Friday, July 31, 2015

Whole 30: Day 12

      Today was a little bit chaotic evil. Chaotic because everything was set back and crazy. Evil because around 2:00 am, I had a nightmare that kept me up for 3 hours, but I still had to get up early because Ray had to get blood work done first thing this morning. So we didn't eat breakfast until closer to 10:00 this morning. We changed up the pumpkin porridge this time and used almond butter instead of tahini. Everyone really liked the change because it gave it a deeper flavor. We had it with blueberry sage super sausage, and wow was that fantastic! How can you go wrong with blueberries and liver in your morning sausage?


Debra McVay's photo.     After chores, I got to play some video games (something I rarely get to do). Then we ate lunch: BLT salad with black pepper ranch dressing and muskmelon.

     After lunch, I could no longer go, so I had a nap while the kids played. After my nap, it was time to get some exercise in. We did a PEM, and it felt awesome. Muscles pulled bones into alignment. My back popped several wonderful times. And then as I was cooling down and stretching out, the muscle in the back of my leg cramped up and wouldn't let go. It still hurts a little now after extra potassium, extra calcium, and a bath in Epsom salt.

Debra McVay's photo.

     With all of this craziness, pizza movie night got started late, so we didn't do any experimenting with the crust. We just stuck to the meatza crust. But since we were celebrating Harry Potter's birthday, we had to have a special dessert. I ended up making some cinnamon and sea-salt banana chips, and we topped them with almond butter and raisins. It was delicious.

     With the late start, and the fact that Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets is a pretty long movie, I got a late start on my blog, and I was already pretty tired, so goodnight.

Thursday, July 30, 2015

Whole 30: Day 11



     Today was not a great day. It really could have been better, but I was tired and developed a bit of a backache towards the end of my shift. Once I got home, it got better, but I had to deal with Cranky and the Hyper Boys. Apparently, the kids went to see my parents this afternoon, and while they were there, they had Paleo cookies and smoothies, and they came back wired and didn't tell Ray why. They also wouldn't settle and help out around the house like they're supposed to, which triggered Ray's stress issues. By the time I got home, Ray's sugar was close to 300, and he was in butt mode.

    And the day started off so good, too. We had a delicious breakfast of scrambled eggs with a side of avocado and olives. Once at work, it was pretty calm and I had time to make a list of things I need to do this weekend.

Debra McVay's photo.
     I had chicken, beet, and carrot salad and my cauliflower hummus with bell pepper slices. It was so hot at lunch, though. It was almost not worth it eating in my car.

     Then as the end of my shift approached, it decided to storm. Thunder, lightning, pouring rain. So I stuck around for an extra 15 minutes, waiting for the storm to pass.

Debra McVay's photo.     When I got home, I was greeted by an unusual smell. It turned out to be a combination of smells: cinnamon, clove, muskmelon, and beef bone broth. It was a strange combo of smells that are wonderful when separate, but not so great together. Then there was the cranking and grumping and it was upsetting.

     For dinner, we had leftover beef tongue with carrots and broccoli slaw, and it almost made up for a lousy day. Almost.

     Hopefully tomorrow will be a better day. It's pizza movie night and Harry Potter's birthday. Since it's my turn to pick the movie, we'll be watching Harry Potter and having a little celebration. We'll also be trying a cauliflower pizza crust.

     As for tonight, I'm done. I have lost the ability to can. Goodnight.

Wednesday, July 29, 2015

Whole 30: Day 10

     Today was another 9-hour work shift, but I started it off with a wonderful bacon onion quiche. Eggs really help me power through my morning. It's rare that I even get hungry before lunch (which I usually don't get to eat until six hours after breakfast.

Debra McVay's photo.     Lunch was a Mediterranean chicken salad wrap. It poured down rain during my lunch, and I got soaked, but it was worth it to get out of the building and eat in peace. After lunch, I got to see Ray and Victor. Victor had just been to the dentist: no cavities.

     After work, we had oxtail with kale, onions, and peaches. They were really good, but we're thinking of cooking them differently next time.

     We all just relaxed in the living room together for the little bit of time we had before it was time for the kids to go to bed.

     Ray's sugar has been running a little higher the last two days, and as always, we're not sure why. Living with brittle Type I diabetes if really rough, but we continue to do all that we can through diet and exercise to try to manage it. And one of the things we can do to help is to make sure we get adequate sleep, so it's now time to say goodnight.

