The Whole30

What is the Whole30 you ask?  It was created by a brilliant married couple, Dallas and Melissa Hartwig. They wanted to find a way to end random pains, to cure diseases, end illnesses without medication and spread all the knowledge and power they've gained over years of research, attending various seminars, and countless pages read in books.  And so they did.  What you might not realize is that these two people have done an INCREDIBLE thing.  They have developed a program that is a "reset" for your own body.  For 30 days (yes, a WHOLE 30 - pun totally intended), you eliminate grains, dairy, sugar - yes even the "fake stuff", legumes, and processed garbage.  What do you eat exactly?  It's called food.  REAL food.  Check out their website and book, It Starts With Food for more detailed information. I could give it to you now but if I were to explain the masterpiece they've created into a few short paragraphs, no way could I do it justice.  So just go buy their book, eh?  I'm not Canadian by the way, I'm just a friendly neighbor of theirs.

Why am I doing this you might ask?  There are a few reasons:

#1 - My body cannot tolerate grains.  I'm not sure which ones in particular as it seems currently rice doesn't turn my stomach upside down nearly as bad as a bowl of cheerios might so by eliminating everything for 30 days, I will be able to pinpoint which ones exactly my body is rejecting once my Whole30 is up and I start reintroducing things.

#2 - I have Multiple Sclerosis. This should be reason #1 and I'd change it if I wasn't so lazy. You see, people with my condition have a body that likes to attack itself. That's what having an autoimmune condition entails. Basically, MS is caused by damage to the myelin sheath, the protective covering that surrounds nerve cells. When this nerve covering is damaged, nerve signals slow down or stop.The nerve damage is caused by inflammation. Inflammation occurs when the body's own immune cells attack the nervous system. This can occur along any area of the brain, optic nerve, and spinal cord. And things like grains (especially gluten) and dairy like to cause all kinds of inflammation which is no bueno for me.  So in order for me to find some relief for myself and find out what exactly is causing my MS, I must do the Whole30.

#3 - I have some lbs to lose.  Ok this isn't a weight loss program but even the Hartwigs admit themselves that 95% of people who complete a Whole30 change their body's composition in some form, even if it's not their goal.  I admit, when I eat clean, my body looks better.  I think it was Tosca Reno that said you will look like whatever you eat looks like.  Therefore, if you want to look like a bunch of donuts, all squishy and round, then have at em.  But if you want to look lean and cut, eat veggies and organic meat from animals who spend their days grazing green pastures.

So here I go!  Check back for daily updates.