Tuesday, September 24, 2013

The Difference between Paleo and Whole30 ....

... And where I stuffed up!  OK so those following along will know I have been supporting my dear friend Caryn on her Whole30 challenge.  It was a quick entry into this new way of eating and I did a small amount of research before we started two days later.  I was really lucky as Caryn sent me info from the book and some awesome websites to get the low down ... but alas I missed the big intro to Whole30 that discusses that while it is a Paleo styled nutrition program it also has some fundamental differences to what Paleo is all about.  I am thinking the fine print I missed was probably quite important, as Whole30 is not about making changes to your diet so that you can still eat the way you normally do but it's about completely changing the way you see food and getting rid of all the vices you didn't know you had!

YUMMY Bliss Balls ... totally Paleo, but totally NOT Whole30!
For Caryn, I think the vice was dairy!  For me since giving up gluten and dairy six months ago, my new vices are potatoes and sugar.  I thought this food challenge was about finding alternatives to these vices but no I was completely wrong!  The deal is you just give these things up and eat three wholesome gluten, legume, dairy, sugar free meals and that's it ... no making pancakes or blitzing dates up to form yummy bliss balls it's about losing these things for thirty days and not finding a substitute for them even if all the ingredients you make them with are on the acceptable list!  I have just over a week left on Whole30, which we now know I have got completely wrong so I plan to do it again!  

I will finish this Whole30 off and plan to eat Paleo 95% of the time when I'm not doing a Whole30.  For me it's been a BIG learning curve, letting things go and not seeking alternatives is something I haven't done this round.  I'm guessing that I will need to do Whole30 a couple of times a year but for the rest of the time I will enjoy finding healthy alternatives for my taste buds to enjoy ... surely life is about enjoying the food you eat just as it is about making healthy choices!  Just as well I enjoy learning so much as getting this right might take a while :0)

In running news, I'm still running ... even in pouring rain!  I can't deny its hard work, it's really testing me but that's a good thing and I'm sure it will pay off with my first running event on the first of December.

I was literally soaked from my run today!

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