Tuesday, July 28, 2015

Whole 30: Day 9

     I took today off to go with Ray to his doctor's appointment. He recently changed doctors because his former doctor didn't listen to him, and the nurse practitioner he saw before that stopped allowing patients to bring someone back with them to the exam room, and between Ray's memory problems, anxiety issues, and paranoia, that was the worst thing she could do.

    Since this was his first time seeing the new doctor, his anxiety was very high, but she was awesome, and we really liked her. She actually listened and agreed to allow him to try for better management of his conditions through diet after he told her how the Whole 30 was helping him to control his blood sugar. She did, however, admonish him for eating breakfast before coming since she wanted to do blood work, and he informed her that his lab work would have to be earlier in the morning, if she didn't want him to eat because his appointment was at 10:00, but we didn't get back until 11:00, and that is way too long for a diabetic to go without eating or without insulin.

Debra McVay's photo.     We still had some shopping to do after that, since we were unable to get our meat on Saturday, so by the time we got home, it was 1:00. We decided to make a quicker lunch than what was on the menu, so we threw the cauliflower in some bone broth and fried our sardines. After lunch, I took a wonderful nap surrounded by my children. After I woke up, Ray and I danced together and then grabbed a shower.

     I finally got a chance to finish the menu for the next 10 days, just in time, so here it is:



Day 11:
Scrambled eggs with olives and avocado
Chicken, beet, and carrot salad
Leftover beef tongue with carrots and dates
Snacks: peppers w/cauliflower hummus, apple

Day 12:
Pumpkin tahini porridge w/raisins; blueberry and sage super sausage
Bacon, lettuce, and tomato salad with black pepper ranch
Meatz and salad
Snacks: melon, apple

Day 13:
Bacon and egg salad w/baked bananas
Pineapple burger with braised kale
Chicken fajita lettuce wraps with guacamole and butternut salad
Snacks: carrots w/red pepper cauliflower hummus, apple

Day 14:
Fruit salad with pistachios
Broc-cauli chowder
Fried eggs w/roasted Brussels and onions w/sweet mustard dressing
Snacks: pepper w/ranch, apple

Day 15:
Ham and butternut quiche
Caesar salad
Chicken livers w/plantain and apple fritters
Snacks: bacon jerky, apple

Day 16:
Coconut milk yogurt w/blueberries; bacon
Olive, tomato, an avocado salad w/sardine dressing
Meatza and salad
Snacks: devils on horseback, apple

Day 17:
Fiesta quiche
Chicken, avocado, and pepper salad w/date vinaigrette
Barbeque chicken stuffed sweet potato with broccoli and ranch
Snacks: carrots w/ranch, apple

Day 18:
Apple streusel quiche
Ham and sweet potato salad
Pan-fried sardines with baked butternut squash
Snacks: peppers w/baba ghanoush, apple

Day 19:
Egg cup with fermented carrots
Turkey, roasted turnip, and bacon salad
Ox tail w/onion jam and braised baby spinach
Snacks: carrots w/baba ghanoush, apple

Day 20:
Eggs w/breakfast bacon stir fry
Cucumber, tomato, sardine salad w/"cheesy" paprika ranch dressing
Bacon burger w/barbeque sauce, baked butternut squash, and pickles
Snacks: sweet potato chips, apple

     So far, the Whole 30 is really going well, and Ray and I are going to try to incorporate more Paleo-based exercise into our lives since we have more energy. On the days that I work 9 hours, Ray is going to try to make sure and move around, walking for a few minutes every hour. On my days off, we're going to try to get in at least one HIIT and one PEM, but we also love to dance.

     Well, it's late; I'm tired; and I have work tomorrow, so goodnight.

Monday, July 27, 2015

Whole 30: Day 8

     I don't know if it was me, but work was surprisingly chill today, even though it was busy. But before that, I started the day with green egg and ham quiche.

     And as always, I had lunch in my car. Ray made some delicious barbeque chicken and barbeque sauce that is made from tomato paste, blueberries, coconut aminos, and spices. We paired it with a tasty broccoli slaw and carrots with homemade ranch dipping saw.

     After work, I was awarded the site of an awesome VW Beatle. It was yellow with flowers painted on. The back windshield had a peace sign, and Woodstock '69 was painted on the back. It was truly far out.

     Back at home, the family got the kitchen and the bathrooms cleaned. They've been feeling a lot better and have had more energy, too.

