Eating without Rules: Why I will never do another Whole30

I don't like rules, I don't like people telling me what to do, and I hate being controlled.

That said,

I do love to learn and accumulate as much information as possible. One of things that I love to learn about is food and nutrition. I love food (ALL FOODS "healthy" or otherwise) and I am interested to see how it works in the body and how certain foods can make us feel certain ways physically and psychologically. I also have a profound interest in health, for lots of reasons, but mainly because I have this strange personality quirk where I am concerned with being the best I can be. And in my heart I feel that a solid diet of good foods has helped me achieve a lot of my goals.

A year ago I discovered the Paleo diet and since, have read numerous books explaining the ins and outs of this lifestyle. So many things about it made sense to me and I knew it was a lifestyle that I'd adopt and keep... but only to a certain extent.

Today my mom texted me and asked "Is quinoa Paleo?" I responded, "No. It still can be problematic to the gut but if you can tolerate it then there is no reason why you shouldn't incorporate it."

I am happy to answer any questions people have but I don't feel comfortable labeling myself "Paleo". I hate it because of the stigma that I will force my lifestyle habits on you, or come off as elitist.  Or maybe you'll put me in a box with all those other Paleo/vegan/raw food folks who you have nothing in common with.

Second, is that Paleo, though a miracle for some, in not a magic bean that you pop in your mouth and suddenly become a beaming ray of light. It is a way of eating that cleans the diet in a way to remove harmful toxins and inflammation from your body. HOWEVER, I still enjoy other foods happily and peacefully and I don't go running to the bathroom, or develop and ulcer, or have my thyroid implode, or get stricken with the Big C because I eat some soy sauce or a corn chip or some vegetable oil . I eat moderately. And yes, I do believe in moderation. And I trust myself around all foods. And so should you.

One of the strictest diets out there is the Whole30. It's a strict version of Paleo where you follow a set of rules for 30 days. I hate rules, like I stated above, but I tried it because well... I wanted to see what would happen. I think it is a good foundation but I believe that it supports a greater theme in which I don't support: FOOD RESTRICTION.

I believe in health. I don't believe in restriction. I am extremely independent and individual  and I believe that, from the bottom of my heart, that you should do whatever works for you.

With lots of love
F

A Quick Recap

It has been just over 6 months since I've written! I'll admit, I have thought about writing so many times, however, I have been terribly preoccupied. Just about the time of my last post, I met my now boyfriend Chris [who is the most wonderful man ever!], started a new job teaching at my university, started CrossFit, and continued to go to school full time. The summer didn't slow down either. I was interning, traveling, and schooling. Today, I took my last final of the semester, finished up my internship, graded final projects, and for the first time in many nights have "nothing to do". It has also a year to the day that I started eating "Paleo" and a year since I started graduate school. It has been a whirlwind to say the least and a job in itself just to balance the stress, but the commitments I've made [to my studies, my boyfriend, and my lifestyle] have been more than worth it.

I plan on writing more soon because I have many topics I want to talk about, but for now, I am going to take this night and do nothing for once ;-)