#21DSD ~ Day 0

There are some people who will read this and think I’ve gone crazy overboard with all this nutrition babble.  And there are some people who will read this and think this sounds interesting and bookmark it as something to do in the future.  While others may think this is just the right time to begin making changes to their diet.  I’m writing this series of blog posts for this last group.  People who have been thinking and dabbling in learning more about nutrition and are looking for ways to jumpstart their path to better health and fitness.

It was June of last year when I began to feel convicted about nutrition and fitness.  I was hearing a lot about Paleo diets and was becoming very intrigued by the philosophy behind it all.  Throughout the summer I embarked on a fitness and nutrition plan that involved eating whole foods and working out 6 days a week (let’s be real, the 6 days was more like 4 or 5, but it still did the job).  If you’re curious, you can find the guide I was using on Amazon called the 30-day Method by Tracy Anderson.  The program kicked my butt.  In other words, it did the job right.

In the fall, I got started on a book called Practical Paleo by Diane Sanfilippo.  I completed a 30-day program on a Paleo diet and then continued to dabble in it throughout the holidays.  When I look back on all the little menu plans and nutrition philosophies I was experimenting with it seems to be a bit schizophrenic, but I truly feel that all of this is simply helping me to identify the right way to model my nutrition for myself and my family.  I’ve become more skilled at putting together healthy meals and have even grown to enjoy steamed broccoli and mashed parsnips as a side.  I feel completely adept at identifying obscure vegetables and talking about the difference in cooking oils.  My fruit and veggie drawers in my fridge actually contain fruit and veggies rather than a six-pack of beer and extra diet cokes.  My husband continues to roll his eyes at me during my prolonged nutrition rants, but deep down he loves me for it.  Besides, he owes me for all the times I listen to him drone on and on about this car and that car and horsepower and torque and blah, blah, blah. 

So, now to the point of this post.  I’ve been feeling convicted about sugar and its effects on our body.  Sugar can drive the strongest of cravings and send us on an emotional rollercoaster when overdone.  Now before you start thinking this isn’t the plan for you because you don’t crave candy, start reading labels, you’ll discover sugar hiding in most of the foods you eat, from tomato and barbecue sauce to bread and French fries.  And it’s even more amazing how your body craves these foods for the sugar content.  The point of this program is to bring your taste for sugar down to a more healthy level where fruits begin to taste sweeter than before and your satisfied with a smaller portion of these foods.

I’m writing this out for you because it was the blogging of other nutritionists and people on similar journeys that helped me throughout my own journey and I would like to pay it forward.  So, every day for the next 21 days of my detox I will be blogging.  If you are interested in what I’m eating, how I’m feeling and how the program is working, then please follow this blog.  I have found reading blogs to be motivating, inspiring and encouraging for those who are interested in pursuing a similar program.  If you find all of this self-talk to be annoying and you believe that I love to just talk about myself (I do) and I’m too obsessed with nutrition (I am) then feel free to pass on this one.  I completely understand. 

Somehow, I’ve convinced my kind and loving husband to complete this detox with me.  Two is always better than one.  To complete a program like this, you’re going to need the support of others.  The book and recipes I am using are from Diane Sanfilippo.  You can learn more about her program on her website Balanced Bites.