     When I got home, we had chicken with bacon-y winter squash hash and relaxed. A delicious end to a pretty good day.

Sunday, July 26, 2015

Whole 30: Day 7

     This will be a short post. For one thing, I didn't take any pictures today, and for another, I'm exhausted. Today was an exhausting day at work, but I did have the energy to make it all the way through with only a 30 minute break for lunch in the middle of an 8-hour work day.

     Sundays are our vegetarian days because I found that eating meat seven days a week was making my toe hurt, which made me a little paranoid that it might be the onset of gout. So today we had fruit salad and pistachios for breakfast. I have a hard time with certain nuts, but these are on my okay list. I cannot eat pecans, walnuts, or macadamias, the latter making me very sad because I love macadamias. Lunch was a divine homemade roasted butternut squash soup seasoned with Chinese five spice. I plan on posting this recipe as soon as I can get a decent picture. I had planned on taking a picture of the soup at lunch, but I was having trouble keeping more than one thought in my head at a time, so I was halfway through dinner before I had this realization, and it was too late to take a picture of dinner, either. Dinner was winter squash hash with eggs.

     Other than having the dumb today, it was a really great day. My favorite parts were being home with the family and having Ray rub my very tired feet. Goodnight.

Saturday, July 25, 2015

Whole 30: Day 6

     Mornings when the kids go to my parents' house are always hectic, and today was no different. We got everyone up early and had breakfast. Ray, Victor, and I like our eggs sunny-side up. Lydia likes hers fried, and Alex likes his scrambled. Ray makes them to order on the griddle all at the same time.

     After breakfast, with the kids gone, we had a couple of hours before we had to start lunch, so Ray took a nap because he was really sleepy, and he was going to drive us all to Dothan. I started working on the menu for the next ten days.

     For lunch, we had pan-fried sardines with sweet potato chips, and it was fabulous. Then we put together a snack and headed for my parents' to pick the kids up for a special treat, a surprise.

     We have an awesome 2nd-hand store in Dothan that holds all sorts of events, and today they held Harry Potter's birthday party. The kids were sorted into houses and able to make their own wands and golden snitches and answer trivia questions from the books and movies.

Ravenclaw
Gryffindor
Hufflepuff
     After everyone else left, Ray, my mom, and I were allowed to get badges and sorted into houses as well. Ray got Slytherin. My mom got Hufflepuff, and I got Ravenclaw.
Only a Slytherin would wear that T-shirt
Typical Ravenclaw with an armload of books
Debra McVay's photo.     I found a cool seasonal cookbook that I'm going to use as inspiration for Paleo recipes, and my mom got me a really awesome sugar skull bag. Once we left there, everyone started talking about how hungry they were, so we broke out the rest of the bacon jerky and some watermelon and raisins for Ray because his sugar was dropping.

     We got our groceries for the week before making it back home. We threw our dinner into the pressure cooker, and just relaxed. We had chicken with broccoli, onion, and mushrooms, and for dessert, we had fresh diced peaches in coconut milk. This day went by too fast, and now it's time for bed, so goodnight.

Friday, July 24, 2015

Whole 30: Day 5

 


Debra McVay's photo.

     I woke up feeling so amazingly awake, even though I had to get up 30 minutes earlier than usual, and I went to work without the usual brain fog I have in the mornings, but not before having pizza egg cups made with leftover salami, olives, and mushrooms from pizza the night before. We even topped it with some leftover pizza sauce.

     Ray is reporting more reliable energy levels through the day, even though he forgot to take his insulin before he ate twice yesterday. He tends to do this any time we make a major change. It throws him off his schedule, and he forgets to take his medication on time.

Debra McVay's photo.     While at work, one of our pharmacists came in carrying a small, cardboard box and set it down and opened it, and the nauseating smell of baked goods filled the pharmacy. I promise you that I did NOT eat any of these. I wish I could convey how large these cookies were, and some of my co-workers ate three. I told them I was going to take a picture, and they asked if it was to make someone jealous. I told them it was for my blog, and they said, "You're going to tell on us!?" Yes, I'm telling. :)

Debra McVay's photo.     Lunch has to be my favorite time of day while at work. I get to sit, relax, eat my delicious home-packed lunch, and then I usually take a nap. Today was made even better by the fact that it rained while I was taking a nap and stopped before I had to go back inside. Ray made me a delicious cobb salad. It's so easy to make a travel salad, just layer all your ingredients and pack some dressing.

