Healthy Life Challenge: Week 3 Reflections
Woohoo! This week I finally added back all the food - cheese, bread, chocolate, it's all mine!
If you've missed it, I'm in the process of finishing an elimination diet and personal challenge to be healthier in mind, body and spirit. You can read about past weeks here and here.
This week was the reintroduction phase. I started with gluten as I had a good feeling that I was not allergic to it. The first day I had gluten, I felt so much fuller and more satisfied in between meals. I stuck with healthy gluten items thought like light whole wheat english muffins and whole wheat pasta. I'm super happy to have gluten back, but I am focusing on limiting it in a healthy way and not going overboard.
Two - three days later I added chocolate. I started easy with organic dark chocolate, which is now my favorite thing! I then had left over Easter chocolate and I felt so sick afterwards. This was probably the biggest surprise for me as I've always had the biggest sweet tooth and the fact that I liked dark chocolate over milk chocolate and caramel was so shocking to me! Since then I've had a few other treats and birthday cake for someone at church, and honestly, cake is not as tasty as I emember it. All sugary treats are almost too much sugar for me now and I don't enjoy the treats any more. Trust me, no one is more surpirsed as this girl, but it's true. I'm so thankful to be free from my sugar addiction.
At the end of the week I added cheese. As someone who thought she was lactose intolerant having no reaction to cheese was also the biggest surprise of the week. I really enjoyed having a wine + cheese night with Jake, but I also enjoyed learning how to cook and eat without relying on dairy for flavor.
Overall, I loved doing this and I really learned how my body reacts to certain foods. I noticed when I felt more sluggish or when I felt more bloated. I have a new found love for nutrition + clean eating and I plan to instill what I've learned into my lifestyle. To me, this was not just a challenge. It is a lifestyle change.
Other than healthy eating, I have really deepened my yoga practice and increased my strength and stamina in the gym. I got in a rut with my workouts prior to this challenge and being forced to find new workouts or to push myself harder in the gym helped me rediscover my passion for fitness.
I've also enjoyed carving out time to read or meditate. These are things I know I should do but I don't always take the time to. I've also gotten back into art and writing, which has been wonderful for my creativity and focus overall in life.
Last but not least is water intake. I've always struggled to get the recommended 64 oz. per day. Most days I actually hit or surpassed that goal, and a few days I got close to the goal. It's definitely something I plan to work on and keep striving to reach that goal.
What goals do you have? DM me any questions about this elimination diet or if you want an accountability buddy.
I am not a certified nutritionist/doctor/etc and cannot recommend an elimination diet. Please consult a certified physician if interested.