myself in the community of Whole30-ers. Some people I've spoken to have been on the program for over 150 days (!) and swear by it, saying that it alleviates even some of the worst symptoms of autoimmune diseases and various other conditions, which is really encouraging me to persevere for the sake of my illness. I'm not hoping for any miracles here, but even a slight improvement in my symptoms or pain levels would be a huge help.

Day Four

My thought process at the moment is that at the end of the program, I'll finally be able to draw a line under food-related disease and nutrition issues. I have a health Instagram - Meg Says Eat, here - and I can't tell you how many messages I get on there every day about how going gluten-free (etc) will rid me of fatigue, and it'll be nice to be able to say - "thanks for the suggestion, I've done the Whole30 though and it concluded that my illnesses aren't caused or worsened by the things I eat". Or, it could work out for me and I can say - "brilliant, isn't it - I feel ten times better". Time will tell - see you in 30 days!

Have you tried or will you ever try the Whole30? Do you think proper nutrition is an important lifestyle choice for those living with chronic illness?

Meg

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