      Once home, I was greeted by some delicious smells. You may find the idea of eating beef tongue disturbing or disgusting (so did I), but it really is delicious, like a pot roast. Ray cooked it in the pressure cooker. The most important thing to know about tongue is that you have to cut the skin off after you cook it, but after that, you can pull it apart like a good roast, and you'll forget what you're eating once you try it. This was the first beef I've been able to eat in at least 10 years, and I seem to be handling it okay.

     We served the tongue (which has a lot of bioavailable calcium) with broccoli slaw and plantain crackers. These are mashed plantains baked with your choice of herbs. They are not really crisp, or at least ours weren't, but they are really good. Tomorrow, I'll be working on the menu for the next ten days and taking the kids to a special event, so goodnight.

Thursday, July 23, 2015

Whole 30: Day 4




     This has been an awesome day, and not just because I was not at work. I've had a lot more energy and a lot less pain. I was still really tired, but any amount of energy is an improvement. We're actually thinking about extending this way of eating past 30 days. The pros are that we'll spend less money on insulin, honey, maple syrup, and coconut sugar. We'll only use those things on special occasions. The cons are... I really don't see any cons. I love sugar, but I know it's just another addiction that is not good for my health.

Debra McVay's photo.
     I had so much energy today that I did the majority of the cooking. I absolutely love to cook, but most days (even my days off), I just think about cooking, but never have the energy to get up and help. But this morning, for breakfast, I cooked pumpkin tahini porridge, while Ray chopped us up some ham.  This is a fabulous recipe that I got out of  Practical Paleo. I just omitted the small amount of natural sweetener and used full fat coconut milk instead of water. It added sweetness and creaminess.

Debra McVay's photo.     After breakfast, I mixed up a marinade for the bacon jerky we're having for snack tomorrow to give it a few hours to think about how tasty it was going to be. Meanwhile, Ray shredded carrots and got them started up fermenting.

Debra McVay's photo.While watching Adventure Time and looking through cookbooks, I came across a recipe for cashew cheese sauce. Since we can't have dairy, and it was still early enough to have time to soak the nuts, Ray went out and got us some raw cashews. While he was gone, I marinated some sardines in olive oil, lemon juice, dill, and paprika, so they'd be ready to fry up once it was time for lunch.

     Once he got home, I started pan-frying the sardines in coconut oil, while Ray mixed up olive oil with herbs and then tossed together tomatoes from our garden with olives and chopped up avocado. I then mixed the sardines in with the olive oil and herbs, and we poured this over our savory fruit salad. After lunch, I threw the bacon in the dehydrator, and we allowed the kids to play some video games while Ray and I got a nap. It was a truly pleasant nap while it poured down rain outside, and we could hear it on the tin roof of our home.

Debra McVay's photo.     As always with cooking comes the less fun task of cleaning, so we had to wash some dishes before we could make the star dish of our day. And mayo. Last year, when we first went Paleo, we started making our own mayonnaise. Then the appliance that we used to make mayo got dropped and busted, so we bought a different type of appliance. It was a better machine for some things, but not necessarily for mayonnaise. Then it got dropped and busted, so we replaced it. Then that one just snapped because apparently the brand we got has a weak handle problem. So we have been without mayo for a few weeks now, and I've been sad. We finally broke down and got the original appliance that we had, and now it's back to delicious, creamy mayonnaise again. I also used it for the cashew cheese.

     With all the cooking for the night (plus the breakfast, lunch, and snack done for tomorrow), it was time to settle down with the family and watched the movie that was picked this week by our youngest and eat some delicious meatza with a side salad and homemade ranch dressing. Now it is time for bed. Goodnight, everyone.
Debra McVay's photo.

Wednesday, July 22, 2015

Whole 30: Day 3

Debra McVay's photo.     Last night was rough. Ray's sugar dropped right before bed and then twice during the night, so he got very little sleep. Lydia had a really bad nosebleed, and I had to help her. Then Alex wasn't sleeping well, so he climbed in bed with us, and almost chased me out of the bed. I woke up with the same headache I went to bed with, but just moving around at work got rid of it before lunch.

     It was a strange day. I alternated between very happy and very cranky and between tired and hurting and full of energy. Ray was able to cut his insulin use in half, and he had lots of energy today, but he also developed a headache. Lydia was full o energy and did lots of chores and drew comics.

