Day Twenty-Four (Monday)

Today is my last Monday. Well, my last Monday on Whole 30. Though, I kind of am seeing myself doing some version of this long-term. My inflammation hasn't quieted down, which is sad. I was hoping to see a tangible result in that arena. There is information to support a few other foods as inflammatory, such as eggs and nightshades (more on nightshades here). But for the sake of finishing, I am going to explore those in about two weeks. I don't think I'm the type to eat chicken and greens for breakfast. Breakfast really is the hardest meal. Not only do I not want to eat in the morning, there aren't many compliant foods that are healthy and get your protein going.

Ate:

• Spinach and eggs. Key Lime Larabar. I might need to learn how to make my own Larabars, or buy them in bulk. I try not to have one every day.
• EarthFare salad bar with spinach, oranges, strawberries, chicken + my own dressing with a few steamed veggies (and a $2 off coupon!)
• Some roasted cashews (compliant!!!)
• STEAK. I admit it. I love some beef. Jerod grilled rib-eyes. And some squash and peppers. Gosh, steak is yummy. I probably ate a little too much of it.

Impressions:

My last three days on whole 30 will be on a retreat. The good thing is, our meals are provided by an on-site cafeteria, and they're willing to work with dietary needs. I HATE being "that person" who has a list of issues. But, I will need a source of protein and vegetables that aren't soaked in butter. There aren't fridges in the room (though they offered me one--how nice!), so I'm stocking up on some fruit and nuts and Larabars for snacks. I'm fairly sure they have a salad bar, so I'll bring my own dressing. Should be interesting, to say the least. There's really nowhere to eat out that's 100% compliant and tasty. Every salad dressing served in public has soybean oil and sugar in it. And you really aren't talking to nutritionists when you ask servers and cashiers what's in the food. Most of them just shrug when you ask about gluten (what's that?) or soy. Lots of places have online allergens listed, and gluten, soy and dairy are generally listed. But there's really no way to know if stuff has sugar in it. Meats are glazed in it, MSG isn't always listed, and a whole host of other preservatives and chemicals. Not that I'll never eat out again, by any stretch; but this has been eye-opening in the sense of how much "cleaner" I can eat at home. That said, the move away from convenience foods is also a major challenge. I have no idea what's for dinner tomorrow night. We have salad, asparagus, and some ground beef on deck. What in the world sounds good with those components? I constantly have to think ahead to make sure I can stay on track. Hopefully, once we get a decent rotation of meals, I can look more toward planning out menus. Still not very good at that. SIX MORE DAYS!!!!