     So breakfast was bacon onion quiche, and if you haven't eaten this type of quiche, you are missing out. It's pretty easy to make, too. Cook your bacon, then caramelize your onions in the bacon grease. Allow to cool before adding to your egg mixture. Bake as usual. Lunch was cauliflower rice sushi. I work with someone who didn't know that the red specks on some sushi was fish roe. He thought they were sushi sprinkles. It was funny. Dinner was super sausage stuffed butternuts. We make our own sausage with pineapple sage from our garden, ground pork, and pork liver. There was also bacon sprinkled on top. It was delicious, and the liver is chock full of bio-available vitamin A.

Tuesday, July 21, 2015

Whole 30: Day 2

Debra McVay's photo.
     Today was better as far as cravings go, but it was a detox day. Sadly, I spent the day at work, and I ended up with a pretty bad headache by the end of the day.

     We started our day with Apple Streusel Quiche, and as always it was divine. Then I headed off for work. I took my lunch, as I always do: a salad and some watermelon.

      My favorite meal today by far was dinner, though. Turkey Sliders with Sweet Potato Buns(but without any honey mustard) with organic pickles and broccoli and caramelized onions on the side.

     Ray also spent the day detoxing, and was not happy about it because he had a lot to do today, but he had a lot more energy than he's had in a while. His sugar dropped again, but raisins were enough to fix it.

     The kids are adjusting, even though Lydia reports feeling hungry constantly, but that could be because she's a teenager. They all keep asking, can we eat this? Does this have sugar? It's really cute how they've all gotten into it as much as they have.

     Once again, it's late, and I'm getting really tired, so I'll report back in tomorrow.

Monday, July 20, 2015

Whole 30: Day One

Debra McVay's photo.

     Like all of my days off, this one went too quickly. It was a great day. We started off with braised kale, bacon, and watermelon. Then before lunch, we went out into the garden and picked tomatoes and cucumber to go in our salad. We also picked some eggplant to make into baba ghanoush.

     I haven't had a lot of energy today, but I don't know if that is sugar withdrawal or just coming off a butt-kicking week. It's probably both. I did snag a date at one point because I could not stop thinking about chocolate and coffee, but that helped, and I could move on.

     I stayed busy all day, doing chores around the house and playing. I didn't even look at my cookbooks because I was afraid they would fling cravings on me. Ray's blood sugar dropped, but he was able to get it back up with a handful of raisins. It took longer than candy, but it worked.

     We made a sweet mustard dressing with applesauce, mustard, balsamic vinegar, and coconut aminos. I think it could have used some mayonnaise, but we've had trouble making mayo in this heat. Dinner, however was divine. Ray roasted butternuts and cooked chicken in our new pressure cooker (a rad gift from my parents). He topped the squash with cinnamon, chicken, applesauce, and raisins.

     Now my tummy is full, my sweet tooth is sated, and I could totally go to sleep. Goodnight everyone.

Saturday, July 18, 2015

Our Whole 30: Assessment & Plan

     Over the past five and a half years, using various diets and exercise plans, I've managed to lose and keep off over 70 pounds. Lately, though, I've been yo-yoing a bit. I keep losing and gaining back the same 5 pounds. I kept thinking that I need to step up my game a bit - cut out a lot of the sweets I've been eating - but the thought of doing it would just make me crave an almond flour and dark chocolate chip cookie. Then a friend of mine issued a challenge the other day. She was looking for others to do a Whole 30, and I signed up the whole family. I refuse to do things alone.

So as I promised I'm going to post our befores here along with our menu for the first 10 days.
Pre-Whole 30: Debra
Weight: 173.1
Waist: 43 inches
Chest: 44.5 inches
BMI: 30.66














Pre-Whole 30: Ray
Weight: 264.3
Waist: 49.5 inches
Chest: 49 inches
BMI: 37.01














     Armed with a mountain or two of books, I have written out the menu plans for the first 10 days of our Whole 30. Because of my random work schedules, I can only plan a little in advance at a time, so I'll post these in 10 day chunks.  The rules of Whole 30 are Grain Free, Sugar Free, Legume Free, and Dairy Free. Three of these will be easy because that's how we eat all the time, but Sugar Free will be hard. I do love an ounce of dark chocolate at the end of the day or a serving of coconut milk ice cream on pizza movie night. I'm also a huge fan of honey vinaigrettes. I'll be replacing my favorite honey with applesauce, and I won't be eating any baked goods. I've also added a few challenges for our family that I've been hoping to implement anyway. We are going to include fermented foods, small wild-caught fish, and offal. I am also going to try to eat beef again since it's been a few years. I'm hoping that my problems with beef were what I was eating the beef with and not the meat itself.

Menu for Days 1-10

Day 1:
Bacon, watermelon, braised kale, and fermented carrots
Chicken garden salad with homemade ranch
Chicken with roasted butternut squash
Snacks: veggies with baba ghanoush, apple

Day 2:
Apple streusel quiche
Salad with chicken and sweet mustard dressing
Turkey sliders with sweet potato buns, organic pickles, caramelized onions,
     and broccoli
Snacks: watermelon, apple

Day 3:
Bacon onion quiche and fermented carrots
Sardines with olives, avocado, lemon juice, tomato, and Italian herb dressing
Super sausage (ground pork and pork liver) stuffed butternut squash
Snacks: veggies with baba ghanoush, apple

Day 4:
Pumpkin tahini porridge with fried ham
Cauliflower rice sushi with fish roe
Meatza and salad
Snacks: watermelon, apple

Day 5:
Egg cups
Cobb salad with ranch
Beef tongue and broccoli slaw with plantain crackers
Snacks: bacon jerky, apple

Day 6:
Eggs and bacon
Pan-fried sardines with sweet potato chips
Chicken with mushrooms and onions and broccoli
Snacks: watermelon, apple

Day 7:
Fruit salad with pistachios
Butternut soup
Eggs and winter squash hash
Snacks: veggies with ranch, apple

Day 8:
Green eggs and ham quiche
Barbeque chicken with broccoli slaw
Fried chicken livers with plantain and apple fritters
Snacks: veggies with ranch, apple

Day 9:
Coconut milk yogurt, bacon, fermented carrots
Pan-fried sardines with roasted cauliflower
Chicken with bacon-y butternut hash
Snacks: sweet potato chips, apple

Day 10:
Super sausage (ground pork and pork liver) quiche, orange
Mediterranean chicken salad lettuce wraps
Braised ox tail with kale, onion, and peach
Snacks: bacon jerky, apple

     That's it. The hardest part was switching to Paleo in the first place. I know I'm going to miss my sweet treats and crave them for days, but I am armed with dates to get me through the really tough times. We'll be starting Monday, and I'm going to try to post at least a little something every day. At the end, we'll post our after pictures and stats. While I am a little nervous, I'm really looking forward to this! Thanks for the challenge!

Thursday, July 16, 2015

Announcement: Whole 30

     So on top of doing the new series I'm working on, I've also been challenged by a friend of mine to do a Whole 30 starting Monday. If you don't know what that is, check the link to the right of this article. I will be posting my menus of what our family is eating for those 30 days, and I will try to post a little something about each day of the 30.

     I'll also be posting some more recipes. Ray has come up with a couple of delicious recipes: summer squash casserole and butternut squash soup. Plus I have plans to write out the shave soap recipe that I make for Ray. It lathers well and conditions the skin.

     Saturday, we'll be posting our befores: pictures, weight, measurements. We'll post the results at the end of the Whole 30 as well. Feel free to join us in our Whole 30 adventure.

Friday, July 10, 2015

Paleo Changes You


     If you know anything about the Paleo diet, you've probably heard about all the wonderful changes that will take place in your body as you start to heal the inflammation that you've acquired from eating the SAD foods; how eating whole foods, avoiding processed and refined foods, reducing sweets, introducing nutrient dense foods, and avoiding grains and legumes and dairy can not only make you feel better, but also lose weight and look better.

     You may have heard how eating Paleo can help with digestive issues, such as leaky gut, constipation, diarrhea, gut pain, bloating, or gas; or how it can help with compromised immunity complaints such as frequent colds, flu, or seasonal allergies. You may even have heard that it can help your energy levels or skin problems.

     What you may not know are some of the more subtle things that can occur. I know I didn't, or if I had heard it, I didn't believe it, but having eaten this way for over a year now, I can tell you about some of the things that we've learned.

Sweets Taste Sweeter

Grains Smell Bad

Dairy Smells Bad

High Fructose Corn Syrup Smells Bad and Tastes Worse

Junk Food Has Little to No Appeal

Your Eyes Adjust to Light Changes More Quickly

Commercials Have Less Sway Over You

Your Body Lets You Know Quickly When You Are Intolerant of a Food

You Enjoy Nature More

You Feel Less Angry and Irritated

Your Bar For Feeling Good Gets Reset